Fear Less

Lizz Wright- Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly (music video. no clue why i can’t get the image on this page. but, enjoy it and i hope it inspires you like it does me.)

In need of inspiration on how to live my daily life in a way that brings me closer to my true self, I decided to read a book titled, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. Some of you may have noticed that I have quoted this book numerous times the past month via facebook updates. Given that I really am too tired to write a synopsis on this book or to unveil the numerous tools offered within the text, tonight, I wanted to share one key tool.

In the book, Sharma advices that we have a DEATH BED MENTALITY, meaning that we live each day as it were our last. What would be your mood if u knew today would be your last day? How would you treat people? What would you do? Etc.

Every morning, when I wake up, I ask myself, what would I do today if it were my last? Often I visualize myself not being afraid of anything. I see myself letting go of any anger, pain, frustration, and/or stress that may reside within me. Then, I welcome in joy and love.  I think about the people I love and I become overwhelmed with gratitude because I know that I have been blessed with beautiful people and bountiful relationships within my life thus far. I imagine my day to be beautiful and full of laughter and lightheartedness.

To think about each day as if it were my last is quite humbling. It is also a reality check, because I know that today could quite possibly be the day I take my last breath in the physical realm.

For those of us who want to live a life where freedom of soul and mind exist, I believe we must first free ourselves from fear. Fear is useless and inhibits us from experiencing life at it’s greatest potential.

As Audre Lorde once said, “I AM DELIBERATE & AFRAID OF NOTHING”. Tonight I make a promise to myself to take these words and use them as my mantra for living a purposeful life where fear is not an obstacle to experiencing life.

rainbows of transformation

over the past few days i have been contemplating the events going on around me. with the fires buring, the deaths happening in the families of close friends, the illnesses that have come into my life via family members, and all the changes within the social structures i once knew i can’t help but feel exhausted, uneasy, and in a questioning mood. what does this all mean?

essentially, all these occurences could be seen as stimuli for being depressed. but, i don’t neccessarily feel completely melancholy. i just feel like i am waiting for the moment when i can understand what all this means in the context of the universe and where life is taking me, where time is taking us as a people.

as for now, all i can really read into the accumulation of these situations is that CHANGE is inevitable & CHANGE is happening right now even if i don’t want to acknowledge or accept it. What kind of changes will the wind bring for me, my fam, my friends? All i can really do is ask is for PATIENCE to be my companion right now and TRUST that life will continue to unfold beautifully.

and so, i think of rainbows….

rainbows have always been a reminder of inner transformation and the influence of a greater spiritual influence in my life.  whenever i see one, much like when i see pink roses, i feel that i am being taken care of and guided.

the picture above was taken in oakland, ca in feb 2009. my bff jason perez, his partner carmela, and my good friend genesis and i had just arrived and needed to refill our gas tank. although sleepy, i looked up and to my joy i saw this ranbow arching over lake merrit (my favorite spot in the bay area).

to me, i was being told that life is beautiful, that life is where it is suppose to be at for me at that moment. i felt blessed and in love with a world that was able to communicate with me through the miracles of nature. to this day, rainbows mean so much to me. they remind me that life is meant to live in a way in which we illuminate our light to others. we need to give beauty back to the world just as we recieve it in our lives.

today, the image of the rainbow kept popping up in my head despite the ugliness outside and the uneasiness inside me.

may rainbows always fill out lives and flood our eyes and hearts with love, light, and beauty. may they be a symbol that we are always able to transcend.

————

more info on rainbows….

below is an exceprt from http://www.spiritualwisdom.org.uk/colours-of-the-rainbow2.htm 

check it out for various meanings of rainbows and the colors of the rainbow….

according to the story of noah’s arc:

“The rainbow is called, in this transformational story, a divine covenant sign – in our terms a life and death promise … a divine pledge of:

a) a new beginning when the old is swept away

b) unbroken divine love and care

c) the cyclical evolving of a new world”

 

 

life. make it count

“make it count.” this saying first came into existence in november 2008 when my girlfriends and i had a getaway/ reunion in vegas. my homegirl, kat and i came through to the event with less than 24 hours to spare so we knew we had to make the most of it. hence, the catchy phrase “make it count!” was born and has been flying off the tip of my tongue ever since.

