ZestForTheQuest

"If the meaning of life is to find your gift, then the purpose of life is to give it away!"

50datesproject — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 19:16:35 -0400

“If the meaning of life is to find your gift, then the purpose of life is to give it away!”

- Buddhist Boot Camp.

"There is nothing that I can give you that you don’t already have."

50datesproject — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:52:46 -0500

““There is nothing that I can give you that you don’t already have.””

- - Danielle LaPorte

What seeds do you water?

50datesproject — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:31:54 -0500

wordslessspoken:

To be positive, content, or healthy doesn’t mean there is an absence of negative thoughts, restlessness, or craving. Far from it. The seeds are always there. You just don’t water them.

The Journey

50datesproject — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:27:40 -0500

One day you finally knew what you had to do,

and began, though the voices around you

kept shouting their bad advice

-though the whole house began to tremble

and you felt the old tug at your ankles.

“Mend my life!” each voice cried.

But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations,

though their melancholy was terrible.

It was already late enough,

and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,

determined to do the only thing you could do—

determined to save the only life you could save.

-Mary Oliver from Dream Work

"There is an impulse within us all - a creative urge, a quest- that is compelled to manifest. We can..."

50datesproject — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:03:16 -0500

“There is an impulse within us all - a creative urge, a quest- that is compelled to manifest. We can absolutely trust it and yield to it, and as we do so we will receive feedback from the universe in the form of guidance & inspiration about the purpose for which we were born.- Michael Beckwith.”

At A Loss...

50datesproject — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:02:14 -0500

12.14.12. Newtown.

Definition of UNSPEAKABLE
a : incapable of being expressed in words : unutterable
b : inexpressibly bad : horrendous

What does one attempt to say
in tragic times that render
all that is,
all we thought we knew,
Unspeakable.

Our outrage as bold as blood
and spills out of us just as fast
Our tears soon follow.
No anger nor frustration
can ward off anguish well enough.

The devastation suffered
is a loss of life, innocence, beauty.
Everything we trusted comes undone
and there is no consolation
in such senselessness.

Passionately plunging into procured solutions
we try to make some safeguards
against the wicked.
Wickedness grows in our own hearts sometimes,
there is no easy way to sketch a villain
no easy way to claim revenge.

We weep, and our grief could melt mountains.
We listen, and our love could conquer oceans.
We bow our heads, we fear, we tremble, we pray…

The world should halt when the unfathomable occurs.
But it keeps on turning.
And we are left to mourn.

When something precious is taken,
everything becomes more cherished.
Do not forget to hold the ones you love
-and may you never need
a reminder such as this.

"All the suffering in the world comes from seeking pleasure for oneself. All the happiness in the..."

50datesproject — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:06:10 -0500

“All the suffering in the world comes from seeking pleasure for oneself. All the happiness in the world comes from seeking pleasure for others.”

- Shantideva (via lazyyogi)

Diamond in a Box: Hiding your gifts from the world

50datesproject — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:53:00 -0500

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- Marianne Williamson

We have all been given innate gifts, talents, and unique qualities to discover, explore, and share. Mine are expression, compassion, empathy, creativity, and elated energy. But most of my young life, I have kept these gifts to myself out of fear.

It’s what I call my “Diamond in a Box” metaphor. If all your beauty and inborn characteristics were contained in your own precious, rare, and ultra valuable diamond ring, what would you do with it?

For fear that it would be scratched, sniffed, breathed on, stolen, judged, or rendered worthless by others, I kept mine in a box under my bed where it was sure to be “safe.” I took it out in the shelter of my room from time to time to admire it and it’s breathtaking beauty would astound me. Then, it would make me sad. I would cry for days for the fact that such a gorgeous entity was unappreciated and unseen by anyone but me.

Still, the “What ifs” of wearing the ring out in the world, on my very finger, loomed too large. What if people thought I was arrogant? Or selfish? Or misguided? What if it was fake? What if it wasn’t as pretty as other people’s diamonds? What if I lost it forever? What if they laughed?

