Personal Growth, Mind Body Spirit, Creativity, Community, Classes - San Jose, Santa Clara, Campbell, Cupertino

Most often when I go to the beach, I go in the evening because I like to watch the sunset. It is so common that I do this, that I never thought before how many others don’t take the opportunity to see such a spectacular event themselves. The day I realized it was when I stopped at my corner Starbuck’s to get my tea on the way to the beach. All the kids that work there know me so it wasn’t unusual when one asked me what I was going to do that evening. I casually told him I was going to the beach to watch the sunset. With sheer amazement in his voice, he said, “Dude, no way! You just do that?” It totally caught me off guard how surprising my answer was. After all, we live so close to the ocean and watching the sunset is such an energizing experience. Now when I go watch the sunset at the beach, I am so much more grateful I am there.

Last week I went to the beach again. There was an amazing sunset, as you can see from the picture I have here. There were several guys out in the water. The waves weren’t too big and for much of the time I was there, they didn’t appear to be surfing as much as just hanging out there in the ocean. Once in a while they would get on their boards to surf a wave. Although I was anxiously waiting to take a good picture of them surfing in the sunset, my guess was that maybe they just weren’t surfing as much because they were tired and now they were being more selective about which waves to surf.

While I didn’t get as good of a picture as I wanted, as I watched these guys I started thinking about why people like to surf. Personally, I would never do it. Aside from my fear of drowning, I would be worried about sharks. It is a risk I know I am not willing to take.

However, there are reasons why people take such risks. There are “things” we must be willing to do to get the experience we want to have. Surfing must be exhilarating. But it takes the person who is willing to swim out to the best part of the shore, get on the board, then let go of it and stand up who will enjoy the ride. There are more steps I'm sure, but these are the main things that lead to the exhilaration from this experience.

For the rest of us, we may want exhilaration from other types of experiences. Personally, I want to make a positive impact in the world. It takes willingness on my part to do things that others may not do. I need to swim out to the best part of the ocean, let go and stand up to enjoy the ride. That might sound scary. You may even think, good for you that you have such courage to do it. Maybe so, but I can tell you that it is scary for me too. Giving up the security of land to go out into the ocean is a chance I must be willing to take in order to get the experience I want for my own life.

Last month, I basically took the month off. After two years of running the FYJ "store" I think I was tired and just wanted to hang out--maybe like the surfers hanging out in the waves. Waves are opportunities and so I was waiting for the ones I was willing to ride. I watched a lot of Oprah and PBS specials. I even went to see Dr. Wayne Dyer again in San Francisco. Lots of ideas came up, but it took some time to figure out all I wanted next.

Finally, I selected the few waves that I thought were best. I am going to continue teaching empowerment, expand it to teen girls, and go to school during the day to pursue my psychology degree. These look the best to me at the moment. Then in the future, I hope to ride even bigger waves--maybe like the ones in Hawaii! What it takes to get the exhilaration of the experiences seems worth it to me right now. The time off was helpful and the inspiration necessary to know what I am willing to do to make this happen.

As for you also, it is not only important to think about what you want for yourself, but what you are willing to do to get the experience you want to have. The new year is coming soon and it is common to make resolutions for what you want. However, if you are not willing to swim out to get it, then simply let it go. It doesn’t bother me in the least that I don’t want to actually surf a wave! If you want to get out there though, yet just a bit scared, I know there are ways to get help with that because it just so happens to be my specialty! I say it many times, but the best way to help yourself create the life you want is to seek inspiration.

Know yourself, what you want, and what you are willing to do to get it. Get support if you need it and surf those waves at sunset!

When I was very young there was a time in which I was vulnerable and it felt unsafe. In those early years I didn’t live with my mom and my dad seemed to be gone a lot. I felt alone, and although I was always taken care of, the feeling that I needed to take care of myself never left me while growing up.

As an adult, I now call myself “independent”. Being independent is something I am proud of, yet I must confess, taking care of myself (all by myself) tends to be a hardship at times. I feel I am protecting myself by avoiding putting myself in the vulnerable position having to ask someone for help—no matter how much I need it. It has become clear to me that the behavior that served as a protection when I was young is really not all that necessary anymore though.

