Erich Fromm, psychologist, said: “Vitality itself is the result of vision. If there is no longer a vision of something great, beautiful, or important, then our vitality and stamina diminish.”

This quote shows us how important it is to have a clear goal in anything we do, so we feel alive and engaged. By having a clear goal we have made a conscious decision on the course to take.

When setting a goal, it is important to be very specific, down to details, not just general and vague ideas. With the specificities we can also make sure we set measurable and attainable goals, which can be accomplished in a timely manner.  Lets take time to think through this process of setting goals. When we have realistic and meaningful goals, connected to who we are, framed with positive language, our chances to succeed are much higher. And let us remember to keep it simple, and keep ourselves out of the way. Let us not have our fears and preconceived, often false thoughts, get in our way to vitality, beauty, and fulfillment.

I wish you all much success for 2015!

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh.

Sometimes we find ourselves just going through the motions of life. Ideally we would take the time to reconnect and get involved with full attention to what we are doing. Can we rescue the ability to be fully engaged, striving for balance of how much we should do?

Connection brings a sense of well-being and fulfillment, but it is hard to find connection when we are overwhelmed. December is a month that brings lots of busyness in our lives, and often we catch ourselves doing and living in mechanical ways. In our activities and experiences we should try to be aware, to pay attention and to be involved. If it has been hard for us to pay attention, perhaps we are doing or experiencing too much. The amount of activities or experiences needs to fit the amount of ability we can have for paying attention. Despite the difficulty, that is the balance we must make great efforts to achieve. It is a process of consciousness.

I hope we find ways to make this holiday a season of connection, involvement, presence and balance. May we all find the inner light to shine on our own path of connection and awareness.

Happy Holidays!

“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” -Lao Tzu

The month of November brings in the United States the festivities of Thanksgiving. It is a good reminder for us to be grateful. We carry the potential for gratitude, but it is not inherent in us; it is a thought, and a behavior, we need to cultivate. We can create gratitude on a daily basis.

It has been studied, and scientifically shown, that being grateful has a positive impact on our well-being. Positive psychology studies have shown how gratitude can shift moods, relationships and outlooks in life. Cultivating gratitude can increase levels of energy, empathy and optimism.

Although many of us have been given this piece of advice before, we forget to practice gratitude. Lets remember that practice means to repeat in order to acquire a skill, and not the expectation to already have the skill.

We can begin by being grateful for our own existence. We are complete, nothing is missing, and there are immense possibilities for our further advancements. Being kind and gentle to our own self and our journey is a great start into our practice of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.”
– A Welsh proverb

Walk around your thoughts, feelings and dreams and carefully explore what they are about. Pay attention to the trees of your thoughts, feelings, and dreams that are the core of your being. What do these trees need? Give them space without weeds, with exposure to sun and light, give them better soil and some food to strength the roots, and observe what happens. Be patient and watch how slowly these trees of your thoughts, feelings and dreams, once nurtured, will grow and develop with more purpose and direction. Then, and only then, can you enjoy and share the fruits of your orchard of life!

I think everyone has a “hidden orchard of potential”. In order for us to uncover and spread this orchard of potential, it is necessary that we take time and energy to uncover our true selves. What are the trees planted in our orchard back when we were small and dreaming about the future? What are the fruits/dreams that our trees carry? Why did we abandon some parts of our orchard? Questions like these are full of hidden treasures, because they lead us to the fundamentals of our being. It is in these fundamentals that we can uncover the hidden orchard that can offer the most beautiful fruits of our being.
We have many roles in our lives, being parents, children, partners, professionals…, but beyond these roles is what makes us unique, our dreams are what makes us unique. Our uniqueness usually is attached to something we can share with the world. The gift of our dreams is often hidden in our orchard and sometimes, for some reason, this orchard got forgotten or shamed. Discover what has happen to your orchard, because once you have found your core hidden trees and have nurtured them, strength comes to you, and you can then share the many fruits!

Happy Fall!

“Our lives depend on our sensitivity to the particulars…The call is to pay attention, to wake up to where we are, to what is before and all around us, here, now.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Lets take the opportunity of the fall season, and get to know who we are, paying attention to the particulars of our nature.

I feel fall approaching, bringing darker days, but also bringing the chance for us to go to the core of ourselves. Let’s use this season to grow inward, so when spring comes we will have a clear picture of our disposition, and a clear direction to grow outward and upward, to the sun, to the world.

Dante allegorically told us that in order to know where we are, we have to descend, go underground, into darkness and depth of our “hell”. Only then we can ascend to “heaven”. Many people perceive they live in hell, when they feel lost. The interesting fact is that the moment you realize you are lost, it means you are no longer lost. We are somewhere and from there you can start a journey. As long as we take the time to investigate our landscape and the direction we want to go, we will find our way, and only then we can move forward and upward.

From the well-tended seed come the strength, beauty and generosity to the world. In order to be generous with the gift of our lives, we need to get to know who we are and where we stand. So, lets take this time to go to our own depth, without being fearful. From darkness comes light.

Poem: “Lost,” by David Wagoner from Collected Poems 1956-1976 © Indiana University Press.

Lost

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.