Thoughts | With an Open Heart

Jul 12

A Short Post on Feelings

I wanted to share these humble and thoughtful words with all of you today. They are soo true, and yet so simplistic. It’s simply a matter of how we view the work around us and everything that life puts in front of us each day.

Maybe you’ll find it as inspiring and thought provoking as I did. Maybe not. Either way, I would to hear your thoughts on these words.

“…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.”

-Pema Chodron

Jan 14

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Happiness Has Little to Do With What Happens to You. It Has Everything to Do With How You Choose to Respond

This post is part of The Awakened Heart Project

Week 3: Happiness Has Little to do With What Happens to You. It Has Everything to do With How You Choose to Respond

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”

-Wayne Dyer

Emotional Responses and Life Decisions

It’s inevitable: Life will throw you some curve balls. But YOU and YOU ALONE choose the emotional response you will have to these situations. No one makes you feel a certain way, or makes you react a certain way. That is all up to you.

For instance, Read more

Dec 5

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If You Stop Searching for Happiness, Maybe It’ll Find You…

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Dec 5

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The Perspective of People With Down Syndrome

This image was created from the inspirational words of a young man with Down syndrome, Ben Smith. His words touched close to home . As many of you already know, my sister Jessica has Down syndrome. Jessica is also battling with breast cancer right now. This meme was created by my brother Justin . The image is of my sister Jessica and my mom just days after Jessica’s mastectomy. Jessica has shown tremendous strength and resilience throughout her treatment, something we truly believe is largely the result of the unconditional love for life and others that she carries with herself every day.

Share this image with others and spread some love to others today. And if you have a moment, come visit us at Jessica & Life, to learn more about Jessica’s unique experience with cancer.

Have a wonderful day!!!

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Aug 9

Find a Place of Peace Within Your Mind and Heart

Do you meditate? In this busy life, finding a place of inner peace can be difficult to say the least. We are constantly overwhelmed with stimulation, thoughts, judgements, responsibilities, etc., etc., etc. We all need moments of quiet. Those moments of escape. Meditation can give you that. It’s a practice that is truly just that; a practice. But the more you practice, the easier, more rhythmic it’ll become.

Just to Be Alive is a Grand Thing

Remember that there are ups and downs in life; that there are moments of great despair, because it is these moments that remind us of what’s most important. Without the bad, how would be know how good life can really be? Read more

Jul 18

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This Moment is All You Have: Be Present

Throughout my travels and my life, one of the prominent themes that I’m constantly aware of, is that here in America, we (many, but not all of us) rarely sit comfortably in the present moment. One of my favorite memories of Italy is sitting outside and actually enjoying my cappuccinos! Read more

Jul 17

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Where’s the Gratitude These Days??

Okay, so a couple of months back, I embarked on a new “blogging regimen” if you will. Every Monday, I would write about what I was grateful for in the previous week. I started this exercise right as I was beginning my second-to-last quarter of graduate school and my last 600 hours of practicum/residency. I was expecting it to me a crazy, hectic, stressful experience at the time, -and it was/has been!

Here is an excerpt from my first Weekly Gratitude explaining my deeper thoughts and purpose for sharing my gratitude:

In the mist of my panic over the major changes beginning in my life today, I’ve realized Read more

Mar 21

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Changing Requires a Paradigm Shift. No one said it was going to be easy!

This morning I came across this post by A Thousand Shades of Gray discussing the paradigm shift we go through as humans whenever we’re in a process of personal transformation and growth.

Kurt Lewin developed the Change Theory that is today, the epitome of change models. Lewin is also regarded as the founder of Social Psychology and contributed vastly to the field. On the most basic level, Change Theory describes the process of change that occurs in humans, society, organizations, etc., as conscious and in three phases: Read more

Mar 6

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30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

A few months back I came across this post on Create Your Great Life. The author, DeAnna had reblogged it from Marc and Angel Hack Life, and now I’m doing the same.

Originally, when I had hoped to start this blog closer to the New Year, and was busy scribbling down my New Year’s resolutions, I wanted to share this post as others were likely doing the same. But, life got in the way, things got delayed, and now it’s March. I’m posting it now, because as I approach finals, life is quickly getting the best of me, and I’m yearning for that New Year, New You feeling. Even though it’s not New Year’s there’s really no wrong time reflect on life, make a conscious effort to stop doing the things that makes us feel like shit, and start living the life we want. Read more