A Daily Dose of Sunshine...

Tear’s don’t mean you’re losing.

We are taught that crying is a sign of weakness.  Crying in response to real emotions is a sign that we are human.

Crying to manipulate a person or situation: Neither cool nor justified.

Crying in response to real emotions: Excellent.

Crying is simply a sign that we are human beings that have emotions.  We cry when we are happy, sad, frightened, worried, stressed, excited … it is a physical manifestation of emotions; that’s all.  We don’t need to fear it or give it any sort of significance it doesn’t deserve.  It’s OK to cry.  Of course, there are times and places where it is/is or in our best interest to let the tears flow.  There are times and places where it’s appropriate to cry and times and places where we need to hold it together.  When, where, and who it is appropriate to cry with is up to us to decide for ourselves as individuals.  What’s right for one person may not be right for the next.

Ruminating or getting stuck in sadness or fear won’t get anyone anywhere, but neither will ignoring such feelings completely.  Many people, including myself, believe that with every experience comes a lesson.  We can only learn from our experiences if we acknowledge and feel ALL of the emotions that are attached to them.  If something frustrates you but you refuse to acknowledge that frustration or try to convince yourself out of it, you cannot recognize that something is happening that you want to change in the first place, let alone make a change that will help you feel better!  This principle applies to many emotions.  If we’re sad but we don’t acknowledge that sadness, we cannot adequately identify what it is about our current circumstances that is causing us to feel sad and therefore cannot do anything about it!  Repressing feelings or convincing ourselves we do not feel a certain way does not serve us!

Today, crying takes courage.  The ability to cry requires us to be vulnerable and vulnerability can be a scary thing in an individualistic society that values strength as much as ours does.  Crying also requires us to be in touch with our true feelings, which can be a frightening experience as well.  For example, if you grew up learning that not only is crying a sign of weakness, but sadness and fear are as well, you probably learned to repress those feelings almost automatically when you have them.  To acknowledge and own them as your true feelings at any given time is hard!

Bottom line: Tear’s don’t mean you’re losing.

In fact, tears often mean you are winning.

(via insight-inspiration)

Bringing gratitude for even the tiniest of things into your conscious awareness can work wonders to boost your mood. All it takes is 5 seconds (max) to stop and notice some of the wonderful things happening to and around us. What little thing(s) are you grateful for today?

Facts: Everyone’s life path is unique. Everyone’s journey is different.

We can spend our time trying to control that which is out of our control.  We can expend energy being upset about things that happened in the past or things that are happening in the present.  We can let our inner critic take over.  We can be self-critical.  We can compare ourselves to others or be critical of them.

OR

We can embrace the journey we have embarked upon.  Everyone’s path is different.  Embrace your unique journey.  It’s all yours and everything that’s happening around you is happening for a reason.  When we stop trying to fight reality, we open up space for good things to come to us. When we stop spending time being upset about the past or fearing the future, we free up space to develop awareness.  When we stop trying to fight our feelings and control the uncontrollable, we free up energy that can be used for acceptance, love, and peace … inside and out.

Believe in yourself and embrace the journey.  You’re in the ocean … might as well ride those waves!

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed or stuck in the past or future (guilty as charged here), bring yourself back by appreciating where you are right now.  Right now you’re safe.  Right now you’re OK.  Right now you’re loved and protected. It’s easy to get stuck in the past or future, but LIFE EXISTS RIGHT, HERE RIGHT NOW. Nowhere else.

There are good things all around us.  There are also sad, scary, enraging and anxiety provoking things around us too.  Yuck.  We get stuck in the past and future to avoid the anxiety that feelings we experience in the present stir up. There’s pressure in the present.  There are unknowns in the present.  There are fears in the present.  There’s insecurity in the present.  I’m sure we could go on for days, BUT there are so many wonderful, beautiful, pleasant things in the present as well and we’re missing out on them by traveling to the past or future.

We are programmed to want to avoid or get rid of discomfort.  Anxiety associated with the present is uncomfortable, so we bail.  SEE YA!  We do this by traveling to the past or future.  We already know what happened in the past.  Even if our minds take us to an unpleasant place, it’s still familiar.  There’s comfort in the familiar, even if it’s not pleasant.   There are no unknowns in the past.  The future is comforting because you can fantasize that it will turn out however you wish OR if you’re the anxious type you can plan for the next catastrophe.  There’s comfort in both places, but it’s not possible to take in all of the wonderful things happening in the here and now if we’re not “here”. Go figure!

Have confidence.  Know that you can handle whatever this moment brings.  If we are in a constant pattern of not staying mindfully present, there is often an underlying, subconscious sense that we cannot handle what we are experiencing in this moment.  Have confidence.  Know that you can handle whatever this moment brings.  That will help you stay in the moment and take in all of the goodness floating around the universe.

There are good things all around you. Soak them up.  You deserve good things and they are there for you if you are open, aware, present, receptive, and appreciative :)

Today is about the small things.  Small things add up to make BIG differences.  Cliche?  Yes.  False? Nope!

When you’re walking down the street, smile.  Most people will probably be too busy inside their own heads to notice, but one smile at one person may make their entire day! Slow down long enough to hold the door for the person behind you.  Help a coworker.  Give someone you know a hug when you say hello. You have no idea how much of an impact something small like that can have on someone.  Maybe it will.  Maybe it won’t.  What’s there to lose though?  Probably not much. Doing small things with great love will also make you feel good too!

(via recoveryisbeautiful)

Capture it.  Grab it.  Make it YOURS.  It’s there.  Go. Get. It.

(Source: alicialovesyew, via que-ser-a-ser-a)

We see it in you.

You see it in others.

Now, see it in yourself.

Because it’s true.

What’s holding you back? 

Rise and shine love bugs! (Taken with Instagram)

Are you going to make the most of your day today? 

Seize. Every. Moment.

“If you’re facing in the right direction, all you have to do is keep walking”

Just. Keep. Walking.