I have known this challenge within me for quite awhile. I have uncovered where it stems from, examined it and even tried to let go of it a bit. However, similar to my addiction to chocolate, or maybe similar to an alcoholic or someone addicted to cigarettes, it sometimes just seems easier to give up trying to let it go. Being independent is too engrained within me and it simply seems easier to hold on to this way of being.

The thing about those things that are bad for us though, is that life has a way of making it hard to ignore holding on to that way of being. Being addicted to food, cigarettes, or alcohol catches up to us with health problems. Being addicted to a way of being that is not always best for us can catch up to us with emotional or relationship problems. Actually, any of the above could affect our health, emotions or relationships. While it seems easier to get frustrated about the issues these things bring to our lives, the truth is that life is always simply trying to guide us to the better way of living.

So how was life trying to guide me to ask for help? My latest lesson came during the big FYJ move this past month. Friends and family members offered to help me move. They knew it would be a lot, so when they offered, I thanked them and told them I would let them know if I needed help. I knew that I had no intention of calling anyone for help. My daughter is obligated, so I got her to help me with the heavy bookshelves. To my credit, I did have her ask her dad to borrow his truck. My sister hired help to take the furniture she had kept at the store. The guy stayed on for a couple of hours to help me move some other very heavy things to my storage unit. BUT, I moved everything else by myself! I’m not talking about a few boxes or a few car loads, but numerous hours of packing, lifting, moving and unpacking. Each night I would collapse with exhaustion, wondering why I didn’t ask for help. Even hiring someone would have been better. Am I crazy? Why am I so stubborn and unwilling to receive help, even when it is offered?

I truly love helping others. I would do almost anything for anyone, even to my detriment at times. But when it comes to having someone help me I am addicted to my independence. Asking for help takes courage. I didn’t have that courage when I was young, but I am sure I can begin working on getting it now.

Are you lacking the courage to ask for help? Whether you need help with a physical addiction or an emotional addiction, there is always support for you. This month I am sharing a picture of a “Warning” sign. Remember that when there is “no lifeguard on duty” there can be danger, or at least discomfort, around us. Let’s support each other as lifeguards so we can gain the courage to ask for what we need. We deserve it.

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell

I often take pictures with the idea that I might use them later to help tell a story. I remember taking this picture of a wood sculpture at the beach last January and wondering what I might be saying about it later on. Well, it finally came to me.

This wood had been a seed, a tree, driftwood, a bench, firewood, and now it appears to be a tall and empowered sculpture posing for a picture. At any moment in time, it simply adapts to whatever it needs to be.

I live what I teach--which means that I seek inspiration, fear change, manage obstacles, and more, all with the intention of being empowered myself. This is my way of life now and this is what I want to teach others to do for themselves as well.

My method of teaching is different than other teachers, therapists or even life coaches as I prefer to teach through inspiration. I hope to inspire you so you discover that the power to have the life you want is already and solely within you.

So, using my own latest journey of transformation and "empowerment essentials" as an example, I'd like to share with you how I, similar to the journey of the wood at the beach, always strive in the moment to be just who I need to be...

Seeking inspiration: Noticing when I felt the happiest helped me recognize that inspiring others was inspiring to me!

Self-esteem: I deserve happiness. I continually work to conquer all the negative self-talk I have about myself because whatever I think and say about myself will come true--want it or not.

Facing change: The unknown scares me as much as it does anyone. While I don't enjoy not knowing what happens next, I've learned to face change with anticipation for the new rather than fearing with dread.

Self-discovering: For someone who wanted to be "normal" since she was a little girl, I've now learned to stop comparing myself and my life decisions to anyone else. It is a very freeing existence to make decisions based on what I want versus what I think other's expect of me.

Setting intention: I knew that the part of my job that was not fulfilling was naturally creating an intention within me, so it became easy to consciously make an intention to do only that which truly inspires me. This is always the biggest step for creating new opportunities.

Attracting the right people: Since the first day I made a move to create FYJ, I met the most perfect people to guide my journey here. Even the people who have challenged me have taught me so much, so I know it is only possible to meet the perfect people in the future.

Creating for fun: I never used to think of myself as creative. However, I am always creating the life I want to have, and through this process, I am also able to express my creativity through the ongoing transformation of FYJ.

