Day 118: Want. Wish. Desire.

Fulfillment starts with the desire to want.

To want a better life for yourself.

To want to know yourself better.

To want to understand what your dreams are and pursue them.

To want to live with ease in a way that feels good.

When we allow ourselves to want, when we allow ourselves to desire, we come closer to understanding who we are. We come closer to true happiness.

To want does not mean to be selfish.
To want is to dream.

As the Cinderella song tells us, "A dream is a wish your heart makes." [Cue Sonia playing this on the piano over and over as fast as she can.]

What are the wants, the wishes, the desires of your heart?

Maybe you're like me and have been ignoring, quieting, and repressing them because you:
   are being realistic
   don't do 'that sort of thing'
   have no experience
   don't know how
   aren't good enough
I could keep this list going for a while . . .

So instead, I'll ask again, what are the desires of your heart? 

Here's a hot tip - if something comes to mind and is immediately followed by why you can't do it or why you don't really want it, it's probably worth paying attention to.

Your wants, your wishes, your desires - when they come from the heart will always lead you where you need to be.

"But what if I have no idea how to reach my dream?
What if it seems so unrealistic or out of reach it feels like a - well, a pipe dream?"

Doesn't matter.

Last time I checked, we can only take one step at a time.

Day 117: In One Ear

 

. . . and out the other?

Maybe. Maybe not.

It's so easy to take in the viewpoint or opinion of others and adopt it for our own. 

Just think back to when we were kids. 

I can recall many times hearing adults talk about things I'd never experienced or wasn't remotely aware of and taking them as fact. Little did I know these unintentionally adopted viewpoints would influence many of my future beliefs, behaviors, and actions. 

As kids, there's not much we can do about this.
As adults, it's a whole different story.

That's why being an adult is so great! Because we get to decide what we believe - no one else can do this for us.

With that said -
how often are we taking time to ensure the information wanting to hang out between our ears is what we actually believe? 

When do we pause to break down new ideas we've heard - to fully understand what they are made up of?

What body cues are we listening to or ignoring?  

[Good rule of thumb: if you feel relaxed, calmed, or lighter by a thought - it's typically a green light to keep it. If you feel restricted, tense, or heavy/weighed down by a thought - it likely does not align with your values and you might want to reassess.]

We do the world - and ourselves - no favors by blindly accepting the viewpoints and opinions of others.

Be Brave.

Be Bold.

Be You - Do You.

Day 116: The Soul Reason

Stop judging yourself - you know what you need.

The things that "randomly" flutter into your mind that you quickly brush away.

The interests that call to you, but are silenced by "priorities"

The things you like. Not the things you need.

Oh, aren't they?

They may actually be JUST the things you need.

A thriving soul is fed. A starving soul is maintained.

Feed your soul.

Prioritize your interests.

They interest you for a reason. Find out why.

Day 115: Bittersweet Realizations

Bittersweet realizations are exhausting.
I've had so many lately, my brain and emotions feel like mush.
It is so draining.
But so worth it.
Bittersweet realizations are helping set me free.
Slowly. draining
Slowly. Repairing.
Showing me the horror of what I actually believed
To reveal what I really want.
Appreciating what I had
and what it gave me.
Finally, mourning the loss, fully,
and leaving it in the past.
But keeping the memories.
The memories that spur me forward
Towards what I Really want.

Day 114: Complete Yourself

How often have we heard the message that we need another person to 'complete us'?

Watch any romantic comedy and it will be oozing with this sentiment.

But guess what? 

Despite the image painted by the society we live in, this isn't true.

We don't need another person in order to feel whole, to feel complete.

We need ourselves. 

All of ourselves. 

The parts we embrace and the parts we don't. 

Every break we experience is important - and inevitable. It's part of being human.

The beauty in breaking is the growth that comes from it. 

With growth comes power - the power to rearrange the pieces of yourself however you want them to be; the power to direct your own life.

Complete Yourself

You've already got all the pieces you need . . .

Day 113: Condiment Confusion

How'd [fried] chicken get on the barbecue sauce container?!

...uh, that's not chicken...

eww

Day 112: Shark Parade

"Good job, Sharks! Keep walking, Sharks. When we get back, we get stickers!!!"

Oh, the days when stickers were the Ultimate reward. 

I witnessed this kid parade pass by my window this morning. Despite my best efforts to be stealthy, I was eventually spotted. 

Upon further observation, I saw some of the kids were carrying toys with them. 

My favorite: a piece of wood. Not sure if it was found on the walk or brought from home, but I REALLY hope it's the latter.

Runner up: Goofy. Poor guy, must be rough having your head drag along the pavement all day . . .