Soon, or unfortunately, not soon enough, I got tired of the “what-ifs” ruling my life. I started with a new “what-if”: What if the diamond never saw the light and was neglected my whole life? And- What if it could actually bring joy to other people when it shined? What if it was every bit as worthy and delightful to others as it was to me?

These new inquiries led me to want to face and shed those limiting fears, and launch into the sunlight with all my might. It is a process right now, and every day. To sit on the edge of the bed, and slip that diamond ring onto your finger. To see it as a promise to yourself affirming your own essential and irreplaceable value. To know that it is an offering which multiples it’s beauty, it’s power, and it’s worth when shared.

Today, I commit to wearing this ring proudly and bravely, as a symbol of my love, as a symbol of my belief in my own self worth, as a symbol of my commitment to service to others through an embracing of my own value.

It will be scary the first time you walk outside with this ring that has hidden for so long, and it will be exhilarating the first time you see the rays of sun dance upon the diamond’s face. It may cause some sadness, confusion, and all those fears will surely rear their heads.

But you know now that you are greater than those fears. That you will move forward despite them. And that what you are and have to offer, doesn’t belong in a box. It belongs in the world.

Today, we have a choice: hide in the shadows, or turn your face to the light, and Shine!

Eradicating the word “Busy”

50datesproject — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Published here on Positively Positive!

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
Henry David Thoreau

We’ve all been there. “Busy.”

So many of our conversations seem to start and end with “Hi, how are you?” “BUSY!”

Having been a really “busy” person who felt overwhelmed by days and weeks and years of running around in its clutches, it’s time to re-examine this four-letter word.

Often, we toss this word around without much thought. (Maybe we’re too busy to examine it further!)

If you’d like to see how often this word pervades our daily life and in what context, do a keyword search for “busy” in your email inbox and sent box and witness the results.

Meanwhile, Three Key Observations about “Busy”:

1. Busy-ness Is a Word Laced with Self-Importance

“I would love to attend your thirtieth birthday party, but I’m just too busy.”

How do you feel when you call someone or they finally call you back, and their constant excuse for not making the time is that they were “busy?” Busy can sometimes unknowingly imply “you are not one of my priorities; I had too many other things going on, and I’m really important for having all this ‘stuff’ to do, while I imagine you must sit around at your house all day tapping your fingertips on the counter.”

Let’s face it—chances are, most of us have jam-packed lives, many demands on our time, and lots of stuff to do. So, we get it, you’re “busy.” But guess what? So are we! When you use your “busy-ness” as an excuse, you unwittingly devalue the fact that everyone else is busy too.

2. Busy Means Something Is Running Your Life, and It’s Not You

“I’m so sorry I haven’t called you back until now, I’ve been soooo BUSY!”

To be busy insinuates that you are caught in a whirlwind of commotion, a hamster wheel of activity that seems to never end. Think about it—in most cases where “busy” is often used, the context is often that busy-ness is an excuse given in an attempt to apologize for missing out on something that you wish you could have done.

If you wanted to be there, call, send that card, why didn’t you? Who is running your life: you or your “busy-ness?” It’s too easy these days to get trapped in the confines of your to-do lists so that there is little breathing room for your own choices.

It’s a very different ball game to be choosing and owning your actions by firmly saying “yes” and “no” with clarity and intention, rather than blaming your inability to do everything you’d like on getting caught up in the busy trap.

3. Substitute the Word “Busy” for Something Else

“I’d love to grab coffee with you, but my schedule won’t allow it. Things got crazy busy this week!”

It might seem silly at first, but the first way to transform the feeling of being busy is to simply stop saying that you are! Replace the victim mentality of your schedule running your life and be aware of phrases like “things are crazy right now,” which is a synonym for busy. Instead, switch to implementing affirmative phrasing that indicates you are the one behind the driver’s seat. Try some of these substitutes, or use your own:

“I have a complete schedule this week and am, unfortunately, unable to attend your barbecue. Let’s plan to meet up another day.”

