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Explore

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”Dear Venice, you tasted like home, the moment I laid my eyes on you.”

Crowded streets, narrow streets. Empty streets early morning. Thunderstorm and heavy rain. Gondolas floating by. Happy faces. I laugh, you laugh. No time to sleep. A piece of art during all of your hours.

Venice, August 2022

To seek out adventure, however, doesn’t always equal travelling abroad to a far away country, jumping out of a plane or swimming with sharks. What if you could make every day a little bit more adventurous just by challenging your mindset, and changing up some of those mundane routines of your?

Below you’ll find a few mindsets/habits that hopefully can assist you in making your every day life a bit more exciting and joyful. Especially suitable during times when we don’t have the time to take weeks off to go and explore a new country, or the bank account is preventing us from enjoying extravagant ventures.

Explore your neighbourhood.

Usually it’s the places we are the most exposed to that we take for granted or fail to actually appreciate. Have you, in the past few days, taken the time to literally stop and look around? Next time you take a walk in your neighbourhood – leave your phone at home and gaze at the buildings, the surroundings, the people walking by (without scaring them away). You might discover a new coffee place, an antique shop you haven’t yet visited or simply the beautiful architecture.

Take a course. Challenge yourself – Try something new.

Is there a craft or a subject you would like to learn or know more about? Exploring your hidden talents might take you places you’ve never been before. A short while ago I decided to try out an art form that I’ve never been particularly good at – drawing. And I must say – my drawings are quite bad. Anyways, it forces me to step out of my comfort zone and to exercise a part of the brain I haven’t visited in 20 years. One positive aspect with this practice is that it takes my mind off thinking and analyzing. It happens to be very relaxing, and helps me rewind and let go of the day.

Read.

To enjoy a great story is a little bit like travelling, taking on a different role or persona and exploring another person’s world. I’m one of those who easily get caught up in the storyline, and after one hour of reading I forget all about my own life (a recipe for a good book that can capture the reader in that way). Choose a book that excites you, or maybe scares you even a little bit (in a good way). Or why not read a biography of a historical profile which you admire?

I recently finnished the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’ve read it before, but it was such a long time ago so I decided to revisit the story. This time I chose the audio book, and what a beautiful idea that was since he who read the book had the most lovely British accent – perfect before bedtime.

Talk to a stranger.

Next time you find yourself in a coffee shop, on the bus or on the train why not start chatting with the person next to you – if he/she doesn’t mind of course. Talking to a stranger is a perfect way to make the day more exciting or rewarding. Or why not simply smile more often when you encounter another human being on the street. It might turn someone’s day around. In fact, you never know how much a smile can change someone’s life.

With this being said, do you have some personal favorites when it comes to making your day more joyful? Please, share your thoughts in the comment section!

l.m.v

Finding flow

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”And maybe it’s actually not so much about changing, but more so about becoming the person one always has been. Not finding oneself, but recognising and honouring that self.”

– l.m.v

I’ve noticed that the quieter my surroundings, hence the less stimuli I expose myself to, the more space I create for my inner voice to shine through. I easily distract myself with either work, social media, music, a podcast, a book or by watching YouTube. However, I do cherish the time in-between; doing yoga, taking a walk in nature, exercising or meditating. Nevertheless, even then it’s not completely quiet around me, since I always have music, a podcast or a book in my ears.

After one week with less stimuli, and outside distractions, I’ve once again noticed the importance of silence in order to hear the silent whispers of the soul, and to reach that so called flow state.

It’s not uncommon that we humans find the silence to be boring, and even frustrating – especially if one is not used to it. And if one is running away from their feelings, their thoughts or from life itself, the silence can even become unbearable. Nonetheless, after a couple of days one really starts to appreciate the stillness, and one might even learn how to use the hours with softness, despite the discomfort.

What to do with the silence?

Ease in to it, and trust that within the silence lies a significant amount of wisdom, ready to be experienced by you. The only thing required; your presence.

So, instead of escaping the silence, I’ve been inviting the silence. By embracing doing absolutely nothing I’ve noticed how the words have started flowing more effortlessly to me. Being on the yoga mat, doing some light stretching, without any distractions, is exactly what my soul has been starving for. It’s like it has created space within, for new energy to enter.

I truly believe creativity stems from an external source outside of us. This force is searching for an attentive and open-minded human being to feel, or experience, this subtle shift in energies, and thereby transform it into something tangible, whether it’s a painting, a poem, a novel or an invention. And by being in stillness, one allows for this energy to do its thing. To work its magic.

So, a little advice from me to you; Don’t rush through the moments of silence, the moments of stillness, cause within their insignificance lie a more subtle meaning. To fill the most ordinary day with joy and bliss is within your reach each and every day. Take a glimpse within, and know, while there’s no need to rush through life, there’s a tremendous need to start appreciating life.

