SUMMER SUNDAYS

EVERYDAY THINK AS YOU WAKE UP

TODAY I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE WOKEN UP

I AM ALIVE I HAVE A PRECIOUS HUMAN LIFE

I AM NOT GOING TO WASTE IT

I AM GOING TO USE ALL MY ENERGIES TO DEVELOP MYSELF

TO EXPAND MY HEART OUT TO OTHERS

TO ACHIEVE ENLIGHTENMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BEINGS

I AM GOING TO HAVE KIND THOUGHTS TOWARDS OTHERS

I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANGRY OR THINK BADLY ABOUT OTHERS

I AM GOING TO BENEFIT OTHERS AS MUCH AS I CAN 

- THE DALAI LAMA

Everyday, especially as of late, I have awaken in the morning with a feeling of absolute happiness and  appreciation for the world around me. I want to think of each day as a moment to improve myself and as The Dalai Lama says, "expand my heart out to others". 

But, what is self-fulfillment? How is that defined? To me, it's the feeling of pure happiness shining out of me like a light from within. It's like a fire that fuels me towards the new and exciting. I once read in the book, The 4-hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss that "The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is boredom.” I could not agree more with Mr. Ferriss. I am rarely ever bored, I always seem to have so much to do, even on a Sunday! 

Today, I am spending my time working on a few of my new projects. One being a work in progress and I can't be sharing all of the  juicy details of it just yet. You will have to wait and see! My excitement about it is incredibly difficult to contain...so, I'll have to share a bit in a completely vague way. It has something to do with exploring the beautiful city and surrounding areas of Portland with one devastatingly handsome favorite person of mine.

Let's be honest, I typically have several new projects forming in my head at any given time, that keeps life exciting to me. I try to always be planning ahead, but be appreciative of what is happening in the present. It seems to be easy to get distracted with what the next thing is rather than what is happening in front of us. I think once someone chooses to gain perspective each day and lessen or lose expectations completely of how things "should be" and turn that into "this is how I am going to build my life," a person's entire life can change for the better. It seems to me that when people have so many expectations of how they wish their life to be, they tend to dull the value of the wonderful things that are occurring around them, and appreciation is lost. Don't you think it's time to stop wishing and start making changes to fuel your own flame?

Here is me this very Sunday. I am not done up, not even close. There was no significant styling involved in this outfit, besides the choice to wear one of my favorite shirts (a cherished gift). I actually quite literally "woke up like this" (Thank you Beyonce). I then rolled out of bed with a smile on my face at around 10:15am. My hair is still in tangles from my locks blowing dramatically in the wind, while riding down the Willamette at 65mph in a boat. I also have a slight sun burn from enjoying a little too much sun watching the Red Bull Flugtag. I, of course, asked my sister to shoot a few shots before she ran out the door to grab some chicken strips, mac and cheese, and cookies (as per usual, like HOLY CARBS). 

P.S. My dog Klaus may have made a cameo appearance or two below.