Glitz Defined.

Stowed away in a small town rumored to be a dark dank culture in itself, given nicknames that bestow nothing of pristine beauty.....I found a gem, a retreat that won my heart and yearn to revisit for years to come. A place where I can get away, breathe, find the quiet within my soul to purge the negative and submerge myself with vital positive energy. This quiet cove lies within our backyard, hidden and treasured by those who have been introduced to it. It's breathtaking trails, namesake waterfalls and peaceful pools of water lie in Philmont, NY, High Falls Land Conservancy of Columbia County. Like the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. This town may have its faults, but underneath its rogue outward appearance,  lays a majestic inner beauty. It's much like the human race. 

With life happening at such a rapid pace, mostly good along with the handful of stress, I am drawn to nature to find peace, channeling positive energy. I have been practicing breathing through difficult times, as well as simple mantras I can fall back on when I feel off center (...mind over matter...). I am a strong believer in finding that calm within ourselves when we feel our world isn't grounded. As a child, I  always believed in a higher transcendent. Growing up Christian, those beliefs have laced with what I now believe and practice. I am constantly searching for knowledge regarding finding ones true self and peace with who we are. Along with research, surrounding myself with those who  are driven with the same goals and outlooks helps to keep me focused.

I  believe that we have the capability to call on good energy, rebuke the bad and heal ourselves by touch and surrounding ourselves with those who reflect the same outlook on life. I am still in the process of understanding energies and how to channel them, but I feel that we must be careful when choosing who to work with as our guide. Making sure your teacher is of good heart, has strong knowledge on the topic and that you are both on the same page as to what your beliefs are is a must when it comes to searching for a guru. A great book to read regarding this is The Essence of Reiki 1, written by Gary Malone. I cannot put this book down, it is so well written for those just beginning their journey. I highly recommend!

In a world of pressure to be a certain way, we lose ourselves, the goal or mission that we as human beings are marked with the day we are born. Why am I here on earth? What is my purpose? I think most of us struggle with this question. A captivating read on this topic is Yoga for Life: A Journey to Inner Peace and Freedom by Colleen Saidman Yee. I am hooked, as will you be :)

I truly feel that I have stumbled onto the right path in my life. I feel as though my birthright is to inspire, motivate, strike cords with those around me through writing. It's my vocation to embrace my need to inspire people, to harness my natural positivity to shine through others, to cause you to see the world in a different light. I would love to be the inspiration for you to go out and find YOU.. Embrace the difference you bring to this life, allow yourself to follow your intuition. Your soul knows best what your body and mind need. We just need to quiet the mind. We can come to love who we are, respect our soul and in turn to love others, even those who we come in conflict with. Instead of viewing negative situations as negative, we may be able to view them as lessons learned and handle them with love. Rather than accept the negative energy from the situation, we have channeled the positive. In my mind I envision placing my hand out, refusing the negative from my life. The best representation of placing a hand out to rebuke the bad is the Hamsa symbol:

{Pinterest}

For me, this is my glitz. Finding yourself, treasuring the simple things in life that spark an awakening, the drive towards happiness and the core of your being telling yourself that you are on the right life path. I am placing value on being human, coming to terms with making mistakes, claiming them and learning positive lessons. These are the jewels of life. It's the journey we have been blessed with. 

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The Best is Yet to Come

I love this phrase. I want to bask underneath it’s glow and soak up all the possibilities. Lately I have felt this ball of excitement within the core of my being, very similar to the feeling of falling in love. Is this how it feels to fall deeply in love with life? I have never experienced this feeling when it comes to choosing a career or an avenue of what might be.  I truly feel within my gut that the choice I made to become a blogger and journalist is THE missing puzzle piece to my life. And why or how come it took me so long to fall into this niche is beyond me, but I am welcoming this new path with arms wide open.

( A ritual that my sister Tina and I share, tea time inspirations. She is truly my kindred spirit. Keep those that inspire you to be your best around, nurture them as much as they nurture you. These relationships are like flowers, they need water and sunlight. They should be a forever investment. )

I am in my early 30’s. At times in my life I have felt like a drifter. I suppose you could call me a free-spirit of sorts. I have never been one to settle down and plant roots. I've lived a rather nomadic life, I wanted to experience life on a whim, no schedules or strict structures. Along the way, I have made some poor decisions. I have never been one of those people who knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life or what direction I  would take to  pave the road to success. I simply lived in the moment. But in saying this, I have learned a lot throughout my travels, trials and tribulations. My life planted roots once I met my husband and we created a family, which in itself was a major fulfillment since it brought to life the person I am today. But there is something that comes from being successful. So, I suppose this makes me a late bloomer as far as choosing a career goes. And you know what, it’s OKAY! I am going to stop judging myself and start accepting the person that I am. I have always been a sensitive soul, others opinions held me down in the past regarding the way I live my life. Respect what makes you different, what others might view as "flaws". Be sure to show the same respect when dealing with others. If we showed a little more respect, imagine the difference it would make! 