the other day i showed up at my former work place, the public allies office in los angeles. when i got there, my x-co-worker carlos said to me, ” you look happy.” now, normally i would expect someone to  simply say, “thank you!” in response to a statement like this. but, because i am me, i said thank you, yet at the same time my internal monologue sounded something like, ” really? daymn, did i use to look sad when i worked here?”….

when carlos told me that i looked happy, i began to reflect on all the experiences and decisions i have made since i left public allies one year ago that have lead me to my current state. it wasn’t that i was not happy before. it is just that now i am doing all the things i want to do and i have come to the realization that I AM IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE AND MY HAPPINESS. in order to be happy in this present moment, i had to examine what it is i truly want in this life.  my conclusion was that I want my life to be filled with love and joy.

 in order to achieve the states of love and joy that i longed for, i knew i had to reprioritize my life. i decided to get out and be with people more often. i allowed myself the freedom to say that it is ok for me to not settle in to a 9-5, but to go after my dream of building a life out of spreading art into the community and finding alternative ways of getting the means ($$) to support myself. i had to let go of the idea that by the age of 26 i was suppose to be living on my own with a stable job…all this wasn’t easy. but it’s been the best decision i have made.

although i feel the road ahead is not so clear for me, i feel i am actually living life, not just letting life pass me by.

everyday i wake up and tell myself to MAKE TODAY COUNT.

whatever “make it count” means to you, just do it.

live life with no regrets.

 seize the moment.

be-at the beat.

let me leave you with a few songs to take you through the day and inspire you…

“we can be new” by amel larrieux

“live your life” by rihanna & TI

no day but today

So, I have no idea why this song is stuck in my head. Pretty much BEP’s “Boom, Boom, Pow” & Jamie Fox’s “Blame it on the Alcohol” are the club bangers which have been rockin my brain over the past few days. But, when I decided to sit down and FINALLY write another entry in this thing, this song from the ever so popular ( or not popular, depeding on your taste), RENT suddently found its way into the air waves of my brain. So, for all you RENT lovers, I have posted a link to the movie version and also posted the lyrics below. Enjoy!

The heart may freeze or it can burn
The pain will ease if I can learn

There is no future
There is no past
Thank God this moment’s not the last

There’s only us
There’s only this
Forget regret– or life is yours to miss.
No other road
No other way
No day but today

There’s only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what is alright
No other course
No other way
No day but today

I can’t control
My destiny
I trust my soul
My only hope
is just to be

There’s only now
There’s only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today

Oh, and a few more thoughts…
Maybe this song randomly popped in my mind cuz I needed it.I mean, who doesn’t need to be reminded every
now and then that we gotta live in the moment and that we gotta live for today?
Gosh, who knew RENT could be so profound? “Give in to love or live in fear,” now that is deep and real.
I think we all gotta try to do this cuz unconditional love, when practiced correctly can
can ulimately change this world. And when I say, practicing unconditinal love correctly,
I am not talkin about the way Hi-5 says to practice “Unconditional Love” in their late 90s
R & B jam. I am talkin about
an unconditional love that is not sexist, not racist, not classist, that isn’t afraid of gay marriage,
that sees beyond ego, that is in tune with the unviversal connection with us all.

Anyways…no , day but today, right?

march maddness

 

Hello! I just wanted to wish all of you a wonderful day. Thanks for all the support over the past month.

March is going to be a busy month for me. I am exhibiting in 4 galleries and selling at one more venue.

On March 17, SAVE THE DATE!, I am doing a soul collage workshop at liliflor studios. I am very excited as this will be my first workshop at an actual studio. There will be a small donation fee, but PLEASE COME OUT! Trust me, you will get a lot out of it. More info to come.

Also, my apologies for the ill format on some of these pages. I don’t know what is going on! But, I am too tired to fix it. I was working on it for hours on end today.

Anyhow, click here for updates on new work https://expressyoursoul.wordpress.com/heartwork-by-pinaysoul/ and new thoughts from yours truly.

Take care!