Taking action: One of my pet peeves is talking or complaining about something, and never doing anything about it. So maybe I am a bit more action-oriented than some, however, learning how to take action using my feelings as guidance has helped greatly.

Managing obstacles: This is the most fun step of all for me. Although I don't like obstacles, I've learned to use them as guide posts. Sometimes I go left, sometimes I go right, and sometimes I find a way around them. Obstacles help me clarify what I want and help me let go of things I no longer need.

Living a journey of joy: When I am not living the life that I want, I am not as happy as I could be. I've decided awhile ago that I want to live joyfully, and if that means moving, changing, transforming, so be it.

Becoming empowered: Self-empowerment is a choice. I enjoy living this way because I am not a victim of circumstances when I am empowered. Throughout my life I notice where I am, decide if that is where I want to be, then if need be, take action on getting where I want to be. It is definitely a powerful place live, and helping others find that place within themselves is important to me.

These are only highlights of all that goes into making a life decision. I wanted to share them with you though because while we sometimes believe that an outcome will be one way, sometimes the unexpected other way is so much greater than we could have ever imagined. Know that I am extremely happy about my new unknowns because my hope is that my own empowered journey inspires others, just as this old empowered tree inspires me. The first two years of FYJ were simply perfect to get me to this place, and because of that experience along with many other life situations, I've learned that there is never any room for regrets... only gratitude!

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." ~Buddha

"If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they'd immediately go out." ~William Blake

In July I turned 39. Admitting it is not a problem as I now totally understand why many say that if they had a choice they would not go back in time to be an earlier age. It’s because living in joy has nothing to do with looking good or having a better body. Although those things are very nice, and of course we want those attributes at all ages, nothing compares to the wisdom you can gain in years of experiences.

Now, I know that 39 is still very young. I certainly don’t feel old, and thankfully, not aware of any health issues. So, I am not dwelling on it at all (we’ll see what I say next year though!). The reason I am mentioning it is because I think it takes some of us this many years to feel as though we’ve discovered much of who we really are. We may never discover all that we are as that is probably what the life journey is all about. However, when I look back 15 years, 5 years, or even just two years ago, my life purpose seemed to be so drastically different.

So, “what’s new now?” you might wonder. Well, as I’ve been hinting for several months there is a transition happening at For Your Journey (details coming in September), but even more so for me personally.

It was more than three years ago when I got inspired to create FYJ, so when my dream finally became a reality in September 2003, I was quite proud of all that I had accomplished. Then as I began getting many compliments from those of you who appreciated the space and my offerings I gained an even greater satisfaction. However, since opening I continued to sense that there still must be more. I didn’t know exactly what it was because I thought I had accomplished everything I set out to do. What was missing then? Was I really making the difference in the world that I wanted to make? Was I really doing all that I wanted to be doing? Might there still be more? Hmmm...

Of course there is more, I thought! There is always more. At 39, I am discovering that it is perfectly acceptable, if not absolutely necessary, to continue searching for more ways to live my best life. Even if that means moving, changing, transforming, or deciding to do something else, continuing to seek more is what makes my life a journey after all, right? One doesn't simply stand still on a journey!

Well, this past year I got the courage to begin sharing my own inspiration through teaching, based from all that I have experienced and observed about life so far. I have found a new and rewarding way to express myself through teaching on empowerment topics such as self-esteem, setting intention, taking action and managing obstacles. From this I have actually discovered just how important it is for me to do even more teaching at this point in my life. I am getting that creative excitement back again when I think about the new pathways this will open up for me. Even some of the fear that comes with the unknown future is also stimulating. This is the beginning of something greater for me, and just as with the intention I had when I created FYJ, I want you to share in it because you are actually the inspiration behind my own new discovery.

What reminds me of your important role? A few weeks ago, as I was lying in bed trying to go to sleep, I heard some firecrackers going off outside. I got up and looked out my window. Although I didn’t see anyone, I did notice that staring brightly from up above was a beautiful full moon. As I looked at it, I had an intense feeling that told me to capture it. So as I went out to my porch to take some pictures, I began to think about the moon and what it provides us. Obviously, it lights the earth at night. But most interestingly the moon doesn’t have its own light to shine on us. The light comes from the reflection of the sun. The sun sends light to the moon, which in turn lights up our night.

