{life reflections} Changes + Decisions

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{life reflections}

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

Entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; the release of 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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Changes + Decisions

Big life changes are intimidating at the best of times. When such large changes occur it often feels as if they threaten to crumble the foundation on which we have spent so much time building a certain part of our lives. We feel the ripple all the way through other areas of our lives… disruptive, destructive, unbalanced. It's difficult to stay centred, grounded, humbly in line with the positive of our new big changes. However, just because things seem rocky on the surface doesn't mean a beautiful plan is not still at play. In fact, our worlds must often crumble so that we may rebuild new ones. This is a good thing. The threat to our balance may not make it feel so, but change is good; only our resistance to it is bad. 

Let me repeat that: Change Is Good! 

Change is especially good when it is through our own action, through following our own hearts, and through chasing our dreams. Going after what we truly desire can be positively frightful, because it does require big change, risk, and stepping out of our comfort zones. However, success is all dependent on You. If you want something, go after it; but don't go half way and then give up because it's too difficult. If you want something bad enough, it will most definitely be yours. Sometimes it may be easy, other times it may require blood and sweat and tears and a great deal of an emotional roller coaster, perseverance, and optimism to drag you out the other side. But it will be worth it, and you will be all the more proud for your efforts. 

When we can keep the end goal in sight, then the journey becomes more graceful. I'm not saying tears and frustration and sacrifice won't still be involved, but overall your feeling should be optimistic, happy, and hopeful. When we can maintain our focus this way, the struggle lessens; because we are able to see it as a challenge, a bump on our path to overcome, but something that we Know we will ultimately come out the other side from. Optimism and Positive Thinking become your best tools during these trials. 

Remember that no matter what dark hole you have been consumed by, there is still light in the world, there is still joy, there is still happiness; and they are all there waiting for you. There is always a way to climb back to the surface of any dark hole in your path. Always. Always. Such is the beauty of life.

Before Big Changes enter our lives there is, of course, the preceding (and rather daunting) Decision making-time. This period is often the hardest part, the part that requires the largest act of faith in ourselves, and the biggest leap. Such big choices and changes can make it is easy to get tangled up in the web of our incessant over-thinking minds. So what to do? First off, if you want a decision to be the Right Decision, then it is up to You to make it the right one. If you want happiness then it's up to you to find it and choose it. What I believe, and through personal experience, the Universe is bringing to us exactly what we need when we need it. The Universe has our best interests in mind when we set that positive intention. 

However, there are no simple choices or answers in life. Indecision can grind on our being for months at at time without resolve. In the end, all we can do is do our best to listen to and to trust in our Hearts, have the courage to do what we need for ourselves, and believe that the Universe has our best interest in mind. We should also always make the most of what's given to us, and manifest and believe in the most positive and beneficial outcome. Believe that everything will work out for the best; and that everything happens for a reason. Because it will, and it does! 

Every change we make should be because we are choosing to love and honour our own needs, well-being, and happiness. If you are constantly putting someone else in front of you, then you will never be happy. I believe this to be particularly true in personal relationships. I'm not saying a little sacrifice here and there can't be constructive for a relationship, but if just one of you is (or both of you are) constantly sacrificing your own needs, plans, and desires, then you are heading for a derailing. We can only sacrifice so much of ourselves and our lives before there's nothing left. We become drained, tired, resentful, frustrated, and ultimately lost as we struggle to feel in tune with our own needs and dreams. The relationship will stop being fulfilling, and then it is either destined to be miserable forever (unless of some miraculous breakthrough), or will end. It takes a great deal of honesty with yourself to see what is best for you (and all those involved). Through experience, it is one of the hardest decisions to make, because the fear of making the wrong decision is somehow more frightening than being miserable forever. 

It took me being brutally, brutally honest with myself to make my recent huge life change. It took six gruelling months of hoping, trying, and failing, and then doing it all over again. What finally broke the ice was a certain vow I made to myself. I look back at this with a little flutter in my heart towards the perfection of the Universe now that things are where they are. The vow I took was this…

I vow to be Happy. I vow to be Open and Honest with myself. I vow to find my Fire. I vow to Be Myself, Love My Self, and Respect Myself. I vow to actively participate in my own Happiness. I vow to be kind and gentle with myself. I vow to stop feeling badly or apologizing for being human, for not being okay, or for being my self. I vow to never allow someone else to take away my self-worth. I vow to get my spark back, to feel myself again, to get My Life back. 

