I’ve notice these for quite some time in the city and I wanted to acknowledge it on my blog. Every time I see this while I’m in transit or walking somewhere it always makes me smile. Everyday we are bombarded with advertising and marketing regarding stuff we don’t even need. This is a simple yet effective message, and you never know what difference it can make to someone. The person who started this campaign was some one who moved to Chicago back in 2002 and since then it has become a world wide message. I really acknowledge this guy for putting the message out. It’s all about spreading the Light.
Mindfulness
I went to a meditation retreat this weekend at the Meditation Center of Chicago. The retreat was led my a monk of U.K. decent who has been teaching meditation for 20 years. The Buddhist practice of this meditation was from Thai origin. We were instructed to practice mindfulness in everything we did, even down to each bite of food for lunch. I was really amazed at how present I was while I was eating my lunch. I paid attention to each bite, looking at my fork full of food and appreciating how pretty and colorful it was, and then chewing it slowly and savoring it. I wish I could eat like this for every meal, I thought to myself. I believe that’s why most Americans are over weight and not healthy, it’s because they do t practice mindfulness when they eat. We are mostly asleep and robotic when we eat and do other daily routines. Mindfulness is huge, it’s everything; and mixed with the right intention, it can move mountains.
HAPPY 2017!
Happy New Year! I wanted to start the new year off right with an amazing documentary a dear friend introduced me to. It’s called HUMAN. Check it out on Youtube. It will touch, move and inspire you. The YouTube version has 3 parts and the one I am referencing on this blog post is the 1st part. Enjoy!
Poor is a Mindset
Here’s a really interesting article regarding the mindset of being poor. It covers how traditionally, we are expected to live up to the status quo of going to school, getting a degree and then finding a career where you can work until you retire. This article that cites a book entitled “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv Eker where it refers to people who follow the traditional paths of society and live a mediocre life and that poor, aren’t necessarily people with no money living on the streets, but people who possess the poor mindset. Read the article here.
What Are You Thankful For?
This holiday has been really great, spending time with family and friends. Last night at Thanksgiving dinner we all went around the table and shared what we were thankful for. It was really moving and some people got emotional. One of the things I said I was thankful for was the privilege of being able to sit and have a nice dinner with friends and family. Most people don’t really get to do that. If you have your health, a warm home, food to eat and clothes on your back consider yourself lucky. You are in the top percentage of people who gets to live a blessed live. There are millions of people who would trade us for our first world problems.
Is That Your Real Life or Your Fake Life?
A co-worker of mine said she hardly ever goes on Facebook anymore. She said she just got sick and tired of seeing baby photos of her friends with their babies. I thought it was pretty funny. She said that they all look so happy and perfect but I don’t know if that’s real – it all looks so posed. I got to thinking about all the times I’ve staged a Facebook photo to make it look good. It makes me think of a photo shoot, or my friend who stages homes for sale to make them look more appealing to the buyers in an open house. I thought about all the selfies I took with my kissy lips imitating someone I saw on MTV.
It’s funny how media influences us and gets under our skin. Makes me wonder, are we imitating life based on what we see in the media or are we living life? I always see millennials glued to their phones on public transportation, even when they’re walking down the street in front of traffic (there’s actually street signs prohibiting this now in Europe and other places in the world). It really makes you think how voyeuristic Facebook is. You can look into someone’s life without them even knowing about it. I’ve creeped on Facebook before, it’s fun and a major source of time suckage. When you look at it, it’s kind of like your public persona. It’s what you want people to see about your life. But what about the things you don’t want exposed? Those are pretty important too, right? So the question is – are you spending more time on your fake cyber life or your real life?
Elevate the Vote
We vote every day with the choices we make. The only way we are going to change this country is to take responsibility for our lives and actions. Nothing is outside of you, you don’t have to wait and rely on someone in the White House to make your life better or make this a better world. Be careful what the media feeds you, although some people can admit this election has been entertaining to watch.
Here’s an interesting video my friend sent me. It’s a different take on the election.
At the end of the day, consciousness is what’s going to change this world and make it a better place, not some person sitting in the White House. Choose yourself.