☺ How to Create an Awesome 2015! ☺

 {Kindra Nikole Photography}

*This post was originally posted January 2014, reposting for the 2015 New Year Kick-Off!*

Hello beautiful New Year! 

How exciting! A fresh start, a fresh new page in this book of Life! 

First and foremost, I hope you all have set some awesome intentions for your new year; I hope that you are filled to the brim with positive change in mind, with love, with hope, with the courage to walk the path of your dreams! With this in mind, I wanted to make a list of reminders and tips of how to truly and fully make your dreams and intentions a reality, and where the bumps can often arise along the way so that you are armed and prepared for the best year ever! Because a New Year has the profound opportunity for you to make your life magical, to make a fresh start, to make the changes you want and to really set those amazing intentions into action, However, none of this happens unless You make it happen.

Cleaning the Slate.

A New Year doesn't magically clean the slate. It doesn't magically make everything okay again. It's really just one new day. BUT, you can make it the first step towards your happiness and bliss. That one step is so important, but the motivation and courage to follow is even more important. You get to create the momentum of your life and to guide it into a positive direction; to welcome love and gratitude and all good things into your life. Now, with this, you cannot simply brush all the mess of your life beneath a rug and expect it to stay there. If you want change then you must make it happen. If you want a clean slate then you must actually resolve the past. 

I speak about this from a place of deep deep knowing, from the experiences of my own life, from observing the lives of others, and from this journey that continually surprises me with lessons. Taking the steps to Heal Yourself are steps that cannot be overlooked. All the positive thinking, the optimism, the smiling, and love in the world will not mend the holes that have already been made in your heart and mind; these are things that you must address, that you must take charge over, and that you must find true resolve in. Only then can you mend that broken heart and live your life without that burden. If you don't, they will arise again and wreck havoc on all the work you make towards your happiness. This is a most valuable lesson, and I share this with you today because I want you to find resolve, to welcome all the good in your life that you deserve, and to truly start your new year right: without the burden of your past to weigh in your heart.

There are many ways that you can do this, but I encourage you to do it right. And by do it right, I encourage you to see a councillor, a therapist, someone who can really help to heal you. EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) changed my life. And EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is another method that can heal old wounds. These are the only two methods, that I know of at this time, that will truly and purely heal those wounds, to mend those wires in your brain that attach the past to negative feelings and reactions. Both of these methods work by activating pressure points and different sides of your brain to become okay with trauma, problems, and even physical blockages in your body. 

While EFT is very new to me, I am very excited to be trying and experimenting with this more. And it is even something you can do yourself at home--though I encourage a session with someone who knows what they're doing so that you understand the pressure points and wording to use this method properly. 

EMDR, I know works, because it was one of the most healing experiences of my life that allowed me to put a rather tumultuous past behind me. After I was done this session, I literally felt as if I was walking on clouds, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from within my soul. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for this experience. This new year, I intend to do another sessions as soon as possible, as there are issues that have risen that I did not resolve, or was not so aware of, the first time I did EMDR with my councillor several years ago. 

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of resolving your past. And I mean Really Resolving your past. I've seen the past wreck havoc on my own life and the lives of people around me, and, so, addressing problems before they grow into something much less manageable is vital. If there is one lesson I could give you this new year it would be to do it Now.  

ReCreate Yourself; Be Yourself.

New Year's resolutions often come with some sort of personal or physical changes we want to see in ourselves. You Do get to recreate yourself. Every single day. And I encourage you to do so. Because it is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself; to come into yourself, to be the greatest and truest version of yourself, whatever that might be at the time and know that it may, and very likely will, change with time. 

Allow yourself to change, allow your opinions to change, your dreams to change, your life to change. Change is a natural and wonderful part of life, learn not to resist it and instead embrace all that it carries with it. No one should want to remain stagnant. Be the person you're meant to be! 

Work on Yourself Every Day.

Every day is a profound opportunity to make changes, to take charge, and to be the change you wish to see in your life and in the world. However, all those things you want to accomplish won't happen unless you make them happen, and this requires an every day action. It shouldn't be a chore, it should feel inspiring, uplifting, motivating and exciting! And those actions every day can be as simple as making yourself smile, to repeating affirmations, to speaking words of gratitude. The importance is to cultivate positive thoughts, feelings, and emotions to fuel the passions of your life and to attract greatness into your life. 

Don't be Afraid of Failure.

You will fail. You will fall on the ground and kick and scream and have breakdowns, and cry, and be angry and frustrated. But you will also climb back up, be awesome, inspired, happy, motivated, and all the more powerful if you let yourself climb back up after every fall. Falls are inescapable. We all stumble, we all fail, we all make mistakes. These are vital lessons and important steps in life. Don't resist them, simply allow them to happen, learn the lesson, and move onward. 

