Category Archives: Open Heart

Second Anniversary

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Hi! :) How’s it going? I’m very excited today because my blog is officially 2 years old. Ain’t that somethin’? It’s so cool to have come this far and grown as much as I have since my first post.

I’d like to thank all my readers for their support and feedback, especially those who comment and/or send me emails. Such interactions let me know that I’m truly making a difference in the online community and beyond.

It feels appropriate to celebrate this lovely day with my personal faves, so here they are in no particular order:

This Is My Dream

Celebrating Your Essence

Love Letter: SHE

Personal Portrait

The Power of Gratitude

Have Faith

No Matter What

The Will to Live

I Live On

New Beginnings

As always, thank you for reading and please come again. I’d love to hear from you!! Do comment below or send an email to findotitihere@hotmail.com Ciao ciao. :)

The Urge to Connect

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We are driven to share, to connect, to communicate our thoughts and emotions to our fellow humans. We want to be able to say to ourselves, “My voice was heard. My vote was counted. My life mattered.”

We are driven to seek out the acknowledgment of others, to leave our mark on the world and have our experiences count for something. We keep journals and diaries, write letters and books to capture the richness of our expression and the quality of our imagination. Even those who choose solitude record their experiences for posterity, for whoever might come across their ideas and findings, for the purpose of making an impact even after they’re gone.

The ability to connect defines us, molds us, validates our standing as members of society. We invariably seek an audience to assure us of our worth, our appeal, and our desirablility. It is the ability to communicate our deepest thoughts and desires through words and gestures that drives us to do so over and over again, to form lasting bonds with our inner circle and even, to some extent, the world at large.

When we connect, we share. When we share, we create. We bring into being new ways of thinking and living. Our interactions spark ideas: some mundane, some profound, all of them necessary to nourish the creative process so we can reap its fruits and benefits.

The urge to connect is ultimately the urge to create something bigger than ourselves, something that changes the fabric of our world and leaves the stamp of our imagination on it. We want to be able to marvel, “I did that. I did that. I took my idea and ran with it. I took a chance and I wasn’t afraid.” We want to be remembered because we mattered, because we influenced, because we changed something.

Even when you share with no one but yourself, you open up a connection with your spirit that creates something worth sharing with someone else.

So loosen up. Listen to the voice of your intuition. Step off the cliff of “What if I can’t?” because you do have the wings to show you that “Yes, you can.” You can. :)

The Power of Gratitude

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I’m reading Rhonda Byrne’s hugely popular The Secret at the moment and it is changing the way I see the world. Seriously. It’s getting easier to feel happier, lighter, more energetic, and above all, thankful. I am so thankful for life and love and the many blessings all around me. Yes there’s a lot going on in the world and there’s a lot of negative energy out there, but all of that can’t take away the simple joy of being grateful for the good things we have and the things we want.

Say “thank you” today. Put a skip in your step. Get a smile on your face and your heart. Let your spirit rise and soar wild and free because you tap into the power of gratitude, the power of thank you, the power of you.

Write a list of things for which you are grateful. Make it a habit. As you write them, I can promise you’ll find yourself smiling and feeling truly blessed because you’re putting them down in black and white. It often happens that we get caught up in the rush of daily living, in the fog of negativity that clouds our perception and thinking when things go wrong, but one important fact still remains: there is so much to genuinely appreciate. So much.

I’ve been filling pages of my journal with reasons why I’m grateful. Pages. My heart and mouth are smiling and my soul is singing because I’m taking time out to appreciate the good in the world. To sit and just say “thank you”, to just be happy and grateful. Because it’s not really about what happens to us but actually about our reactions to such happenings, about the lessons we take from them, about the conscious decisions to keep the positive energy flowing even when we experience setbacks.

I know there’ll be hardship. I know there’ll be pain. I’m not saying it’s all sunshine and rainbows, but I am saying that you can make the sun shine even when it feels like rain. Choose happiness. Choose gratitude. Feel the power of saying “I’m so thankful for (whatever reason)” and the boost of being present in the moment, right here and right now.

All we have is this moment in time. We can’t get back yesterday, and who knows if we’ll see tomorrow? All we have is now. NOW. How will you spend it? How will you live it? Hugging the pain of the past or freeing yourself in the now? Obsessing over what went wrong or making your present go right? Clutching the fear and dark or braving the action and light?

