Thoughts Archives - sunshine and spirit

Categories: Thoughts

Source Energy: The Powerful Connecting Force of Humanity

Source Energy is infinite. It is known by many different names by many different, cultures, creeds, and human manifestations. Source Energy is the air we breathe, the plants and animals we see, humanity… it is everything and all things.

I am Source. You are Source. So, we too are infinite.

The manifestations of human beings are a conglomerate of infinite life meant to be here with a purpose and passion that surpasses thought itself. We may not know everything, but we do know this: We are one because we are Source, therefore we are infinite.

Unity Through Source Energy

The oneness within us is what helps us to relate to one another at a deeper level. This is beyond empathy. This interrelation is a spiritual and transcendental experience that the physical mind cannot comprehend. It is not meant to. Our spirits are what make us one. Our spirits are connected to the Source Energy in a pool of light and darkness. Each needing the other to survive.

These identities we create are limited explanations of humanity because we are truly infinite.

One humanity. One soul. One Source.

We are bigger and more expansive than our genders, our races, ethnicities, classes, religions, belief systems, hair textures, and thought processes. We are one heartbeat, each needing the other to survive. Each needing our experiences to understand what is means to be a human, to be alive in this experience, to thrive in this experience. In this manifestation of humankind and creation, we are meant to simply experience the elations, the traumas, the upsets, the prejudices, and the justices of this life. Most importantly, we meant to connect.

Connect to Source, to life, and to each other.

You are Unlimited, You are Source

As you carry on about your life and your days, remember that each living creature, inanimate object, and human is a manifestation of Source and therefore a manifestation of you.

You are everyone you meet. You are every experience. You are every peace, every upset, every manifestation of creation.

You are infinite. You are unlimited.

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Categories: Thoughts

The Fear of Failure: A Short Essay

Failure. The fear of failure. A very real and tangible concept that can debilitate the most resilient among us. The idea that if we reach for something, regardless of size, that we could possibly lose it or muck it up causes immense anxiety.

Fear of Failure is Cunning

The fear of failure had me in its clutches. Funny how it didn’t look how I thought it would. Normally, when I think of failure I think large, overarching feats: Asking for a raise, starting a new business, or quitting a job to pursue passions. But this time, fear of failure hid itself in a disguise so cunning that I couldn’t detect its sinister waft. It looked like stagnation, clouded thoughts, projecting, distraction, and sloth all under the guise of “I’m figuring it out.” Sometimes, “I’m figuring it out” can turn into “I’m not happy where I’m at because of xyz,” “Maybe if things looked this way…” or “I’m not going to try because….”

I was afraid to try. I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone and embrace the unknown. I was afraid of trying something new and being OK if it didn’t work out. I was afraid of being uncomfortable.

Gaining Clarity

I was too busy stuck in a loop of trying to find the perfect solution; trying to get so perfectly clear that failure is not in the picture. But the truth is, is that clarity sometimes means being willing to fail and just trying something and flowing and changing as needed but mostly moving forward. Getting out of that stagnant place to move to clarity. There are times where clarity will not come if we are standing still.

It’s easy to get caught up in the mind and in a state of internal overthinking and external judging. A state that is so distracting that we can’t see the root of the issue: Our own fear of failure. Our own fear of working with the unknowing and letting go of what we think things should look like.

Trusting the Universe

The universe has an entirely stunning plan for us. There is a time to be absolutely sure about what we are doing, and there is also a time for moving with uncertainty, trying anyways, and being OK with the unknown, being OK with failure. Failure in life is promised just like victory is promised. We have our time to experience and appreciate both.

Read this out loud:

I am on the right track. Everything is working out for me for my greatest and highest good. Nothing that life throws at me is too much for me to handle and is meant to grow me. When I change my thoughts and my mindset, I can and I am limitless.

I got this. You got this. We got this.

If this article helped you, let me know on one of my social media pages.

Categories: Lifestyle, Thoughts

When Your Life Isn’t Going According To Plan, Read This

It was amazing how you could get so far from where you’d planned, and yet find it was exactly were you needed to be.
Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye

There are days when life takes a hefty squat on your life plans. There will be, I promise, seasons where life is so far left field from how you thought it would be, that all you want to do is curl up in a ball and contemplate your existence.

How do I know this, you ask?

Well, I am currently subscribed to this season of “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

When Life Happens, Let it Happen

The old adage goes: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” However, I argue against that. I say when life gives you a heaping pile of lemons, it’s okay to cry, to be upset, or to feel hopeless. Why? Well, simply because we need these emotions. We have to feel the crap and the sadness before we can appreciate the lemonade.

In life, we plan, plan, plan. We plan our weddings. Who we are going to be after college. Where we are going to work, move, etc. But 9 times out of 10, life simply doesn’t go the way we plan. A loved one passes away. Health issues come up. Emails get hacked. The man or woman you wanted to marry suddenly decides they don’ t love you anymore. The funny thing about life is that no matter how much we try to control it, we can’t. It’s okay.

The question now is where does this leave us?