“I am overwhelmed with amazing opportunities and events happening in my life right now! I can’t wait to add more of these next week!”

“I have been occupied with attending to my beautiful life this month. So many highlights I can’t wait to share with you when we meet up!”

“I am engaged in a lot of activity at the moment, and I’m happy to take on that project as soon as I am able.”

“I have been focusing my attention on x, y, and z and will be committed to these endeavors rigorously for the next few weeks.”

“I’ve been very involved in my work, family life, and community lately. It’s been great to be immersed in spending time with them, and I’m glad we get time to connect now, too.”

“I am engrossed in my FABULOUS life! How are you?”

The next step would be to actually balance out your calendar to improve your work/life balance. Say “no” to certain obligations and make only agreements that you know you can live up to so you don’t fall “behind” and get “busy” again.

What role does being “busy” play in your life? How do you feel about others’ busy-ness? What ideas do you have for putting busy-ness at bay and feeling empowered to love the life you lead?

“It is better to be whole than to be good”

50datesproject — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:34:25 -0500

“It is better to be whole than to be good”

“All the way to heaven is heaven” - Catherine of...

50datesproject — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:53:00 -0500

“All the way to heaven is heaven” - Catherine of Siena.

Adventures in Manifesting: Love and Oneness

50datesproject — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:15:00 -0500

I am honored to have been a contributing author to a recent publication of a book called “Love and Oneness”, a part of the “Adventures in Manifesting” Series. The book also features such luminaries as Marianne Williamson, Lisa McCourt, and Danielle LaPorte.

You can read the whole thing and buy the books here.

Meanwhile, here is a short summary of some of the ideas in my featured chapter:

“Becoming a Vessel: Being Ready and Available for Your Highest Good.”

Our Highest Good is something that we often lose touch with. Most times, we get in our own way. I know that I have been my own worst enemy time and time again, in giving in to self-pity, self-doubt, & negative thinking.

But, I realized - there was another way to live, the choice was mine. In the end, it all boils down to love. We want to love, be loved, be Love in the world, but the interplay of our humanity and our divinity can frequently be a rocky terrain.

Recently, I’ve utlized self-awareness to personally grow, beginning with this quote: “I am available to more good than I have ever experienced, imagined, or realized before in my life” -Rev. Michael Beckwith.

For one month, I internalized these words, and saw their power burn holes through an old life. I affirmed that I was indeed was ready, willing, and able to open to the best the universe had to offer, so that I could give back the best I had to offer in return.

Days after some intense spiritual practice and soulsearching, a miracle occurred: I was let go from my job. I was finally given the permission that I wouldn’t give myself: the permission to follow my bliss and be everything that I wanted to be.

I had defied the calling to do so for too long, but at last the time had come. This situation of being “let go” taught me so much. It taught me that we often get in our own way with stories and delusions fraught with fear that keeps us from our goals. We are often so seduced by comfort and stability, that we pass up opportunities that would enable us to shine.

Yes, risks are indeed scary, but the rewards are triple the price. And while not everything is ever stamped an official and ultimate “success,” a life filled with trust in a force bigger than ourselves will carry us through the journey with a ease unlike any other.

When faced with the shadow side, I now know that I must cradle myself like a tender infant, since self-hatred only doubles the pain, and self-love assuages any wound, no matter how inconceivably great.

There is a grace that comes in these moments when we accept our whole selves, not just the likable parts. My journey to self-acceptance is far from over, in fact, it is nearly just beginning.

But remembering who I am at my core, how to live my essence and my gifts in the world, and intending to be of service in this lifetime, is a shift anyone can choose to make- and really, what other choice would there be?

Embracing Our Darkness -by Jeanine Nicole

50datesproject — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:25:00 -0400

Published today on TinyBuddha!

“It is better to be whole than to be good.” ~John Middleton Murray

Discouragement is usually an unwelcome guest. Every time it comes knocking on my door, I try to shoo it away, or sweep it under the rug.

