Say no to Bull

Sunday morning blog time. Please sip something tasty and read my thoughts on this fine March morning.

I have recently had an “aha” moment that really spoke to me.

So often in life we tend to get stuck working the grind. Life can feel monotonous and can lose the spark of spontaneity. And that sense of repetition can be comforting for us. We can predict how we are going to feel throughout the day and know that there probably won’t be any big surprises. It’s playing safe and I love the quote:

“A ship is safe in the harbour, but that is not the purpose of a ship…”

Do you have gifts to give others? Yes. Do you have talents? Yes. Do you have time to invest in yourself to grow and evolve? Yes…. Until you don’t.

If you’re stuck in a rut, change course. I know that it can be easier said than done but unless you’re really subconsciously enjoying the “misery loves company” disease trap that we can blindly fall into, do something different to get out of it.

Things that you know will help are to eat better, read uplifting stories, move your body, volunteer, become part of a community group, contribute to society, journal gratitude, stop focusing on the doom and gloom, etc…Do something different if you want something different!! I know that it can be hard when you don’t even have that will inside you to do that, but I cannot stress enough just to do a baby step here and there. Something is always better than nothing.

I’m not here to tell you how to reprogram your brain but I do know from personal experience, that what we put our thoughts toward, more of that will be apparent in our lives. (*currently putting my thoughts toward chocolate*).

I have been in deep sadness for bouts of time myself and I understand it, but I also know how vital it is to not dwell.

The mini story that I love is about the wolf of anger and the wolf of love. Which wolf grows bigger in your life? Anger or love? I’ll tell you a secret….it’s the one you feed.

We have all had horrific events in our lives. We have all had beautiful events in our lives. This life is a Great Mural of many colours that contribute to our Life’s Masterpiece.

Everyone has personal thought processes on how they react to events and experiences in their lives. We all are at different places and have different perspectives.

But, if you want joy, you’re going to have to do some work. You’re going to have to face some demons from your past and move through it. But you have to want it more than what you’ve got right now.

Don’t let your mind imprison you. You were created for far much more than that.

Be gentle with your progress.

Tipping my hat to you and your journey,

Lindsay M.

Big Love

Sunday morning blog time. Please grab whatever beverage of choice you need to sit with my thoughts for the next while. I’m sipping on earl grey tea while relishing that I have a glorious day off.

We all emit a certain vibe about us. Some of us operate from a place of love and some of us operate from a place of fear.

People who operate from a place of love are delighted when others around them are succeeding. They are innately aware that they have inner joy within and blessings and abundance surrounding them and they can flow freely their support and encouragement because they understand that there’s enough for everyone. And, in turn, their lives usually have extra richness to them because they’re not wallowing in their own….fear.

People who operate from fear ( and I’m not talking about phobia fears but, rather, a place of negativity and self unawareness), are nervous when others around them start succeeding and they deem themselves not to be. They can become angry and judgemental because they want to pull those people down to the “prison” that they’re in. They focus too much energy on not having and we have lived here long enough to inherit the knowledge that what we focus on, we see that or attract that more in our lives.

I believe that what I write today is something you probably have heard before. But, let’s get to the root of it:

Why do some people operate mostly from a fear based place—no matter their upbringing, spiritual beliefs, and environment?

Why do some people operate mostly from a love based place—no matter their upbringing, spiritual beliefs, and environment?

A lot of it is what your relationship to yourself is and where you focus your attention.

Yes, we have all been hurt before. We have all been kicked when we are down. We have all not coped very well at times. In turn, we have all had encouragement, loved ones, affirmations, and joy before.

Sometimes the scales aren’t balanced. And sometimes the scales feel unbalanced for too long in a way that you don’t agree with.

My encouragement for you this week is to look within and ask yourself where you feel you are mostly coming from with your intentions toward life, people, and yourself?

If the answer comes up and it’s from mostly fear base, be gentle on yourself and know that you can make small steps in a direction that leans more toward a place of love and self love. Your world as you know it will start to change and bloom.

This is your journey through life and you may as well have all the beauty that is there for the offering. You are so worthy to have it and share it with others.

You are a gift to this world, no matter how big or small your reach is.

I challenge you to love.