(Heck yeah! Please do.)

Break free of labels. Just be YOU. Don't try to change because people might view your lifestyle in a negative way. You are always going to have those that support you or those that are against you. Do not be afraid to try something because you feel it goes against the person you are. Be open to new experiences, because who knows, you might be introduced to a side of yourself that just needed to be awakened. Dive into who you are and what drives you. Getting to know the person you are can be a journey in itself and very exciting. Make choices that you alone have decided to make and aren't made under the influence of others, or what others push you to be. Only you alone know what is right for you.

(I stumbled on this amazing poem. It fits my sensitive personality. One of which I used to find as a flaw. I feel as we grow and become acquainted with who we are, we realize its these flaws that make us stand out among the rest. I am smitten with Victoria Erickson, her poetry has such depth!)

In conclusion, I urge you to FOLLOW your dreams and simply allow yourself to FLY! Age is just a number. And we have one life to live, no re-do's or reset button. Stop making excuses, do not allow fear or anxieties weigh your decisions. If it’s the right decision, you will know, because your gut will indelibly tell you and life will fall into place. Remember, everyone has their opinions, but the opinions that truly matter come from those that genuinely know the person you are and love you unconditionally. Just be the BEST you. For you and for those around you. Treat yourself with respect, the same respect you treat others with. Nurture your soul and love the person you reflect. There is no time like the present to start all of the above!

XO, Carla 

Focus, Darling

If you are anything like me, I want to accomplish SO much and just about everything under the sun inspires me to be something or go somewhere. Focusing is not my strong point. I find so many different topics in life interesting and find myself yearning to take on a vast number of projects. I drive myself crazy!

When it comes to life goals, such as a career, I believe having your head in the clouds (yes I admit to it,okay!) can cause pinpointing what avenue you'd like to take, daunting. I want to take ALL of the different avenues! I love an adventure, exploring is the root of my nature. But as I stated in a previous post, writing out what my focal interests are and revolve around,  have truly helped to put the blinders on and start to dwindle down the list of what I would love to do, to what I WILL do (because you have to have faith in yourself!).

 

 

(Have faith in yourself!!)

 

Another benefit of following through with yourself is that it leads to inspiring others around you! Today I was warmed right to the core to be on the receiving end of such an awesome compliment!!! My blog has inspired my sister-in-law to share with me her four aspirations she would like to succeed in. Like me, she is a lover of everything and motivated to take on the world! I loved that she shared her aspirations with me, all of them are absolutely wonderful ideas! But each goal needs time, water to grow and full attention. FOCUS. Thus I will use this vivacious gal as my prime example!

 

(Carrie on the left, myself on the right...this was a glorious day!!)

As the outsider, sometimes it's easier to give advice on the big picture. As long as I have known Carrie (my sister-in-law), she has always been driven to be healthy, motivate others around her to follow a fit and healthy lifestyle. That is her passion! She has a plethora of knowledge on the topic, as well as the aspirations to become a personal trainer. Of course I couldn't resist to cheer her exploration of aspiring this goal because it has always come naturally to her and she has a burning passion for it. But with all the other goals stacked on one another her focus was being spread too thin. She felt with so much to accomplish there really wasn't time to make it happen. Add into the equation a hectic life of a working mother....that alone can place anything on the back burner. But with a little encouragement to concentrate on just one goal, write down an outline of what she would like to portray and accomplish, including a proposed date of accomplishment (even if years from now) and square away at least one hour every night to work on this one tangible goal...it's totally doable!! I also encourage her to create her own business blog to kick start her vision, getting her name out there and creating a network AND the best part of that, IT'S FREE! ( I know she will ROCK this!)

Sometimes we need someone to fan our passions. I want to inspire, as well as be inspired. I have found that the rewards from following through with what drives you, has a way of counteracting. Who knew that my very own blog would cause me to be inspired! Its driving me to be much more adventurous within my own neighborhood, as well as other local towns. I am creating a list of places I want to explore and share. I have networked with others, been inspired with their knowledge as to where I want to go, what I envision for future topics and discussion. You know you are doing something right when it has a domino effect!!!

 

(my quiet time with my son, one of my favorite places, in his race car bed!)

Follow your heart. Take a moment to set aside some quiet time to reflect the person you are, what drives you, what knowledge you have on the topic. Ask yourself, "do I have a thirst for more knowledge on this particular goal?". You can rock it too! I know you can!!! And of course, please do share!!

XO