Isn’t it incredible how art allows us to express our feelings, thoughts and dreams in the most magical way? But, sometimes we let fear creep in to stop us. We might think, I’m not good enough, my creations are crappy, or who cares about what I have to say?
Isn’t it incredible how art allows us to express our feelings, thoughts and dreams in the most magical way? But, sometimes we let fear creep in to stop us. We might think, I’m not good enough, my creations are crappy, or who cares about what I have to say?
I’ve been on social media for years now and have had a true love/hate relationship with it. I’m not on Facebook at all anymore, but do have an instagram and Pinterest account.
I’ve been on social media for years now and have had a true love/hate relationship with it. I’m not on Facebook at all anymore, but do have an instagram and Pinterest account.
I’m an anti-New-Year-resolutioner (I made that term up, obviously). I really don’t like making New Year’s resolutions because I never stick to them and then it makes me feel bad about myself.
You were made to stand out. Be unique. Defy expectations. Challenge the status quo. Become the best version of yourself.
Yes all this true.
The only thing that worries me about putting these statements out on our social media and seeing everyone else doing it as well, is that we put pressure on each other to compare ourselves. We feel lousy when everyone else seems to have ‘made it’, while we’re still doing the daily hustle, slowly chipping away at our dreams.
With October being Pink Ribbon Month it’s a great time to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. October is also a reminder that we’re creeping ever closer towards the end of the year, which always makes me take stock of my life and what I’m doing with it.
I’ve decided it’s okay to take small steps to get where I want to go in life. The important thing is to enjoy all the moments along the way. That’s where all the fun is… in all the experiences, positive or negative. Well, the negatives may not be fun as such, but we can certainly learn from them and move forward with more wisdom than what we started with.
Too often I hear people complain, “I hope next year is better” or “I’m glad this year is nearly over” or “I wish I achieved what she did this year”. I find such attitudes sad though. It seems like people are either wishing their lives away, or wishing they had someone else’s life.
Admittedly, I do look forward to each year coming to a close, all the excitement of Christmas decorations coming into stores, New Year celebrations, summer holidays and all that. But I’m also mindful of looking back on the days and months that have passed with fondness and gratitude, and continuing to love myself just as I am.
Every year I’m still on this earth is the best year ever. In fact, every day is the best day ever, so why would I wish even a single day away or wish I was living someone else’s life?!
Obviously a whole year is going to be filled with a mixture of ups and downs, good and bad days. But more often than not, the good days make up for the bad.
The good days are the ones I keep in front of mind. It’s the great memories, treasured times spent with loved ones, every morning I get to open my eyes and experience another day.
I’m still here. I’m still living, breathing, spending time with the people I love. I’m still discovering, growing, fighting the good fight. And of course I’m still learning each and every day – learning to love myself, love others more and hopefully growing wiser as each day passes.
So here’s the thing (or a few things) I’ve been thinking:
- Being alive means we always have the hope of a fresh start no matter how bad things may seem. There’s always a rainbow after the rain, the calm after a storm, a bright morning after a dark night, a fresh start after an ending.
- All the sayings I’ve heard about love are true. All you need is love. Love conquers all. Love covers a multitude of sin. If you have love you have it all.
- A life without hope and dreams is pretty dismal. While we still have breath anything is possible, so don’t ever give up hope and remember…
Never stop dreaming!
Jennifer xo
I know I’m always talking about my love for Paris, but you know my wanderlust & passion for travel really started with New York…it’s a love story worth telling really.
It all started way back in 2009 when I was a happy, healthy 39 year old suddenly and quite inexplicably struck down by a cancer diagnosis. The prognosis was not good and I actually thought I would not see much past 40, let alone get to do any of the travel items on my bucket list.
New York had always been first on that list and I just thought when our kids grew older, hubby and I would start traveling the world together…after all, there was plenty of time for travel right? WRONG….I now know there’s no better time than the present!
Anyways, since I literally thought I was going to die very soon, I shared my heart with hubby (as you do) and told him of my dream to take a holiday to New York and Disneyland with him and the kids. To be honest, I wasn’t even that confident it would even eventuate anymore.