In fact, many of us want nothing more than for happiness to be our constant state of being, and have a hard time forgiving ourselves when we falter.

It happens: We can get immersed in the thick of discouragement for days, feeling mopey, downtrodden, physically, mentally, and emotionally “burnt out” and all in all “not ourselves.”

When I am in this state, I avoid the page, others, and even my own feelings, not wanting to face the dark and shadowy sides of my own being.

Though it doesn’t always coincide with the external weather, I can feel rainy inside my own experience and mind from time to time, and I usually struggle against this feeling, only making it worse.

I am so adamant about being a positive person and believe that shining brightly is far preferable to feeling crummy. I think many of us share this tendency toward wanting to hold onto the light—but then, what do we do with our inner storms?

Where do we get this notion that to be our truest and most beautiful selves we have to always be happy, elated, content, and sure of ourselves?

Why do we believe that we must feel confident and inspired, have all the answers, and be buoyant in order to be our best, or at least to “be okay”?

We are only human after all, and nothing in our instruction manuals or in our description before we were born promises that we will always be perfect and shiny. Yet, we carry this unrealistic pressure on ourselves to be so, and often berate ourselves for falling short any time a bad mood strikes.

It’s tempting to only put our best foot forward. For example, on Facebook, we can often share our sunshine-y moments proudly, but may be less apt to proclaim as boldly when we are feeling negative.

If not for wanting to hide our own seemingly fruitless negativity from others and even ourselves, we might also fear spreading the bad mood to others.

We often forget that it actually gives others joy to be able to help, and it is often necessary to reach out, since “joy shared is doubled and grief shared is halved.”

So today, how can you begin to admit or even embrace times when you may feel discouraged?

In my life, I am beginning to acknowledge that it is just as natural to feel insecure, scared, and to want to curl up in bed in the fetal position as it is natural to sometimes feel peaceful, excited, or happy.

I am even on my way to embracing all these states equally, and not trying to change my sadness or force it to be something it’s not.

Sadness needs to be accepted. It needs to be loved, and cuddled, and caressed, and crooned: “It’s okay, sadness, I see you, I love you, I respect and honor you, and I will let you be.”

It almost always feels a bit better just by being given the space to be allowed and received. Sometimes, as soon as I get on the phone with someone who cares, all the tears I didn’t let myself cry start spilling out of me, because in simply being witnessed, it is like the person actually reached out to give me the warmest hug.

It’s important to appreciate ourselves similarly for all our aspects, and to forgive ourselves for even the lowest facets of our self.

Guilt, shame, and self-flagellation—these don’t actually correct the wrongs or make you a better person, they just reinforce the dark emotions even more strongly.

So, instead of beating yourself up, negating or denying your sadness and grief, or trying to “fix” it, simply repeat to yourself the best words anyone ever told me “Be gentle with yourself.”

Give yourself a big strong hug, maybe even a kiss, and tell yourself how much you appreciate you—all of you, now in this moment, and forever.

Asking for the "Best Possible Thing!"

50datesproject — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:29:00 -0400

Originally published here on Positively Positive!

“Relax your grasp on anything or anyone. Permit the universe to realign itself with the Highest, without your interference or control.”
Marianne Williamson

I have the phone in my hand and a million thoughts running through my mind. It’s too late. You blew it. You lost your chance. You messed up. It won’t work out. She’s going to say “no.”

Then, I suddenly saw how each of these thoughts was focused ONLY on the worst-case scenario. I wondered about that.

“Dear silly head,” I asked myself, “Why does the worst thing have to happen?”

What if the BEST thing happened instead?

So, I changed my internal tune. I combined an element of desire with an element of surrender. “Please let the best possible thing happen.”

You’ll notice something about this intention, which you may call a prayer. It tells the universe the “what” (best thing, highest good), but it lets go control of the “how.” It admits that I am not sure exactly what the best possible thing is but that I am open and receptive to the outcome and that I Trust.

