Fostering Purpose

An extraordinary life - by design!

Mindfulness

30 Summer Activities to Make Your Soul Sing with Joy!

Here’s a soul summer bucket list filled with 30 summer activities that’ll make your soul sing with joy! Here we go:

Sunrise Yoga Sessions: Start your day with gentle stretches and sun salutations outdoors. Let the morning breeze and warm rays energize your body and soul.

Picnic in the Park: Pack a delicious spread of your favorite foods, a comfy blanket, and a gathering of friends or family, for a leisurely afternoon under the shade of a tree.

Stargazing Nights: Stay up late to admire the night sky. Find a cozy spot away from city lights, lay back, and marvel at the constellations and shooting stars.

Beach Bonfire: Gather driftwood, build a bonfire on the beach, and enjoy the crackling flames, as you roast marshmallows and share stories with loved ones.

Outdoor Movie Marathon: Set up a projector in your backyard or find a local outdoor cinema. Snuggle up with blankets and popcorn for a movie night under the stars.

DIY Spa Day: Create your own spa experience at home with facemasks, aromatic candles, and soothing music. Pamper yourself and indulge in some summer self-care.

Farmers’ Market Adventure: Explore a farmers’ market bursting with seasonal fruits, veggies, and local treats. Support small vendors and savor the flavors of summer with my favorite activity.

Hike to a Waterfall: Discover a hidden gem by hiking to a breathtaking waterfall. Feel the mist on your face and listen to the soothing sound of cascading water.

Visit a honey farm: Plan a delightful day trip to a local honey farm and immerse yourself in the world of bees and golden honey. Make sure you take a jar or five home so you can enjoy its incredible health benefits all year long.

Volunteer Outdoors: Dedicate a day to volunteering in a community garden, cleaning up a local park, or participating in a beach cleanup. Give back to nature and your community.

Try a New Water Sport: Whether it’s paddleboarding, kayaking, or surfing, challenge yourself with a new water adventure. Feel the thrill of gliding across the waves.

Visit a Botanical Garden: Wander through lush gardens bursting with colorful blooms and fragrant flowers. Take in the beauty and find peace in nature’s tranquility.

Create a Summer Playlist: Download a soundtrack filled with upbeat tunes and relaxing melodies. Let your favorite music uplift your spirits and set the mood for sunny days.

Host a BBQ Bash: Fire up the grill and host a summer BBQ with friends and family. Enjoy delicious food, laughter, and good times in your backyard. Plan to have summer activities like lawn darts, badminton, washer toss, etc.

Read Books in a Hammock: Hang a hammock between two trees, grab a stack of books you’ve been meaning to read, and lose yourself in some captivating stories, or inspirational self-improvement reads.

Outdoor Painting Session: Discover your creativity with an outdoor painting session. Capture the beauty of nature or create abstract art inspired by summer vibes.

Sunset Sailing Cruise: Enjoy a sunset sailing cruise on a serene lake or the open sea. Witness the sky ablaze with colors and feel the gentle breeze on your face.

Learn Constellation Names: Study the night sky and learn to identify constellations. Connect with the cosmos and deepen your appreciation for the universe.

Host a Garden Party: Invite friends over for a garden party surrounded by blooming flowers and lush greenery. Serve refreshing drinks and summer-themed snacks.

Make Fresh Lemonade: Squeeze lemons, mix with cold water and sweetener of choice, and enjoy a refreshing glass of homemade lemonade on a hot day.

Take a Road Trip: Plan a spontaneous road trip to explore nearby towns, scenic routes, or national parks. Enjoy the freedom of the open road.

Attend an Outdoor Concert: Dance under the stars at an outdoor concert or music festival. Let the live music lift your spirits, while you create unforgettable memories.

Go Barefoot Walking: Feel the earth beneath your feet by walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil. Connect with nature’s energy and ground yourself.

Start a Nature Journal: Record your observations of plants, animals, and landscapes in a nature journal. Sketch, write poetry, or jot down thoughts inspired by your surroundings.

Journal with nature elements for summer bucket list

Visit a Sunflower Field: Wander through fields of golden sunflowers in full bloom. Be amazed by the sea of vibrant colors and the buzzing of the bees.

