Feb22

Acceptance (Surrendering)

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Acceptance (Surrendering)

One positive factor that keeps life moving forward is acceptance. It is a form of surrendering and embraces the fact that we will always be given curve balls in life. We are given situations in this lifetime to understand and accept another person or situation for who/what they are. We think that we never choose the situations we are in, when in reality, that’s exactly what we are doing. We always choose what we want and don’t want in life. That’s why the power of intention and visualization is so important.

Having to accept someone or something for its faults makes us more understanding individuals.

So the next time there’s a difficult situation in your life, remember that surrendering all your worries is a good start and begin to accept that there are some things you cannot change (yet). Surrendering has always had a weak connotation to it but it also a form of letting go. Surrendering allows the universe to take full control of your worries and an answer or resolution will arise before you know it!

Feb16

Sage Smudge Ceremony-Kimbundance Style

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Sage Smudge Ceremony-Kimbundance Style

Today, I did my first sage Smudge ceremony and it was very humbling and peaceful. If you’re unfamiliar with a sage smudge ceremony, it’s a way of getting rid of the negative and/or stagnant energies that linger around ones house or place of stay. It also can get rid of unwelcoming spirits or bad energies. This ceremony originated from the Native American traditions.  According to the ASUNAM website, ”Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out bad spirits, feelings, or influences, and also to keep bad spirits from entering the area where a ceremony takes place.”

I bought some sage at a spiritual store at my local mall and it was already bundles up with some string so it was ready for easy lighting. So prior to smudging my older brother, I opened all the doors and windows to get the negative energies out. Afterwards, I smudged my brother who helped me with it (Basically, I outlined him with the burning sage and under his feet as well) then we went around the house and smudged the corners, cabinets, closets and the downstairs bathroom. We did the same upstairs.

The smell of burning sage is really strong but it has a nice, peaceful feel to it (Very similar to burning incense.) I plan to do this at least once every two-three months or as needed. If you haven’t tried it already, it’s super easy and a great way to let the good energies flow in your space.

Here’s a list of things you’ll need (all pictured above):

-A sage smudge stick ($6-10 dollars at your local spiritual/metaphysical stores)

-A lighter (If you’re under 18 or aren’t good with fire, ask someone to assist you)

-An abalone seashell (those big seashells) OR a clay pot, I had neither so I used some fresh seashell that I collected and combined them together. There are some variations to this, but whichever you prefer is your choice.

REMEMBER: The main thing is to clear out the negative energies, there’s no ultimate wrong or right way to do it, just do what feels right for you and your space. The universe will know what you are trying to do and will help you. Keep open and positive thoughts during the ceremony and be in the present moment.

Happy smudging!

 

Feb7

Being Present & Aware

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Being Present & Aware

Being aware in the present moment is a great feeling. It allows us to slow down and acknowledge every thing around us.  When we are present, we can fully accept the goodness and richness of life. It also allows us to engage in thought-provoking conversations with other people and to really listen. Being present also allows us to give the best support and advice we have by offering that sense of support.

These are some things that completely keep me in the present moment:

  • My 12-year-old dog,
  • Gardening
  • Cleaning
  • Walking with nature

Taking pictures There are a lot of things that can keep a person present, especially practicing Mindful Meditation.  Being mindful of what we are eating and where it came from is a perfect example. Being mindful of where you where your clothes come from and the people who sewed it is also a form of practicing it.  When you are mindful and grateful of the things in your life, more wonderful things may manifest into your life.

It’s fun to be in the present moment because we’re not thinking about the past of the future and it’s a way to bring gratitude into the universe. It’s easy to daydream and jump ahead to the weekend or next month when we are inside a classroom or at a cubicle at work, but that takes away

precious time from living in the moment. You are basically telling the universe,”No thanks, I don’t appreciate this time you’re trying to give me.” Therefore, try for at least 15 minutes of being present and being grateful. In return, you will obtain a great sense of peace and calm.

Jan26

Taking on New Opportunities

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Taking on New Opportunities

What you are afraid to do is a clear indicator of the next thing you need to do. -Dr. Robert Anthony

Taking on new opportunities can be somewhat challenging at first. We have to figure out if we have enough time, knowledge and will power to take on something new. What blocks us at first is fear and that is a strong feeling that we have become adopted to, especially when we are going to do something new. However, fear is a part of our ego and our ego always wants to win us over by making us feel like we know it all but you cannot let them win and it is ok to learn.  From my experiences, taking on new and different opportunities are the surprising gifts that the universe gives us. Once we take on a new opportunity, we learn things about ourselves and other people.