This is how I think of my relationships with all of you. You are actually light for me, or for my moon (which also happens to be Cancer's/my planet). I meet, interact, listen to, learn from and desire to inspire because of all of you. Only together do we add light to the world! This is the realization I had during that very special evening, which then led me to look up the meaning of my July 21st moon pictured with this article. It happens to be called the Full Buck Moon because “July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur...” How appropriate this seems, as in a way, this is just how I am feeling these days—a moon lit by you, ready to push out some antlers for a new stage in my life. Stay tuned for details.

So, what might you be ready for next? What sends you moonlight? Discover it so you can create the life you really want to have. Now is the best time to do so, whether you are 39, older than that or even younger. Age will never matter as today is all we ever have!

"Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

On what was to be one of my day trips to my favorite beach, I was really excited because it had been longer than usual since I had been there last. I felt the need to pick up some energy from one of my favorite places and looked forward to the solitude I get from having a day to myself. But as I was getting ready my daughter asked me where I was going. I told her I was going to the beach and casually asked her if she wanted to go, actually expecting a no. Surprisingly she said yes. She immediately cleared her plans for the day and got ready to go with me. Of course it is always great when my teenager wants to spend a day with me, but that was not my plan nor was it my plan to go to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I already knew that my daughter was not going to want to go to my "boring beach" (her description). She wanted to go where the action is! So, I shook off my expectations and simply decided that I was going to enjoy this rare day with my daughter.

As we got in the car to go, the weather was already quite warm so I hit the button to roll down my window. Immediately I could tell something was wrong as the window slowed as it went down. I tried to put it back up but nothing happened. I began to whine and complain about how my day was now going. I just wanted to get to the beach and now I had a whole new situation to deal with. And it needed my immediate attention since I could not put the window back up! Thankfully, my daughter calmly came up with the solution that I would drop off my car at the dealer and we would take her car to the beach. Ok, I thought, everything is just fine.

So we get to the dealer and the woman said that I had to leave it overnight because they had too many cars to work on. A little frustrated again...ok fine. Then she quotes me an estimate to fix the little motor for the window. Ughhh! I won't even tell you the price as it is embarrassing to admit what I paid. I knew I could probably take it somewhere else that might charge less, but I just wanted to go to the beach, not spend my day off looking for someone to fix my window!

Isn't that just how it seems to go sometimes? Something begins to go wrong and then seemingly more and more stuff happens. Suddenly it is a "bad day".

Those type of days appear out of our control. It feels that it is happening to us and we didn't ask for it. Well, although we would rather sometimes claim victimhood, we really know there is always a positive side to everything, right?

As it turned out, I was able to spend a very nice day with my daughter. We ate corndogs on the boardwalk, sat on the beach for awhile, then went downtown to shop for a bit. We got dinner on the way home and watched a movie on DVD to top off our day. The day ended as though it was a perfect day. I was able to remember to have gratitude for the life that I have, and for my nice car that is paid off and works well overall. The window thing was actually a minor thing compared to all the things that could have possibly happened. I am blessed and there was really no need to complain about my day at all.

Unexpected things happen, but it helps so much to make the effort to get out of the negative feelings. Consider that maybe we experience things we don't like so we can remember how much we love something. Love your kids, your life and even the things that make your life easier. Enjoy the roller coaster because simply going to the boring beach by yourself may not be the best thing for you today!

"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." ~ Theadore Rubin

May 2005 - Above the clouds

"Sometimes I go about pitying myself
And all the while I am being carried across the sky
By beautiful clouds." ~ Ojibway Indian Poem

The first time I flew in a plane, I was already 24 years old. I remember being nervous, but my 4 year-old daughter, who was flying with me for her first time as well, touched my arm and said, "It will be ok, mommy." From then on, I knew I would be fine, even if it was from the assurance of a little angel.

Since then, I've flown so many times I wouldn't be able to count. I still do not like flying, but now it is more due to boredom rather than fear. What helps me pass the time is sitting at the window seat. I am still so amazed when I look down at all the various views that I see. Cars and houses so tiny, or miles and miles of bare land that makes me wonder why we all cluster so tightly in such a small piece of land.