In fact, the phone call I made was to see about resurrecting the potential for a job opportunity—a few shifts at a yoga studio, which I had just denied earlier in the week when I thought I’d be too busy to take weekend work.

Then, I found myself jobless with the free time suddenly available, but now I was unsure if I could ask for the shifts back.

That’s when I re-routed my fear into calm surrender.

In the end, not only was the opportunity restored after I had turned it down, but I got more than I asked for: full-time employment.

The lesson I learned was that what we think we want and what we actually need or can achieve are often different.

It was my desire to control the outcome (“I really want this!”) and my fear that I wouldn’t get what I wanted (“It’s too late!”) that were blocking me from getting the gifts beyond my wildest imaginings.

It may seem like a small thing, but since that moment, every time I want to do any simple task that causes fear and doubt, I switch gears and ask for the best possible outcome.

I know now that I won’t always know what that outcome is and that sometimes what looks like a door closing is just a gentle nudge in a new direction.

Two days before this internal shift in my perspective, I started repeating this line every morning:

“I am available to more good than I have ever experienced, imagined, or realized before in my life.”
Michael Beckwith

Let’s repeat: “I am available to more good than I have ever experienced, imagined, or realized before in my life!”

This is a powerful statement—to become available to receive the best without controlling or dictating what the best necessarily is.

Will you open yourself up to be available to the highest good in each situation? How? When?

Did I hear you shout: “By Being Bold!” “Now!” “YES!”

Effortless Surrender -by Jeanine Nicole

50datesproject — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:58:00 -0400

“Have no envy, and no fear”- Joshua Radin. (Song)

It’s my day off today, and I realize a feeling that has been pervasive the last couple days: I am at peace. It feels funny to say, and doesn’t roll easily off the tongue after years running around “doing stufff”. But it’s true, I’ve come to a place, or at least a juncture, where I am more present than ever before, more relaxed and serenely confident, more at ease, fulfilled, and content than ever.

I think in part this softly alighting state of grace has resulted as a welcome symptom or by-product from my One Month of Surrender.

It has taken work to get here. It has been a choice. But once that choice was made, - once I committed to meditating every day, having a faithful yoga practice, setting intentions, and working in calming and supportive environments, - then the rest fell into place naturally.

Suddenly, things that used to stress me out, don’t anymore. There is an absence of worry about the future, an absence of disappointment about the past, and an absence of stress about missing out on the present. It’s like I have an inner mantra or wise voice inside my being that soothes me in each moment.

This could be a phase of grace, or it could be a cultivated way of being, a lifestyle that I can continue to experience by tending to it as if it is my garden. Weeds continually appear, but if plucked at first arrival, they will cease to grow into a wild and reckless bramble. I am a tender gardener, and having cleared a placid emotional space, reap the benefits of a vast and empty field, ready for new creations.

I sit here, amazed at these facts: that my short and simple “To-do” list doesn’t own me, that the rat race doesn’t run my life, that I want nothing, fear nothing, cling to nothing. Because jealousy, resentment, and insecurity cloaked me for so long, I assumed I always had to wear them. They became habits I wore as a nun dawns her robes, and trails I walked so many times they wore deep trenches out of subtle paths. But- no longer.

Now it is as if someone turned down the volume on the ill-will and discomfort, and replaced it with a tantalizing melody of sweet and effortless surrender. It beckons me to listen to it’s lyrics: words that promise that I am complete just in this moment, and as whole as I will ever be.

How, and who are you in this moment? How at peace do you feel? How much unrest threatens to consume you? What is one way that you can release yourself from the chains of chaos, and relax into the gentle palm of love’s caress?

This week: Be gentle with yourself, be spacious in your sense of time and space, and most of all: Tend to your heartgarden!