With this being said, I do believe we can learn a lot from Mother Nature when it comes to embracing the silence, embracing the now and issness of the moment. While dancing through seasons, she does not rush. Taking her time to unwind, to unfold, to let go and to transform. Allowing herself to bloom. Month after month. Year after year. Going through phases fully present, fully alive. Fully confident in her transparency and vulnerability. Wise enough to know, that letting go doesn’t necessarily mean being deprived of, but creating space, creating opportunity. She has her end-goals and dreams, however, at the same time she acknowledges the process and the in-betweens. The tranquillity of being winter when she’s winter, summer when she’s summer.

Flow state

When you’re enjoying what you’re doing you easily reach that so called flow state. A state of being when time passes by without you even noticing. A state of being when you’re your most creative self. A state of being when you’re guided by your inner voice. A state of being that can only be described by the words pure bliss.

Some features of ”flow” according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American psychologist. He recognised and named the psychological concept of flow, a highly focused mental state conducive to productivity.

▫️Challenging but attainable goals
▫️Strong focused concentration
▫️The activity is intrinsically rewarding
▫️Feelings of serenity
▫️Loss of self-consciousness
▫️Timelessness/lose track of time passing
▫️Lack of awareness of physical needs
▫️Complete focus on the activity itself

”The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”


– MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI

Reflect upon if or when you’ve experienced this kind of flow state, and what you were doing during that time.

l.m.v

Let the silence speak to you

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”In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”

– Deepak Chopra

In this moment you can find suffering or meaning, fear or curiosity. You can choose to see the world through the eyes of hate, or you can let love be the guiding force. Clarity might not always be found through the intellect, but experienced in stillness.

Quiet down, and the more you’re able to hear.

Some might fear the stillness, simply because they’re not used to it.

What to do with it? Complete silence, except the sound of the heartbeat. Rising. Thoughts popping up. Do something, don’t just sit there. Wasting your time.

Becoming aware of the breath. In. Out. In. Out. Feeling calmer. Lighter. Sensing the energy in the hands. Alive. I’m alive.

The present moment – the only moment where there is freedom from the past, from the conditioned mind. You’re simply here, realising there is nowhere else to be. But here.

”To a mind that is still, a whole universe surrenders.”

– Lao Tzu

To become aware is to become one with the present moment. All of a sudden you’re the observer of your inner state – the feeling, the emotion – no longer at its mercy. Awareness has stepped in. Freedom arises. The emotion can’t renew itself by using the mind. You might notice that the anxiety, the fear or the anger is still there, however, you’re not consumed by it anymore. The awareness gives it space to be, but while anxiety doesn’t rise up in the mind, and control the mind, it can’t renew itself anymore – it evaporates. As the awareness strengthens the energy transforms.

When you let go, and allow the moment to be as it is, you’ll find that the answers you seek won’t come when the mind is busy, they come when the mind is still. However, they might not come immediately. At times patience is needed, testing your ability to trust and believe in the unfolding of your life.

Let the silence speak to you. Be curious, and trust that it has something to say.

Listen within

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”Be passionately curious about your own life.”

In a world where we are taught to be more concerned about what other people are doing, or thinking, than focusing on what we ourselves are doing, or thinking, it’s extremely common to compare, to judge, to envy.

But what if, you began to turn your focus inward, instead of outward.

What if you began to take up more space, talk a little louder, laugh a little harder.

What if you finally realised that you are worthy of being here, without having to prove that worth.

You are breathing. You are here.

There’s nowhere else for you to be, but here.

Don’t dim your light, just to make others feel more comfortable. The people that are meant to show up, and stay in your life, won’t find you if you are hiding. They won’t find you if your light is switched off. Guide each other home.

… ”And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

– Nelson Mandela

One needs to allow himself to slow down, to listen. When one is constantly bombarding himself with stimuli from outside sources it becomes nearly impossible to hear, or sense anything. How is one able to listen to the whispers of the soul if one is continually caught up in the outside circus? How is it possible to become aware of the song of the heart when the sirens of the external environment is set on full volume?

To have oneself rise above one’s thoughts is, however, the challenge. To know that one isn’t at the mercy of one’s thoughts, but actually the witness of the same. To be able to step outside them – observe them for what they are. Thoughts.

One does just anything to shut them out. However, one does not get rid of the negativity by turning away from it, by numbing out the pain with drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, social media, or whatever one wishes to turn to. Rather, one turns towards it. One allows it in, accepts it. And in that moment of acceptance one notices that it actually has no power, but one indeed has the power to release it, to let it go.

