What are you really seeking?

So many of us go through life on autopilot. Nietzsche said it best… 

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If you are lucky enough throughout your life to realize this is not the purpose of life, but taking time to seek you own purpose. I can only share and speak from my own experience. 

It’s hard for me to think and seek a big huge grandiose life purpose, but when I have been able to break it down, it comes to a few little important things. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breather easier because you have lived- that is to have succeeded”. These words resonated in me many years ago and have been the core of my beliefs and purpose. 

After many years of seeking the life that ‘I thought’ I’m supposed to live and be (the Nietzsche visual) , I’ve finally come to a path of seeking my true self, my I AM, and my infinite place of joy.

Many of us take time looking in the wrong places. Maybe we live in the wrong city, I must move. Seeking a new job, this one isn’t fulfilling me. Sometimes comparing ourselves to others & their lives. A new love and relationship, this one isn’t bringing me infinite joy. You get the just of it, always seeking outside one’s self.  I have also gone down those paths, till I learnt to look inside myself. Wow, once I began to understand how much infinite possibility, joy, passion, gratitude, and abundance is accessible right here in me and with me alone, my life has flourished and spilled way beyond myself. 

When seeking begin to ask yourself a few simple questions:

  1. Is this of service to others? Am I serving a higher good?
  2. Am I being honest with myself and my feelings, hence doing/being/living my truth?
  3. Is there a passion to all I do/feel and am?
  4. Am I letting things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things bother me?
  5. What is my motivator to do/be the way I am?
  6. Do I wake up excited and looking forward to live the current life I’m living?
  7. Am I surrounded by those whom I truly enjoy their company?

There are endless ways & paths for us to seek. What I find to be important is to find yourself and continue to challenge yourself to grow and fill your personal bucket of joy & purpose, then let it spill over onto others. 

If all you can do today is to BE KIND, SERVE OTHERS, BE GRATEFUL AND LOOK BEYONG YOURSELF, I promise you a glimpse of infinite joy. 

Sending you love and compassion today. 

 

Distorted Self Image

Today I have a distorted self-image.

It’s not every day I have a distorted self-image. Some days I’m on top of the world and I can see myself as I truly am. Where I’ve been what I have accomplished and always choose to see the good in the world. 

Naturally there are days like today where you might wake up to teach a yoga class only to look in the mirror and not have self-love for what you see. Not having gratitude in my heart for the abilities my body has and the health my body & mind carry. Its ugly honest and raw, but it’s true. So where do I go from here? Luckily have had the good fortune to grow and learn with some of the best people in my life. I take a moment to remind myself, what I am grateful for today. I’m 41 I can’t compare my body to my 25 year old self. Yes lines of austerity and starting to surround my face and build character, is it ugly? No it’s honest its history it’s my story. 

I take time to sit it out, reflect, try to step away from the internal negative self-talk and look from the outside in. I decide to tap into my gratitude list, I join friends that are positive for coffee and tell them how I feel. I ask them for help, to be my support my network. I decide to take time for myself, workout & go to a yoga class by a mentor who I dearly admire her unconditional love. I think & write about all the beautiful life experience I have had & have every day, I remind myself that self-image, is not reality. Sadly we live in a society where there is so much focus on unimportant things. Image, body, wealth, careers… it’s endless, but at the end of the day, did you do what you love, were you around people you love and was it a happy day. Its simple. 

This letter is to Humanity and especially women. We are all one. Your success is my success your growth is mine. We are better cheering on each other than tearing each other down. Your success isn’t my failure this world is huge and has room for all of us. My goal is to help others see how we are more alike than different. We all want love, self-worth, value, kindness & safety. It’s time for us to hold one another up, to stop comparing to stop tearing each other down but to build a web of love, compassion & gratitude. You have no idea what battle someone else is going through but you can help ease it for them. The light within me humbly bows to the light within you, thank you for your collective universal positive strength that gives me hope and joy. 

I am grateful for you. 

 

Yoga 4 Humanity

For many years I worked for IRC, resettling refugees in America. While refugees come from different countries and circumstances, they come from brutal, oppressive and war-torn areas. They are forced to leave their families, friends, and lives behind. Most don’t come by choice, but they are grateful for the chance of a new beginning. Watching the suffering of so many refugees in the world today is a harrowing experience. The lack of compassion and caring by many is profound heartbreak, frustration and disappointment. I’ve decided to do my part by raising funds for these Refugees. I will also be teaching donation based yoga classes in the SLC area where all proceeds will go to this campaign. Please consider donating.

 

21 Days of Gratitude

Last week I decided to start keeping a simple journal of things, people, moments I am grateful for in my life. Take the leap & join me for 21 days of gratitude starting today just verbalize or write down something/someone you are grateful for.

Day 1 I am grateful for the friendships I have in my life especially grateful for a true friend, Katy no matter time it distance, you are always there.

Day 2 of gratitude, today I am grateful for compassion. My ability to have compassion for others & myself. Compassion gives us a more optimistic outlook on life. When we cultivate compassion we become more giving, thankful & present. We get sick less by focusing our energy on compassion & not cultivating illness weakness or stress in ourselves. Being compassionate to ones self is much harder than others, because we are usually harder on ourselves.

Day 3 of gratitude, today I am grateful for my sense of smell. I love how a scent can take you on a journey, like when I smell fresh pita bread & Zatar it reminds me of growing up and the smell of the streets of Jordan. A smell can calm your nerves or perk up your energy.

Day 4 of gratitude, today I am grateful for my parents. Who created a very unique family - for always giving me unconditional love even when they disagree with me. For teaching me values & encouraging my seeking. For teaching me the importance of taking care of #1. “We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.” ~Pema Chodron

Day 5 of gratitude, today I am grateful for my eyesight. With our eyes we see the world. Our vision directly affect our balance. Test yourself stand on one leg with eyes open - balanced & easy, close your eyes in the same position & see how you feel! Truly grateful to be able to see all the beauty in the world!