Salsa Dancing- and life. (by Jeanine Nicole)

50datesproject — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:06:00 -0400

“Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life.” — Sanskrit poem

I am spinning around the dance floor in his arms. But my eyes are on the man in a suit at the ledge over his shoulder. I am noticing him noticing me. I am scouting the room for whose attention I might inadvertently be attracting, and when I smile largely, in the back of my mind, I am sending that smile out to the whole room, trying to rope in an entire audience. Until I snap out of it. Or, rather, into it.

I catch myself again dancing between the past and the future. I am thinking about other men I have danced with, how they made me feel, how this compares - favorably, or otherwise. I am thinking about other men I might be dancing with momentarily. Thinking, thinking, thinking! It’s a wonder my feet are still moving to the beat!

As this awareness of the fact that I’m missing out on the present hits me, I bring my attention solely and wholly to my current partner. I start to appreciate that he is actually an awesome dancer, really attractive, and that we have an awesome synergy. He makes me comfortable enough and sets me at ease instantly such that my smile flows graciously and naturally from the result of our connection.

I feel my body- stretched out from running and a great yoga class earlier that day, moving all open and free, curvy like a snake. And, I sink into the moment. I let go of wanting anything outside of the sphere of connection that I have with this man, and this moment. Suddenly, a pure enjoyment comes over me. We flow into the next song, and the next, and the next.

Later, someone grabs my hand forcefully, and I struggle with saying “no”- I don’t want to dance with someone who send creepy shivers up my arm. Another asks me to dance, and I see my first partner watching us. I tense up. All the while we are dancing, I’m at it again! I punish myself and my new partner by refusing to crack a smile or enjoy myself, practically making the dance a concession, or a chore. Again- it’s this same decision: head, or heart- what do you choose?

My first partner invites another girl to the floor, and I immediately relax into the new dance, allowing it rather than resisting it. I recognize once more that Salsa is for me this great metaphor: learning to literally “go with the flow”, and as a woman: learning to follow, as the ultimate expression of receptivity and responsiveness. Each time I go dancing, I learn this balance of yes/no, fast/slow, stop/go, and most of all: faraway, or present!

On my way out, a man on his way to the door with his girl says with a nod: “You moved very well!” And the shining youthful looking black lady with slicked back white hair repeats to me with wide-eyes: “You are pretty!” I reply with a huge smile: “So are you!” And there is something buoyant about our interaction, about the whole night. I’m feeling the glory of in my own skin, and I’m loving it!

In each breath that night, I can resonate with the words of Thoreau: “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”

How will you find your eternity in each moment today? Enjoy it!

Taking a Haitus from “Go-Getting”

50datesproject — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:57:00 -0400

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Today, I’m trying a new tactic: let go of all tactics. I’m a go-getter by nature. I like to go for it, generate and take opportunities, have-do-be it all. I’m young and hungry. I’m ambitious. And… I’m tired.

I’m burnt out from burning the candle at both ends and reaching, grasping, yanking at all of my dreams. Tired of feeling clingy, needy, or having my actions and desires come from a delusion of scarcity. Tired of feeling like I’m the one who always initiates and complaining about the effort I put in.

So, starting today, I’m going to follow the advice of my yogi tea bag which stated: “Let things come to you.” This is an intentional switch from the yang aggressive assertive energy to the ying more passive, receptive energy. It is a switch from creating to allowing, from forcing to letting go, from war to surrender.

What does this look like in my life? Well, I will continue to do my work and put myself out there, but I won’t pick up the phone to dial someone else’s number, I’ll only answer it when it rings. I’ll continue to write and express, but I won’t desperately seek out opportunities to publish. I’ll continue to teach yoga, work at a new job, and cultivate my business, but I won’t do massive outreach and try to cajole people into seeing my worth.

Instead, I will see my inherent worth, believe in myself and others, and feel value spilling from the inside out. I will be and feel attractive, and let things come to me rather than being the hunter in the love game. I will stand my ground, feel my roots, and rest my wings at my sides. Just for a month. Just to see what happens when I really “let go, and let God.”