It’s a process. It gets easier. It can become a state of being. Tap into the power of gratitude today. Why? Because you can. Because you deserve it. Because it’s yours. :)

Thank you for reading and please come again. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below or email me at findotitihere@hotmail.com Ciao! :)

Personal Portrait

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I want to know that I lived. That I was brave enough to love hard and strong, unabashedly and unreservedly. I want to know that I went with my gut & was free to dream, to hope, to reach for the stars.

I want to know that I found my talent and drew it forth, that my well of potential did not go untapped. I want to live every minute, every second, safe only in the ability to wring every last drop of bliss available in each moment.

I want to know that I chased after greatness and waited for nothing to come to me. I want to know that I gave myself every opportunity, every chance to be me, to be myself. I want to live in the moment, here and now, unhampered by the past & not crippled by expectations of the future.

I want to know that every breath, every moment, was treasured and appreciated. I want to know that I can laugh at myself and forgive my mistakes; that I can work over a situation and be done with it for good and not continuously obsess over what went wrong or why it did.

I want to know that I listened to my heart and went where it took me, unafraid of what people think or what they would say. I want to know that I am ALIVE, that I am living for me and not putting myself in situations that would later make me ask ‘What if?’

What if I had taken that chance? What if I had dated that guy, bought that dress, gone to that party? I want to know that I live a life free of ‘what-ifs’.

It’s easy to spend so much time planning & wishing that one actually does very little “doing”; every moment accounted for, every time frame carrying its own set of expectations.

It’s not so easy, though, to have a general plan and leave the specifics up to fate. It’s not so easy to discover them along the way as opposed to map them out right from the start. It’s even harder to stop oneself from wanting to know all the answers NOW, to be content with getting a few at a time and not pushing for everything at once.

I want to know that I was patient with myself, that I accepted the importance of moving forward with feasible steps, that I didn’t try to achieve everything all at once and end up with nothing at all.

I want to know that I can be gentle with myself. I want to be free. I want to give myself permission to be. Me. True to my spirit and in tune with my soul.

The Power of Words

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A long time ago, I wrote down some quotes and put them away in a drawer. I just pulled them out while looking for something and realised that I meant to apply their principles but never got around to it.

How often does that happen to us? How often do we intend to improve ourselves but put off any action? More often than not, yeah?

So today, as a reminder that the only time to do anything is now, I want to write them here for easy reference and mindful application.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

                                                                    Eleanor Roosevelt                                                                 

“All things splendid have been achieved by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance…”

                                                                     Bruce Barton

“Let us be glad for the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

                                                                      Marcel Proust

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor’s except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends . . . and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit. These are little guideposts on the footpath to peace.”

                                                                      Henry van Dyke

Reverb11 – Day 13 – Love

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Today’s prompt asks,

13. Love
What are the things (or people or animals) in this world that you love the most.

and my answer?

My family. Laughing so hard I can’t breathe and I have tears in my eyes. Watching my mum’s eyes sparkle as she’s telling a story. Chatting with my eldest sister and marvelling at her comedic wit. Sharing anime experiences with my second sister. Watching movies together. Saying something that really impresses my dad and makes him beam in appreciation.

Reading a book that envelops me in its world and makes me sad to be back in mine.

Listening to music that stirs my soul and makes me move to the beat. Watching musicals and dance movies.

Writing. Connecting. Enlightening. Stimulating.

Guest Post – “Dark Hour”

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Hey, people. I’m featuring something by my dear friend Kuceli today. I’ve been trying to get her to write for a couple weeks now and she finally caved with this. Heh heh heh. I’m wearing her down, LOL. 😀 So I hope she writes some more because I totally loved her material. Show her some love and either comment below or email me. Thanks in advance!

Do you feel so sad and miserable you feel so much weight in your hear like the world crumbling in on you?
Do you feel so lonely and deserted even in the midst of a multitude?
Do you feel so heartbroken you can never trust again?

You cry yourself to sleep every night. Nothing is going the way you planned. You look at yourself in the mirror and say "why me" "I'm such a failure"
You say life is so hard and unfair. You say "I don't belong here", "I don't fit in".  





Nobody gets you, nobody understands you. Oh, the emptiness and pain is so deep, it's from your soul. So overwhelming. 