Host a Starlit Dinner: Set up a table outdoors illuminated by string lights or candles. Enjoy a romantic dinner or a gathering with friends under the twinkling stars.

Make Homemade Ice Cream: Experiment with different flavors and ingredients to create your own delicious ice cream or sorbet. Cool off with a sweet treat. Recipes here.

A bowl of homemade ice cream summer soul bucket list

Go Fruit Picking: Visit a fruit orchard or berry farm to pick your own ripe, juicy fruits. Taste the freshness and savor the flavors of summer.

Preserve your bounty: Gather up some friends and host a canning party. Jams, jellies, pickles, salsa, you name it. Enjoy a productive day with your favorite friends, filling jars with homemade goodness.

Reflect and Set Intentions: Find a quiet spot outdoors, meditate, or simply sit in contemplation. Reflect on the past season and set intentions for the coming months. Revel in the possibilities summer brings.

There you have it—30 soul-serving activities to make your summer unforgettable! Whether you’re seeking adventure, relaxation, or creative inspiration, these ideas will nourish your soul and fill your days with joy. So, what’s first on your summer soul bucket list?

The Importance of the Present Moment

When we fully grasp the importance of the present moment, we can finally shed doubts, fears, and mental blocks. We can let go of the burdens of the past and the anxieties of the future.

Be still and know that I am here.

– Jesus

The present moment is not just a place to experience a quiet, peaceful mind. It goes much deeper, and the impact is much more profound. The present moment is the only time we can truly experience, influence, and appreciate. It’s the only time we have direct control over our thoughts, actions, and reactions.

In the present moment, we have the power to make choices, set intentions, and take meaningful steps toward our goals and aspirations. We can’t change the past, and the only time we can physically accomplish something is right now. We can say we will do something in the future, but the only time it can actually be done is when it is now.

The only time there is – is now.

The past is gone, and the future hasn’t happened.

Tomorrow, which is in the future, will still be now when you get there. If in the past, we had been living in the present, then there wouldn’t be any reason to be living in the past now. We would have detected the lessons to be learned and we would have acknowledged the false beliefs we were carrying. We would be a completely different person right now, who has lived fully and experienced truly. There would be nothing to regret and no baggage to carry. We would have learned and let go, traveled lightly, and arrived in peace.

By living in the present moment, you are experiencing everything in its purest, fullest form. As you are experiencing the now, you are feeling fully, understanding fully, and accepting fully, whatever it is you are experiencing. This means that you are recognizing lessons, learning from those lessons, and moving on without the baggage of missed and unlearned lessons.

Let’s break it all down and finally understand the importance of the present moment.

Experience true feelings of gratitude.

The present moment allows you to feel things much more deeply. Pure, deep gratitude for instance can only be felt in a present moment experience.

Gratitude is the main ingredient in your manifestation recipes. It is gratefulness that brings you more things to be grateful for and it carries with it one of the strongest positive feelings you could ever experience. Allowing yourself to truly experience gratitude for the good things that are in your life right now, is like sending a prepaid envelope to the universe to deliver you more. Those true feelings of gratitude hold far more power than gratitude which is forced, just so you can fulfill your daily requirement.

To practice gratitude, you need to fully feel that gratitude. A feeling of gratitude is extremely hard to fake, and just routinely thinking of things you are thankful for, will not stir up that present-moment feeling of gratefulness. Not only that, when you are not in the present moment, you’re going to miss all those things you should be grateful for. You’re not going to see them because how can you when your mind is on everything else? Your mind is too busy to acknowledge the things that are unfolding in your experience right now.

In this moment, you enjoy what it is you experience. You’re able to enjoy that thing you’re holding in your hand, you enjoy that food that you’re putting into your mouth. You enjoy the comfort of the luxuries and the richness of your surroundings. You are present to notice how very many things you really do have to be thankful for.

Identify and accept lessons learned.

As we learn from and integrate lessons into our consciousness, we free ourselves from the need to repeat them in the future. While in this present moment, it becomes much easier to stay attuned to the lessons embedded in our experience.  

The present moment aids us in feeling strongly, the need to learn and to let things go. This allows us to take our negative experiences and realize the part we may have played in them. It prompts us to take responsibility, but also to forgive ourselves because our quiet mind is more attuned to understanding the importance of mistakes on the path of growth.