I feel already relieved just in knowing that I will honor my own gifts by learning to offer graciously and receive generously. I feel complete in knowing that I am already whole and I can simply allow the seeds I’ve planted to manifest and grow with some simple sun and water. To rest in the knowing that the world will continue to spin without me expending so much extraneous effort. That the sapling will flourish into a tree, and that only Time and Patience will be its keepers.

For one month, I will check my devices and social media outlets less often, looking inwards instead of outwards for the affirmation I seek. I will meditate more, breathe more deeply, and go on walks in the sunshine. I will put myself in the right place at the right time, put myself out there, but let the universe decide what synchronicity will show up.

You don’t have to go on a go-getting fast for a month, but what is one way today that you can shift from trying to control or seek everything out to sitting back and letting the happiness alight upon you? Enjoy the transformation that comes from “allowing” in this moment, and be grateful for whatever comes to your doorstep in the process…

Dreams coming True: It's not just for Disney Movies

50datesproject — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:48:00 -0400

“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” -Henry David Thoreau

Making dreams manifest. Living the dream. Being true to myself. Following your heart. All these seeming cliches have filled my head for as long as I can remember. I have been on a rampage since about the age of 17 to discover who I was, why I was, and what I could do with my one precious life. “Making the most of it” has been a mantra that has in some cases served me well, leading to many calculated risks and fulfilling experiences, but has also been a concept that gnaws at me under the surface, placing unseemly pressure on each day to be something magnificent, which as you know, all days can not measure up to be.

Yesterday, I saw the show “Wicked” on Broadway, and practically cried as the lights came up for intermission, so powerful was the performance. Of course, the writing and the scenes and the emotional tugging at that part of you that longs to be the hero of your own journey was a huge part of the equation. But another part of what was so moving for me was to see these actors, who are probably about my age, shining as they apparently live their dreams. Now I know it’s easy to glorify someone’s life when you know nothing about it, the same syndrome as logging onto Facebook and feeling miserable as you “compare your insides to someone else’s outsides.”

But in this case, I wasn’t necessarily comparing as much as admiring wistfully. Their pure alignment of their utter talent and gifts being on display, recognized, and appreciated by the applause, and by my silent tears, was beautiful to witness. Evocative as the moment was, it begged of me the question: “What kind of life can I live so that I too feel that I’m ‘defying gravity?’” “How can I too ‘follow my bliss’”? “How can I begin to live my truest life, such that I feel like I’m dreaming while I’m awake”? “Is it too late?” “Or, am I about to get there?” “Is it a choice?” “Or is it fate?” …. “What is the Next Concrete Step…?”

I realized too that there was a sense of regret mixed and muddled into this sense of inspiration, aspiration, and hope. I regretted things that were not even in my control- like my education. Facts upon facts that I memorized and soon forgot seemed, and still seem, like wasted time and effort. I want to “save” other kids from feeling like cogs in a machine of doing what others say is “right” and “good” to do. I want to encourage them to quit school and just follow their imaginations to their ultimate artistic expression. And then I recognize that within this grandiose longing is the simple fact that I want likewise to be set free. I wish for nothing more than to find my passion and let it guide my days, for nothing more than to express myself and hone a craft - be it dance, theater, writing, or painting, or why not all of the above?

So, without quitting your job or plucking your kids out of school- what is one concrete way that today, this week, in the next year, you can identify one thing that makes your/their spirit soar, and what is one way you can Do More Of It? What are the activities that make time simply fly away unnoticed, and where your potential seems limitless? What have you been curious to try your hand at, if no one were to judge?

Here’s to living a single dream awake today..and knowing, that each dream fulfilled, simply births another one to follow.

Have an awesomely passionate day!

“Don’t Run Amiss! Follow Your Bliss!”