Life is out of our control, but we still want to set goals, to dream, and to hope. What I am slowly learning is that the little gut feelings we get are life’s way of nudging us to where we need to go. I am fully convinced that we are born with a roadmap ingrained in our soul. Life gets so distracting that we forget how to tap into our inner knowing and lose faith in life. Our job is to step into calmness, to be quiet and listen to the knowledge that we have been given.

So dear reader, when life gives you lemons, trust the process, feel the emotions, and know that you are on the right track.

XoXo

This article was originally posted by me on Thought Catalog.

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Categories: Thoughts

Empathic Neutrality

S&S is Back Baby!

Happy New Year dearest readers! S&S is back and better than ever. I orginally thought of deleting this blog , but I decided to keep up with it pressure free.

Although I want to post once a week, I am leaning more towards posting as I have ideas. I don’t know…. We’ll see! No pressure!

Anywho, 2020 is here! What an interesting year it’s proven to be. Alot is happening in the world and I am excited about life.

Life is grand, abundant, and shimmering no matter what.

Amidst all of the hubbub, me, an highly, highly sensitive empath, feel one of two ways: Anxious or Annoyed. There is alot of panic and fear being spread in the media right now and it frustrates me. Vibrationally speaking, spreading fear breeds more fear which creates an unhappy, skittish collective consciousness. I want for humanity to be at its highest vibration and it ‘s not happening at the moment and I feel sad honestly. After talking to a family friend, about how I feel and the state of world, she blessed me with this beautiful pithy of advice: Be a leader and remain neutral.

No matter what is happening in life or on the planet, meeting negativity with negativity only lowers our vibration. When we encounter something that is particularly negative, we have a choice: Lead and be the change we desire or allow our aura to drift with every wind of drivel. Personally, I allow for things to upset me to the core, especially when I see injustice. My emotions become worked up and I feel outraged. I don’t want to feel like this anymore. My friend’s advice freed me. There is absolutely no point in reacting or feeding into negativity. Instead, with practice and time, learn to meet things with acceptance (neutrality) and positive leadership in a higher direction.

Acceptance and leadership are the antidote to negative reaction.

All is well in your world. You are protected, peaceful, and infinitely abundant!

Stay in the sunshine.

Image by Valeria Ushakova

Categories: Thoughts

Novemberfestation!

Theme of the Month: Manifestation

Well, that title is a mouthful! Ha! Dearest darling reader, happy November! The fall season is in full swing, the leaves are changing, and pumpkin flavored everything is in the mist! Every month, I like to try to come up with a theme or mantra that invites a particular kind of energy. For November, heavily placed on my heart was manifestation (November + Manifestation = Novemberfestation).

Moment of truth: Why Manifestation?

Let me give you a tiny bit of background.

October was a month of deep reflection. I learned that in the Celtic tradition, October was a time to reflect and welcome in darkness. Not darkness in the evil sense, but darkness as in the unknown or unclear. I dived into the last few months and where I am at currently in 2019. I cleared out any old enegery and decided I am ready for any new things that are coming into my life. I am ready to manifest!

Positive Thoughts for November

November will be an amazing month for all of us. This is our time to bring in what we desire (as long as it fits with Divine Timing). Personally, my hope is to enjoy everyday and maintain gratitude and peace. I call in love, happiness, and prosperity for all of us!

Do you set intentions for each month? If so, what’s your intention for November? Let me know in the comments below or on one of our social media pages!

Categories: Thoughts

Monday Motivation: Thoughts on Self-Esteem

Hello my Dear Readers and Happy Monday!

I normally post affirmations on Monday, but instead I wanted to change it up and discuss something that has been on my mind a bit lately: Self-Esteem. I don’t have a specific outline for this post, so it will be more like a diary/journal entry.

Self-Esteem is a journey and a long one at that. The journey to confidence is a wind-y road that transcends the physical and moves into the spiritual. Self-esteem is more than a bubble bath on a Sunday night. It is treating yourself right. Standing up for yourself. Protecting yourself. Loving yourself and those around as best as you can.

In my life, I am learning to boost my self-esteem not just in how I present myself to the world, but in how I live everyday. There have been times where I felt bad for not speaking up for myself or afraid simply for the sake of being afraid. Not anymore, for me self-esteem is allowing my voice to be heard. My promise to myself is to deposit positive additions to my self-confidence bank and learn the lessons that life is showing me.

Self-Esteem is something you define for yourself. What does it look like to you? How can you show yourself that you love yourself? For me, self-esteem is making sure that I take care of my emotions and strive to grow each and everyday. I know when my self-esteem is high when I feel like I am taking care of myself mind, body, and soul. I feel low when I neglected my emotions.

Dearest reader you are a being connected to the infinite source of love and light above. You deserve the best life has to offer. Pour into yourself. Love yourself. Treat yourself as the sacred being you are. You are necessary. You are divinely loved. You belong on this earth and have a purpose.

Namaste.

