breakthrough.

For the first time in a LONG time, i felt whole. I felt that everything I needed, I had. I wasn't wanting anything, I wasn't missing anything; I felt truly complete. It happened at yoga last night and it was a personal highlight for me this year.  I was in the half moon pose!!!

i have been getting signs lately. and it's getting me really excited. I can hear my intuition clearly now and I'm confident it's leading somewhere magical. for awhile there, I couldn't hear it at all and didn't know what to do. I was feeling shame, guilt, and apologizing for no reason.

my future goals are more visible now, but i am also trying to live in the present. it's a balancing act that only gets better with practice. that's what I've learned these past few months.

ALSO can i just say, "The Four Agreements" has been an amazing read these past few months. It may seem at first like hippe bullshit, but it is a book which has reminded me about things that are key to have in finding personal acceptance, contentment, confidence. 

you are limitless.

I never really believed that phrase, "the world is your oyster."
but lately I am beginning to believe it is right.







After months of wondering if i had anymore goals or dreams,
I've finally found the strength to daydream.
I'm finally allowing myself to dream big. And while dreaming big, I had these thoughts:

It's appalling to me how easily we believe others when they say what we can, can't, should, and shouldn't do.

Following your heart is the truest thing you can do for yourself and your dreams. If your heart is leading you somewhere or to something, it is for a reason. If your intentions are true, it will cancel out all the people that tell you not to do it. That said, it's good to have realistic goals.  And it is good to have a group of trusted individuals who you trust that can help guide you to your goals, shape them into being.

What holds us back?

• When someone tells us it's stupid.
• When someone says we can't do it; it's too hard.
• When someone tells us we're "crazy"
• When we tell ourselves we're not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, etc.

But all these thing are only words. They are not facts or based in any truth.
Yet, why do we invest so much belief into these false phrases??? Are we afraid of our goals, and using excuses lets us avoid that fear? Lets us ignore the fear and succumb to denial because it's easier than thinking about the truth?





I think all we can do in this world is daydream, dream, make many lists of those dreams and go out and do them.  There is no timeline, there is no shoulds or musts.

It's odd how the easiest and the hardest part is to follow your heart. But in a way that's the only thing you need to know. Whether it's sipping the early morning coffee or taking a trip to Brazil, however big or small, if we are living with true, thoughtful intentions and letting our hearts lead us, we will have the world at our fingertips.

So remember you are limitless.  Things people say are simply words, not truth. The only truth you have is the one within.































   

my tribe

i hate it when people bail on me.
moving to a new city is so much harder than you think it will be. i figured since i did it once, the second time would be easier. but sometimes i feel like it's just as hard.
i can't wait for when i finally find my tribe. i think i've found some of them already.
i have to remember to be patient.

one thing i've learned in the past year is that this cliche is true:

quality relationships take quality time. you can make fast friends, but it is the amount of time and how open you are with them that makes them worthy friends, friends that will be there for you. this goes for romantic relationships as well.




PHOTO CREDIT: Daasanach tribe girl - Omorate Ethiopia by Eric Lafforgue, via Flickr

Levo League

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a "Levo League" happy hour in DC.

Levo League is a social good startup designed to elevate young women in the workforce by providing the career resources needed to achieve personal and professional success.

Check it out here:
 http://www.levo.com/home

If you check the online community, you can see there are numerous chapters across the country, offering networks to find other women in the same career stage.

As a young woman, I feel belonging to this group will help a great deal in navigating my career. It is a fun way to ask others for advice, or learn what they are doing in their careers.  As a young woman at my first professional job, it's nice to have the support of strong, independent women in the same place as myself, and women who have already gained years of experience in my network.

At last night's happy hour I met some wonderful people. Two of them gave me a VIP PASS to FotoDC's 6th annual photo week launch party!!! I'm obsessed with photography so this is something I did not expect and am soooo looking forward to attending this weekend w/ these new gfs! :)

Last night was a reminder to put yourself out there, meet new people. Having many different networks and social circles can enrich your life in many ways.

They ALSO have a pinterest page!!!
http://www.pinterest.com/levoleague/

the world offers itself to your imagination

“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body 
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.” 
― Mary Oliver

Advice to All the Single Ladies. ~ Marilyn J. Owen

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/08/advice-to-all-the-single-ladies-marilyn-j-owen/


I LOVED this article. It reminds you that you have all you need within you to become a better person. Be your own Best Friend. And remember how strong and beautiful you are!!!

It also reminds me of the time I finally learned the concept of doing it for myself, by myself. I was dating the IMOM (International man of mystery) at the time and I invented a whole story in which he brought me to London (where he had a flat) and we discovered the city together. And then I met his parents. And everything would be marvelous.

Not surprisingly, the IMOM turned out to be a jackass and I decided that March to go to London on my own with a girlfriend. I - alone - made the decision to live out that fantasy without the dependency on the jackass. I got to see all of London and had a great time! The whole thing taught me that my dreams can be done by myself and no one else controls them.

HUZZAH.

Hometown.

I was in a wedding and it was beautiful. i went home and saw both sets of grandparents. i realize i am very lucky to have both grandparents, still. i guess it means i have good genes.

this weekend was a whirlwind. i saw EVERYONE i know in my hometown. this song came to mind:

It's a great song. My friend Eric danced to it with his mom at his wedding last summer in Marquette, MI. I wept, of course. 

I believe Kelly Cutrone has a saying: 

I find this to be so true. The first half of your life is spent trying to get away from what is familiar, known. The second half is trying to find what WAS familiar, what WAS your "truth". Even though the idea of the "truth"  evades us constantly, there are certain elements of your personal truth that remain. and they always will, because they give you peace and remind you of your home base, your foundation, where you were raised, how the air smelled and how the breeze felt against your skin as it danced on summer nights through your bedroom window. 

"Graceland" by Paul Simon

I cannot stop listening to the album, "Graceland" by Paul Simon. This year I feel as though it has been my most played album.

When you listen to it, there are so many beautiful images, stories and feelings from that album. I love the African and Cajun influences heard on it.

When you listen to Graceland you feel like it is illustrating the journey you are on, whether that be the internal on or an actual road trip across many states or countries.

We're bouncing into Graceland............................................