Nothing Lasts Forever

It's normal for us to not want to let go or to lose something. It's hard to accept change, but we have to remember that change is the only thing constant in life. 

Change happens. "Good" change, "bad" change. It happens. Welcome it. That means that time is working. Accept each change as it is, do not fight it. This will get you nowhere. Be okay with the truth that nothing lasts forever. Even the good stuff. But, in regards to the bad stuff, this helps us to remember that it will not last forever. 

It is interesting that we do not appreciate something as much until it is gone. We often realize our mistakes after, but we can learn from them and carry those teachings to new relationships and new experiences. 

Just remember. Appreciate what you have now, for one day it may be gone and you will have wished that you were more grateful for it in the moment. 

On a final note, the best thing you can do, is to be honest to yourself. Do not lie to yourself by holding onto things. Let it go. There is more in this world. You will learn.

Self Worth

Self worth is definitely something that I still struggle with. I could go into the psychology of it all, but that would be pointless, because point is, now is the time to get it back!!

I am going to start this one off by talking about human connection. Human connection has got to be the most important aspect of our lives. Communication, laughter, and love are all parts of why we are on this earth together.

It's our individual job to bring what is on the inside to the outside. Bring what is unique to us, our minds, and share it with others. Do not let people think that what you have to share in your mind is worthless.

Sometimes we forget the power of words. How words affect us so much. But we know that we have the power of a voice. So use it and use it well. Use it right.

Learn to love yourself and disregard what people say to you.
Water off a ducks back. 

"You will becomes way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do."

You grant yourself a huge amount of freedom when you learn to not take things personally. Remember that if someone says something mean or bad to you, it's their fault, not yours.

Give yourself the love you deserve. Do not wait for people to give it to you. At the end of the day, your self worth comes from within you, and your soul.

Do not be afraid to use your voice.

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For me, I struggle with my self-worth, and it is apparent in my inability to communicate. Everything is always clear in my head, and I feel like words do not always convey what is on the inside of my brain. It is like words do not always do thoughts justice because thoughts are not just words going through our heads, they are so much more than that. Thoughts are webs of sentiments, thoughts, experiences, biology, and so much more. As a result, sometimes I do not know what to say, so I say nothing. Sometimes I say a whole lot of nonsense to make people laugh. This is called performing, and a good friend told me that if I continue to perform I will just float through life. I do not want to be a performer, so I won't be. But, honestly, this is why it is hard for me to communicate, and why I think it is the most important thing in life.

To be human is to communicate. We cannot always be okay with everything, but we cannot always be angry with everything. A balance of expressing when you are unhappy and when you are happy is necessary for peacefulness. For yourself and others.

We are not meant to hold our emotions in. We are not meant to suppress them. Our emotions tell us when something is wrong! And they are external because that's how we communicate our thoughts without words. Words do not define humans. Humans define words. If we hide how we feel, we are lying to ourselves and others. We should all care about other's emotions, and in turn, they will care about ours.

Communicate through words and feelings. Have confidence in who you are. You will find people who listen, and cherish them. Return the favor. Learn what it is like to be vulnerable. Learn what it is like to be there for people. This is why we are here together. We are here to communicate. Human beings are social beings.

Biology of Belief

I remember the day when my doctor looked at me and said that the reason I was sick was because I thought of myself as a sick person. I had to start thinking positive and tell myself that I was healthy if I wanted to be a healthy person again.

This moment turned my perspective of life around.

It's unfortunate that I did not learn the value of my health until after it was taken from me.

But now, I have embraced it, and I have been teaching myself that I am not weak. I am actually strong. I have not been seriously sick for over a year. It amazes me.

Take every day as they come.

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Bruce Lipton's book called Biology of Belief goes into detail about how the power of the mind can shape the body. If you want to be strong, be mentally strong. Then you will be physically strong.