Anyway, one time when I was fairly new to flying, I had an amazing experience. You've probably had it as well, but I admit, some things strike me as extra fascinating and memorable so please don't think I'm crazy! The first time I was actually IN the clouds was such a moving experience for me because the weather below had been so bad, but when we rose to the level of the clouds, and then above the clouds it was just the coolest thing. I just loved the sensation. Since then, even if I hate being blocked in by other passengers, I will do whatever I can to sit by the window because honestly, that is the only part of flying that I look forward to... being above the clouds.

Well, this past month I made two plane trips. Both were for own my personal growth. I felt the need for some new inspiration and it just happened that the two places I wanted to go were within a week of each other. The first trip was only about an hour and a half away, so I didn't experience much of the views I look forward to. However, on the second trip to Florida, there was much more to see. Interestingly though, the clouds "experience" only came towards the end, as we were only about 10 minutes away from landing. At first I just took it all in, the feeling of being just above the fluffy cumulus clouds. That is my favorite part. I thought, I should capture this in a picture, but soon after that I thought that my fellow passengers would probably think I was weird for taking a picture of practically nothing. Oh well, as you can see, I took some shots anyway because I knew there was something I'd be able to share with you about this experience.

My experience of being in the clouds reminds me of all the work I do to keep myself inspired. Some might think that since I own an inspirational store I'd be inspired all day long, right? Well to a point, yes, I definitely am. When those of you who come in to look for more ways to live your best life, I get inspired by you. But it is still a business and all the stresses that comes with owning one's own business makes my life very similar to everyone else's life complications. What I do though is continually look for more ways to inspire my own life, and in those trips I took, I learned that is exactly what we all need to do.

On one of my trips I got the opportunity to see speakers such as Louise Hay, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Caroline Myss, and Dr. Christiane Northrup. They are the teachers and I am the student I thought, but one of the most refreshingly recurring messages I heard from them were about all the others who actually inspire them.

When I go through a life lesson, then work hard to understand it so I can better my life I often think that I'm done. I'm not sure why I think that because it seems like only a moment before the next lesson comes along. But what I was reminded this past month is that it is continually learning to work through life lessons, to continually work to be inspired, and continually learning to live your best life is what it is all about.

For each of our own journeys, it is important to continually seek ways to fly above the clouds. Whether it is reading a book, going to a seminar, or actively taking classes, working on your own personal growth can take you up to some amazing views. The weather might be bad in some places and there might be some turbulence along the way, and you might worry about what other people think when you take pictures of the view, but when you get to that place of serene beauty it is just amazing! And don't forget, as in my first trip with my daughter, you are never too old to try or see something new, and in her words, "It will be ok..."

Continue seeking, learning, and living for everything amazing. It is there, even when you cannot quite see it.

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." ~Alexander Woolcott

The other day I went to a local lake/park. Since I needed a break, but didn't have enough time to go to the beach, I decided to go to this park I had not been to for quite awhile. As I drove there, I began thinking about how long it had actually been since I was there last. I had been there dozens of times in my life, but for various reasons it had now been at least five years, if not more, since the last time I had visited.

When I arrived, the most notable change was the new self-serve parking ticket booth. There is now a machine where you get your own ticket, eliminating the need for a person to take your money at the entrance. Everything else, though, immediately seemed exactly the same.

Of course, over a few years it is reasonable to expect that a park would be pretty much the same. However, what really struck me as I arrived was how much that park really looked exactly the same since my childhood. I recalled my mom taking me there, riding the train, walking along the lake and feeding the ducks. I even remember playing on the playground, and it just didn't seem that long ago! When my own daughter was little, I then took her to play on that same playground. Then even several years later, when I worked for my previous company, we had some of our off-sites there. Many more memories of that park, lake, and my life just flooded my mind all of a sudden. And as I stood there this one afternoon, realizing where I am now in my life, with owning my own business, and my daughter in college, I was overcome with amazement at the contrast between my life and a park!

