dIvE iN . . .

"When in deep water, 

become a diver."

~Ralph H. Blum~

Have you ever started something, and you really didn't exactly know what they heck you were doing or where you were going? But you knew it was the right thing to do, anyway?

(FOR EXAMPLE: THIS BLOG? YIKES!!!!! 

DOUBLE YIKES? WHAT AM I DOING, ANYWAY?)

It's not so easy to continue on a path when you're not sure where you are headed. 

It takes 

courage, 

and it takes

  faith

 (which is the subject of this blog).

Sometimes we have nO iDeA what we are doing, but in our hearts it's the right thing and we can feel it! Has this ever happened to you?...It's kind of like listening to your gut, which I didn't do when I first named this blog (sEe YesTerdAy's PoSt...)

We just need to tell our inner mean voice: 

"stop bugging me!!!!!!!!!"

about why I 

can't or shouldn't 

______________ (fill in the blank).

AND,

stop listening to kids and other stuff (like the media!) that could discourage us.

Yep!#%?  I know that's tough stuff when your a kid or a teenager, and guess what? It's also tough for grown ups!

 Living from the 

IN:SIDE OUT and not the OUT:SIDE IN 

takes courage and faith.

I was watching a video from the OWN network (yeah, that's Oprah!) where she interviewed Ram Dass who is a very well-known spiritual leader. She asked him about the difference between faith and belief. He basically said that belief is up in your head (remember my first blog about listening to our thoughts? ...WATCH OUT! they might not be true!); he also said that

faith, 

on the other hand, 

comes from your heart.

Hmmmnnnnnn.

What do you want to listen to: your head? your heart?

Maybe they can actually have a conversation! Imagine that!

I don't know about you, but I have spent a lot of my life up in my head thinking...and not always trusting my heart (aka feelings). My head sometimes talks me out of listening to my heart, and I am sick of it! I am learning how to tell my head to 

ZIP IT!

As Carl Jung once wrote: 

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart … 

Who looks outside, dreams. 

Who looks inside, awakens.”

PICTURE THIS...it's a super sweaty day... and you are dying of heat!
Would you rather stand on the end of the dock for hours thinking about the whether you should jump in? Or, would you rather just jump in and get your butt into the cool water?

Just sayin'  ;) DiVe In!

Lots of LoVe,

Dana

riSk-TakEs (not mIs-TaKes!)

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart … 

Who looks outside, dreams. 

Who looks inside, awakens.”

Carl Jung

heY tHeRe--

So, kind of like listening to your gut (or not!), have you ever wanted to do something, but you were too afraid? Sometimes we have nO iDeA what we are doing, but in our hearts it's the right thing and we can feel it! Has this ever happened to you?...

When we know what is true and right for us, 

we just have to say,  

WhatTheHe(L)ck!
and go with it, 
taking the path we know is aligned with our heart.

To repeat my words from an earlier blog:

It's not so easy to continue on a path 

when you're not sure where you are headed. 

It takes 

courage, 

and it takes

  faith.

Incoming Go(o)d news:

The You-niverse has your back.

. . . which basically means, that when we listen to our inner GPS(elf) we cannot go wrong. KnOw Why? Cuz the You-niverse might be planning something even MoRe AmAziNg and deLigHtFul than we could have imagined! (whew! relief ... three deep belly breaths here ... breathe ... breathe ... breathe ... ). That also means something else even mOrE aMaZiNG, which is:

We are safe to follow our hearts and guts . . . and we are safe to take risks. Risk-takes cannot be mis-takes, they can only help us learn and grow!

What about the difference between faith and belief? Ram Dass (remember his interview with OPRAH? click on his name to check it out) basically said that belief is up in your head he also said that

faith, 

on the other hand, 

comes from your heart.

Hmmmnnnnnn.

Do you want to listen to your head or your heart?

I don't know about you, but I would like to learn to trust my beautiful heart (and gut). 

Here's a yUmMY  heart chakra meditation (4th chakra) to try! enJoY!

Peace out and LoTs of hEARt LoVE,

Dana

i heArT U!

"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works;

if from the head, almost nothing." 

- Marc Chagall

gOOd moRning aLL!

You probably already know if you follow my blog that sometimes I get very stuck up in my head (like, as in the night before the first day of school when I couldn't  sleep!). 

One of my bffs has told me over and over: "Don't overthink it." In other words, I should stop thinking so much and follow my gut and my heart.

Which makes me wonder why I tend to overthink so much and why I get stuck up in my brain so often.

Didn't I ever really learn to trust my heart and my gut? I mean, I get that it's really never too late to learn, but jeeeesh! 

Some things, I suppose, take a lifetime of practice . . . and, at least I realize that I do this now. A few years ago, I was usually trapped in my head and I didn't even realize I was a prisoner of my own thoughts sometimes. I guess that's progress, huh?

Meditation really helps me calm my thoughts and focus on my breath--which can almost always bring me back to the PRESENT MOMENT,-- out of my worries about the future and yucky instant replays of my past.

Eckhart Tolle wrote an amazing book called The Power of Now that I listen to on my iPod. He basically tells us that we are not our thoughts and we are not our mind--we are so much greater. And he gives strategies for freeing ourselves of our negative beliefs and thought patterns. And what we need to do is stand beside out thoughts and observe them (without judgement), and not necessarily believe them . . . but just notice them, and then let them go. Kind of like sitting on the side of a river watching the current of the water flow by. Ahhhhhh . . . I feel calmer already! 

Here is a super juicy heart chakra meditation to try. It's only a few minutes--and the benefits are amazing!

I totally know that my most important journey these days is finding the path from my head to my heart. Maybe I will introduce them to each other and we can all have a lovely chat!

I hEaRt U, yO!

Dana bo bayna

LoVe iT aLL!

OMG! I hEaRt this!

(almost typed fart! of course...)

Love, inappropriate me

heY aLL!

You know I have been doing the 21-day Chopra Center meditation--all about love and living from your heart. Well, I have to secretly tell you that I have been living in my head most of my life. And, guess what? My head lies to me daily! With . . .

• worry about the future!
• making up crap about what others are thinking!
• beating me up about my past!
• saying I'm not good enough (skinny enough, pretty enough, successful enough, cool enough, organized enough, smart enough . . .)

BLAH 

                   BLAH

                                       BLAH . . . .

which leads me to my heart (notice red color on purpose . . . )

My heart knows the truth. 

My heart forgives (others and me).

My heart is grateful.

My heart knows everything true.

My heart knows how to love everything and everyone (even if their behavior sucks . . .)!

I have been challenged lately, to "ChOOSe LoVe."

How do u choOse LoVe?
Let me know!

I cHooSe to LovE it ALL & yOU?!
Seriously!
;0) dana