With love(that word keeps popping up a lot, doesn’t it? 😉),

Lindsay M.

You

Sunday morning blog, friends! Please grab your morning beverage of choice and sit here with my thoughts for a while. I’m about to take my first sips of a gorgeous and steaming cup of earl grey with a splash of cashew milk and coconut sugar.

I’ll let you in on a little secret…

No matter what, you need to be yourself in your most raw and authentic way.

There is absolutely no point to try and be someone you’re not for people. At the end of the day, it will get you nowhere.

Each one of you offers something so unique and precious and you are worthy just by being you. You don’t need to have parlour tricks up your sleeve in order to be a part of this game. There are those of you out there who can sing like no other, do math like no other, listen like no other, make coffee like no other, and change a diaper like no other.

No matter how big or “small” your God Given Gifts are, you bring value to peoples lives; whether it’s on a smaller scale or more grandiose. It doesn’t matter. You just be you.

This isn’t a quick race to the finish line, my friends. I’m reminded today to slow down, take in these moments, and remember my roots. Time is passing and us along with it.

You do not need to fabricate any part of yourself for acceptance or love.

My challenge for you this week is to turn inward and give yourself that acceptance and love. Yes, even the ugly and unlovable bits. When you do that, you are more free to look outward with a clearer mindset.

Go be fabulous. You already just are. Remember that.

Love,

Lindsay M.

It has to Hurt if it’s Going to Heal

Sunday morning blog time, my friends. Please grab your morning “pick me up” and glimpse into my thoughts for a few minutes. I’m sipping on a green matcha tea surrounded by boxes,bins, and bags awaiting in anticipation for my upcoming move.

I think a change will do you good.

Are you freaking out by that statement? Even just a little?

Good.

You need to be shaken up every once in a while. Otherwise, you’ll become complacent and comfortable and coast. The dreaded three C’s.

Complacency is being ok with being ok; staying stagnant and not evolving. That goes against everything in nature as everything in nature is constantly evolving and growing and going through cycles.

Comfort is a cousin of complacency. Comfort will lure you in to a flat line of “everything is fine….neither good nor bad” kind of state. Where do you grow from that? It almost blinds you and stunts you.

Coasting is a Great Aunt of complacency and comfort. She’s been around a looonnng time and she’s been surviving off of comfort and complacency–watching the years and opportunities she wishes she participated in pass her by. Coasting is like dipping your baby toe in the water when the rest of your spirit is screaming to jump in.

Well, the beautiful thing about this little life of ours is our “Wake up Calls”… the little nudges that prods and pokes us to come to a level of awareness that we can no longer ignore. In any moment we can change our thoughts and put action toward them.

You are not your shortcomings. You are not your past mistakes. You are not your (what you deem to be) failures.

You are a work in progress. And progress you shall. You are interesting and intricate and useful and quirky at times. You have value. You have awareness.

Now, what I gently (and firmly because I’m in duality like that) suggest is that you pause for a moment and check in to see where you’re at. Are you partaking in the “Dreaded Three C’s” play or are you creating, collaborating, and collecting new adventures?

I cannot stress enough how much your 92 year old self does not want you to fall into the trap of monotony. He/She is begging you to seek life, beauty, vastness, growth, and change on a constant basis. Even if it’s just little things. It will make a huge impact on your today and on your future.

I think you’re swell. And I think you’ve got it in you.

It’s in the back of your mind. Yes, that little thing that’s niggling to come out…that’s YOU trying to break out and change course. Make you a priority. Make that little voice a bloomed and magnificent flower.

I always believe in you.

With total certainty,

Lindsay M.

No (Wine)ing

Look at that. It’s Sunday morning again. That must mean that it’s Sunday morning blog time. Please sit with me and sip on your tea, coffee, smoothie, or morning hair of the dog while you read my thoughts.

Have you noticed that whenever you have gone through what you deem to be a hardship or trials, that is what propels you to positively change something in your life.

It’s like it is a wake up call. So many times in life, we can coast through it and everything feels “ok” or “fine”, even.

Who on earth wants to go through life consistently feeling ok or fine?