50datesproject — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:57:00 -0400

“You know you are following your Bliss when what you Do is an extension of Who you are and What you Believe.” – Jeanine Nicole

“Blissful moment.” “Blissed out.” Bliss seems sometimes like an insurmountable heaven on earth. Some kind of starry-eyed twinkly tingly moment that hits with the force of passion and the gentle calmness of serenity. When we consider bliss to be an absolutely positive glow of pure optimism, a shout-it-from-the hilltops kind of joy, and a rapture like we’ve never known, it can seem far from attainable.

Sustained bliss may not be a perpetual state of euphoria but rather the constant unfolding of an alignment of who you are with what you love. When we see following our bliss as a constantly unfolding process that happens gradually and which must be nurtured in order to flourish, we can rest more easily in knowing that we can experience a taste of bliss every day.

Similar to passion, once you light the spark, and get that blissful fire burning, in order to keep it going you must let it settle down, then carefully add one log at a time to keep it going throughout the night. The beauty of the fire is that it is hungry, and colorful, it reaches out it’s fingers to grab it’s dreams, but must be contained if it is to be useful rather than dangerous. Warm yourself by the fire of your bliss, but don’t let the hunt for it consume you.

Cultivate your bliss like a compassionate gardner of the heart-garden. Bliss doesn’t have to happen with a bang. And it doesn’t get extinguished unless you let it go through your denial of it. Sometimes, Bliss is what happens when you sit and taking a deep breath, realize that you are perfect, whole, complete, and full of joy just in this moment. When you stop scurrying around thoughts of the past and worries about the future, you can see that the Present is full of Bliss.

Lastly, it is important to know who you are and what you stand for. When you know who you are not, what you believe in, and what drives you, you can more easily gravitate towards those things that you find fulfilling. The most passionate, serene, and blissful people I know are those who have learned what they love to do (hint: you lose track of time, and you are naturally motivated and inspired, you are in “the flow”), and then found a way to make a living doing it.

The key to this is patience, and even practicality. You don’t have to quit your job or turn your life upside down. You just have to locate what you love (the barometer is how much joy it gives you) and then find ways to incrementally do more of that.

What is one way you will increase your feeling of bliss today?

Embracing our Unshaped Destiny! -Jeanine Nicole

50datesproject — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:16:00 -0400

What brought me to this page today, to the understanding I have of myself in this moment, and to you as you read these words?

With a sensitive soul, a compassionate heart, and a curious and questioning mind, I am on the path of following my bliss, becoming my truest self, and living in alignment with my passion in order to make the best and brightest contribution I can make in this world. I firmly believe that we each have a mission in this world and it is up to us in the time that we have to uncover that purpose and express it freely in each step of its unfolding.

My own journey towards feeling, giving, receiving, and being in “love” and of “service” has led me from leading spiritual retreats, to chanting mantras in a packed temple; from working with the homeless and with challenged youth, to building pathways in the Costa Rican jungle; from filming cross-cultural workshops in France to teaching yoga and creative movement; and from an empty heart full of longing, to one full of hope and belief.

In all my various work and experiences, which have included waitressing and many administrative roles as well as those people-oriented jobs which I found more fulfilling, the common thread has been to connect with others on their journeys despite our differences, and in fact, forging strong bonds because of our differences.

I have poured my heart, my time, my energy into each endeavor, growing from each one, and taking lessons with me from my work, and more importantly, from the relationships formed in the process. Reflecting back on your own doings- do they align with your being? How can we continue to align our life with our loves?

For now- we can simply be sure that it’s time for something new. We might not be sure what. We certainly may not even be sure of how. But, I encourage you to hold on to the determination to plant ideas, believe in them, nourish them, and run with them.

Be determined to dig deeper than ever into the crevices of your most poignant desires. Personally, I am on a mission to be more self-affirming through an abundance of self-love, more confident in the power of my dreams, more fulfilled in the process of reaching them, and more delighted in the dance of an unshaped destiny.

In some ways, my journey has always been what I sought, in others, it’s a journey only now beginning to reveal itself through my recognition of the quest. I invite you to come along for the ride, to explore your own journey, and to embark together into the unknown to search for a truth which can not be discovered, but only, created.