We cannot expect the outside world to change if we are not willing to change ourselves. We cannot expect everyone else to do the work if we just sit there and do nothing. Start taking responsibility for your life. For your own wellbeing. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for help. In fact you should, you should ask for help, if help is what you need. You’re not weak or broken; you’re human, you’re simply being human.

l.m.v

There is strength in being soft

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”Never underestimate the power of a woman’s intuition.”

”Don’t be so sensitive!”

I stopped counting the times I’ve received a comment like that.

Like being sensitive would be something to be ashamed of.

Something that needs to be buried deep inside, for no one to see and experience.

Now, I usually laugh if I get a comment like that.

”Yes, I’m a sensitive human being. And I embrace it, I embrace my vulnerability. And by the way you should try it; it might benefit you, helping you being more attuned with your feelings and emotions.”

Being sensitive is not the same as being fragile, being weak.

To be a highly sensitive human is to have an immense, gigantic inner world.

It is to cry at a beautiful flower, simply because the flower is, beautiful.

It is to cherish the quiet moments inbetween, simply cause within them lies all the answers.

It is to be highly intuitive.

Powerful.

It enables one to tap into other peoples’ feelings, making it easier to put oneself in another person’s shoes.

It allows one to be more empathetic with others, as well as with oneself.

It allows one to be less judgmental towards others, as well as towards oneself.

It allows one to be more human.

A note to the masculine. Never try to understand the feminine. Instead, let yourself become lost – free – within the multifaceted, paradoxical nature. Let it show you, the strength in being soft. Respect it, and it will respect you.

l.m.v

Open your mind

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”The eyes are useless when the mind is blind.”

How to master the art of observing life with an open mind? Where others see either black or white, to learn to see the rainbow?

Life is a spectrum of moments, occurring one after the other. Anything can happen. And it’s impossible for us to know what might be hiding behind the corner.

We’re allowed to change – in fact we should; change, and grow. In line with each and everyone of your breaths you are allowed to be. Exactly the one you were meant to be.

Open your mind

Don’t care to be right, care to understand. Don’t expect people to agree with everything you say, expect them to have their own view on things. Don’t impose your beliefs on others. Accept all of life’s perspectives and realities, in peace, without judgment.

”It’s the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

– Aristotle

What it means is, you should learn to look at life with a bird’s eye view – there are more to this life than the thoughts in your mind.

There are more to this life than your way of seeing things. There is something to be learned from everyone. Even from the fools.

The most sincere form of respect is to listen to what another person has to say. And if you don’t understand – don’t be afraid to ask questions. The worst distance between two human beings is misunderstanding.

When two people stop communicating with each other, or worse – when they stop listening to each other – that is when the problems start arising. We start to assume things, or we believe we think we know what the other person is trying to say. Instead of asking we assume.

We humans are very good at putting our own expectations on people. Why? Maybe we’re afraid of the answer. Maybe we’re just trying to create a false sense of control. Maybe we’re afraid that we thought we knew someone when we actually have no idea. But remember this, if you do not ask, and try to understand, you will never fully get to know life. And you will never fully get to know yourself or the loved ones around you.

Open your eyes. Open your mind.

l.m.v

From dream to reality

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”Ask yourself if what you do today is moving you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.”

Your future is created by being present in the moment. Your future is not created then, somewhere in the unforeseen tomorrow, it’s created now. It’s highly determined by your daily actions, thoughts and habits. By being present with yourself you allow yourself to expand and transform into the highest version of yourself. You accept that where you are right now is exactly where you need to be right now.

It doesn’t have to take 3, 5 or 10 years for you to become the highest version of yourself. However, what it does take is for you to put in consistent effort. Dreams usually do not happen over night, but the decision to change can happen in a blink of an eye. Don’t postpone your future just because you’re being lazy or afraid in the moment. See the fear for what it is; fear of the unknown, fear of what’s to come, fear of not being good enough, to not have what it takes. Embrace the fear, cause it’s trying to tell you something. If you don’t know what it is that is holding you back from moving forward, it will become very difficult for you to detach from it. Hence, the importance of getting to know thyself.

Dig deep, and you will start realising that the answers are closer than you think. You don’t have to look far, you just have to look within.