I vow to have the courage to do what I need for myself; to be bold and take risks; to be strong and courageous. I vow to Let Go. I vow to release what no longer serves me. 

I vow to live my life for Me. I vow to live a fulfilling Life. 

I made these vows to myself at the beginning of May. What happened after was a spiral of events that led up to exactly what I had vowed that day. As soon as I made clear to myself, not only that I Wanted, but that I Deserved to Be Happy and have a great life, then things began to fall into place. It still blows my mind. The simple act of allowing ourselves to Be Worthy of Good. It will transform your life, it will supercharge you, it will draw to you what you need to make a decision and to change your life in the best possible, and most beneficial, way. 

So, my best advice if you're stuck between indecision? Trust your heart, and vow to yourself that you Deserve Good Things, Happiness, and Love. 

And how to handle the turbulence to follow any big change? Focus on the outcome, and remember that this too shall pass; you will come out the other side into a land of rainbows and butterflies. Remember to set Positive Intentions, keep your mind on your goals and desires; keep the canvas clear of negative thinking and filled with what you want your life to be.    

  

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☺ Where'd the Posts Go?! *Update!* ☺

The ReLove Plan.et blogs have been sorely neglected, this I apologize for. Sorry, and not sorry; not out of being self-important, but out of the feeling that apologies aren't required for many things in life in which we feel the need to apologize for--but I'll get to that in another post as I am already getting off topic (that was fast!). 

Where did I go? Why so quiet? Where are the positive posts and other fun stuff you're used to seeing here? 

Well. My life sort of fell on its head the last couple of weeks (yes, apparently my life has a head). Actually, when being honest, my life sort of fell on its head a couple of years back, or at least that's when the spiral commenced. Long story short, my husband and I are separating. Before you break out the box of tissues and the sad violin, a couple of things I'd like to note on this…  

1. I am not looking for sympathy; nor do I feel this is a place where people need to say "sorry to hear that" which seems to be the most common response to people finding out. 

2. This is a Good thing. While my partner is an amazing individual and I am not leaving him out of anything against his person (he really is an amazing person with so much to offer the world and others), the decision was based off a need for myself and my own (and I do believe his) personal growth and journey. We grew apart. By association, our relationship became neglected and I fell out of love. Simple as that. Which is not so simple, but that's it described in its most basic form, without all the details and mess and emotions and road that led to all of this. I will always love and care about my husband, but our lives were taking separate paths and we were perhaps not as compatible as we had thought to be. People change. Life Changes. It was time for me to be honest with myself (which was gruellingly difficult) and to listen to my heart (which I shut out for so long). While emotions are understandably running high and flailing about, I do feel positive about this decision. It was time for me to rediscover a piece of myself that I lost. And I do feel that I am already rediscovering and exploring these sides of myself. 

Okay, so that being said, the blog, and my work for that matter, are being neglected. Not because I don't want to blog--in fact I feel incredibly inspired through all of this to write, write, write--but because life is changing and complicated right now. I am in the process of moving out, packing, and manifesting my perfect little bungalow. My life is changing immensely. IMMENSELY! I have spent the past ten years with my husband, from the time I was seventeen and still in high school, and so the world is a brand new canvas for me to paint, rediscover and uncover other parts of my soul. 

I am excited. I am enthusiastic. I am positive. And I am guilty as hell for feeling those things, but learning to allow myself to be happy and To feel those positive emotions. I would love to (and will very soon) write a more in-depth post about Allowing Ourselves to Be Happy (in the face of other misery), because through this experience it has been one of the biggest challenges and blocks I have discovered about myself that I have held onto since I was a child; and has been one of the greatest obstacles to moving forwards. 

Sometimes we hold on to guilt as if it will make the other person feel better. It doesn't. Guilt only serves to burn you. And letting go is one of the most rewarding and healing lessons to any hardships we face in life, and especially so in our relationships. 

Life can be strange. Unexpected. But it is also beautiful. I am and always will be a huge believer that everything happens for a reason and that everything falls into place in the end. I know this to be truth through my own experience. I can see the magic still glowing around me and it is certainly inspiring. And so, I invite you to continue this journey with me, as I enter a new chapter of my life and while I share my experiences and lessons in hopes they may serve you or awaken a part of yourself that also may be dormant (as it has in me). We are all here to learn from one another, and I can't say how fortunate I feel to be sharing my journey with so many of you who appreciate my posts. It means the world to me. Thank you.  

