Sunday, November 15, 2009

Obsession for Possession

On October 17, Cafe Gratitude asked, "If money were no object, what would you be doing right now?" I have had time to think and here is what my mind managed to muster up:

Why is it that we live so much for money and a material existence? Many of us have become so defined by our possessions. Fancy cars. Designer bags. Couture clothing. We enter this world without a stitch of clothing and we leave the world in exactly the same way. The only thing we take with us is what's in our heart. A love for life; an appreciation for experience; compassion for others; a love for God. When we cease to exist, we can't take our Bentleys or our Louis Vuittons with us. The soul is the only company we keep. Live to be defined by your heart and soul, not by physical possessions.

Another thing on my mind, why do we also let our jobs define us and our status? Society has led us to believe that the more salary you bring in, the more successful you are. This is a load of bull. The way I see it, success is the achievement of your own personal goals. Success is acquiring happiness.
"Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals. Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease. And yet success, including the creation of wealth, has always been considered to be a process that requires hard work and it is often considered to be at the expense of others. We need a more spiritual approach to success and to affluence which is the abundant flow of all good things to you." --- Deepak Chopra
A doctor may be living in luxury but be alone and miserable with life. A janitor may be just managing to make ends meet but be surrounded by love, warmth, and support. In my eyes, the janitor is far more successful. My point is that jobs don't represent who we are. They merely represent a fraction of what we do. Who we are is reflected by our hearts. The love and appreciation we have for life. The gratitude we express towards others. Our passion for bliss. Don't judge based on occupation. A doctor holds no more cards and no higher ranking than a janitor. God loves all His children equally and does not judge. What makes us think we have the right to do so? Respect and love people for what is in their heart.

It seems I have managed to stray a tad bit from the main question. If money were no object, I would love to travel the world and photograph all the beautiful images waiting to be captured. God has spread His beauty over this vast earth and it is our duty to find and appreciate it. I am obsessed with beauty. I would love to do anything involving self-expression. Music. Art. Dance. Music is my addiction; it is what I turn to when I'm feeling a certain way. I've also had the desire to start a t-shirt company of some sort. How awesome would that be?!?!?! A trendy organic t-shirt that spreads messages of love and appreciation. There is a load of competition out there but it would still be a great adventure. And last, but certainly not least, I have a passion for giving back to society. So anything where I could give back to others would be wonderful. Of course, this can be accomplished with or without money.

This blog has just got me thinking...what am I doing with my own life? I'm headed into a field where my heart is not in it fully. I can't honestly say it is where I want to be 100%. It seems as if I have more to figure out but that's a whole other novel in itself. Until then....later!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Wake Up!

Today's QOTD from Cafe Gratitude challenges you to use your senses. Wake up to life and to the world. Observe all that is going on around you. Envision the world as a grateful one! I leave you with the questions to think about.

What miracle have you fallen asleep to?

What vision are you holding for the world?

Goodnight!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

True Love

It was about a month before my most recent birthday that I realized I was truly missing something in my life. It turns out that something was God. Constantly being surrounded by friends that have a real relationship with Him made me realize that is what I desire.

I had lived almost 22 years of a blessed life without ever really acknowledging the greatness of our Heavenly Father. How could I have been so blind? I selfishly accepted all the blessings but never gave Him anything in return. He sacrificed His world and His everything for my existence. He presented challenges and personal battles in order to make me a stronger person. He gave me His love and attention while I ignored Him. He never counted me out while I went against His will. I was never given up on even when I gave up on myself. His love and faith in me never died.

"Since my epiphany, I have been on a wholehearted journey to reach You. It has been amazing! I have enjoyed nothing more than letting You in my heart. All my trust, faith, and love I surrender completely. Each day I see the beauty that surrounds me and I fall even more in love with You. You represent true beauty and grace! This is just the start of an extraordinary journey and I look forward to continuing it with You by my side. I want to live with a good and open heart. I want to understand everything about You so that I can gratefully accept all that You send my way. You are who I live for and strive to please. 'Forever my heart will sing of how great You are.'"

I leave you, my lovely reader, with my favorite performance of a song conveniently titled "True Love." This journey to finding God has led me to stumble upon this very gifted Christian musician by the name of Phil Wickham. I have been hooked for the past couple months! If you are not familiar with him, I sincerely urge you to listen; however, he is not everyone's cup of tea because of the type of music he sings. Just listen with an open heart and mind and be transformed. His passion and emotion in this performance is breathtaking! Oh and a little plug for Phil..."Heaven and Earth" releases on Nov. 17. It is an INCREDIBLE and BEAUTIFUL album!



Okay...you convinced me...I'll leave you with one more video. Here is a painfully gorgeous song titled "Heaven's Song." It is just one of the many amazing songs off his newest album. Enjoy!



Love and Blessings!