Choose faith over fear

When I mention the word faith, I do not look at it from a religious point of view.
We are born with so much capability to believe and have faith. Have faith in ourselves, in our journey, in our intuition, in what our hearts tell us. Faith in everything that we feel and everything that beats inside of us.
So many situations in my life were radical and could have been scary if I would have chosen to see them as ones. Instead of that, I did not let my fear have a place to exist. I pressed the delete button over the fear in my head and chose to have faith. At some point, I decided to go through every experience life gives me with a smile and a big hope. Truly believing that if a certain experience or a difficulty is sent to me, it is only because I am capable of going through it, otherwise, life would simply not put me in this situation.
So all I can do is place a big smile on my face, faith and calm in my heart and clarity to think right in my head.
Because everything ends, and I choose to go through it being positive.

“We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living”. 
-Thich Nhat Hanh

“Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch non-fear, you are free”. 
-Thich Nhat Hanh

“Most of us experience a life full of wonderful moments and difficult moments. But for many of us, even when we are most joyful, there is fear behind our joy”. 
-Thich Nhat Hanh

With Love,

Yana

On the Shortness of Life

“It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested. But when it is squandered in luxury and carelessness, when it is devoted to no good end, forced at last by the ultimate necessity we perceive that it has passed away before we were aware that it was passing”.

“The part of life we really live is small.”
“No one is to be found who is willing to distribute his money, yet
among how many does each one of us distribute his life”!

“Look back in memory and consider when you ever had a fixed plan, how few days have passed as you had intended, when you were ever at your own disposal, when your face ever wore its natural expression, when your mind was ever unperturbed, what work you have achieved in so long a life, how many have robbed you of life when you were not aware of what you were losing, how much was taken up in useless sorrow, in foolish joy, in greedy desire, in the allurements of society, how little of yourself was left to you; you will perceive that you are dying before your season”!

Text from:
“On the Shortness of Life”. 
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

With Love,

Yana

Viva Frida Kahlo

6th July 1907

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her self-portraits.
Frida had a painful physically and mentally reality she lived in. Physically because of an accident, she survived as a teenager, which caused her lifelong problems; left her paralyzed in her bed for a long period and further made her lose the ability to become a mother.
Mentally she carried a deep pain in her soul, which she expressed in her extraordinary art. Along with that, her marriage to the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera, whom she loved enormously and was never loyal to her despite the fact she was a woman her loved. It was his nature.

Khalo about Rivera.
“I warn you that in this picture I am painting of Diego there will be
colors which even I am not fully acquainted with. Besides, I love
Diego, so much I cannot be an objective speculator of him or his life…
I cannot speak of Diego as my husband because that term when applied
to him, is an absurdity. He has never been, nor will he ever be,
anybody’s husband. I also cannot speak of him as my lover because to
me, he transcends by far the domain of sex. And if I attempt to speak
of him purely, as a soul, I shall only end up by painting my own
emotions. Yet considering these obstacles of sentiment, I shall try to
sketch his image to the best of my ability.
Perhaps it is expected that I should lament about how I have suffered
living with a man like Diego. But I do not think that the banks of a
river suffer because they let the river flow, nor does the earth
suffer because of the rains, nor does the atom suffer for letting its
energy escape. To my way of thinking, everything has its natural
compensation”.

Viva Frida.

With Love,

Yana

28 lessons I learned by the age of 28

When thinking about what I have learned by the age of 28, this quote by Maya Angelou briefs my thoughts in the best possible way.

“Life loves the liver of it. You must live and life will be good to you”.
– Maya Angelou

It was always a matter of choices. I believe that every person that I met in my life gave me a lesson. Sometimes I find myself catching a certain moment while talking to someone, and I feel that a particular phrase that this person just said was a message delivered to me. A message that I need to learn from, take into my mind and hold it there.

1. There is no need to rush decisions.

Do not stress yourself when you do not know the answer to something or you are not sure how to act in a certain situation. Sometimes a bit of time and listening to your heart is all you need. Look inside of yourself, keep calm and you will find your answer.

2. Nothing is permanent.

Life is a constant move. Some periods seem to last forever, but everything has an end and a new time will arrive. Tomorrow is a new day and it might be better or less good than today. However, one thing is for sure, it is a part of your journey.
“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring”.
-David Bowie

3. Every day is a process.

Mary Oliver said, “All eternity is in the moment”. Every minute is a whole life. When we start looking at it this way, we learn to appreciate it more and enjoy this very moment and this very day. Every day is an essential part of our entire life story.

