THE BEAUTY OF WILL POWER

'NO ONE LACKS STRENGHT, WHAT MANY LACK IS WILL' - VICTOR HUGO

It all began with a water bottle; a perfectly portable transparent one that I bought with the idea to make myself drink more water. I had been carrying this with me for several days and I began to notice real progress.

One night when arriving home, I realized I had left behind my lovely bottle. During a meeting, I took a sip and positioned on the floor next to my seat. Given the late hour, going back did not make sense. I could have picked up another bottle, but practicality was not intended. The object represented a goal I had polarized, and leaving it behind was not the best choice.

 I made plans to go back early in the morning, but as to make the trip even more significant, I decided to attend morning Mass and hit the trail.

I am not one to rise early; yet, I left before dawn. After a beautiful Mass celebration I felt glad to be there. I had been trying to attend on weekdays as to receive the graces and benefits on a daily basis; instead of just once a week.

The forgotten water bottle made its way back into my hands and I walked towards the running trail. About half a mile into it, I saw a doughnut truck parked right next to the trail. On the occasion for celebrating 75 years their tasty treats were being offered.

The latter combination was senseless; making people seemingly confused by the juxtaposition. Sadly, those being lured to the doughnuts were the ones who needed them the least; those who probably struggle with eating habits and are trying to make progress. What a test of will power.

I continued down the trail being passed by different types of runners. One of them caught my attention, as he ran wearing a heavy army vest. He was seemingly training, and about twenty minutes later, I spotted him again, as he had made an entire loop. His face dripping with sweat; yet filled with determination. I looked at him and smiled as to convey my admiration.

All of the above events helped me to ponder on the importance of exercising our will and taking steps on a daily basis in order make our lives more beautiful.

lovely image of Evgenia Obraztsova via tumblr

WORDS TO LIVE BY № 05

lovely image via pinterest curator Anouk B.

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

MUSIC CAN TAKE YOU TO YOUR INNERMOST BEING AND WHISPER TO YOUR EAR

As I write these lines, I listen to the autumn playlist that Allison Baughman for Verily Magazine put together and I am reminded of the wonderful effect music has had on me over the years.

I remember writing a poem on my father's funeral day to the sound of beautiful music, back when I was 11 years old, and up to this day, the words of such writings amaze me and show great depth.

Back in college I used to search the public library for interesting albums with artists I've never heard of and through this very practice, I found amazing music that inspired me during nighttime drives or brainstorming sessions.

Music has the ability to transport me to beautiful places or moments, inspire new ideas and make my soul sing. Music can take you to your innermost being and whisper beauty to your ear; sometimes it can play as a background to life, just as experienced within a movie scene; it makes you stop and be present to a particular moment to cherish.

This summer I was able to spend time with two wonderful people who have an acquired taste for great tunes and hold a rather large music library. I had a great time listening to new options and I came back home renewed.

Make sure you check out Verily's autumn playlist (my favorites turned out to be MS MR and The Xx).

For more music within a similar genre, try The Xx or Röyksopp stations on Pandora Radio.

lovely image via haute design

WORDS TO LIVE BY № 04

Today is the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, and she has been part of my life in countless ways.This little soul truly knew her priorities and I love the fact that for her it was not enough to love souls when on earth, but wished do so for all eternity.

background image found via the house that lars built

CALL TO ACTION: INTO THE DEEP

Based on my recent findings in regards to a happier and balanced life, I moved forward with a couple of goals within the physical area. I live in a city where walking is not practical and everything requires the use of a car; in fact, when people are seen walking down the street in certain areas, without any form of fitness attire, they are considered a rarity.

With the above limitation in mind, I made a resolution to go from my house to a nearby trail so that I could at least walk for a couple of miles everyday. Recently, I had scheduled breakfast with my one of my sisters to celebrate her birthday, and all of a sudden I came up with a brilliant idea. Instead of meeting her at a place that required 20 minutes of driving, I told her we could meet at a nearby European cafe which requires a seven minute drive. I put on some workout clothes and I set off walking for about 50 minutes........

In order to get there, I had to pass the trail I mentioned earlier; the one I had been meaning to hit every morning, and all of a sudden, I realized what a great thing I had been missing. The walk was beautiful and the pace immediately made me breath deeper; which is so necessary in order to keep stress levels down. Once I arrived into the cafe, I felt wonderful and proud of myself; it was an immediate boost in many ways. I had taken with me one of my favorite accessories, a scarf, so all I had to do was throw it on and I looked perfectly beautiful for breakfast.