If we never made mistakes, then how would we learn and grow? How would we shape ourselves into our uniqueness? And if we never stayed present to recognize lessons then we would just repeat the same mistakes over, and over again.

The present moment frees us from missing opportunities for growth, and in turn, reliving our mistakes.

Discover false beliefs.

We live with many false beliefs that have been instilled in us throughout our lives, things we have read, been told, heard, or even just imagined on our own. Busy minds don’t have time to sit still and look at those false beliefs we hold deep inside. Busy minds are too busy placing attention on the surface of matters that are much less important, like the chatter of the mind (often called the ego).

The useless ego chatter is coming from back in the past, or way into the future, reliving hard times, or fearing the ones to come (and they surely will come someday with all that attention on them). This chatter, which is always useless, nonsensical, and robs us of our peace, can be shut down when we see it for what it is. This mind should only warn in the present moment when a true, imminent threat requires a warning.

 “The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.

– Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Who needs a play-by-play on every single thing we see, hear, smell, touch, or taste? Nobody does – in the present moment, we can just experience it fully – no narration required.  The present moment allows us to quiet the chatter and listen for the false beliefs that arise inside of us, without our ego backing up those false beliefs by putting its two cents in. We can then see a false belief for what it really is – untrue, and we can let it go by using our wise minds. Our wise mind is a balance between our rational mind and our emotional mind.

Release fears.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”

– Lao Tzu

Fears are born in the past or imagined in the future. Right here and right now there is nothing to fear. This present moment is the only time in which you can react to something, it’s the only time in which you can directly influence your experience.

While we’re in a settled present-moment experience we can look at our fears and see them clearly for what they are. They are almost always unfounded, overblown, ideas that we picked up somewhere, and our egos have worked up into something that feels very real and very intimidating. When viewed with our quiet, wise minds we see they are minute, improbable, fears based on distorted perceptions. Our wise minds can recognize that these fears hold little substance.

Sense synchronicities and nudges toward purpose.

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”

– Rumi

When your mind becomes quiet, your fears can be dismantled, and the chattering ego no longer interferes.  This can leave you more attuned to the subtle signals and synchronicities that life presents. Staying attuned to those subtle hints can guide us toward our true purpose. Synchronicities can reveal some very important leads that will help you in manifesting as well as navigating through your experience in a positive way.  

When you are struggling with incessant mind chatter, worrying about the future, or reliving the past you do not see what is discretely happening around you. You can miss that person on the street, holding up a sign that says, “I have a message from your higher self.” If not paying attention you can miss the sign on a window that says, “Inside is a lead for your new venture”. You won’t notice the person holding the book you’re being nudged to read. You won’t see the billboard that’s flashing the answer to a question you’ve been asking.

The importance of the present moment for manifesting.

In the present moment, you can use those strong present-moment feelings as leverage toward your manifestations. You are required to maintain a high energetic vibrational frequency to have your desires manifest. However, this is not to say that each desire holds a certain level of frequency.

Maintaining a high frequency will simply bring to you, positive desires. By this I mean that money doesn’t hold one vibration and good health holds another vibration, or that love holds another, or success holds another… I mean that positive desires manifest when you are on a positive vibrational frequency. You only need to get to that high vibrational state to receive all the good things that are a match to a high vibrational state.

Coming back to the true feeling of gratitude that can only be felt in a present-moment experience… Gratitude not only brings us to a high vibrational frequency, but it quickly brings us more things to be grateful for. To manifest more efficiently we must practice gratitude daily, even for the things that we have not yet received. In doing this, we can bring desires to fruition by making it seem as if we already have it, hence the universe would have to make it so. Being present in the moment offers many opportunities to notice things we are thankful for.

How to bring your awareness into the present moment.

Bringing yourself into the present moment requires you to be fully aware of yourself and your immediate surroundings.

  • Start by taking a few deep breaths. Inhale, hold for 3 seconds and exhale counting to 5.
  • Ask yourself how you feel in this moment. Just accept how you feel.
  • Put your attention on your body. Look at your hands and rub them together – noticing how that feels.
  • Take in your surroundings. Try and use all your senses to anchor yourself – what do you see, hear, smell…
  • Each time your mind begins to chatter, just acknowledge, and quiet it. This will train your mind to be still and quiet. It takes practice, but the mind will become more and more quiet over time, for longer periods.