4. You have a path of your own that you need to walk calmly.

Do not stress about hard times or if something does not go the way, you want it to. It goes as it goes. There must be something right about it. In most cases, we can understand what it was only a while after. Just make sure you are doing your best and stay connected to yourself.

5. Take risks.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life”.
-Muhammed Ali.
I believe that each one of us has a place of a personal growth to reach. Without taking risks, we will not be able to reach them. Walking in a comfortable path of life will keep us safe and relaxed. Once you step out of your comfort zone, this is when you start growing.

6. Be patient.

Things do not always happen as fast as we want them to happen. The right people not always step into our lives, as we would hope them to. We do tend to want everything here and now, satisfy a demand and move on. We want to do as much as possible, as fast as possible. Come, take it, and leave.
When we accomplish the art of patience, the real process begins. Being ready to wait while keeping on acting patiently, gives us the true joy from the process.
Moreover, it helps us to stay calm.

7. Listen and observe.
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
― Epictetus

The moment is worth it all. Sometimes when you take a step back and just observe the world around you, people, movements, you can notice so much you have not seen before. I have realized that very often we are busy with being busy, too trapped in the circle of doing things. Forgetting to stop for a second and just listen, and observe.

8. All obstacles are illusions.

It should not be about whether you will get there or not, it is about how long it will take you and how hard the journey will be. Once you have decided something, go for it.
Do not let the difficulties stop you. Make them fade away with your persistence.

9. Life is about enjoying the moment.

Thinking about tomorrow all the time, worrying, doubting, not letting yourself just be. It is a trap that we put ourselves in, without even realizing how much we are missing. I have learned to let myself be and discovered so much joy inside of my soul. I even found out that my laughter sounds and feels different when I am truly enjoying the moment I am living.

10. Keep it simple.

If you do not like something, stay away from it.

Life is not about forcing ourselves to do the things that are “right”. There is no such thing as right or wrong. If it feels right, give it a try.
The best answer is always in your heart. Our inner world knows more than we can imagine. Let your heart lead you. Do not complicate things. There is no need to try to find solutions to problems that do not exist yet. When you will get to the bridge, then you will cross it.

11. Do not try to satisfy everyone.

If a person does not feel right to you, do not force it.
There are no wrong people. There are people that we just do not share the same energy with. Whether it is a friend, a family member or just a random person we meet, sometimes it just does not feel good. Do not try to change yourself or the person next to you. It will just make both of you feel miserable and not yourselves. You will both end up feeling miserable and lost.

12. You will always get where you need to be. 
The only question is how long it will take you. It all depends on how patiently will you listen to your heart and how accurately will you notice the signs around you. Cause they are always there. The more attentive you are, the more intuitive you let yourself be, the closer to yourself you will get.

13. Nowhere is better, it can only be better inside of us.

One of the scariest and saddest things for me is when I hear people complaining about how none interesting their life is and that they need to move somewhere else or breakup with their partner, because somewhere else and somebody else is definitely better. Believing that it has nothing to do with the fact that they are the boring ones. True fulfillment can be found only inside of us. Nowhere and no one but us can ever provide us the true inner satisfaction we are looking for. Look inside of yourself.

14. The ego is an enemy. Kindness is a friend.

When I first realized that there is a thing that lives in us called ego, I did not completely understand how destructive it is for us, and how much work it takes to eliminate it from our minds. I am not even sure if it can be ever all gone, but it can definitely be placed in a very strict control. I find ego one of the biggest enemies of a person, of all relationships and one of the main reasons for conflicts in interaction in between people. I taught myself to put kindness in the first place, put ego as far as possible from my mind and let the kindness be my best friend and lead.
“Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you are already in heaven now”.
-Jack Kerouac

15. Searching for yourself is the main task.

I would say only one thing that I have always believed in about this subject. Our main search in life is for our own selves.
When we follow the path that is truly for us, the right person will be just right there, at the exact right moment.

16. Be happy and grateful.

This is my life motto. Just choose it. Happiness is a state of mind. I choose it every morning when I wake up. I think about it from the very first second when I open my eyes and until I fall asleep. It is not always easy, and I am not always on the same energy level. However, I choose to be grateful every single day for the good and the non-positive experiences I had, have and will always have in life because it is all part of the process. There is always what to be grateful for.