How is it possible that my life has transformed so much and in so many ways, yet this place seemed exactly the same as I remember as a little girl? The feeling was surreal, yet at the same time, I very well know that many places in this world seemingly never change over lifetimes. The trees are rooted there, and of course, the lake wouldn't move (except during the days of the drought when there was no water in it!) I felt comfort and unease at the same time. But why did those feelings hit me as weird on that day? I think it was because my life seems to be moving, changing, and transforming all of the time--I mean constantly! I really feel that I have lived several lifetimes in just this one lifetime. So, I guess that is why seeing this park appearing the same for more than 30 years suddenly became a startling realization...that some things can stay constant for us.

Many of you readers are in the Bay Area, so I'm guessing that most of you have been in at least one mild to moderate earthquake, if not our big one in 1989. Even if you haven't experienced one, you can imagine that when the ground is moving, one of the common reactions is to reach for something stable to hold onto. Yet during an earthquake everything is moving so it is a weird sensation to hold onto something else that is also moving. For me, I've always found that to be the most unsettling characteristic while experiencing an earthquake (as I'm fortunate never to have lost anything valuable in one). I think that is how I see life in a way. Life keeps changing, with seemingly nothing stable to hold onto. Everything keeps moving all of the time and many times the instability of our lives can be unsettling or even scary. We never know when our "quakes" will stop and when the next one will come. Or maybe worse than an earthquake, we might have many parts of our lives change at the same time. This is life, for all of us, all of the time!

So, back to my park day... I think that park just suddenly seemed to symbolize something stable to hold onto in my life. Things get shaken up all of the time in my life, but how great it is to remember a place to visit that feels reliable and constant. Is there somewhere like that for you?

As your life changes, or is in a need of a transformation, maybe going somewhere that seems unchanged for a little while might be helpful to you. If you don't have such a place, you can always find one beginning now. It is important to visit there when you feel happiest, or when you need to feel at peace. Then when you need something stable in your life you can return there to help remind you of that best time... not necessarily to dwell on your past, but to be reminded that our world offers us both change and stability. Life will be what it will be, but you have the opportunity and choice to look at it with optimism. Maybe even more so, knowing that you have a stable place to go can help you proactively make some great transformations in other areas of your life. Seek stability during your changes... then courageously go for everything else!

Although the look of this month's newsletter might look similar to the previous ones, I would like to share some of the transformations that I am personally making, as well as with For Your Journey.

First, me, of course! Some of you may know a bit about how my journey brought me to create FYJ. It was a series of transitions that ultimately guided me to the realization that I needed to create this place. None of it was obvious to my background. My plans were to grow up, get married, have kids, and work at a desk with a computer for the rest of my life. That was actually my dream, not FYJ! Somewhere through the journey though, I needed to be more of a contribution to society, and all of my twists and turns were actually the perfect training to get here. That is what I relied on, and believe it or not I didn't have much fear about it.

Since opening FYJ, my lessons continued hard and fast, and for the most part I actually learned how to enjoy their presence. As I work through them, I now know there is great joy and freedom on the other side.

Lately though, some fear showed up. I still feel guided to do more, but really, how much is required? Lots more I believe! This is what led me to the slow transformation that you might now be noticing with FYJ. I will now be sharing more of what I've learned through teaching, I will dedicate more to wellbeing through co-leading the retreats, and I will contribute more to caregivers.

I've learned so many valuable things, and now it's time to share more of them with you. This again was not my plan, but it is something that excites me, as well as scares me a little.

Your courage to work on your own journey will be the best appreciation you could give me now. Let's just all decide to learn together. For Your Journey Inspirational Center was an intention that manifested into reality for all of us. This newsletter doesn't appear to be from a "store" because FYJ is not simply a store. Hopefully, we give you something more important than that. If not, please let us know what you need!

"Do not go where the path may lead, go ahead where there is no path and leave a trail." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

On one of my latest jaunts to the beach, I spent time walking on the shore not thinking much about anything other than how much I just love being there. On this particular day there weren't very many people. It's kind of fun to people-watch, but it can take me out of my own inner thoughts when I'm wondering what others are doing. So this day it was really nice to feel as though I had the coast all to myself.
As usual I began taking pictures of the beach, the water, the birds, and probably anything that seemed interesting that day. Taking pictures is a hobby of mine, and while I don't claim to be very good at it, reviewing the pictures later seems to just take me back to that moment when I felt so much at peace. Sometimes I review all of my beach pictures and wonder why I even take any more because they all look so similar. I once heard a defining characteristic about my astrological sign, Cancer. It said that Cancerians like to take pictures because they like looking to their past. I must admit, although I try hard not to, looking back is one of my own challenging characteristics.