One afternoon a short time later, I was lying on the lounge bald and sick as a dog after chemo when he came home holding something behind his back. He kissed the top of my head, pulling out a tiny Statue of Liberty, placed it on a shelf where I could see it every day and said, ‘This is where we’re going when you get better!’
And so indeed we did!
In 2011 we grabbed our kids with my brother & his family and we went on the trip of a lifetime to LA (including Disneyland), SanFrancisco, a cruise to Mexico, Washington and of course NEW YORK!
It truly was the trip of a lifetime, one I will remember forever. That’s when I began my love affair with travel and my favourite mantra #NeverStopDreaming was born.
Paris came the year after in 2012… but The Big Apple NEW YORK …well, NEW YORK came first baby!
It’s been 7 years since New York and 6 years since our amazing Paris adventure …my sister and her family came with us on that one … but unfortunately due to my health we haven’t done a big trip since. John and I did quickly sneak off to Hawaii in between my many health challenges a couple of years ago …and we had to cancel a big Europe trip at the last minute some time ago due to a second (unrelated to the first) cancer diagnosis. But that’s it for the travel bucket list to date.
It’s fine truly…I’m practicing #lovinglife wherever I am these days …but it doesn’t stop me being grateful for the traveling I’ve already done and dreaming of the travel I will do in future. Italy and Greece are next on the #bucketlist and I’m confident I’ll tick them off real soon.
But in the meantime, how blessed am I to live and play in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, my Sydney?! And more importantly doing life with the best family and friends any girl could ever hope for? #ThankYouGod.
This post came about while I was supposed to be writing in my daily 5 minute journal, haha …which took me down memory lane to this beautiful love story. Sometimes it’s worth taking a bit longer than 5 minutes to remember the things you’re grateful for.
Life really is a glorious journey isn’t it?
How about you…what are you most grateful for today?
Share your favourite love story in the comments below. GO….
Never stop dreaming,
Jennifer xo
P.S.
The film, ‘My Road to Paris’, produced by George Trad highlights my journey through cancer and my fundraising efforts in the lead-up to participating in the Paris Marathon in 2012. I managed to successfully raise over $20,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation through my efforts, as showcased in the film by eTV Publishing. Click below to view:
One of the Girl Power badges I’ve created is shown in this image – showcasing my favourite affirmation You Go Girl – 3 tiny, yet powerful words that have spurred me on when facing many a challenge. Yep, words do have power.
Let me share something I read recently about just how important words may be to our wellbeing…
I’ve always had a fascination with words and positive affirmations as a form of therapy and a strategy for practicing self-care. My reading around this led me to the work of a Japanese scientist Dr Masaru Emoto, whose studies have revealed how thoughts and words can effect the molecular structure of water.
Through high speed photography of water, Dr Emoto has shown how the most beautiful hexagonal crystals are formed when water is frozen after being exposed to positive words like ‘love’ and ‘gratitude’. But when exposed to negative words like ‘hate’ ugly, deformed looking crystals formed.
The implications of these findings on our health and wellbeing are profound, considering the human body is made up of 70% water.
Whether or not Dr Emoto’s findings are fact or fiction doesn’t matter to me…I like the idea that positive thoughts and words can spark good vibrations in the universe, which can in turn bring about beauty and harmony in our surroundings.
So I’m sticking with my ‘thing’ for positive affirmations!
What has kept me going through all of my health challenges is the love & support all around me from my family and friends, of course.
But honestly, it is also self-love that is vital in getting me through some of the toughest days. Self-love gets me out of bed each morning, helps me put one foot in front of the other daily and reminds me to never stop dreaming of an exciting future.
If I love life as much as I say I do, then surely I must love the vehicle, the body, the ‘self’ that carries me through this amazing life.
So I’m going to write more love notes to myself. I’m going to try to use all the positive affirmations and words I can think of to keep me joyful, hopeful and positive, even on the crappiest of days.
Jennifer xo