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☺ Dear Life: Am I Making the Right Choice? ☺

Dear Life, oh wonderful sweet life; you are fantabulous, fun, thrilling, and so full of surprises, but… am I making the right decision?

Have you ever wished that life had a magical "Am I Making the Right Choice?" button? 

I'm sure we all do. And I'm sure we find ourselves asking this question all too often. Why, this question would not become today's topic if it had not been for myself and best friend discussing this very matter over tea yesterday afternoon. The truth is, we all, at some point or another, wonder if what we are doing is the best thing for us. Life can be so tricky, we can feel so comfortable and secure in our current situation, and yet crave an adventure, a change, a something. Our hearts can be torn with distress over making big decisions. And in that moment of uncertainty, as your heart feels torn, wishing you could live two lives, or three lives, or four lives, or… you get the point… you wonder if what you are doing is the right choice. Is that thing, that change, you're longing for a better option? Will it lead you to personal fulfillment and happiness? Or will it unravel and not be as great as you thought? 

So, where is the "Am I making the right choice?" button?  

To answer this, I think we have to take a step back and really look into a few of the mentalities and reasons we feel pressured by this question and Why we ask this question in the first place. 

What is Happiness? 

The biggest wonder with making a decision is whether or not you will be happier after making that decision. So, what is happiness? Happiness is a state of mind, a state of being. Happiness is, ultimately, a choice. In which case, no matter what decision you make, you can Choose to be Happy. Sure, that decision to make a change may bring immediate bliss and prosperity into your life, or it may feel like a tempest storm wrecking havoc over your world. But, you know how it goes, you can choose to sulk and get wet, or you can choose to dance in the rain and enjoy the storm. Life always has a choice, and happiness is the most ultimate choice you will always get to make. Life is what you make it. So, in this case, is there such thing as a right or wrong decision?

Is there such thing as right or wrong? 

Everyone's perception is different, but, ultimately, there is absolutely no such thing as a "right" or "wrong" decision. Just like Happiness, your perspective with action and decision depend on your own attitude. People may call certain choices "mistakes", but, really, these are mere pitfalls or bumps in which we can learn valuable lessons. In that supposed "mistake", we can decide whether to not a certain decision felt beneficial and is something we want to repeat, or if it's something we never want to do again. Either way, you have learned something, discovered a new part of yourself, and walked away stronger and with deeper insight; either way, the choice was valuable. In which case: there are no mistakes. Because you get to choose what you take away from said-mistake and learn a valuable lesson, there are only lessons and experiences. 

It's better to take risks, to try new things, and to live a little than to be afraid of making the "wrong" choice. Sure, life has no "erase" button either, but at the end of each and every day you have only your mind, your happiness, and your decision to live an awesome life. Living in constant wonder is no better than playing it safe and not taking a chance. Would you rather live your life full of regrets for the things you did, or didn't do? Wouldn't you rather know? Wouldn't you rather take a chance? You only live once. And people do regret the things they don't do, over the things they did. Because, to reiterate, there can be no regrets when you decide there was no "mistake"; you will always have the choice to be happy, to smile, and to keep a fascinating and fun adventure. That choice is always yours. Life is an adventure! Choose to enjoy it!

But, is this Decision Better than my Last Situation?

The final reason we can feel so torn about decisions is because, at the end of it all, we wonder which choice is Best. Not to sound redundant now, but, going by the fact that "Attitude is Everything", and "Life is What you Make It", then the "best" situation is like asking the same question of whether or not something is right or wrong, is it not? Life truly truly is what you make it. So, whatever choice you make is the Right and the Best choice, if You choose it to be so. If you are going to make a new choice in your life, no matter how small or greatly drastic, if you want it to be the Better choice, then all you have to do is decide for yourself that it Is the better choice. Commit to that choice with all your heart, with all your love, with all your passion, and have faith that, whatever you choose, it Is the Best choice. 

So… what about that Button?

Deciding that life is whatever we make it, we can safely conclude that there is no such thing as a right or wrong decision. And if there is no right or wrong decision, no matter what you choose to do in life, You can choose it to be the right one. 

Therefore, the "am I making the right choice" button all lies with your own attitude. 

