Mindfulness

I suppose today I just want to reflect on a couple of quotes that caught my eye over the last few days. "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller.   I find this to be incredibly true. Though, I have to admit, maintaining optimism is incredibly hard even for someone like myself who is prone to it. Sometimes the things you experience in life gets you down and you lose faith for awhile. Without that sense that things can be fixed, things can better, and that ultimately everything will be okay progress in your life becomes stunted. If something is getting in the way of reaching that hope or shattering your confidence then you have the right to remove yourself from it. It might be a friendship, a job, or an extra responsibility, whatever it is, you have a right to choose healthy circumstances. "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." - Charles R. Swindell  Actions and...

Henry David Thoreau is one of my favorite people in terms of his writing and how he approaches life. He would definitely be considered a humanist. One of his quotes came to mind when talking to one of my students. "Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around." - Henry David Thoreau   It is hard to be who you are and to live in accordance with your own beliefs. People who pretend that its not hard, in my opinion, do not check in with themselves in an honest way. I mean if we have strong values and beliefs we have to live them whether they give us glory, give us credit, and sometimes you start thinking that the people who do not hold themselves to the same standard get more. We might become jealous, tired, angry, and due to being human we will have bad days. This is why it is important we self-assess through honest reflection, we forgive ourselves, and then we try to correct our mistakes. It is through this that allows us to be good role models for others which can ...

I have been thinking a lot about the idea of opportunity cost lately. Obviously this is a term often used in economics, politics, and business. The idea that when you make a decision it might take from other areas that might have been fruitful. This is why in the realms of economics and government it is important to take the time to make sure that whatever course you take gains more than it will lose. Truth be told this thinking should also be applied to our own lives as well. Every decision we make, every extra task we take on, and every move we make as benefits and costs. The goal to living a good life is that you should alway have more positives than costs. If I take on an extra job, the opportunity cost could be time taken away doing things that I love or time to sleep. It might add on more stress or negative attention. To truly make sure you are doing things in your life intentionally and healthily you should always look into not only the good it does the world, but also what i...

I am doing a 52 Lists in 52 Weeks Challenge. The first list was to generate a playlist of 20 mood boosting songs. I came up with the first 20 songs that I could think of, so this is definitely not the ultimate list, I'm sure I will edit and add as I go. Figured I would share it in case anyone wants to add them to their mood boosting playlists or create their own. I started to listen to it in the mornings and it definitely works especially when the Beastie Boys come on. Mood-Boosting Play list Rachel Platten - Fight Song   One Republic - Marching On  Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn  One Republic - Good Life  Steve Earle - Galway Girl  Ed Sheeran - Nancy Mulligan  Journey - Don't Stop Believing  Matt Nathanson - Modern Love  The National - All the Wine  Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl Alicia Keys - Girl On Fire  The Script - Hall of Fame  Michael Franti & Spearhead - Hey, Hey, Hey  Christina Perri...

The News and the challenges of life can often make you feel like people are awful, life is hard, and everything is out to get you. I mean turn on the news for ten minutes and you will constantly be reminded by the worst of humanity. Mass murder, terrorism, bad leadership, greed, petty drama, and people losing everything to a natural disaster. We never shed enough light on the good side of life. Something the News should do, because even though drama might be entertaining it leaves our society feeling paranoid and hopeless. Even the last week, I personally been feeling like luck is not with me at the moment. I fell and cut myself pretty badly. All the projects I set out to do this week had something go wrong whether it was something was lost or I didn't have enough materials to get things done. Or last night when my plumbing went haywire. Or this morning when my blood sugar went low and I almost passed out at the gym. I could look at all this and just think the world is out to g...

This morning I was laying in my bed warring with myself about the current wall in my head that is keeping me from getting up and exercising. I honestly think it is stemming from stress and worry about what is happening in the North Bay. My thoughts are with my family, extended family, and the friends that I have in that area. Fires are such a dynamic phenomenon and it is usually started by stupid humans doing stupid things. A slight direction in the wind can either save or hurt air quality, or save or hurt someone's house. Crazy to think about. The other thought that entered my mind was the idea that risks = growth. There are three risks in my life that I took and I will never regret them, because they are the reasons I grew to be the person I am. 1. Deciding to go to community college in San Mateo. As a high school student you get a lot of advice. Some of it good and some of it superficial. I was told to go to a four year university. So as a compromise to those who were giving...

On the days that you feel exhausted those are the days that you must find time to thin about the good in your life. The things that matter most to you. I find when I don't do that I start to feel burned out and then rudderless to get back on course. Right now, routines are out the window and I am having a hard time getting back into it. Partly because I injured myself and partly because I just have a lot on my mind. In the hopes of getting back into it and finding my intention once more I will think about the things that matter most to me.  - Family  - Friends  - Community service  - Learning  - Dialogue  - Health  - Home  - Exploration  - Humor    - Reset  These were the words that first came to my mind. What is important to you? Write down ten words, ideas, people, or anything else that comes to mind for what is important to your life and your happiness.  Remind yourself why you do what you d...

This weekend I did something that I really have not done in a long time. I took pause. I took some time to myself. Visited a friend and did relaxing things such as a spa day, watching movies, and just lounging around. I put my phone to the side only checking on it at night before bed. Sometimes we get so caught up in social media, the news, and various other daily tasks that we forget to disconnect. It felt good to disconnect and to take a moment for myself. Feed your soul. Be mindful of what you need. Don't be afraid to take it. #LivingIntentionally 

"The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation." A. P. J. Abdul Kalam  Motivation is such an interesting concept especially when it comes to teaching. Usually with the kids that seem unmotivated in my class, I try my best to ask them questions in order for them to find their purpose. Why? Because if you have purpose then usually action follows. If you are motivated then you can handle the challenges and the failures. There is an invisible drive inside you that propels you forward.  Also, motivated people can lose it in times of high stress. October is a notorious month for teacher burn out. Many of us are feeling it. So I find myself asking myself this question--what is most important to you? My answer: - Family - Friends - Health - Travel - Balance - Connection - Positivity - Growth (students and myself) I am in a strange place this year. The last couple of years I have focused only on completing school and my career. I find myself this year real...

I woke up this morning with a plan to get back to my normal blogging after taking a break yesterday. However, the point of a blog is not necessarily to be planned. It is instead suppose to be your outlet for whatever you are feeling that moment or that day. So today, I just felt like saying one thing. I love you. Many times in moments of tragedy we will see celebrities, politicians, and even some people on Facebook post words of sorrow. A moment of sadness for a symptom of a more systematic problem that will continue to happen until we stop feeling sorrow and start feeling love. Tomorrow, celebrities will talk shit about one another once more. Politicians will continue to bicker and fight each other in non-compromising ways. Extremist-Christian religions will seek certain groups they wish to blame. Then we will meet back here again in another three months when something else happens. I have seen it since Columbine. We get into the same cycles and yet never seem to actually wo...