So I guess it's accurate for me because this one day a realization hit me very strong. I was walking, taking pictures, walking, taking pictures. I just click away, and at one moment I turned behind me to take a picture of my footprints. This was something I've done before so it wasn't unusual. This time, though, it hit me like a ton of bricks! My footprints were about to be washed away by the waves. They were going to be gone in a moment, after I had just made them. Then, because it was just MY day at the beach, I turned back around to face forward to walk again, and... there were absolutely no footprints in front of me! No one had walked before me, and I had not been there either. The space was clear and I knew that it was possible to make any new footprints that I wanted to make.

That was a beautiful moment for me. How many times do we make decisions in life because we think we know what the outcome will be? Or on the other hand, how many times don't we make decisions for our own enriched life because we're afraid that we don't know what the outcome will be? Either way, there really are no footprints there. We can never know the outcome. All we can do is make new footprints in our lives at every moment. And with that, we are all already empowered at every moment to make the life we really want to have.

My close friends know that not long ago I didn't believe that absolutely ANYTHING was possible. I believed that there were certain things that just weren't available for me to have in my life. Since then, my own inner work and continuous life lessons proved to me that I was wrong. Anything is possible for anyone. This day at the beach just showed it to me again in a different way. I don't just believe that I can make any footprints I want, I know I can. And I know you can make any footprints you want as well, because you walk the beach with me when I discover these things... the waves wash away our past footprints in a moment and the future ahead is clear so that we can create any life that we want.

"We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason
for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way." ~Gloria Gaither

The New Year is my favorite time. I love looking forward to the upcoming year and thinking about all of the possibilities. It's a time where I usually have lots of energy and am excited to get going on my new year's intentions.

This year though, for some reason, I got an extremely slow start out of the gate. I was tired and really didn't feel like doing much. Fortunately though, as you probably know, when I need some energy I get to go to the beach. (I'll stop apologizing for writing about it every month, as I guess it is just my thing.) Anyway, a couple of weeks ago when I decided to go again I got a late start, and it was only a short time before sunset. In addition, it was raining so it really didn't seem like an ideal day to go. However, I was determined to see my ocean that day. As soon as I got there, I parked and rushed to begin walking the beach. I had the feeling as though I was looking for something in particular. It felt as though I was seeking a sign of some sort--something that would tell me why I was there and what I needed to understand in order to move forward in this unusually slow start to my new year. Then, just as I realized that I was looking for something, I looked up over my shoulder and saw a rainbow in the clouds. It was very faint, but I immediately knew it was my "sign". The rain had stopped for a moment but it was quickly coming back, so although I worried that my camera wouldn't pick up the rainbow, I took a shot before I headed back to my car.

While sitting in my car I contemplated the meaning of that rainbow for me that day. I thought about how rainbows signify hope, as can be interpreted from the stories such as the lucky pot-of-gold or God's promise to Noah that the rain would stop. Admittedly, I often feel sorry for myself. I get overwhelmed in my life at times, and find it hard to think of reasons why I should keep going during my "cloudy" days. But with the rain beating down on my windshield that New Year day at the beach, I suddenly felt hope overcome the overwhelm in me. I realized that I have so much to do in this world while I am here. I consciously made a decision to create a career for myself where I can make a difference and that simple reminder gave me the jump start that I had needed so much up to that day.

I so look forward to spending more time with all of you this upcoming year. My New Year intention includes working and playing full-out this year. There is so much to do to create our world full of love, happiness and peace, but I do have hope that if we all work together we can create something so much greater. I am committed and would like to encourage you to help me make this happen. Then, if we get a little overwhelmed during our cloudy days we can just help each other look for the rainbows along the way!

Personal Growth, Mind Body Spirit, Community, Creativity - San Jose, Santa Clara, Campbell, Cupertino - For Your Journey