At the end of the day, You get to choose how awesome and fulfilling your life is. Things, experiences, decisions, they are all trivial parts of your life, the thing that matters the most is your Attitude: how you choose to see the world; if you choose to smile and make the most of each and every experience. This is the Only way to live life to its fullest, and this is where you will find Happiness and Bliss, and Power and Confidence over every choice you make. All the rest, all those decisions, are all up to you. You can't blame anything else around you, you can only blame yourself, so instead of blaming, choose to Thank your self; because, you are Choosing to Live a Damn Awesome 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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Has it ever been a busy life lately! I can hardly keep up with orders (in a good way ^_^) while also trying to juggle getting ready for this year's market season! Sometimes being self-employed requires more discipline than I seem to have. The free spirit in me perhaps. I think I just maintain the faith that everything works out--because it always does. Reminding myself that there is always enough time for everything that I want to do helps too. When you tell yourself you have enough time then the Universe magically rearranges itself so that there is. Magical! I love the Law of Attraction. I still don't understand how people refuse to follow it sometimes. I mean, I get that it's hard to wrap your mind around at first, but what's the harm in believing it? Especially because it Does work. Granted things don't always happen when we try to manifest them, but there's always a reason, whether it be our own unwillingness to believe or because we're forgetting to immerse ourselves in the whole "make-believe" of things already Being so that they actually Are. If you haven't read "The Secret" or don't know much about the Law of Attraction, I've probably lost you. I'll just skip ahead to some other random thoughts for the day, but I wanted to slur out some Law of Attraction stuff first because, well, that's where my ramble was taking me today. 

I've been busy. That's where I was right? 

Work is fantastic. I love my job! I need to manifest a little extra time to make sure I'm blogging more though too--I've forgotten a few posts last week (you may or may not have noticed) so I'm trying to be more on it. Especially because there are still articles that I want to take some time to write up and don't want to rush through. I also want to try and blog more about things you all want. And I don't know what you want or don't want unless you tell me. ;) I love getting feedback, good or bad, because it points me in the right direction and gives me material for improvement. That being said, this is still my blog and so I'll still be writing about whatever the hell resonates with my heart. ;) 

Life has been busy. Good busy. There is always room for friends and laughs and relaxing. I've been taking part in the 30x30 David Suzuki Challenge as well this month; spending at least 30 minutes outside for 30 days. I'm usually outside for much longer than 30 minutes a day, but there are some days when I'm working hard (and since I work from home) when it seems like an effort to squeeze in that 30 minutes. I'm glad I'm doing it though because it is that push on such days. It's so important to be outside. It's so important to spend outside in the grass or dirt barefoot as well. We are so filled with positive ions (those are the bad ones) from all the electronics around us and from always wearing shoes and being in buildings, that those positive ions don't actually have an exit and so the negative ions can't replenish. When we are barefoot outside then we are grounding ourselves and therefor are able to release those ions. It's good. It's important. And we don't do it enough. You feel instantly better. If you are depressed or if you have a headache or don't feel well, just spend time outside barefoot and you'll better in no time. For real. Like magic! But not… because it's just the way ions are. So my 30x30 challenge has been just as much about being barefoot and grounded as it as been being outside. I love it and I will definitely implement this into my life. Of course it's easier in the warmer months, but at least it's a good place to start. 

People are funny. That's where I'm going next today. Emotions, conflicts, and relationships become so entertained, it's hard to tell what you're doing sometimes--or what others are doing for that matter. It's important not to over think things, not to create problems that don't exist. It's the whole reason I wrote the "Tips to Self Care" post because I felt it was an important post to write this week. Negative emotions are plagues to our bodies and minds. Feelings like jealousy, envy, insecurity, anger, all those things, they just don't really have a place in your life. Not a beneficial one anyway. Sadness and anger are good passing waves, they are reactions and feelings from the heart. Things like insecurities, jealousy, and envy are created from the Mind. They do not serve you so it is important to unlearn them. Plus the more you focus on those feelings the more you'll attract things that will make you feel them again (a little more Law of Attraction for you). 

Life is beautiful, it is grand, it is full of possibilities, opportunities, and magnificent relationships, but you'll never find those wonderful things if you close yourself off from them.   

That's all from me today, I'm off to relax with some tea and take a day to write and draw and work on my Book. :) Hope you're all having a fantastic long weekend and making the most of what's around you and filling yourself up with gratitude! 

Much Love! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{life reflections}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{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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