It was great to spend time with my sister and we had a great time. She drove me home so I could take a shower and have enough time for the rest of my to do list, but that day I realized that my goal to walk to the trail and back was a very realistic one, and later that day I was able to have an even bigger idea. I realized that I could not only benefit physically during my walks, but also spiritually.

A while ago, while listening to the song 'Just Breath' by Anna Nalick, I realized that I could somehow change the lyrics into 'Just Pray', since my desire is, that just like breathing, we all have the opportunity to turn prayer into second nature and that throughout the day we are mindful of the many spiritual gifts we are given and live in relation to something more transcendent. Based on this earlier reflection, I was able to arrive to the conclusion that just as there is need for deeper breathing with some form of exercise, there is also the need to take the time for deeper prayer and meditation, and my perfect way to solve this is to walk and pray every morning, so that little by little; both my breathing and prayer turn ever deeper, and help me to become a more beautiful version of myself.

lovely image found via pinterest (original source unknown)

CALL TO ACTION : A HAPPY LIFE

One of the lessons I learned this summer, is to take better care of myself. I tend to get busy with too many projects or over commit to help someone else in need; only to find myself stressed or with several alarms triggered by my worn out body.

Over the last couple of months I have come across many wonderful sources to help my very unbalanced lifestyle, but two very particular ones have proven truly insightful. The first one of these; a cleverly written book, The Happiness Project, by author Gretchen Rubin. I am only half way through her writings; yet, from the very first chapter I was forced to think of the ways in which I could improve my quality of life, and therefore that of others.

I know that helping people and being there for them when in need makes me deeply happy, but not when that takes me to the extreme of neglecting my own self, so I made a commitment to gain some 'catch up' time from here to the end of the year.

I had been making small changes into my overall routine; yet another providential find made my resolutions even more concrete. I ran across a recorded conference given by Matthew Kelly on the topic of Becoming the Better Version of Yourself. I began listening to it and it all came to a full circle!

Matthew Kelly describes the four areas which need to be balanced in order to be happy and the best version of ourselves. He touched on the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual, and it made me realize that some of these had been somehow neglected by my 'busy' days. I realize that although my life is great, it could be a lot better and I could have so much more to offer to others.

I have been thinking about concrete means for each of the four areas, and this morning I realized that in order for me to be encouraged through the process, I would commit to doing one thing to help myself and another to reach out.

To give you a better example, allow me to share a bit on the physical agenda:

~ to myself:

• I commit to eating healthier meals and not skipping any of them
• I commit to exercising every week in order to feel less stressed and energized

~ to others:

• I commit to contributing to an organization that provides meals to those in great need
• I commit to contributing to an organization that values life and the dignity of a person/body from conception to death.

I am convinced that this will have an effect on multiple lives and therefore create beauty. Please stay in touch as I plan to share more information on my new little plan for life.

Lovely image by photographer Trent Bailey via firefly events

OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to reflect on the possibilities and potential for each one of us. It was one of those days when one of my single friends in her late twenties, would worry about whether or not she would marry anytime soon. She is such a wonderful person and a free spirit, but even with her laid back personality, the question troubled her enormously.

I asked why would she be so pressured to find answers and she added that others constantly questioned when would she be married; which I understand, as I have found that no matter what stage in life you find yourself within, the question on the 'next step' will always prevail.

I find that the sequence goes more or less like this:

01 when will you have a boyfriend
02 when will you get married
03 when will you have kids
04 when will you have grandchildren

and everything in between; yet, I realized that on that very day, I had been asked question number 03 above. Someone asked me when would I have children, to which I gave a simple answer, and I was then told, that the reason I was asked, is the fact that this person thought I would make a very good mother. I was flattered and glad that this very statement had provided the necessary insight needed to help my very troubled, 'single' friend.

I realized that when we are asked about these things, it is an indicator of the potential seen in us. We are asked out of wonder and awe for what we could offer within that particular area of life.

I would say that the possibilities are endless, and if only we would keep that very conviction within us and trust that everything comes in its own time, we would be only concerned with all that, which makes us wonderful in the first place.

lovely image via wordpress