Here are some reasons to take on new opportunities:

  • We step out of our comfort zone: We may meet interesting people or potential close friends who we share meaningful conversations with. We can learn about other people’s point of views or hobbies we never took much interest to.
  • It keeps our minds busy and in curious: We must exercise the brain every day to keep it sharp and alert. Trying something new, keep the brain busy and seeking for more knowledge.
  •  Discovery: It also allows us to find out new things about ourselves and I believe that when we find out new things about ourselves, it’s like unwrapping a new gift! How special and amazing would that be.
How to Let Opportunities Come in…

1. Let go of something that you’re (kind of) addicted to

Ex. Signing on Facebook every day, drinking that extra glass of wine, going shopping for no reason, gossip talk.

Once you let go of these things, you’ll notice more clarity and open space in your life.

2. Repeat positive affirmations

Affirmations are statements that quickly shifts our minds think of something we want to attract into our lives. We just say it in our minds and we believe it to already be true. Make sure they are positive affirmations that are good for all people involved.

Ex. of a positive affirmation that should be said at least once a day:

“I’m truly grateful for all of the things in my life, the good and the bad and I firmly intend to attract new and exciting opportunities to come into my life.”

3. Clean your living space

Feng Shui is the belief that when a room or area is in harmonious balance, good things will come into our lives. Therefore, a room or living space must always be clean and organized. This way, it’s easy for good energy to flow into our lives.

Ex: Clean and/or organize your office or desk area, that is the most important especially if you’re looking for job opportunities. In reality, all parts of your living space should be clean for good things to come into it.

So I encourage taking on new opportunities and being open to change and new concepts. If something works well for you then great! Keep going! If not, then it’s always ok to move on to the next. Good luck!

Jan23

What’s An Affirmation?

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What’s An Affirmation?

Affirmations are positive, helpful and wonderful phrases that we should be repeating to our selves at least 3 times a day. It can be repeated out loud or in our minds. The most important part of affirmations is to undoubtedly believe in what we are saying to ourselves.    When you say the affirmation, visualize it happening already in your life; feel it, smell it and   immerse yourself into that affirmation if you can.

On the other hand, there are also negative affirmations in our minds that we unknowingly repeat over and over. An example is, “I hate my life” or  ”Why can’t I catch a break?” It’s hard to break the habit of repeating negative thoughts but once you can identify that you are thinking a negative thought, then you are on your way to choosing positive thoughts. Like with any other positive change to happen in our lives, it will take time.

I’d like to share with you some of the affirmations that I repeat to myself. Feel free to use some of them throughout your day. Louise l. Hay-Renowned author and self-development teacher has helped me to come up with these affirmations. I use some of her affirmations as well. They are beautiful and help me get through the day sometimes.

Below is a video I made to share special affirmations, hope you enjoy it!

Quick Affirmations Video with Pictures

 

 

 

 

Jan19

5 Basic Feng Shui Tips For Your Room

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5 Basic Feng Shui Tips For Your Room

Feng Shui is the art of position certain pieces of furniture or items around your house, room or office.

If you’re curious about it or never found it interesting Feng Shui DOES work and it has worked for me. It’s not just an Eastern practice and doesn’t require buying new furniture, it just requires a bit of moving and placing items in other places.

Here are 5 basic Fen Shui tips you can do today:

1.  Clean the space: Energy needs to flow smoothly in your space and how can it do that if the room is messy and unorganized? Cleaning allows the good energy to flow smoothly, allowing you to have good opportunities and things to come into your life.

2. Throw Things Away: I learned recently that I cannot keep every momento and note from friends and family. Only keep meaningful things and toss the things you absolutely do not need. Getting rid of old items allows you to have new things in your life that may possess better energy.

3. Google the Bagua: The Bagua is an octagon where each side has a representation of your life. It has 8 sides that include:Your career, self-understanding, family, wealth, fame/reputation, love, children, travel/helpful people. In each of these sections you may place a specific item or furniture piece that relates to one of those sections. For example, on the love section of my bagua (in my room) I can put fresh flowers or a picture of my loved ones. This represents love and placing red items or items representing love, will ultimately bring more of that into my life.

http://www.fengshui-transformations.com/baguaMap.htm

Bagua

4. Donate Stuff: Consider donating things you don’t need anymore such as old clothes that don’t fit, shoes, electronics that you don’t use or old magazines and books. Helping others and giving is another terrific way to increase better vibrations into your life.