Categories: Lifestyle, Thoughts

5 Lessons Learned from Minimalism

I embarked on my minimalism journey about 3 years ago. I joined the movement because I desired a deep and everlasting change. At that point in my life I was searching for deeper understanding of the world around me. I wanted to learn how I could relate to people and life better. How to be mentally and physically “clutter-free.” Naturally, I am someone that likes to get rid of everything, but in retrospect, I never had a specific reason to remove things from my life. I just knew they had to go. On YouTube binge one day, I stumbled upon the concept of minimalism and tumbled down a rabbit hole. I watched the Minimalists, tiny-house projects, Jenny Mustard (her channel is awesome, please check it out!), and I knew minimalism was the next step for my life. It’s crazy how it transcends the physical space. Minimalism transformed my life is ways I would have never imagined. I feel clearer, my room for sure is cleaner, and life is simpler. Although I’ve learned a plethora of valuable lessons from minimalism, I am going to share my top 5 lessons learned from Minimalism.

#1 Minimalism is not about obtaining a certain aesthetic.

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~ Vernon Howard

Social media strikes again folks. Instagram and Pinterest are laced with a plethora of “minimalism aesthetic” images. If you are new to the practice, you might think that you have to change your entire wardrobe, interior decor, and life color pallet to implement minimalism. The biggest thing I had to learn was that my practice of minimalism is simply that. I decide what it means to me. I love color, accessories, and life-like things. I don’t need to change what I like in order to fit an aesthetic.

#2 Our living spaces are a direct link to our mental state.

Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual. ~ Linda Breen Pierce

When I began assessing what I owned and how I kept things, I learned a lot about myself. I tend to keep things in an organized chaos. The more stuff I have, the more I try to organize it, and it never succeeds really. It just looks like a sort of organized mess if I’m being honest. In retrospect, the shallow organization was how I felt in my life. Barely being kept together but functioning and not falling apart. It was kind of sad. Clearing out my living spaces (bedroom, bathroom, and basement), cleared my mind and spirit. Scary, right? We are what we have essentially. If we love each item we have and appreciate it, perhaps we appreciate ourselves. If we allow things to pile up, perhaps this is a sign to analyze the internal.

#3 Finding meaning in what we have makes life more beautiful.

The simplest things are often the truest. ~ Richard Bach

The first step to beginning minimalism is The “Purge”: Getting rid of any item you are not using, holds no value, and is taking up space. The Purge revealed items that I thought were important, but they turned out to not be. After ridding myself of old things, what I did have, I appreciated. I valued every single item. I enjoy knowing and loving the items in my space. I love that they give me happiness when I look at them. Over the last 3 years, I have very few possessions and I realized that this freed up my time to travel more and lightly and analyze what I value. My main goal in life is to be able to pick up and move to wherever I want. I can’t have clutter. I doesn’t fit with the lifestyle I am working to manifest. Everything I own, for the most part, can be taken with me wherever and I feel free!

#4 Buying less things saves more money for what you truly want.

Smile, breathe and go slowly. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

To piggyback off my last statement, getting rid of unnecessary crap made me analyze what I want. This applies to physical and abstract things. I asked myself: What do I want to invest in? What do I want to purchase? Why? Minimalism forced me to create value in things that at first don’t seem existential. I determined that what I buy should add value to my life. If I buy some random item from Marshall’s, is it adding real value or is it just another item that I will throw away in 2 months. Antithetically, if I save that money and use it to pay for an activity I truly enjoy, I add more value. Same process applies to abstract things like time, if I invest my time in something trivial, am I adding value to my life? I can use my time for things that are going to enrich my life and not waste precious time. Keeping these thoughts in mind, I have saved a plethora of time and money just by asking myself if an item or activity adds value. Life is so simple and peaceful, it’s not even funny. It’s second nature to think, “hey, I want to do this because it makes me truly happy” or “I can pass on buying that chair because I want to save to travel.”

#5 There is no right or wrong way to practice minimalism.

There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. ~Leo Tolstoy

Let’s circle back to social media. There are copious amounts of material on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and what have you on minimalism. Certain people follow a strict set of rules or methodologies in how they practice minimalism. That is fine, well, and beautiful. Their practice is their practice. Mine is mine. Yours is yours (if you choose to do so). If someone was looking at my life, they might say that I am not a true minimalist. I don’t have a certain aesthetic or I have too many towels and whatnot. How I practice minimalism is 100% my business. I tailor the lifestyle to what makes ME comfortable. I am an avid reader so I have books that I want to keep that add VALUE to my life. I love jewelry so I collect beautiful, vintage costume pieces that I wear every day. The beautiful thing about life and anything that we embark on, is that we can customize it to fit our needs. Minimalism works for me because I adjust it to what I think is right for me. I’ve become happier and a better person because of it!

Those are my lessons. If you are a minimalist, I love to hear stories of how people changed their lives as a result of the practice. Let me know if your journey in comments below or on one of the social pages. If you are new to minimalism or are interested in the practice, I recommend following The Minimalists. They offer amazing advice on the practice, but more importantly, stress finding value in your life and what you do.

If you enjoyed this post, let me know in the comments below and be sure to share!

Namaste!