17. We are all equally good.

People can be very cruel and judgmental. Place other people into categories and decide whether someone is good enough or not.

When I was a child, I saw pallets of colors in my mind when I spoke to someone. The pallets were all different, some more bright and some less. It is not because someone was better or less good for me. It is simply how I felt about being around that person. We are all equally good. We are just different.
John Lennon said it best, “Don’t judge what you don’t understand”.

18. Elevation requires separation.

In order to grow, we must come out of our comfort zone. We need to separate ourselves from things we know and feel comfortable with and expose ourselves to new experiences in order to reach new heights.

19. You are enough.

You are good enough as you are. You do not need anyone to be telling you this. You do not need to wait for the love of your life to be happy, or to accomplishing your dreams. You were born into this life to carry your own mission and role in life. Walk your path proudly and do your thing.
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any”.
-Alice Walker

20. When something is truly yours, it will come to your life.

Don’t rush things and do waste time on worrying, whenever someone or something goes away from your life, it means it is time to let it go. Nothing that is truly yours will never go away from you.

21. Take the best out of every person you meet.

Whether it is a person that you just randomly met or a person, with whom you had a deep connection.
This person brought something into your life. Let yourself see it.

22. Let people go. They will be back if it has to be so.

This is probably one of the most sensitive and hard things to do. Sometimes we really want someone to stay in our lives. I have faced situations when I really did not want to let go. When I did everything and more than I possibly could and decided to fight. However, we cannot grasp the wind with our hands. It will go and everything will renew, and come back. Maybe yes, and maybe not. I learned to accept every situation with love. Now I know that the best is to do what feels right but making sure that I am not losing my balance.

23. Nothing is a mistake.

Everything is a lesson and nothing is a mistake. Regret nothing; cherish every memory, whether it is a good experience or of a non-positive one. Be grateful for every lesson life sends you. It means you are growing.

24. Do not forget your principles.

Wherever you go, whoever you meet and whatever you do, stay loyal to yourself and do not leave behind your life guidelines and truth. It is only yourself, who you have to follow. Trying to be someone else will only make you confused and unbalanced and distance yours from your own real inner self.

25. Being honest and real means a lot.
Saying things as they are is important. Being honest with yourself and your surrounding makes things so much simpler.

26. Miracles exist.
Sometimes it is not about the miracle, it is about not giving up. Be strong and keep searching for what you are after. Keep calling for it and life will answer you. Because, Everything you can imagine is real.

27. Everything that has to happen, has already happened.
Don’t stress out. Do yourself this favor. Life is a journey we are watching unfold. Follow the steps, listen to your intuition and to your body speak. It will all workout.

28. All the light you need is already inside of you.

With Love,

Yana

Mind Platter by Najwa Zebian

The book Mind platter is a collection of thoughts Najwa Zebian was writing during a long period. They are all about different things and situations we all face in life. Feelings we live through and experiences.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from her book:

1. “For them to see you shine, you must stay far away, for you are just like the sun; when you’re too close, your light makes them blind. And when you’re too far, they see you. So let them seek you. They’re getting your light regardless, but appreciating your presence is different from recognizing your existence. If they don’t appreciate your presence, they may never even recognize your absence.”
2. “Respect the freedom that you were born with but that you’ve denied yourself. Break free from the power that power has over you and believe in your own beliefs.”
3. “To the heart in you, don’t be afraid to feel.
To the sun in you, don’t be afraid to shine.
To the love in you, don’t be afraid to heal.
To the ocean in you, don’t be afraid to rage.
To the silence in you, don’t be afraid to break”.
4. “Don’t worry about what people think of you or about the way they try to make you feel. If people want to see you as a good person, they will. If people want to see you as a bad person, absolutely nothing you do will stop them. Ironically, the more you try to show them your good intentions, the more reason you give them to knock you down. Keep your head up high and be confident in what you do. Be confident in your intentions and keep your eyes ahead instead of wasting your time on those who want to drag you back. Because you can’t change people’s views, you have to believe that true change for yourself comes from within you, not from anyone else”.

And the last one I want to share is a quote that I find a certain very powerful magic in.

“I fear one day
That you will 
Forget me like I forgot
Myself 
The day I loved you. 
If you forget me, 
And I forgot me, 
Who will remember myself 
Back into me”? 
-Najwa Zebian

With Love,

Yana