5. Think Bright & Open: Open your shutters or blinds that you tend to keep close to let natural light come into your room. If you’re concerned about privacy, consider putting up light curtains that still allow the sunlight to come in. Open your windows once in awhile to let fresh air come in and circulate fresh, clean air into your room.

 

Hope that helps! And I’m here to help if you may have any questions.

With Gratitude,

 

Jan17

Successful People

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Successful People
We sometimes see successful people and think how hard they must have worked to get to that position. It’s uncanny to even think how much work and dedication they put into building a great business. The truth of the matter is that there are several ways to becoming a successful individual. To be honest,  you can’t necessarily learn it in school, from your friends and you definitely cannot buy it in the store!
It might sound cheesy, but that drive to be what you want to become will come from within oneself. I had found this article that I bookmarked a year ago and I find it most helpful.
Here are 6 characteristics that successful people have and I thought I’d share them since I agree with most of the characteristics from the American Management Association website:

Posting Date: June 28, 2006

As the psychologist for the hit reality shows “The Apprentice” and “Survivor,” Dr. Liza Siegel has seen firsthand the factors that can make or break a contestant when the pressure is on. What she has found, repeatedly, while screening, testing and interviewing each of the programs’ applicants (and serving as the personal escort to “Apprentice” contestants when they are “fired” from the show) is that certain core beliefs and attitudes are shared by those who succeed, both on reality shows and in reality. And, says Dr. Siegel, anyone can learn how to develop these traits.

In her new book Suite Success: The Psychologist from “The Apprentice Reveals” What It really Takes to Excel—in the Boardroom and in Life (AMACOM, 2006), Dr. Siegel offers advice on how to develop the positive mind-set that leads to self-confidence, improved work relationships and other characteristics that breed success.

In Suite Success, Dr. Siegel lists the six essential psychological characteristics of successful people:

1.  Optimism. An optimist expects positive outcomes. He doesn’t take failure personally but keeps on trying until he succeeds. Andy Litinsky was a contestant on season two of “The Apprentice” who seemed to be made of Teflon when it came to negative criticisms. When the show aired, Andy was 22 years old and about to graduate from Harvard. A national debate champion, he couldn’t wait to get into the boardroom and showcase his skills. Each time his team lost, he was singled out as being too young, too inexperienced, too uncertain. But Andy rose to the verbal sparring and had fun defending himself. He stayed in the game longer than expected because of his conviction that he deserved to be there.

2.  Creativity. The challenging tasks on “The Apprentice” all require “out of the box” thinking. On season three, Tana Goertz was the last person remaining from the “street smarts” team in the final boardroom. Although she wasn’t “hired,” Donald Trump praised her for her track record and creative thinking. Among other innovations, Tana developed a CD-like pamphlet as part of the advertising assignment for Pontiac; the company liked the idea so much it decided to use it in its actual sales campaign. Not one to rest on her laurels, Tana created a children’s book during the time the show was airing with the aim of sharing it on her press rounds after the finale.

3.  Resilience. Though he was on “The Apprentice” for only three episodes, Sam Solovey stands out from the debut season for his ability to keep popping back up after he’d been knocked down. During the first and second boardrooms, every member of the men’s team placed Sam’s head on the chopping block. But they couldn’t conceal their fondness for him, and Sam wouldn’t suppress his passion. His quirky tenacity inspired producer Mark Burnett to call him a “lion.” In Sam’s last episode, he was the project manager; when the team lost, Trump told him it was finally time to go. Sam let out a roar before leaving the boardroom. Fired but far from defeated, he soon reappeared in the spotlight, on shows from Howard Stern to Oprah, and even on spots with the Donald himself.

4.  Self-Control. The first to win the coveted position of Trump’s “The Apprentice,” Bill Rancic discovered his penchant for building businesses at the tender age of 10. While most of his peers were watching Saturday morning cartoons, Bill was busy making pancakes for his grandmother’s friends, who would slip a five dollar bill under the plate. He credits his pre- and post- “The Apprentice” success to “hard work and dedication.” Throughout season one, Bill worked hard and exceptionally well with his team members. He had learned from an early age that work paid off with a remarkable feeling of accomplishment, which gave him a foundation of self-discipline and self-confidence. As a result, Bill approached problem solving with flexibility and brought a sense of both self-assurance and ease to his interactions with other people.

