What’s your Soul’s Reflection?
February 22, 2010 | Filed Under Challenge, Consider this, Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, monday motivation | 1 Comment
by Jessica Mann
I just thought about the concept, what if there were no mirrors? No reflections. No cameras to take pictures.
If we walked around, never knowing how we “looked,” would there be such an emphasis on the physical? On the material?
Would we be more inclined to work on enhancing our inner selves versus our outer shells?
Would how a person looks even matter, or would that concept be so trivial and unevolved? In this time, this reality of ours, as a collective, we spend most of our time –days and nights– focusing on enhancing everything on the outside, and barely any significant time on what’s inside…that which, from a universal perspective, in an ethereal sense, is what really has any relevance.
Happiness and self-love
February 17, 2010 | Filed Under Consider this, Health, Moment of Truth, Pay attention | 1 Comment
Last week, I served as a facilitator for an all-girl middle school retreat and presented a workshop on joy. It was such an awesome experience that really lightened my heart. I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
Considering my audience, I decided to create a workshop on happiness. Middle school was one of the most hellish phases of my life, with far-reaching ramifications that extended far beyond the secondary education phase. Well, it turns out middle school just might be hellish for a lot of folks. I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned with them in hopes of it being impactful, sticking, and prevent some of the self-esteem battering so many of us experience at that age.
Middle schoolers aren’t the only ones struggling to be happy, though, so I figured I’d post something about it.
What My World Sounds Like: Unplugged
February 9, 2010 | Filed Under Inspiring, Listen, Moment of Truth, What My World Sounds Like | Leave a Comment
The evening of March 10, 2002 was a glorious one. Despite this fact, I wouldn’t remember anything that happened that day had it not been for MTV airing Lauryn Hill’s Unplugged No. 2.0 that night.
I remember being completely engrossed, and when I watched it the next day, that excitement and wonder was still there. This work was a piece of underrated genius. There was so much raw honesty, truth and intensity. It’s a light in the darkness.
Lauryn encourages listeners to free their minds, see beyond the illusions, and heal. It’s hard to listen and not self-reflect: how free am I? how much do I truly see? how honest am I? what am i scared of? does my walk reflect my talk? how much of myself have I compromised? what have I compromised?
Enjoy life!
January 25, 2010 | Filed Under Moment of Truth, What My World Sounds Like | 3 Comments
Enjoy life. Every minute of it. Parts of the journey will be tough, but they will just be a part. Parts will be lonely, but those moments are just stretches in time.
There are ups and downs and both are necessary to develop us into the people we are to become; we’re all works in progress. So many of us are so so fearful of the imminent challenges, so we don’t live, but trust yourself. Trust your body, trust your instincts. Pay attention to yourself. Pay attention to your body. Know who you are, how you feel, how you react to certain situations…you can’t change anything in life until you recognize what’s what.
These were my thoughts this morning. Now’s the time to be great. There are times when I slack on my mission, but I’m getting better about staying focused.
Today’s my born day, and although I should do it every day, I really like to think about the people who enrich my life. That said, I’d like to thank all my readers. I appreciate you taking the time to share my world a little and reading my thoughts. Means a lot to me.
Here are a few selections from AFTA-1’s Love Is Real, Vol. 4 compilation I’m enjoying on this fine day.
New neural pathways = new ways of experiencing life?
January 23, 2010 | Filed Under Consider this, Do your research!, Health, Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Plain cool, Watch this | Leave a Comment
The concept of neuroplasticity was introduced to me a few years ago while watching What the Bleep Do We Know!? and has been popping up in my world recently. It’s quite fascinating and explains why change can be difficult, but very possible. Understand your biology and be inspired.
Mastering love
January 22, 2010 | Filed Under Challenge, Consider this, Moment of Truth | 1 Comment
I’ve spent the last few months contemplating love, dysfunction and the relationship between the two. Does the absence of love breed dysfunction? That question leads to several other questions, such as “what is love?” It’s an age-old question that I’m not equipped to answer with absolute certainty at this point (maybe another post), but I know that the two don’t comfortably co-exist, and yet so many operate in a constant state of dysfunction but try to invite love in and see no positive results. It’s both amazing and amazingly sad.
After a failed romantic endeavor, I spent months beating myself up about my ineptitudes, which–aha!–didn’t improve anything. Once I got over myself and was able to sift through all the many lessons, I found this:
- How you love yourself is how you’ll love others.
- Being able to love others only truly happens when you love yourself.
- You learn love from your parents.
- You also learn dysfunction from your parents.
- At some point, you’ll have to sort out your mess from your parents mess and make new agreements with yourself about what you believe to be true.
Someone needs you
January 5, 2010 | Filed Under Consider this, Moment of Truth, Pay attention | 3 Comments
In my family is a very attractive young man with a generally ugly disposition. He’s been like this for years. No one really tried to find out why; we matched his attitude with more attitude. Maybe it’s pre-teen and teenage angst. Who can say? Honestly, I don’t think anyone cared what was bothering him; we just wanted him to be more pleasant. Sadly, I was amongst that group until a little over a week ago.
An explosive event triggered something I’d let slip away from me: those who are hardest to love usually need it most.
“Nothing is for Nothing”
December 27, 2009 | Filed Under Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Watch this | 2 Comments
Jill Scott – “Nothing is for Nothing”
There’s purpose in every bit of the journey. You just have to find it. Facing the pain of the past can be quite a challenge, one that I’m handling right now. Yet I face this pain courageously, knowing that once I’m past it, I’m past it. A firm believer in ‘everything happens for a reason’, my days are filled with creating meaning. Why did this happen? What was this person’s thought process? How can I use this experience to help myself or others?
“Heal the Kids”
December 17, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this, Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Read this, Rewritable words | 3 Comments
By Michael Jackson
On March 21, 2001, Michael Jackson went to Oxford University to promote the Heal the Kids initiative and introduce his Children’s Universal Bill of Rights. In light of all the healing that needs to happen in the world, I found this speech appropriate. For those in the process of planning or currently undertaking parenthood, this speech provides some great food for thought about how to interact with your children. However, as it really does take a village to raise a child, being a parent isn’t a prerequisite to understanding the importance of the ideas discussed here.
Thank you, thank you dear friends, from the bottom of my heart, for such a loving and spirited welcome, and thank you, Mr President, for your kind invitation to me which I am so honoured to accept. I also want to express a special thanks to you Shmuley, who for 11 years served as Rabbi here at Oxford. You and I have been working so hard to form Heal the Kids, as well as writing our book about childlike qualities, and in all of our efforts you have been such a supportive and loving friend. And I would also like to thank Toba Friedman, our director of operations at Heal the Kids, who is returning tonight to the alma mater where she served as a Marshall scholar, as well as Marilyn Piels, another central member of our Heal the Kids team.
I am humbled to be lecturing in a place that has previously been filled by such notable figures as Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein, Ronald Reagan, Robert Kennedy and Malcolm X. I’ve even heard that Kermit the Frog has made an appearance here, and I’ve always felt a kinship with Kermit’s message that it’s not easy being green. I’m sure he didn’t find it any easier being up here than I do!
In repair.
December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this, Moment of Truth, What My World Sounds Like | Leave a Comment
Hurt, concealing and dealing. Just barely. In conversations about the true nature of humans, I always mention how hurt–and yet to be healed–people are. Hurt people hurt people. It’s really simple, but recovering from the mix of all that suffering isn’t, apparently.
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