But then something upsetting, not right, hurtful, or downright awful happens to you and it shakes your core but also shakes your awareness and brings you to a place of…”Alright, enough of this bullshit…”

That is where you have to take a step back (and, dear reader, I know it’s hard when you’re in the midst of heartache) and take a good look at your precious life and see things as not necessarily happening to you, but happening FOR you.

I will share a personal example.

A couple of weeks ago I was out with some friends and had a couple glasses of wine which I’m totally fine with. Unfortunately, I had this on an empty stomach. Another round came and I thought, “Eh, I’m Polish, Irish, and Scottish…I can handle 3 measly glasses of wine.”

Well, the next morning I felt dreadful. I know. We have all been there. I was surprised because I was used to casually drinking a couple of glasses of wine here and there often. No big deal. But then I asked myself: “Why?”

“Why do I consume wine as often as I do?”

I came to the conclusion that it was a (for me) false sense of security, comfort, anxiety prohibiting, and tasty wee habit.

I’m currently on a 30 day no alcohol and healthy eating cleanse which was propelled by that silly night where I felt wretched from over consumption.

And I feel fantastic and vibrant and clear! But..I would have continued to unconsciously drink the wine with my dinners and socially more often than I realized not connecting to the why had I not been “woken up” to what the effects really were doing.

Tony Robbins states this:

“You will tolerate things in your life until you don’t tolerate them anymore!”

It’s true. But sometimes you don’t realize the stress and certain abusive people and situations in your life until a large, and often, a shakeup occurs.

Please do not look at these situations as a negative, my friends.

Trials, hardships, tough lessons, and sometimes losses are to be used for you to reflect on what is truly of value to you.

You are a human being. You have brokenness, beauty, worth, and a myriad of everything within you.

You are built to persevere and level up.

This week I challenge you to reflect upon the experiences you have had throughout your life that you had deemed to be awful and unfair at the time and then try to find what the good was that came out of it had you not gone through that. And…the person you are today.

We are shaped and formed by our experiences and we are here to strive and even jive 😉

Don’t lose faith through the storm, my friend.

It’s bringing you to exactly where you’re supposed to be.

With the utmost care,

Lindsay M.

2017 is SOOO Last Year

Sunday morning blog and the last day of 2017…how fitting. Please grab whatever concoction fits your needs to read this (maybe you’ll need something strong for this one) and let’s get on with it.

I was laying in bed the other night and a thought came into my head. I thought to myself : “I’m now a day closer to my last day on Earth…”

I promise, you guys, I’m not morbid or constantly thinking about my time BUT….those little thoughts do come in and I let them. Because it’s reality. We are all given an allotted amount of days and it’s what we do with them that counts.

I know, it gives me anxiety as well.

But, it also brings me to this topic…

If you look at your life on a sheet of paper and there’s a start and stop date, I bet you would want to fill the in betweens with really cool shit. Right?

We do not know when our end date is. We do not know when our friends and loved ones end dates are. What I do know, though, is that I do not want to spend a day that is such a gift doing mundane and non productive things. And by productive, I don’t just mean work. You can be productive by expanding your mind by reading or attending a class. I believe in growing at any age.

Don’t limit yourself. I find that we can become too complacent in our current situations.

I love what Tony Robbins said once, “You will tolerate it until you can’t tolerate it anymore.”

Well, guess what? I cannot tolerate knowing that I have an expiry date on Earth and letting my precious life pass. Our time is valuable. I challenge you to ask yourself this question:

“What do I want to fill my “in between” days up in 2018 with?”

Do you want to repeat the same years over and over again? Nah!! Even if you are at 100% right now, there will be always room to grow and learn. That’s the way the movement of life is. Forward. Not backward.

You are not your past. You are not that awkward teenager. You are not the outcast. You belong with this beautiful universe. You are a Child of It. You are the co-pilot—that’s a pretty big deal.

I believe in you. I believe in myself. And I believe in us as a collective community. Let’s step into our roles of becoming better—it’s a bit by bit process. Small steps and the journey.

You know what…there WILL be bumps and bruises along the way. There WILL be moments of self doubt. There WILL be triumphs and accomplishments. There WILL be all of it!

Looks like you’re filling up your “in between” with an awesome pulse instead of a dull flatline, though.

