Flow with it.

There are times in our lives... wait, scratch that. I hate entries that start out with that sentence. So I guess I will just start out by talking about my own personal experience and go from there...
Last year, as I'm sure I have discussed in great depth, was rough for me. But I needed it to be rough for me. I needed a push, or perhaps just a reminder, of what the other side of the fence looks like. I needed to learn lessons of patience, and lessons of humility, and more than anything I needed to learn to stop and look at what was really going on in and around me. Experiences like those are almost like a map. Or I guess a journal. We go through these trying situations and we remember (hopefully) what we did to jump the hurdles  where we faltered.
I read an article today about going with the flow, and really paying attention to what has and has not worked for us. Isn't life so often just a matter of really listening to ourselves? I mean REALLY listening- to our past, to our bodies, to our deep-rooted feelings... to turn down the congested noise around us and really pay attention to what we already know. You think of birds, for a strange example. Birds don't have GoogleMaps to tell them where or when to migrate. They just know. they were born with an intuitive knowledge of how to do exactly what they are supposed to do in order to survive. Humans are, at our core, the same way. I think that, more often that not, when we are looking for direction- we already have it. But in order to hone in the ability to listen to ourselves, we need to practice by overcoming obstacles. See: we need practice quieting our minds to hear that inner voice.

photo credit: unknown

That's what a lot of what I write about... stuff people already know. A lot of self-help is that way: it's: one person pointing out what you already know. That's why it's so identifiable and relate-able. That's why it's an "AHA!" Moment. If we can learn to listen to ourselves, and what we already know, then outside self-help would become obsolete and unnecessary.
Back to the article I was reading, I really enjoyed the concept of "going with the flow," because I felt like that has a history of being the time when I've always done my best. When I allow my life to be what it is, rather than trying to control everything around me, I am happier and more fulfilled. It's almost as if life waits for me to stop asking and searching in order to deliver me where I am supposed to be. It's sort of a spiritual thing, in a lot of ways. Almost like "stop telling me what you want and I'll give you what you need." It was when I stopped trying to be in charge of things that my life took charge (and got better), which was also sort of funny because I felt so much more peace being able to relax and take my hands off of everything.
There are a lot of components to what I believe makes a good approach to life. And I guess what I'm getting at is that I think a good portion of that is to just be who you are. You know who to be, and you know what to do. Shut up, once in a while. Lock yourself away from the chatter outside and take the time to listen to what your inner persona tells you to do. Your life is going to hand you a series of gifts, choices, whether you hunt them down or not. Relax and allow that to happen, and as comically "zen" as it sounds: everything will play out as it was always meant to.

Absentee

My apologies for being absent as of late. There are a few good reasons, I'll have you know! For one, I have been poking around in my blog history and more or less sniping away at entries that are boring or overly personal in hopes that I will be able to use my blog for more professional reasons. The writing bug has been biting pretty hard now that I'm doing some work for NiteGuide and I'm hoping to cater my blog to more resume-type exposure. We'll see how it goes! I'm also crazy busy, as most people are during the holidays. Last week was Thanksgiving and a huge group of us went to Big Bear to rent a cabin and gorge ourselves on some of the best eats I've had, ever ever ever. Now it's time to gear up for Christmas with not only my personal cards, gifts, etc.- but also work mailings to be sent out as well as MORE cards and a party to plan. On top of that I'm planning a trip to Ohio for Christmas.
Lots and lots to do, but hopefully I get a breather in there to update more about my goings-on and make some fun plans for 2013! I miss your guts, and will write again soon!
In the mean time, check this out (I can hardly wait, this looks amazing):

Growing Day By Day

Loving this post from Daily Om:

We understand that we want to be better but have no clear definition of what better means and that is part of the process.

At some point in our lives, many of us find ourselves overcome with the desire to become better people. While we are all uniquely capable of navigating this world, we may nonetheless feel driven to grow, expand, and change. This innate need for personal expansion can lead us down many paths as we develop within the context of our individual lives. Yet the initial steps that can put us on the road to evolution are not always clear. We understand that we want to be better but have no clear definition of “better.” To ease this often frustrating uncertainty, we can take small steps, keeping our own concept of growth in mind rather than allowing others to direct the course of our journey. And we should accept that change won’t happen overnight—we may not recognize the transformations taking place within us at first.

Becoming a better person in your own eyes is a whole-life project, and thus you should focus your step-by-step efforts on multiple areas of your existence. Since you likely know innately which qualities you consider good, growing as an individual is simply a matter of making an effort to do good whenever possible. Respect should be a key element of your efforts. When you acknowledge that all people are deserving of compassion, consideration, and dignity, you are naturally more apt to treat them in the manner you yourself wish to be treated. You will intuitively become a more active listener, universally helpful, and truthful. Going the extra mile in all you do can also facilitate evolution. Approaching your everyday duties with an upbeat attitude and positive expectations can help you make the world a brighter, more cheerful place. Finally, coming to terms with your values and then abiding by them will enable you to introduce a new degree of integrity and dignity into your life.

As you endeavor to develop yourself further, you can take pride not only in your successes, but also in the fact that you are cultivating consciousness within yourself through your choices, actions, and behaviors. While you may never feel you have reached the pinnacles of awareness you hope to achieve, you can make the most of this creative process of transformation. Becoming a better person is your choice and is a natural progression in your journey of self-awareness.

(Image Courtesy of Pinterest via Awelltraveledwoman)

You & I.

"I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we happen to find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can't be helped."

Fritz Perls, Gestalt Prayer (via http://awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com/)

This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read.