5.  Emotional Awareness. One of the best examples of perceptive and empathetic leadership “The Apprentice” has to offer is Troy McClain, from the very first season. Hailing from Boise, Idaho, with an easy-going charm and firm principles, Troy made it to the final four, a feat all the more remarkable because he had only a high school education. He couldn’t take time off for college because he was working to help his single-parent mother take care of his hearing-impaired sister. Trump was impressed with Troy’s ability to read a situation and remain poised under stressful conditions. Troy’s intuitive understanding for the feelings of others also impressed clients, from rap mogul Russell Simmons to designer Isaac Mizrahi, and made him a top negotiator on his team.

6.  Sociability. Part of the profile of a candidate for “The Apprentice” is being extroverted and friendly. Kwame Jackson is a great example of a personable leader. His people skills played a huge role in his landing in the final two on season one, especially considering his track record. Kwame had the dubious distinction of being on the losing team 10 out of 12 times! In addition to being smart, and backed by an MBA from Harvard, he had an affable, outgoing nature and easily bonded with all of the other candidates. He found a way to swim in the shark-filled waters of a fierce 13-week job interview without damaging his relationships with his teammates and competitors. Kwame created an environment of trust, which is vital in today’s corporate environment.

Adapted from Suite Success: The Psychologist from “The Apprentice’ Reveals What It Really Takes to Excel—in the Boardroom and in Life, by Liza Siegel, Ph.D. (AMACOM, 2006). 

With gaining new experiences, learning new things and finding your passion, it is quite easy to become & to remain successful.
with gratitude,
Jan10

In Due Time

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In Due Time

I am a firm believer in situations happening at the right time and place for any individual. One cannot foresee it or even imagine it happening without a strong intuition but it happens. When this new situation does happen, it can be an awakening. Awakenings teach us something new that we’ve never learned before, it is that “Aha!” moment in our lives that we can either take with a grain of salt or take it with the utmost acceptance.

Everyone in this lifetime strives for something, whether it be a peaceful lifestlye, a perfect career, passive income, that amazing body, or all unlimited happiness. Funny thing is… you CAN have it if you consciously choose to let it be a part of your life. Consciously choosing it means that you live and breathe what you want or would like to see manifest into your life. Whether it be repeating an affirmation or visualizing it in your heads.

To have something you want, you have to be willing to hustle. Back in the day, hustle meant to cheat people and steal them off their earnings. Nowadays, the meaning has turned into a lifestyle or way to make it to the top. Hustle in my opinion, is the work that an average person does not do because of blind fear. Hustle brings out the core of an individual and shows how much they want something to come into their lives in due time.

Therefore, don’t be afraid to want it all and having to do put in hard work because in due time, the best things in life are free and the other things will just be things.

with much gratitude,

Jan3

Please Feed Your Passion

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Please Feed Your Passion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To me, there are 3 factors that are vital for growth in our lives, these 3 include:

1. Things we have to do in life to sustain a living and further our individual knowledge and development. IE: Going to school, getting that degree, working, etc.

2. Doing things that don’t benefit us as human beings-such as being stagnant, irritable and unproductive.

3. Feeding our passion, which simply means, investing in something that we are really good at and love to do. It’s investing large amounts of time, effort, and energy into something that we find time to do because we love it. IE: painting, cooking, blogging, fixing cars, etc.

Now, number 1 is favored by many because it’s the mainstream and safe choice to make. Don’t get me wrong, number 1 is required in order to learn and gain knowledge, and it’s important too.  Number 2 happens to a lot of us when we lose motivation for our goals and begin to lose sight of the light. I have met some people who have gotten into this state of being and it is hard for them and the people around them, it’s important to give them much light and peace. They are not hopeless, but at a stage of transition or have a different view of life. For number 3, it requires a person to step out of their comfort zone and to take risks that don’t necessarily mean great returns immediately but it is a learning process. And the more risks we take, the more chances we get of making a huge impact on our lives and possibly, the lives of others.

Investing in our passion is something we never learn in school. I can’t recall a time when an elementary or high school teacher told me to do what I love, or engage in some activities that I actually liked to. Getting good grades was the only main goal in school and nothing else.

Therefore, it’s important to keep the good points we learned in school and realize what exactly you’re good at, no matter how off-the-top it may be- just go for it! We live in a society that is starting to shift and if you’re not feeding your passion, a big part of your “living” isn’t really true.

with gratitude,