You take a walk or look out the window and everyone else seems so happy. Seems so peaceful and contented without a care in the world. 'Their lives are so perfect, you say. Why can't I feel that way?'.

 


My dear friend, no one has a perfect life. None of those smiling faces were created better than you. They are not better than you but the attitude they have is what is better. You too can have that. You see every human being you see today or will meet in the future has - either gone through, is presently going through, or will go through some really low moments in their lifetime. 





I know how overwhelming these moments can get because I've been there...a lot. But never let it consume your whole being, don't dwell so much on sorrow, disappointment, heartbreak, failure or whatever is eating you up. The only difference between those who committed suicide and the successful people in our world today is that the successful ones tried one more time. They said to themselves, this is what I want and I will keep trying till I get there. We all face the same challenges, failures and rejection everyday. How you take it is what makes you different. The minute you start to entertain regrets, self-pity, depression e.t.c. it slowly eats you up and you give up. 





Those happy faces you see have gone through the same road, had the same challenges and hardships (most even more than you). They wept hard, took a final look at it and said "this is not me, this is not my life, I know what I want and I won't stop till I get it". Some are currently in situations that are painful and sad, some are even dying. But they chose to be happy. That you're alive today is enough to be grateful for. Don't limit yourself, you can do it with the right attitude. Let it go, breathe, relax, think and be innovative. 





Our biggest obstacles in life is that we attached our happiness or depend on people, money, jobs, food etc for happiness. Only you can make yourself happy. That's why you see someone with the life you think you want, companionship, wealth, a good job, a nice house and yet they're miserable. Because if you don't learn to be happy on your own, NOTHING in this life can. 





The void will always be there. It all starts with you, NEVER STAY DOWN, DON'T BE SCARED TO TRY AGAIN, HAVE A POSITIVE SPIRIT (what's in your mind its what you will most likely attract), BREAK THE BAD HABITS, SMILE, LAUGH, LOVE. 





Remember, you don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going. 

I Am

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I am a person. Not the colour of my skin, the texture of my hair, or the shape of my face, but a person.

I am a child of the universe.

I am an individual. I am unique.

I am more than the sum of my parts or the physical ranking of beauty based on widely held standards.

I am an artist and a lover and a fighter. I am everything I could be and everything I should be.

I am greater than the troubles ahead of me and stronger than the darkness that threatens me.

I come from a family of givers and proudly embrace my heritage of love and openness.

I am at peace with my person and at no one’s mercy for my pleasure.

I am bound only by my expectations and not beholden to live by the rules of anyone else.

I am obligated only to speak my truth and free to raise my voice against manipulation and/or oppression.

I am worthy of love, respect, consideration, and joy.

I am worthy of sharing my thoughts and experiences.

I am worthy of kindness and support.

I am worthy.

I am.

Emotive Compass – Highs and Lows

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What do you do when you feel the world is closing in all around you? How do you cope with the need for space and solitude, with feeling like you can’t breathe even though you’re surrounded by air?

There are times when it seems as if nothing’s going right and everything’s going wrong instead. You want to do something great but you wonder if you can make it; you want to lose yourself in a dream but you find yourself punching holes through the gossamer because you have to face “reality”; you want to live but you find yourself doubting you can keep bliss on tap.

So what? So what if you can’t? So what if happiness comes and goes and you have to deal with tears every once in a while? So what if you feel down more often than not and you just want a break from it all? Life is one great big messy ride and nobody has all the answers. Nobody’s perfect. Nobody’s “up” every single moment of every single day. We put on our happy faces in public so no one has any idea how we sob ourselves to sleep at night. We smile ’til our cheeks hurt because it’s easier to cope that way and we’re trying to hold the droop at bay. At the end of the day, though, are you being real? Continue reading →

The Identity Series – 6

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Greetings, everyone. Long time no see. :) So I think I’ve come to the end of the Identity Series, there doesn’t seem to be much left for me to say. Looks like I’ve gone over everything that was in my head before I started. It was a fun ride, yes? Enlightening as well I’m sure, LOL.

Right then, in conclusion, let me just say this: Be your own person. Discover your true self. Find peace within. Have a clear picture of what you want and where you wanna be so you can get there. Do something. As Jeanette LeBlanc says below, “Go now, and live.”