follow your bliss

LIFE is beautiful, magical, dramatic, wonderful, whimsical, exhilarating, offensive, inspiring, challenging, ominous, motivating, intoxicating, tyrannical, overwhelming, exhilarating all at once and all rolled into one. 

We're tiny ants in this great big world, scattering aimlessly or with direction getting by each day in our own way. We co-exist with others or live a castaway life of solitaire. What we have is choice to create who we are, choice of what we say, how we act and react, how we play this game of life. What works for you may not work for me, and that's OK. 
Be who you want to be and let others free to choose their path. We intersect into each others lives for a reason, no meeting great or small happens by fault. It can be a passing look of poverty in the eyes of a child begging, a captivating glance of a stranger passing by, a conversation, relationship, incident that touches you or an accident that collides worlds. 

Every exchange requited or not is an exchange of energy. We give and we receive. Even if the lesson is not clear at the time, like vintage it may take years to appreciate it's true character. If we believe everything in life happens for a reason, the highs and lows won't feel so dramatic. If we believe the universe always provides what we need at the time we would never feel poor or unjust.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. 
Destiny can be created but it's up to us to manifest. Control your own destiny or someone else will. Follow your bliss and you'll always end happy. Stay true to your inner voice and it will lead you to the right place. 

It may take time, pain and grand effort but the rewards are worth more than gold. 
Happiness is the ultimate life. 
Choose happiness over sadness, over depression, over loneliness, over neediness and you may just find yourself content. Whatever life works for you take it. If you enjoy working 24/7 then work, if you want to lay under palm trees all day choose a lifestyle to accommodate that. But don't judge others or try to change people. 

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

It's surprising how many people can go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others.

"Only a person deeply unhappy within their self would go out of their way to hurt somebody else, and how a person makes you feel in life is often a reflection of how they feel inside" ~ Themis Eagleson

A calm, natural influence over an aggressive, dominating approach will do wonders in effect and takes less energy than trying to change circumstances or behaviors beyond your control. 

"Tao is like water, flexible, yielding, but relentless. Mysteriously it's essence is fluid like water. And like a stream of water if an obstacle impedes Tao's progress it goes around it. Whether we conceive of Tao in terms of events, people, nature, action or non-action, Tao continues to flow unceasingly, coursing like a river toward an unknown destiny." - Tao 

I currently live in a small town of drugs, booze, binges and hook ups. It's known as one of the biggest party towns in Central America, big statement. There's so much 'noise' that if you tuned in all the time you'd end up raving mad or in rehab. I'll have my fun when I want it and i'll take as much as i want, but my health is wealth and balance comes from being with myself every day. I'll jump in when I want and step out when I need. 
Call it selfish, unsocial, boring, but the best part is not listening to other people. 
I live on my own terms. Yoga, meditation and lifestyle are key to my happiness. India showed me and now I'm living it. 

I don't impede on how others want to live their lives, it's your cup of tea just not my flavor. 

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I'm still learning to practice what I preach, be non-judgemental and attain non attachment to any thing, person or place. 

“In love, no one can harm anyone else; we are each of us responsible for our own feelings and cannot blame someone else for what we feel. It hurt when I lost each of the various people I fell in love with. Now, though, I am convinced that no one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it.”

― Paulo Coelho

Travel and living in other countries teaches valuable life lessons, exposes you to other cultures and ways of life that open you up and make you more whole. Small minded people stem from lack of education or worldly experience, sophistication and appreciation. It's not their fault, some people are born into this life dealt a rough hand, but these people are also in life to teach others to be more compassionate, more giving and more appreciative of what we have. I've been fortunate in my travels to experience both sides of the coin to an extent. 
To live like the rich and the poor in one lifetime is the greatest humbling experience one can have.  

‎"A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble." ~Charles H. Spurgeon