Living Adventurously

Living adventurously...

I love this statement but what does it mean? What comes up for you when reading these words? On the surface it could mean doing new things such as sky diving, scuba diving, bungee jumping, traveling or eating exotic foods. I say YES to all of that however I think living adventurously is more than what meets the surface.

Living adventurously is loving freely without expecting it in return, it's feeling fear and stepping through it, it's taking action and being willing to fail or look silly, it's speaking your truth, it's being accountable along the way and trying new things. Essentially living adventurously is being in the game instead of watching from the stands.



 Some may say this is easier said than done. I agree. It's exactly that extra effort to live life fully that differentiates the players from the observers. It takes a willingness to go in the unknown. It's easier to play it safe however is it worth the toll it takes on the consciousness if you have regret? As far as we know this is the only life we get. Do you want to play it safe and regret the things you didn't do or didn't say when you meet the end? Or, do you play full out meeting the end knowing that you did your very best through taking risks emotionally and physically? The truth is nothing is promised whether we take the safe route or not.

A lot of times the struggle comes down to logic vs intuition or head vs heart if you will. We may feel a tug to take a leap of faith. Maybe, starting a new business or selling our belongings to see the world or even simply saying "I love you". Then logic starts to speak inside our heads with "what if's" and lists of responsibilities. We can easily start to feel trapped thinking a lot and creating stories that are not relative to reality. We are capable of doing anything we put our mind too. Unfortunately a good portion of the time it takes a life changing event to get us into action whether it's a death or even new life. We look for an excuse to take a leap instead of trusting we can make it work.

Can you imagine the feeling of accomplishment of pure joy knowing that YOU did it?! Knowing that you took a chance on yourself and whether you succeed or fail is irrelevant because you owned it! That feeling is so much more powerful than saying, "__________ happened so I had to _________."

Today I encourage you take a look in the mirror and ask yourself are you living your life fully? Are you fulfilling your dreams? Are you making your mark in the world that way you always hoped to? If so great!! Continue to share it with the world and if not what are you going to do from here? Will you play it safe or take a leap?

Even if it's small shifts in living your life more adventurously its one step further than you were.

You'd be surprised out how acknowledging someone or saying I love you can shift your world to a more beautiful place.

What can you do to live your life adventurously today?

Integrity

Integrity... What does that mean to you?

I would say that most people would agree that someone with integrity is someone you can rely on their word.

Although, integrity can hold different meaning for each person. What may seem right to one person may feel wrong to another. That's when listening to your inner wisdom comes in handy.

I like to think of myself as someone who strives for complete integrity. Of course I fail sometimes, forgiveness of oneself is the key here. But what if you said you would do something and realize half way through that what you are doing is bad for your well being or doesn't meet your level of standards of integrity? Do you keep doing it because you said you would? Do you try and fix it?Or, do you quit all together?

These can be very confronting questions especially when you are conscious of the ripple effect you have when making choices.

Here are some questions an article in Yoga Journal (Wisdom by Sally Kempton) says to ask yourself when in this little pickle? I found them to be quite valuable...

1. What do the great wisdom teachers say?
2. What would a good person do?
3. What would give me the most joy in this situation?
4. How will this serve my highest desires and motivations?
5. What will align me with my true self?

I recently came face to face with a challenge within my own integrity. I had made a commitment with a colleague of mine and about one month of completion I realized it no longer served my highest self. I had complications with this commitment from the beginning but choose to continue any way simply because "I said I would" but by doing this I went against my highest self. At this point I knew my decision to quit would affect more than just my colleague. However, I still choose to walk away. Unfortunately it caused some conflict but I had to honor myself.

 Looking back I can see how I could have handled the situation more gracefully but ultimately I made my choice based on question #4 & #5 above. When handling matters of integrity it can be quite tricky but I feel that handling oneself with care and love in these matters is the most important. As we all know we are our own worst critic. We will all fail at some point regarding integrity and we cannot worry about what others will think or say about it. It comes down to how we handle ourselves during these difficult decisions while being 100% accountable for our actions.

What are some challenges you have faced inside the subject of your own integrity? How did you handle it? How have you grow from it?

Namaste

Dream It Real!