How to transform your dream to reality

  • Consistent action; There’s a fine balance between taking action and having things flow to you. No action in the world will do, if you’re not open to receiving. Are you allowing good things to show up in your life? Are you making space for good to come to you? Do you believe you’re worthy of receiving? Start with the basics, start from the inside. Start with your why. Why do you want certain things? To make you look good, to prove yourself to others, or because you genuinely want them? Action that is aligned with your most authentic self have a tendency to bear fruit.
  • Take responsibility; There’s no escaping this, but you’re responsible for your own life. You’re responsible for what words you choose to use, what actions you choose to take, and what you put out into the world. On the other side, you’re not responsible for how others perceive you. You’re not responsible for what others think of you. You’re responsible for your words, not for the words that is used to describe you. Therefore, focus on what you can do, focus on what you wish and want to do. As long as you don’t harm yourself or others, you’re allowed to do what you came here to do. What is more, don’t wait for someone to give you permission to start. Do it for you, and keep on doing it for you. The moment you make the decision to start speaking your truth, the people that are meant to find you will find you.
  • Don’t be afraid of making mistakes – learn from them; Mistakes are not mistakes if we learn from them. Neglecting yourself and your passions, however, is a mighty mistake. I’ve learned that the biggest mistakes I have done in life is not to believe in myself. To not think that I have the right to have or do things. THAT is a mistake. But you trying new things and sometimes ”failing”, that will never be a mistake – instead it’s something that makes your resilience grow stronger and you becoming braver.
  • Meditate; It’s when we start quieting our minds that our souls true calling has an opportunity to come forth. While meditating we allow ourselves to stop for a while, and we allow ourselves to listen to the things that are meant to come to us. Meditation, however, is not sitting with no thought; it’s sitting without judgement, letting the thoughts come and go. Giving that quiet voice a possibility to shine though.
  • Get to know thyself; If you don’t know what is holding you back, you will stumble upon tremendous difficulties with moving forward. Talk to a counsellor, a psychologist or a really good friend. Sometimes talking with someone, will help you see the challenge in a different light, and you’ll start seeing it from another perspective, which in turn might give you new ideas on how to proceed. Carve out time each day for journaling. Putting your thoughts on paper might help you realise those spiteful limiting beliefs of yours. Start questioning them – understand that they are not facts, they are simply beliefs. Beliefs that can be changed, by you.

With this being said, I hope you have a successful start to the new year.

With love,

Linda

Dear February…

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… let’s be brave enough to speak up about the things important to us.

”It’s in the things that deeply inspires us that we find ourselves.”

During the darkest of hours, my first screaming breath, with you. Flawless, being one with your calmness. Like the coldest of winters you embrace our deepest desires, our deepest needs. Forcing us to step into our own power. Fearless, being one with the stillness. Guided by love, compassion and courage. Truthfully ever after.

February is for evolving, getting one year richer. One year wiser. Staying curious, and open-minded. Finding joy and laughter, everything we sought after. It’s about speaking up, being true to our own unique voices. It’s time to stop being afraid of getting older – it’s time to show our deepest appreciation instead. Becoming curious enough to want to know more about ourselves, and the ways in which we can expand.

There’s much to discover and learn about life, about ourselves, as well as the people around us. Spending precious, slow time alone, gaining a better understanding of who we are, and what we desire out of life. Everything we’ve been through has taken us to this moment. All the decisions we’ve made, all the countries we’ve seen, all the hearts we’ve touched, all the jobs we’ve had, all the times we’ve struggled, and all the lessons we’ve learned – shaping us into the beings we are, into the beings we’re yet to become.

Dear February, with you I’ve become to appreciate the beauty of aging. Awakening to the delicacy of yet another unwritten page.

Dear January…

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… be brave enough to speak your truth.

”If you want to know love you must lose your fear of life.”

January is for awakening to the authenticity within the soul. While nature’s half asleep – breathe, darling, breathe. Move, one precious step at a time. Trust yourself, never neglect your true worth. Your true light. Strive for progression, growth and compassion. There’s always something to be grateful for. Life. Dear human, be grateful for life. 

January is for taking that delicate, crucial first step. A beautiful opportunity to begin anew arises, sunrise after sunrise. Breath after breath. Souls awakening from the darkest of night. From the deep, deep slumber we all return to light. Guided by the strength within, shining bright.

Brave being, believe in your Self. Now. Appreciate the journey, for it molds you into the human you are. Now. Into the human you are becoming. Now. The human you’ve always been. Now.

Know that it’s ok to be scared, to not have all the answers. Be ambitious anyway. Be curious, be brave. It’s about listening, having faith. Allowing things to unfold naturally, with effortless ease. It’s about dancing with life, moving with the flow, surrendering to the magic floating around. Within and without. 

Be still, and trust the inner wisdom, while it’s guiding you to where you belong, to the steps you need to take. Darling, it’s time for you to awake, to everything your heart can shake. Being passionately involved in what you believe in. Doing it as thoroughly and honestly and fearlessly as you can. 

It’s all about sustainable, slow living, spreading loving kindness to all living beings.Focusing on the important, taking inspired action. Creating a graceful planet, a peaceful world within. It all begins with you. 

January dear, I welcome you. Let’s awaken to the delicacy of this newborn day. Every moment, learning to flow with the breath of life. Surrendering to the truth, with everything that resonates with the core. Building a little garden in the heart.

Darling, be brave enough to speak your truth.

❤

Linda