Exercising the mind to quiet the ego.

There are some fun things you can do to try and teach that chattering mind to be still. I once heard Eckhart Tolle say that you can ask yourself “What will my next thought be?” and then watch how long it takes for a thought to come. I do this often and it really can bring stillness for quite some time. Another trick Eckhart speaks of is to sit and view everything around you. Try and keep your mind from narrating as you do.  Just view your surroundings without allowing the ego to name each thing you are looking at. You can also exercise the mind to quiet your ego by using mindfulness practices like meditation, journaling, yoga, and mindfulness self-improvement reading.

Conclusion.

Embrace the present moment as a way of life. It empowers us to live our authentic selves and not miss out on opportunities for self-improvement and growth. It allows us to experience life on a much deeper, and more meaningful level. This moment right now is the only time you can impact your experience. This moment is the only time that exists. Let the past go, let the future unfold in response to what you are doing, thinking, feeling, and believing right now.

Remember that true feelings that arise in the present moment are far stronger and much more powerful than trying to build up feelings for manifestation, with an inexperienced thought. I am, is a powerful statement that signifies the belief and feeling of already having what you desire, thereby allowing manifestation to unfold naturally and effectively, without resistance.

I am, is definitive, I am is now, in this present moment. To say I will be, is merely expressing an intention or aspiration toward possibly becoming something in the future. I will be, is hope for a future event. I will be is not definitive.

“Be still and recognize the essence of your true nature.”

– Mooji

You are so Important: Your Unique Role in Shaping Our World

You are so Important in so many ways, and you should know that, and live that, and experience positively, more of that! What you do, how you live, what you put out into the world has a profound impact on the universe, and on everything in it.

Before we get to how important you are, let’s take a look at how just simply being, you affect the world around you.

How you affect the world.

“Just one look, one word, one display of body language can mean everything in the eyes of the perceiver.”

– Fostering Purpose

How a person perceives your look, words, or body language, can affect not only them, but it can affect the people who encounter them. A ripple effect of either positivity, or negativity, will spread, depending on how that communication was received.

The ripple effect

You’ve probably heard of the ripple effect when it comes to how we treat people in our experience. Some may call this karma, you get what you give, what goes around comes around… You’ve probably experienced it for yourself when someone has appeared to put you down or shown some sort of disdain towards you. Whether they intended to or not doesn’t matter, it’s how it’s perceived by the receiver that matters.

In perceiving that negativity, you have invited negative energy into your flow. That negative energy makes you feel lousy and those around you, sensing that negativity or experiencing your reaction to that lousy feeling, are being affected.

We hold a lot of power over the feelings of others, and not being careful with our actions can cause a lot of heartache for them. On the other hand, if careful and intentional, we can use that power to boost morale, encourage growth, motivate, and inspire self-love and self-worth. In doing so we can invite positive experiences into our own lives mirroring what we put out.

To understand this concept, you must first understand positive and negative energy and its importance in our life experience. Understanding this concept can have an astounding impact on the way you experience life, and on the way you influence others lives.

When you can understand the power of energy and live in a way to expand that energy around you, positively, then you can truly accomplish anything, and in doing so you can change lives.

Understanding energy and the concept of like attracts like.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. All things, even objects that appear solid, are made of vibrating and moving energy.

Positive energy vibrates at a higher rate of speed than negative energy. This positive energy will attract experiences that match the vibrational frequency of your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Conversely, negative energy will attract experiences that align with its vibrational frequency.

The quality of the energy we emit into the world, whether positive or negative, can and will affect those around us in corresponding ways. Living in a high-quality, positive energy state results in a positive energy field surrounding you. Your energy field, whether negative or positive, influences the energy fields of those around you.

A positive energy field radiates much farther than a negative one. You’ve likely experienced the uplifting feeling of being near a highly positive person, as well as the draining effect of being around someone with low energy.

Okay let’s talk about your greatness now!

What’s so important about you?

Why are you so important? Why are you worthy of love from yourself, from others, and from the universe? Because, if you remember who you truly are you’ll realize that you are magnificent! You are the child of all that is and ever will be, you’re the creator, the experiencer, the amazing soul that is here to live hard and learn large!