To get back in shape after I had this moment, I began to take yoga. It taught me how to trust my mind and my body. Yoga was a changing experience, but so was my instructor. Toni Mar. I have known her for 4 years now. She is the strongest woman I know. She has taught me how to confront my mind and through a way that I would of never thought-- physical exercise.

Toni teaches not only the philosophy of the mind, but the physiology of the body as a result. Taking her core and yoga classes has given me the power to not give up-- through any mental or physical challenge. She taught me by challenging the body through physical exercise in turn challenges our minds. If we refuse to give into the discomfort of our bodies during an exercise, we teach our mind how to deal with problems we face in the real world, instead of giving up.

Exercise not only challenges our bodies, but it keeps our minds and bodies healthy. Being healthy helps to keep us positive, efficient, and proactive in our daily lives. If we are all of this, then we can love and do good in this world.

Treat your body right. By treating yourself right, you will treat others right.

Illusions

Don't get stuck in the illusions of your own mind.

Remember that human beings are not perfect, you could say that we are perfect because we are imperfect!! Out imperfections make us human. If we were "perfect," we would not be humans.

Embrace every mistake as a learning opportunity. Mistakes and imperfections allow us to recognize subtle beauties of the world. Don't look at mistakes as bad things. Turn them around yourself.

Also, do not think that your way of thinking is the best. Everyone thinks differently because everyone has something unique to share with the world. Each of us are different, which means that each of us think differently. Once we realize this and accept each other, we learn tolerance and we are able to see the world from different perspectives. Different perspectives keeps us in awe of the world. Be in awe of the people around you. Bring out your beauty so that others bring our there's too.

Lastly, love is the answer. But remember that love comes in many different forms. Love is not perfect. Love is about being caring, compassionate, trusting, and loyal. But love is also about persevering through the hard times, and putting up with the negative side of people. Love is not giving up. Love is not just good or bad. It is both. You get through the bad and enjoy the good. Struggling together makes love deeper. Remember that the quest to spread love is not just about the happiness, it's about not giving up during the hard times. Happiness is a benefit of love, but it is not the meaning of love.

Continue to spread love, and don't fall into illusions of love.

Don't be a Cynic

Just don't. Being human does not mean being cynical. Being human is about appreciating the beauty in the world. Cynics only inhibit our efforts of happiness and love. Don't be one of them. Join the conscious individuals. Be conscious of your actions and your effects on people. Maintain faith. We need you, and you'll waste your energy being cynical instead of funneling it for a greater good. Emit positive energy and you will receive positive energy. Yeah not all moments will be perfect, and positive, and we have to accept that. But, never lose faith, because positivity and peace exist if we want it to.

¡Canta!

Cantar = (spanish) to sing

Singing does the body quite good. It increases the efficiency of the immune system by increasing the concentrations of immunoglobin A and hydrocortisone.

Now, what the hell are those right? Bear with me.

Immunoglobin A is a protein in the immune system which functions as an antibody.
Hydrocortisone is an anti-stress hormone.

With more of each of these in the body, the immune system increases in its efficiency to fight off bad shit. During a rehearsal for a choir during a study, each of these increased significantly.

Singing tones abdominal and intercostal muscles as well as the diaphragm. Singing stimulates circulation and releases endorphins, making one feel energized and uplifted.

Now, let me summarize that up for you, singing will not only help you get a 6-pack, (okay maybe not really) but it also makes you feel happy. 

Singing also helps us to breathe more deeply than some strenuous forms of exercise, so we take in more oxygen, improve aerobic capacity, and experience a release of muscle tension as well. Lastly, singing gives the lungs a healthy work out!

One word of advice: sing. If you suck at singing, or people tell you to shut up, do it in private. But honestly, singing is best in a group, so even if you suck, you won't stick out. Sing with your friends!

Awe

Pursuing experiences to feel in "awe" is quite beneficial to your perception of time. Experiences of awe or amazement lengthen our perception of time. While we are in awe, our mental structures in our brain are rearranging to accommodate for this new learning/understanding of the world. This process is perceived as timeless.