Come on, 2018…we are SO ready for you.

With appreciation for your time reading my blogs and my best intentions for you to have an amazing 2018,

Lindsay M.

You’re worth it…

Sunday morning blog time, loves. Please grab whatever beverage you need to get you through this and away we’ll go! 
Stop being ok with mediocracy. 
I’m talking about the kind of bullshit story that we repeatedly tell ourselves over and over again to make complacency feel ok. 
I met a man last night that lost his wife three months ago. He was on a cocktail cruise by himself and I was drawn to ask him why he was by himself; no judgement. Just curious. With tears in his eyes, he told me that he lost his wife three months prior and that they were scheduled to do this cruise tour together. And she had encouraged him to do all the things they were going to do and…that she would still be with him.
That is love. That is devotion. That is divinity. It doesn’t die. 
Love like that. Love like you care immensely for that person. There are certain things in life to be semi blasé about and love ain’t one of them. 
Look at your career. Sure, we can complain until the end of the day that 

we need a paycheck to survive but it’s time to look deeper. Are you satisfied with where you spend 8-10 of your waking hours? If not, responsibly look at your life and seek action to take charge of your own precious and beautiful time given. You can’t get that back. 
Friendships. Don’t hang out with people who bring you down and who make it about themselves constantly. You will start to pick up on these traits when they never ask you how you’re doing or check in to see how you’re feeling, etc…I would rather have four quarters than a hundred pennies. Your energy is valuable. There’s a saying that says, “You are the average of the five people you spend time with.” Choose your friendships wisely. 
Your health. Ok..you’re in a body. It’s operating. I’m not saying that we should be militant 100% of the time, but eat your veggies, stretch, move around, and drink water. I tell you this as I tell myself. So often we forget to take “me time” just to solely operate on our physical well being. Let’s stop doing that. 
Read books. Expand your mind. Learn something new. 
Don’t coast through this journey. We are all not getting out of here alive so we might as well live up to our personal potential. I feel it’s time to wake up and start cutting out the mediocracy and start being more mindful about each 24 hours we are given. 
Raise your awareness. You’ve got this. 
With a smidgen of tough love,
Lindsay.

Let Go and Flow

Sunday morning blog time, friends. Please excuse my absence this summer as it was packed with all sorts of goodies that demanded my attention away from my blogs. 
I’m currently residing on the 25th floor (and I’m afraid of heights, go figure) of my apartment with an earl grey tea a’ brewing and a piece of dark chocolate in hand (because that truly is the secret to happiness)…so, go grab a beverage of choice, find your comfy spot and stay with me for a bit. 
How are you? 
It’s a question that is heard throughout our days from friends, acquaintances, strangers, baristas, etc…
But I’m asking you now. How are you? 

Right now? 
You see, it’s important to keep yourself in check from time to time. It’s important to reflect and take note of your thoughts, emotions, and general well being. Also, it’s crucial to understand that no matter what your current state is, be it good or bad, it will pass and flow through you. 
We get so attached to our feelings and thoughts and emotions that we tend to forget that our body is just a vessel, a conductor if you will, to express and experience these emotions. All of the “stuff” that goes on in our head is fleeting and is not to be taken “so seriously.”
Truly. 
What may have bothered you in the 6th grade that was so significant at the time, probably doesn’t faze you in the slightest now. 
We are not meant to hold on or grow weary by our emotions or our thoughts or our feelings. They serve us, yes, to play out this human experience we are having on this lovely little planet. 
If we get stuck too much in our heads, we will miss out on all the richness and beauty and melancholy and heart tugging experiences around us. We don’t want to become so consumed with our own selves that we miss what the bigger picture is. 
This week I challenge you and myself to step outside of our own heads, repetitions, and monotony. I challenge us to connect to the grander scale. Grab a couple of nuggets from what opens up to you and then put them in your pocket and apply it to your life. 
Let go and grow. 
With love, 

Lindsay

Silence From our Past

I was never what they considered to be a “cool kid” back in my High School days. Granted, I thought High School was going to be defined by who was the Zack Morris, the Kelly Kapowski, the Jessie Spano, the Screech, and the Slater. I was wrong. Very wrong..

