July 2017
YOU HAVE INSPIRED ME…
I’ve been quite fortunate this last month to have had a few people say this to me on multiple occasions and I can definitely say I’ve been inspired by them as well. I never really quite understood the level of impact I could have on others until recently. I have a great amount of admiration for all of the people I know who are doing their own thing and pushing themselves each day to get better at what they are doing or what they are passionate about. Being courageous and brave enough to be vulnerable and honest with yourself and other people is something to be commended. I know this because I feel it around everyone I have surrounded myself with lately and it has inspired me to do the same. It becomes an easy default to have that voice inside of your head convince you that you aren’t good enough or that you should quit because you aren’t where you thought you “should” be. We start to allow our own consciousness to doubt ourselves; but what if we used that voice to help propel us forward into the life we’ve always dreamed of instead? What would have to change in order for us to achieve peace and control over our lives? I’m beginning to understand that it’s all about shifting how you perceive and think about the world around you while paying attention to signs that life is trying to present to you to guide you on the right path. It all comes down to simply following your intuition.
Where would I be today if I didn’t doubt myself in the past? This has been very tough question for me to answer because I know I probably would have mastered at least one thing at this point in my life. Growing up, if I had listened to my own voice instead of everyone else’s opinions about who I was supposed to be, I might have had the confidence in myself to go and pursue anything in my life and be unapologetically amazing at it. It’s a good thing it’s never too late for me to make the decision to change my mindset and actions on this, isn’t it? We can’t be too hard on ourselves though; it’s very easy to get distracted and side-tracked away from our real purpose in life and ultimately from the most authentic version of ourselves. It all has to start with a conscious decision to pay attention to yourself and what’s being offered to you. Life is always giving us gifts of guidance; it’s whether we take the time to have an awareness of these things that will make all the difference.
Going through some major changes in my life these last couple of months, I found myself searching for guidance and answers because I was feeling lost and didn’t know what direction I was supposed to go and where I needed to be. Deciding to keep my heart and mind open to new opportunities and possibilities for myself has since led me to people and places that I hold close and dear to my heart without knowing them for very long. Even though I didn’t (and still don’t) have a clear vision on where this path is leading, the experiences I’ve had have given me the courage and belief that I can jump in with two feet into the darkness of uncertainty and trust everything will work out in the end. I’ve found the more I take notice, the less I believe certain things happen by coincidence. Take numbers, for example; I’ve always considered the synchronicity of numbers an important sign or guidance from the Universe, or Spirit world for myself and I saw evidence of this concept continually over the last two months. Whether it was consecutive 222’s, 333’s, 444’s or 555’s (and especially 1’s in 1:11 and 11:11), they have be constant reminders that I am heading the right direction. When I see these signs (and they usually present themselves when I need the reminders the most), I’m able to take a deep breath and feel more at peace with my current situation. Here’s some screenshot proof I’m not delusional and have been magically tuning in at the right times:
Another immensely important symbol that has been brought to the forefront of my awareness has been that of spirit guides in the animal world. I know this idea and concept won’t speak to everyone and that’s okay, but it has become something in my life personally that has made a great impact on how I view the world I live in. After going through a tough situation at the start of June I found myself holding onto feelings of heartbreak, anger, resentment and confusion and needing a way to let go of all of it. Soon enough I was hiking up a mountain with a friend, searching for answers and intentionally leaving behind what was heavily weighing me down. I think anyone who has hiked up a mountain can agree how therapeutic it can be, acting as a metaphor for many instances in life (but then again, I never said any of you had to agree with what I’m saying here). At the top of this mountain while we were having a snack a decent sized bird flew in front of our view and I remember trying to figure out what kind of bird it was. It cried out, as if he was talking to someone; perhaps it was me, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time. It was a few days later talking with a friend who gave me some amazing insight into my situation as well as this animal sighting (we figured out it was a raven I saw). He explained to me that the raven is ironically his spirit animal and went further into explaining how ravens and crows are the same spirit in different physical forms (the topic of crows came about because three started flying over us as we were talking). To this day I am constantly aware of the crow’s presence and they have become my reminder that transformation and change is necessary and good and that I can embrace it with open arms throughout my life. Another animal that has been prevalent in my life since this change has been the hawk. I would see them flying high in the air, soaring freely and with ease usually when I was driving to and from the mountains, on the way to work and other random occasions. More recently I’ve had two instances where I found myself standing underneath a wood totem, looking up to a nest with at least one or two hawks sitting patiently in them. Last night was literally one of these instances as I was randomly walking around Spokane; needless to say I was a little dumbfounded because it was the last thing I was expecting to come in contact with travelling over the weekend. Finding this spirit guide has taught me to see things from a higher level of consciousness, to have focus and a clear vision while taking action in leadership and spiritual connection with others.
What are the guiding signs for you? Start to look around, tune in to what’s around you and you might find your answer.
We all have choices in life and each decision we make will set the path and direction that our lives unfold and become. If we want to live out our dreams we have to move past the fear of making mistakes and CHOOSE to live them out. Reality check…no one else is going to do it for us. Listen to that voice in your head, the ache in your heart and the vibration in the center of your soul for guidance when making decisions. What makes you feel alive, even if it scares the shit out of you? From my personal experiences (and I know from many other people I’ve talked to), the things that make us uncomfortable and push us to our limits are the things that allow you to break the boundaries we create for ourselves. It is here we can grow into the best versions of who we are supposed to be. Each time I choose to put myself in these types of situations (like reading my poetry on stage in front of people, for example), I learn something about myself that I wasn’t aware of previously. It’s almost as if I’m waking from a dream and remember, “oh ya, that’s who I really am”, or “that’s what I’m supposed to be doing…how could I forget?”
The first step is being conscious of our thoughts and actions. Be content with doing your own thing and following your own path; there’s no “right” way of doing anything here so we can all stop worrying about what everyone else is doing all of the time. Tuning into the signs and messages that are being offered to you will help keep you focused and on track with listening to yourself. It’s easy for all of us to forget our higher purpose in life, but if we take the time to trust ourselves and follow our instincts and intuition, we can guide ourselves to remember who we are before we got in our own damn way.
Thank you.