You are the child of the king so to say and the blood of that king runs through your veins. That blood holds the DNA of all that is powerful and all that is important, all that IS. If you carry the DNA of all that is, you at your core, are all that is. Together WE are all that is.

You’re not that person who made this or that mistake. You are not that terrible person that others may have claimed you are. You’re truly the soul that came here and has experienced so much, overcame so much, learned so much, grew so much, and contributed so much. No matter what you have experienced, you’ve learned. No matter what you’ve reaped, you’ve sewn. You have contributed to the experience of the soul whether it was positive or negative. You’ve become this one person that is unique in their experience and like no other in their knowledge and beliefs.

In our current reality, we’re confused and don’t remember who we truly are. We’ve let life kick us around and we’ve listened to what we have been told, by people who don’t know. We’ve been conditioned to believe that this life is just a game of chance and that we get what we get. We forget that we are intelligent, powerful beings, full of light and love. We have forgotten that we have this immense power inside of us to create every single detail of our lives.

You, creating you.

When you can say, “Yesterday I was this person, but today I am this person.” Then you are deciding today to be who you want to be. Yesterday is over and today is now. Everyday you are different, knowing different things, feeling different feelings, believing different beliefs. Every day you are growing, evolving, learning, and experiencing. And if you stay right here, right now, being what you want to be then you are always being what you want to be. When you leave the past where it is which is gone, you can experience the moment in totality, which is now and turns into forever.

Without even thinking about the future, you know that being who you are in the now, always, means you are that forever. And through living positively, things change, and you grow. Your abundance increases in positive ways, but still at your core you remain that amazing person you want to be, not just for yourself but for the world around you.

You hold the power to create your extraordinary life. This power, this light inside of you, grows bigger and bigger as you get better and better at nurturing and cultivating it. As your light shines brighter, your energy expands around you and affects everything and everyone around you. This bright light will light up the way for someone with low energy, likely feeling quite sad and lost.

Your bright light can inspire others to want to brighten their own lights. Your bright light will shine on our planet and amplify our collective light. Our combined light energy, which in turn will heal our planet. That positive energy coming from everyone collectively will ripple and spread and heal the world.

Why does the world need you?

There is something that you have to offer this world, that only YOU can offer.

Nobody else knows the things you know in the way that you know them. No one else can speak the words you speak in the way that you speak them. Nobody else feels the feelings you feel in the way that you feel them. This all means that you are the only one who can offer what you are passionate about to this world.

There’s a wonderful thing about sharing your beautiful positive self with the world. The world starts sharing beautiful positive things with you. The world wants to hear what you have to say and learn what you have to teach! There could never be too many teachers. If there are still people left to learn then there are still things that have not been taught. You may just hold that language that changes lives everywhere. That language, that way of speaking, the way of describing, the way of explaining, that is unique to only you.

Now more than ever, people are seeking to learn about their true selves. This is a time when people are waking up to who we truly are, why we are here, and what our purpose is in this experience.

Let’s look at some other ways you can help to change our world!

Share your love.

Radiate and amplify love

Have you ever sent authentic love to someone? Well, guess what! You can, and it doesn’t matter who they are, or where they are. All you need to do is concentrate on your heart and imagine a light of love, flowing from your chest straight to theirs. Feel that energy flowing out of you.

As you practice and get better at this you will be able to strongly feel that love (energy) rushing from you to them. And don’t worry, sharing that love won’t drain your energy. You will have love energy rushing back in from everywhere, in response to your sharing.

Love attracts love my loves.🖤

Choose your words wisely.

There is so much power in always speaking positively. This means you should always be speaking about what you do want, and never about what you don’t want. In only speaking about what you do want, you will be drawing only positivity into your life. By not wasting your time and energy focusing on the negative things you don’t want in your life, you’re giving that negativity no attention. You’re giving negativity no power. Where your attention goes energy flows so make that energy positive with positive thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

Instead of saying “I hope I don’t get stuck in traffic today” say “I hope the roads are nice and clear.” Instead of saying “I hope I’m not late” say “I hope I get there with lots of time to spare.” Give power to positivity, and let positivity grow around you.

When people hear how you speak, and they pick up on your positive vibes, you’ll be setting a great example and prompting them to do the same. The positivity you radiate will be so comforting and uplifting to those around you that you’ll be a pleasure to be around. When you radiate positivity and are a joy to be around, you naturally attract others who exude the same warmth and positivity. Good vibes attract good company.