Dreaming it real. What does that mean? Can we really just dream something up and make it a reality? When we are young we are told we can be and do anything we want. We are encouraged to dream. Then the older we get the more discouraging others can be. Telling us to play it safe and some us listen.

A couple of years ago I was living in LA struggling to survive and dreaming up a dream. I used to look out my window of my Hollywood studio at the the ads for the Pantages theater. (the theater where all the off Broadway shows travel through). I would stare at those posters and think to myself. That's what I want...

"I want to perform on Broadway. I want to marry the love of my life. I want to have a family and live in a beautiful area near the beach. I want to be financially stable and travel the world. I want to live my dreams on the stage while maintaining a beautifully balanced life with my family."

Nothing in my life showed signs of this happening. I was working a job I didn't care for. A slave to my high rent and struggling as an artist.

Then one day I took a look around my apartment and though it was beautiful. It was a lie. I was surrounded by zen art and Buddhas along with  colorful worldly decorations. They were all things I aspired to be but was not. The truth was I was sad and lonely and lost. I chose right then and there to let go of everything I had. I sold all of my belongings and got a temporary home for my kitties until I figured out what to do and asked my friends if I could stay on their couches. I instinctively knew I had to let go of everything. Most people in my life were quite worried and although I was scared I pushed through. Two weeks before my lease on my apartment was up and I was selling the remaining of my belongings I received a call from a woman of whom was referred to me by a friend of mine to sing in her cabaret show. IN RUSSIA! We hit it off right away and 2 weeks later I was in Russia performing in a cabaret on a 3 day gig.

When they booked the air fare they asked me where I wanted to fly to when the gig was over. Some of the other band members were going to travel around Europe before going home. I said I've always wanted to go to Italy. They asked if I wanted to fly to Rome. I didn't wait to answer and blurted out "YES!" So there I was in Russia awaiting my new life's adventure in Italy. I took the little money I had and arrived in Rome.

There, I learned from other back packers how to backpack. I traveled up and down the west coast of Italy. I started in Rome  then headed to Florence then to Naples, Almafi Coast and Pompei. Then out the blue I got a calling within my gut to go back to Florence. I could feel something was there waiting for me. I booked a hostile for 4 days. Nothing happened so I booked a flight from Pisa for a few days later to Amsterdam where I would indefinitely teach yoga in Holland with some friends of mine. The night before I left I went out to a college bar with a group of friends I met at my hostile. It was at this bar I met the love of my life standing in line for a beer. (My husband!) We hit it off really well and went out the next night and then the next and then the next. The day before I was supposed to get on the plane to Amsterdam he and his friends asked me to stay. Needless to say, I did.

We fell madly in love. I had no intention of coming back to America at this point and started looking for Yoga teaching jobs in Florence. Just when I'm thinking "how am I gonna do this?" I get an email from a theater in SC on the beach saying they were referred by a friend of mine (same amazing friend that got me to Russia ) and that they would like for me to join the company singing full time in a show! I was confused what to do because I didn't want to be separated from my love but he encouraged me to go. He had faith we would work it out. Several months later I found myself  working in the theater, living on the beach, married to the love of my life, getting the kitties back and teaching yoga! And I get to travel to Italy every year!

(our 1 year anniversary :)

How's that for dreaming it real?!

I share this story with you to encourage you to dream and encourage you to listen to your intuition. Life is one big dream... Be creative and have fun!

I'm stilling dreaming and I still don't know how it's all going to fall into place but I do have faith that it will :)

Namaste

What's a Pelican Got To Do With You?

One of my favorite things to do is to get up early and walk on the beach. There is something so calming about the new days energy. It's as if any question I may have in life I find clarity in that space. The smell of the fresh sea air, the sound of birds and the waves crashing on the shore and feel of sand between my toes all contribute to the connection of my intuition.

As I was taking my walk on the beach I found such joy watching the group of pelicans that were on their morning hunt. They were so majestic as they swooped through the air together grazing just above the water each taking turns flying high into the air and diving into the water head first for fish.

How beautifully they worked together to hunt. As I investigated further into the pelican on Google I found that they not only hunt together to herd the fish for catching but they also share all the catchings with one another and males and females take turns keeping eggs warm.

The Pelican reminds us that we work best when we work together and to surround ourselves with the support of others that encourage you.

How can the lesson of the Pelican inspire your life?