Experiences of awe come mainly from nature, or from learning things that we never knew that maybe surprised us. It has been shown that experiences of "awe" give us the perception that we have time, instead of feeling stressed out and out of time. Consequently, with more time, we are more inclined to help others, value experiences over materials, and make better decisions. 

Keep yourself in "awe" by doing new things, experiencing new experiences, not making assumptions about things, and by having the mind of a beginner. By having a mind of a beginner, you will see every instance in your life as a learning opportunity.

Appreciate the world around you.

Look at things upside down every once in a while!

Breathing

Inhale.
Exhale. 

The most important thing you can teach yourself to do, is to breath.

Breathing is important because it gives nutrients to our bodies. It connects us to the outside world. It brings oxygen into the bloodstream to deliver to our organs so that our bodies can function. Breathing also releases waste products and toxins from our body. By breathing deeply, we become calm. By focusing on the breath, we become present and aware. Breathing keeps us alive and stabilizes our bodies. This is also why before we do something nerve racking, it is good to take a deep breath.

Teach yourself to breathe deeper. If you breathe deeper, your body will be more efficient, you will be more calm, and you will have more control over yourself.

The breath is also good for when you feel pain, physical or mental. Close your eyes, and breathe into any part off your body that has pain. Focus your energy on the pain because then more oxygen will be sent there, and then the pain will not feel so uncomfortable anymore. You will learn to embrace the pain, and not give up or give into it. Pain is how the body and the mind learns. If it is not embraced and dealt with, we will miss opportunities to learn.

Breathe and let the frustrations pass, for not all moments will be peaceful. 

Time is like Fire

A woman at the farmer's market in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island gave me a slip of paper with this sentence on it. Time is like fire. I spend a lot of time in this market the summer of 2011 working for my grandparent's samosa stand.

Usually people throw this stuff away, but of course, being the pack-rat I am, I kept it. For a while, I had it above my desk and it became one of those things you forget about and then some days it catches your eyes and makes you think again. Time is like fire. 

Most mornings, I try to either in my head say will power to get out of bed, or not even allow myself to question staying in it. It helps me to start my day and remind me of how powerful my thoughts are. If we want to do something all we have to do is set our minds to it. Part of that is timing.

We are always waiting for ourselves to take a step. We always think we have time later to do it, but time is like fire. Don't let it all burn up until you really have no time left.

This is going to sound cheesy, but it is true. The time is now.

That slip of paper is now in my Zine about how STJDMS.

Beautiful Siblings

My siblings will forever be my best friends. Nothing will take that from us. Every struggle, we struggle together. We work together, and we will never give up. I love them with all my heart.

Michelle took care of all of us. She is each of our "favorite." Let me first say, I always wanted to be like Michelle, and I would steal all of her clothes and harass her the most. She hated my guts. It really wasn't until she went away for college that I started to find myself. I am glad I wanted to always be like Michelle. Even though I annoyed/still annoy her, she has never led me astray. She always followed her dream of fashion, and she works her ass off to be in that realm of the art world. I admire her talent and motivation. That girls knows what she wants. She has been inspiring to watch, and she still takes care of me through each and every one of my mistakes. Michelle is a leader, and she pulls me out of my impractical romantic side. Thank you for being there for me Michelle. I am proud to call you my sister.

Catherine is a special one. I am shameful to admit that I always was mean to Catherine. She never deserved it. Catherine has recently blossomed into a beautiful young woman. I cannot believe how much she has grown up. I have learned so much from her about being accepting of who we are, and that its okay to dress up and look nice and feel good about yourself inside and out. She has been through a lot of pain, and I admire her for her strength. Catherine knows what is right and what is wrong, and she is no hypocrite. She says what is on her mind, and she is straightforward (traits I never had). She should know that I really look up to her, and that she is a major reason why I pursue a positive lifestyle. I am proud to call you my sister.