At the tender age of 13 years old, I walked into my school with wide eyes and big dreams. I wanted to be friends with everyone and, for the demise of every teenager, I wanted everyone to like me. I was friendly, awkward, creative, goofy, sensitive, kind of moody, and eager.

I made nice friends and some not so nice. At that point in my life, I didn’t understand why some people were rude to me as I was rarely rude myself. I naively thought that if you put out a certain energy toward people, you were guaranteed to get it back. So, I strived to pour out all the energy that I deemed to be positive, in hopes to get that same vibe back.

It didn’t always work.

I don’t know if it’s the angst of the teenagers or the early mornings or what, but I just did not click or felt a sense of belonging. Reflecting back, I think every one of us who has entered High School has felt that on some degree.

Fast forward 20 years and here I am. A lot has changed in my psyche and the way I view life. I still have a tendency to believe that if we are all made up of the same essence (love, beauty, harmony, greatness) then why don’t we act accordingly and honour that? At thirty something years old, I am still learning that not everybody has the same heart and thought process as myself. And it’s not as though I think that I am right even 70% of the time, but I do know that what I am comprised of is lovely and I like to honour that the best way I can. We cannot expect that people would act the same way that we would in a situation. We are not carbon copies of each other. That’s what makes life interesting.

In my present day with all the experience with people I have had over the years, (trust me, it’s a lot when you are a hairstylist and an actor) I have come to this simple yet vital conclusion:

Be you. Ugh, I know. So cliche. But so true.

Be you in all your glory, ugliness, shyness, quirkiness, beauty, creativity, insecurity, moodiness, and kindness.

The best lesson that I learned from dropping the expectation that people should respond the way that you want them to respond is this:

It has NOTHING to do with you. So be you anyway. Authentically and passionately.

With love,

Lindsay.

 

Once Upon a Dream

Good morning, my friends. Grab whatever concoction suits your needs to read this and find your comfy spot. I’m currently writing from my cozy bed. It’s still dark out but I need to write. Enjoy. 
I had an interesting dream last night. I dreamt that I walked into a local Vancouver coffee shop and sat down and started sobbing. It was a huge release and I couldn’t stop. There was a person in there that came to me and introduced himself as “The Stranger.”
His energy was calming yet powerful. He told me to sit in the corner while he was about to show me a power point presentation of life. 
He kissed me on my forehead as I was still sobbing (it was gut wrenching-I’ll have to look into this because in my personal waking life I have absolutely nothing to be sobbing about-tears of joy, yes, but not this). He began the slideshow:
“In life we are given an empty canvas which we can co-Create with. Think about every thing that you’ve created in life…relationships, job experiences, travel, doodles, etc…”
He continued.
“Now think about all the ingredients that went into each creation. You have to add some salt to bring out the sweetness. You have to add spice. Sometimes there aren’t enough ingredients and sometimes there are too much and you don’t know where to start.”
I listened.
“The thing is though, is that for every creation you have painted onto your canvas, all the colours that you have used have been the perfectly imperfect colours to create your masterpiece. They’re all there for the taking. You just need to keep using them.”
I had stopped crying at that point and my heart started to swell with gratitude. “The Stranger” continued…
“Every achievement has a little messiness and imperfection woven within it. A great dinner is not prepared in a immaculate kitchen. There will be dishes to be washed, timers to be set, trepidation about trying a new recipe…
But the end result is a beautifully cooked meal. Just like life. 
You see, life is not going to be full of perfect moments or always happy moments. It will get messy and sometimes hectic. But the rich thing about life is that you always have the choice to clean up after yourself and take a step back and reflect.”

By the end of our coffee shop meeting I was feeling light and grateful. I thanked “The Stranger” and he told me he loved me and not to worry. He also said…”Write about this in your Blog…”
I then awoke. That was 20 minutes ago. 
So, my dear ones, “The Stranger” in my dream was quite bang on…he had a lot to offer on this fine morning. He absolutely felt like no Stranger..more like an Angel. 
This week I want us to remember that we have all the richness and beauty and access to tools to make our creations into something wonderful. Trust the process. 
You’re creating a masterpiece-your life. 
With love,
Lindsay Maxwell and credits to “The Stranger” in my dream.