The fear of failure should never be a reason not to do something. Inner instincts can tell us when something is wrong or should be avoided, but fear of failure should simply never be a reason not to do something. So charge headfirst, take risks, take chances, be bold, and step out of your comfort zone! 

Make a List.

If there is something you want, don't forget to write it down. This is why creating a Vision Board is such a powerful tool, because you place your wants and dreams into action. Writing things down makes them twice as likely to come true. Getting specific with what you want is even more powerful. If you want that dream job, partner, friend, or whatever it is your heart desires, make a list and be as specific as possible. Write down every detail. If it's a job, write down the hours you want to work, the responsibilities you want, the sort of work your job entails, the happiness and freedom you want from it, your wage, and so forth. If it's a partner or friend, write down characteristics, details, activities you want to do with this person. Get as detailed as possible! And, last but not least, make sure you have made room in your life to accept those things into your world. The Law of Attraction is a useful tool, learn about it and cultivate it into your life to make magic happen. 

Live the Life You Want.

In life, we make far too many sacrifices. We talk ourselves down from things that we want and deserve. Often times, we aren't honest with ourselves at all about what we want for ourselves, of what we need to grow, of what we need to do for ourselves to be happy. This year, I challenge you to really discover yourself; to let the walls down, to see yourself truly, and to be honest with yourself with what you want. No more excuses, no more tiptoeing. If you want something, claim it, make it your own. Live the life of your dreams and don't let anyone or anything stop you! Have the courage to say yes and to make your dreams a reality. 

Don't belittle your dreams, don't feel selfish or needy. Be Honest with yourself! You are allowed to ask and want amazing things in your life. So do! And remember that you Deserve Happiness and Love. 

Be Grateful, Be Happy.

More than anything else, be Grateful. Gratitude is the single biggest key to living an awesome life--regardless of anything else around you. By being grateful we harness appreciation for ourselves and the lives we already have, and we open the door to even greater things by doing so. Gratitude cultivates love and happiness. Gratitude is the greatest key, use it daily! 

I wish you all a very happy new year filled with adventure, love, laughs, excitement, and change! Be bold, be yourself, and have courage! 

So much love from me to you! 

Create an amazing day, and create an amazing life! 

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{life reflections}

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{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

These are entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; what happens when we put our fingers to the keyboard and allow our thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

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Dreams are strange things. Sometimes I try to understand them. Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don't. Sometimes you can figure out where they came from, like a collection of things you saw or events from your day replaying and reappearing sporadically into your dreams. Other times it's like you can see the future, see things before they happen, and can totally blow your mind. Like this one time I had a dream about boxing (and I was wearing boxing gloves), very random and out of nowhere, and then the next day when we were checking out some thrift stores I saw a pair of boxing gloves--what??!!! And then there was the time in elementary school that I had a dream about a girl in the class getting her hair cut and the next day she'd had a hair cut. Very strange and a little creepy? 

Then there are the dreams that are trying to tell us something. Maybe? Honestly, I don't really know where I stand with the dreamworld. It's such a strange and fascinating place. 

Where am I going with this? I suppose family has been on my mind a lot lately, of ordeals of the past, of things perhaps I am afraid of repeating. The truth is my family life has been chaotic and the source of a lot of joy and a lot of stress and pain in my life. The last couple years I feel as if a calm began and has been getting better ever since. But life can be surprising and it all depends what we're manifesting. I'm a little afraid of manifesting more drama. Fear is such an annoying and silly thing in our lives that is best to be put aside, especially when our thoughts can manifest our fears into reality. Still, sometimes it nags at us and sometimes certain things take extra work to get through. My family fears are one of those. Apparently. 

A year ago I never would have imagined my family to be where it is today. It's inspiring. It's a bloody miracle is what it is. I spent a lot of time focussing on the positive, visualizing what I wanted my family life to be like, and being grateful for what I had. Considering how things are now, it feels as if it's worked. But life can be surprising and repeat ordeals as soon as we stop focussing on the positive, complain, or become fearful. 

Last night I had a very vivid dream. I'm still trying to decide whether it was a warning sign, a premonition, a realization and reflection of what I've been feeling lately, or a lesson to teach me to let go. I want my relationship with both my mother and my father to be better. With my mother, I love her to death, she's one of my best friends, a constant source of inspiration and love in my life. But lately I haven't seen her enough. I've also realized that I'm afraid of disappointing her, or of her feeling I'm not on her side. Mom, if you're reading this I'm sorry for feeling this way and I love you. 

I guess I'm sharing this here today because I know so many people have problems with their families. Family is love, it's life, it's joy. But family involves a lot of different people, a lot of different people's problems, perspectives, and emotions. So things, naturally, can get messy and people don't always see eye to eye. I don't think any family is perfect, but certainly appreciating what you have helps and will bring about more joy within it. That and remembering that you don't all have to always agree to get along. ;)

As for my father… I mentioned recently that things have gotten a lot better with us, after years of estrangement and ordeals. I want to work on that. I am happy of where things are at right now. But my dream last night was about him. It was a repeat of the past few years, of our usual circle together that ends with me in tears and disappointed. 