Jason, for whom this blog is made, is my brother. I am so proud of you for starting to open up to the family. Each one of us has struggled to do so, and we still are learning how to. You are a talented, creative, and caring young man. The fact that you can pick anything up and being pro at it is incredible. You have the ability to light up a room with your smile and jokes. I am excited to watch you explore the world and what you are interested in. You have so much to share with the world, and I am excited to see you grow into a man. Remember to have faith and to see the beauty in the world. Once you do, nothing can stop you. Create goals, and never give up. Your endless love for burritos is insane, and even if you get fat from all of them we will still love you. I am proud to call you my brother.

Thank you for enduring my harassment. Watching you all grow up has been beautiful, and I cannot wait to see what our futures have in store for all of us. Love you guys always. All of our hearts beat as one.

Beautiful Parents

Even though my parents are divorced, my parents have stood as two inspirational individuals in my life.

My mother is a strong, independent, loving, and caring woman. We definitely have our rough moments where we more than bump heads, but that's because she is a Leo. Ha, well not just that, but it's because she wants me to be happy, successful, and honestly at the end of the day, she knows. She knows what is best for me because she loves me. I have learned how to take care of myself, and what it means to be strong from her. She does not let people step on her. She's also a fine looking lady, I might ad. Whatever she has gone through in her life to get her where she is now, I am proud of who she is today. She helps students, and best of all, she genuinely cares about their well-being. Even though we fight, I remember that both of us have our stubborn, frustrated side, and that's because we are anal and want things to work out for the better. In the end, I always remembers that she loves me, and I love her. I am so happy to call her my mother. I love spending time with her, and even though I do not show it, I have learned so much from her and I continue to. I love calling and talking to her. Her twenty minute voicemails are the best. She taught me how to be a woman (she still tells me to shave my legs and wear dresses),  and I want her to know how much I appreciate her teachings. I love you mom. 

My father is a loving, funny, intelligent, and patient man. He taught me that it is okay to be who I am. He taught me what it means to be patient, accepting, tolerant, and loving. All things that we do not learn in school. He allowed me to be creative and make a mess, and most obviously, to be my crazy self! He did not yell at me when I spilled my milk. My father has lost loved ones, but continues to keep going. Even through financial struggles, he kept going. I have never seen my father look weak, maybe its because he doesn't want to show it. Even if he did I would still see him as strong. I am proud to call him my father, and I look up to him as he pursues his creative endeavors of building his own company. I have learned so many traits from him. The only thing that I wish is that he would give himself some credit for all that he does. He deserves to be appreciated for his hard work as a father. He showed me how to enjoy the simple things, and that money has nothing to do with happiness. I love him, and I want him to know that I look up to him, and that his sayings always come up in my head. 

Go slow and you will go fast. 

If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all.

I need to check my emilk. 

My parents are so strong for dealing with four kids, and never giving up. They are motivated, persistent, and loving. They taught me what it means to have love for people, and even when I was difficult and argued with them, they never gave up on me. They stick by our sides through every mistake, which helped me to learn that mistakes are okay, and that everything will be okay in the end. I love them with all my heart. They taught me to dance, sing, and embrace life. 

STJDMS

STJDMS= Some Things Just Don't Make Sense

In 2010, I realized that no one could explain everything, and that honestly, some things just don't make sense in this world. Interactions. People. Change. Sometimes things happen for no reason at all, but I learned that we all have to accept that. We have to accept that things will happen in life that we have no idea were coming. I adopted this view, and I have taken steps to prepare myself for the things that won't make sense to me one day. I have accepted that the world is as it is, and things will happen as they should. I have the ability to make good things happen, and I will be strong enough to face the bad things. This blog is dedicated to my brother because as his sister, it is my job to teach him. To teach him about the beauty of life, and show him that even though there is nonsense in this world, sometimes the nonsense can teach us things that we would not have learned without it. Love you Jason.

Dedication

This blog is dedicated to my little brother, Jason. I am sorry I can't be there for you in person to guide you to grow up, but here I will teach you as much as I can.