All posts tagged: self-actualization

Self-expression

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”Creativity is magic, and magic only happens if you’re free to release it.” I am ”I just want to sit in front of the ocean for a little while” kind of person. Whenever I need to find stillness I go to the ocean. The sense of aliveness, as well as the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline, always bring peace to my soul. For the most part of my life I’ve lived close to the sea; I grew up on the coast, in a small town in Finland, and I’ve always seen myself living close to the water, also in the future. Wherever I move there needs to be water. Water is life. ”A quiet mind is able to hear intuition over fear.” The last two years I’ve been posting a letter on my blog in the beginning of each and every month. Dear January, Dear April, Dear October… This quickly became my favorite way of writing. I allowed myself to become still, and to let the words flow to me, not forcing, simply …

Dear April…

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… I swear, you got my feelings playing butterflies. ”April darling, nature must be head over heels for you, the way she blossoms when you arrive.” Animals and humans awaken from the darkest of night. From the deep, deep slumber we all return to light. The bright golden sunrise, burning through our windows. Caressing our cheeks, awakening our hearts. Dreaming of doing everything in life, and nothing on rainy Sundays. Watching captivating sunsets, and counting countless numbers of stars. Happily having you, blooming in my arms. April is for getting lost in translation. Being curious and bold. Breathing in lust, breathing out fear. Breathe me in like air. It’s about a new earth, hope, and letting go. Soft raindrops against the window, purifying dark winter souls. Touch me without the hand, with the mind, undress me with the eye, baby darling be aware, those feelings will be playing butterflies. April is for being affectionate, playful and passionate. Confident, happy and alive. Stop looking for it on the outside, when it’s already resting within, patiently awaiting …

Three habits to embrace slow living

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”Less mindless dwelling, more mindful attention.” Slow living is about creating time, space and energy for the things that matter most to us in life. It’s about taking the time to do things properly, and thereby enjoy them more. Allowing ourselves to be fully present. I think it was Socrates who said: ”The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” There are of course many habits one can incorporate in order to embrace a slower kind of living. Here are just three of my favorites at the moment. I hope you’ll find enjoyment in them as well. Stop chasing, start appreciating Usually the more we want, or chase something, the more that thing keeps on moving further and further away from us. When we find ourselves being too attached to a certain outcome we’re blocking other things from flowing to us. If we operate from an ”I want” mindset it usually entails that we’re lacking something. For example, instead of chasing love – …

You attract what you are

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”I attract what I am, what I do, what I feel and what I think I deserve.” When it comes to attracting the life you want and desire there’s no shortcut – you’ll have to do the work. You’ll have to put in the actions needed for it to become a part of your future reality. But first things first. If you’re not happy with where and who you are in this moment it will become slightly more difficult to move forward. As you might notice this is kind of a paradox – being fully content with where one is right now, and still wanting to evolve. However, I do believe it’s completely natural for us humans to expand and constantly want to develop. It’s part of the human life – it’s how we survive. We need to be able to adapt to the changes happening in the world, and we need to be aware of when and how we’re holding ourselves back. Embrace the moment But how does one become content with the present …

How to care less about what other people think

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”The world does not revolve around you and your world shouldn’t revolve around the opinion of others towards you.” Why should we stop worrying about what other people think about us? Because, most of the time humans are caught up in their own thoughts and concerns, mainly thinking about themselves. The world does not revolve around you. A study from Harvard University shows that humans spend most of their time thinking and talking about themselves. Researches conducted a series of experiments to asses how much people liked talking about themselves and why. No matter the test, the researchers found the results pointed the same way: humans get a biochemical buzz from self-disclosure. (Luscombe, 2012). Maybe it’s because most of the time we’re preoccupied by our own lives, that we assume that somehow other people must be as well. Newsflash – they’re precisely as you – mostly busy thinking about themselves. This is not us being selfish – it’s us being rather human. With this being said, not caring about what other people think shouldn’t involve …

How to find your flow state

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”Don’t go with the flow – be the flow.” At the moment Coursera offers a course called ”The Science of Well-Being” from Yale University. According to the course professor the course was created because she was worried about the levels of student depression, anxiety, and stress that she was seeing as a Professor and Head of College at Yale. ”When I first developed the class, I had no idea it would become the most popular class ever taught at Yale University. The Yale class was featured in both the national and international news media, and I was flooded with requests from people around the world to find a way to share the content of this Yale class more broadly.” – Professor Laurie Santos During the course professor Santos talks about flow state, and the health benefits that this state provides. For me personally flow state can be described a little bit like this; ”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 …

Find stillness within the chaos

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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 …

A guide to slow and simple living

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”Trust the seasons changing, trust your inner voice; it knows.” More often than not this fast paced society triggers feelings such as anxiety, worry and not being good enough. We’re constantly being bombarded with stimuli from outside sources, whether it’s through social media, the news or other peoples’ opinions and judgments. At times it can be very difficult to turn away from all the distractions, however much it would benefit us. But what are some of the steps we can take, in order to live a more simple and slow life? You don’t have to move to the countryside, declutter your entire home or spend time in solitude 24/7 in order to embrace slow living. You can of course, if that is what you want. However, slow, simple living is more about incorporating a more meaningful way of living. In other words, it’s something that is highly connected with your mindset, hence how you wish to spend your everyday life. What kind of intentions are you setting for the day ahead? How do you wish …

99 things for health

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”Appreciate where you are in your journey, even if it’s not where you want to be. Every season serves a purpose.” Health is not about looking a certain way. Health is about feeling alive, having a positive attitude towards life and being confident in your own skin, as well as being both mentally & physically strong. Health is our greatest wealth. The importance of sleep. Aim for 7-8 hours sleep/night (and put away the phone one hour before bedtime). Stay active throughout the day. While it’s important to exercise regularly it’s as important to be active in your everyday life. Take the stairs. Always take the stairs. If you haven’t broken your foot or can’t use your legs, then of course take the elevator. Educate yourself. Strive to learn something new every day. Prioritise the greens, the veggies, the colourful stuff (and I did not mean candy when I wrote that). Smile to strangers. They might think you’re crazy, but hey – then smile even bigger. Drink plenty of water. Water is life. Water is fundamental to the …

Dear March…

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… give me a winter to wake up, and deserve you. ”I just want to breathe in the ocean for a little while, forever.” Can you hear spring whisper softly in the garden? Her warm caress melting frozen hearts. Time to be bold, take the leap and know, on cloudy days the sun is still there, underneath. Darling, I believe we’ll become dearest of friends. I wish to see you laugh. I hope you make me laugh. Oh how you melt my heart – come, dance with me. Darling, spin with me. And before I fall asleep, remember, gently kiss me on my cheek, and know, you’ll always be the one I seek. March is for the sun so boldly shining. Coming alive. Quietly crying for the moon, and the stars. Time standing still, frozen, for us. Snow will be falling, flowers start blooming. A precious mix when nature can’t decide. 4 am, and my mind intense, the breath calm. Smelling hope, kissing the soft morning rain, moving with the waves. They say she loves too …