So, I'm trying to decide if the dream was a warning, or if it was simply a nudge for me to let go of outcome, enjoy the moment, and to stop being afraid. You can't be afraid or disappointed if you're not attached to the outcome, if you're not setting yourself up for disappointment with expectations. Life's too short to not take risks or to not be bold because you're afraid. Fear holds us back, courage and taking risks propels us forward. 

I do believe the dream last night was merely showing me my own thoughts, how I was feeling that I hadn't really acknowledged. I want a better relationship with my father, but I am still afraid of being hurt again. But that's something I can work on now that I've acknowledged it. Love is letting for of fear. Life is being who you are and not being afraid or ashamed. Life is following your heart and your passions, and pursuing your hopes and dreams. Ultimately, life is about being positive. It's all about attitude, right?! Right! 

Personally, I'm tired of being afraid. I'm tired of being afraid of hurting people by simply following my heart. It's my life and I'm going to live it the way I want, and have the relationships that I choose, and be the person that I want to be. I want to be free to speak my mind, to do what I want, and to wear my heart on my sleeve. I want to be bold and courageous. I want to let go of fear. Because fear is the only thing holding me back. Fear is that silly nagging voice that tells you things are impossible. Fear is the little devil on your shoulder that makes you doubt, that makes you manifest the things you don't want into your life. So letting go of fear will bring about the positive, will bring forth the things you Do want. 

I always always come from a place of love. Always. It's just difficult when people don't always realize that. It's difficult when you feel misunderstood. It's hard because you are you and they are they. We're all different, we all see things differently, we all experience things differently. 

I do believe though, if you live through your heart, if you always come from a place of love, then, eventually or immediately, things will always fall into place. Perhaps that's all I need to take away from this and any other experience in life; to live with love and to let go of fear. Because the last thing you should be afraid of is love.    

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☺ Filling your Life with Unicorns! ☺

What we're really doing here is getting back to the basics of a four-year-old mindset. Why? Because the beauty of a child is the simple-mindedness, the light-heartedness, gratitude, easy fascination, eagerness, and endless perseverance. And everything in our lives should be as exciting as a room full of Unicorns. 

We should keep our room (our lives) full of Unicorns (Positive, feel-good things-- Happiness!!!) at all times. Because that is all that really matters; the fun Happy things. We should appreciate and be grateful for all the Unicorns in all their various forms; some like to fly, some like to prance around; some are a bit prickly around the edges, others are fluffy and colourful; some are grumpy, others happy… you get the idea ;). These Unicorns represent all the things in our lives around us that could be Positive--even if their outward appearance may sometimes be unfamiliar or intimidating-- and all the opportunities and things that we could be using to enrich our lives and make them a happier place. Such as a room full of Unicorns and rainbows. ;) 

The other problem that we have as adults is that we often fail to see the Unicorns. Our lives are often filled with Unicorns, boundless prancing magical things, but we fail to notice this. Well, let me tell you, a four-year-old would Not miss a room full of Unicorns, and neither should you! The second problem is that sometimes we see the Unicorns but don't do anything with them. We don't Use the Unicorns to our benefit, even when it is right in front of us. Well, again, a child would not just sit there facing a fluffy pink Unicorn and do nothing. By god, that child would run full force and wrap their little arms around that magical creature and give it a great big hug! That child would play all day with that Unicorn and love every second of it. So why don't we? Yes, sometimes new things (especially if it's a new looking Unicorn, maybe it's green instead of it's usual pink or white hue) can be intimidating. We aren't certain how to approach it, if it might nibble our fingers, if it's friendly, or what it has to offer. But we'll never know until we just go for it, uninhibited and eager. So be thankful for the Unicorns around us, use them when you see them, and enjoy every second. 

If you're not keeping up with my outrageous metaphors, yes, I'm still talking about life. ;) Life has many opportunities right in front of our eyes but we don't take the leap and risk of just going for it. So the next time you are faced with an opportunity or thing that could be used to your benefit but feel intimidated, doubtful, or uncertain… picture a fluffy pink Unicorn (or whatever your favourite Unicorn might be) and think of yourself as an eager child grateful for that fluffy Unicorn.  

Really, the Unicorn symbolizes so much more than I can put into words. It's the magic in our lives. It's the childish fascination with the world. It's the joys and the smiles. It's the opportunities and gains. It's excitement and adventure. It's the part of us we leave behind. It's the part of us that we get to rediscover to enrich our lives. 

So choose to have, to see, and to be grateful for all the Unicorns in your life. Always. And keep your life full of Unicorns!

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