Compliment others.

There’s got to be something you admire in every person that you interact with. Telling them so will mean far more than you may know. A compliment can be relived in the mind repeatedly, bringing with it the good feelings that it invoked, repeatedly. A compliment can be the boost someone needs to love something about themselves and foster growth in that self-love. It doesn’t cost a thing to give a compliment!

Bonus points for complimenting on something you would like to see manifested in your own life. If you notice this quality in someone else, it’s probably because it’s something you would admire for yourself. Embrace joy in seeing that quality, compliment that quality in others and you’ll be inviting it into your own experience.

Spread some joy.

If the only thing you did in life is spread some joy, love, and faith, then you have contributed to changing the world. In doing so, you will invite more joy, love, and faith into your own life. The world needs you to radiate your positive energy and to be conscious of your feelings and mood. Radiate love and gratitude to all that is around you. Watch as more things to love and be grateful for ripple back to you. What an inspiration to always feel your best!

Conclusion.

Inspire people toward self-love and self-worth, to be inspired toward self-love and self-worth. Encourage growth to be encouraged to grow. Motivate to be motivated. If you live in a way where you are always aware of what you are putting out there, then you can expect that the experiences in your own life to mirror that. Intentionally radiate positivity and watch how your life experience transforms.

Decide who you want to be and be that person starting now and staying in the now. You’ll always be that person. You can choose to be anyone you want to be! You are the person with the power to make your experience what you want it to be. Share the good that you have to share, radiate the love you have to radiate. Inspire by being inspirational for others and for yourself.

Share yourself in a positive way with the world. You have experiences like no other and the things you’ve learned through those experiences can help others. Utilize your remarkable qualities to help others realize their own potential. Remember, you are profoundly significant! 🖤

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Turn Jealousy into Inspiration: Embracing Manifestation and Spirituality

Inspirational image

Jealousy is a complex emotion that often stems from feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, or fear of loss. It can be a destructive force in our lives, leading to resentment, bitterness, and even strained relationships. However, what if we could transform jealousy into something positive? What if we could harness its energy and use it as a catalyst for growth and inspiration? In this blog post, we’ll explore how to turn jealousy into inspiration by incorporating principles of manifestation and spirituality into our lives.

Understanding Jealousy:

Before we can effectively transform jealousy, it’s essential to understand its roots. Jealousy often arises when we compare ourselves to others and perceive their success, possessions, or relationships as threats to our own sense of worth or happiness. It’s a natural human emotion, but it becomes problematic when we allow it to consume us and dictate our actions.

When seen in a different perspective, we can come to realize that it’s our calling to go after those things we desire. It’s our inspiration to strive for growth, transformation, and success. Imagine how seeing jealousy for what it truly is can mean freedom from negative emotions and a reminder of the possibilities that lay before you.

Manifestation and Jealousy:

Manifestation is the belief that our thoughts and beliefs have the power to shape our reality. By focusing our attention and intention on what we desire, we can attract positive outcomes into our lives. However, when jealousy rears its head, our thoughts and beliefs often become clouded with negativity, making it difficult to manifest our desires. When we resent someone for having something we want then we are feeling negative and placing ourselves on a low vibrational frequency. You will never be able to get to a vibrational match to that desire if you are not affiliating having it as a positive experience.

Quote about resenting someone else's success.

Instead of dwelling on feelings of envy or inadequacy, we can shift our focus to abundance and gratitude. Rather than resenting someone else’s success, we can celebrate it as evidence of what is possible. If you didn’t desire for yourself something you seen someone else achieving, then you wouldn’t have had a reaction. You want it, therefore reacted, but the reaction is just misconstrued emotion. By adopting an abundance mindset, we open ourselves up to the possibility that there is more than enough success, love, and happiness to go around. Seeing someone who has what you desire is a reminder and a motivator for you to work toward receiving that desire. Be grateful for those reminders and motivators!

Spirituality and Jealousy:

Spirituality teaches us that we are all interconnected and part of something greater than ourselves. When we embrace this perspective, we realize that someone else’s success does not diminish our own worth or potential. Instead of seeing others as competitors, we can recognize them as fellow travelers on the journey of life.

Practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and self-reflection can help us to foster compassion and empathy towards others. When we approach jealousy from a spiritual perspective, we understand that it is our ego, rather than our true self, that feels threatened by the success of others. By transcending our ego and connecting with our higher self, we can release jealousy and embrace inspiration.

Transforming Jealousy into Inspiration:

Turning jealousy into inspiration requires a shift in mindset and perspective. Instead of viewing someone else’s success as a threat, we can see it as a source of motivation and inspiration. Rather than comparing ourselves to others, we can focus on our own unique journey and path to success.

Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to counteract jealousy and cultivate inspiration. By acknowledging the blessings in our own lives, we can shift our focus away from what we lack and towards what we have to be thankful for. Gratitude opens the door to abundance and attracts more positivity into our lives. Gratitude attracts more things to be grateful for!

Visualization is another effective tool for transforming jealousy into inspiration. By visualizing our own success and happiness, we can align our thoughts and beliefs with our desires. Visualization helps us stay focused on our goals and empowers us to take the necessary actions to manifest them.

Jealousy is a natural human emotion, but it does not have to, and should not, control us. By incorporating principles of manifestation and spirituality into our lives, we can transform jealousy into what it really should be, inspiration. By shifting our mindset, practicing gratitude, and visualizing our success, we can embrace abundance and attract positivity into our lives. So, the next time jealousy rears its head, remember that it’s not a threat, but a reminder. It is an opportunity for growth and inspiration.

Adopting these perspectives can not only have a monumental effect on your health and wellbeing but can also bring opportunities for inspired actions into your awareness. Recognizing these opportunities can guide you onto the path of manifesting those desires for yourself. Inspired actions lead you to your success.🖤

Rock Bottom is a Beautiful Place

We never feel so badly, the push for change, than when we have crashed to the depths of despair.

We all know that rock bottom is an awful feeling place. It’s the lowest of the low, the ultimate destruction of your life as you know it. Your world crashes down all around you, crushing your self-worth, pulverizing your hope, and leaving you with self-loathing guilt and shame. You feel like a complete failure.

Hitting rock bottom can be a terrible, traumatic life experience that can cause severe emotional turmoil, and recognizing you’re there is the first step towards recovering from it. In my own experience, rock bottom was a horrible ride that delivered me to a wonderful destination.

Rock bottom is losing yourself.

Finding yourself at rock bottom usually means that you’ve lost something significant. Most eminently yourself. You have lost your self-respect, your self-confidence, your sense of importance and your feeling of belonging. You’re feeling degraded, worthless, lonely, and you’ve placed insurmountable blame upon yourself. You might feel like you just can’t face another day.

But what if you didn’t have to see it this way?

In a 2008 commencement address at Harvard University, J.K Rowlings spoke of hitting rock bottom. After being struck with a divorce and ensuing poverty, 7 years out of university she realized that she had met her biggest fear. This gave her hope, determination, and motivation to succeed as one of the best authors of our time.

And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

-J.K Rowlings

If you change your perspective there’s an alternative view.

Stop looking around you at the emptiness of the loss and view it as an opportunity for tremendous growth. You can rebuild something even better than what was there before. You have this opportunity to design the life of your dreams, and there’s nothing in the way now. Reach for hope, and search for purpose, remembering the dreams you once had, but left behind for some reason or another.

Before you lay that first brick, you must come to terms with yourself. Although it’s uncomfortable, it’s extremely important to acknowledge what you have done, and how that makes you feel. Allowing yourself to observe your emotions can be extremely fulfilling, and it’s okay to feel how you do.

Your rock bottom – your responsibility.

Acceptance is essential to your healing and your growth. There is no place for blaming others in this process because this is your story, and ultimately your decisions have placed you here. You may have been a victim in your circumstance, but accepting your role in the situation is key to your growth. You can’t change what has happened, but you can accept it and learn from it. In learning this lesson you’ll gain experience and strength. You’ll be given the gift of knowing what you do not want for your life, but even more importantly, what you do want.

After coming to terms with yourself, be sure to identify the lesson. What was it, what did you learn from it, and how will this impact your decisions in the future? What will you do differently from this point on? If you can’t identify the lesson, then how can you be sure it won’t sneak back in again? And if you can’t find something to change, then where will you find your hope to rebuild? You will be selling yourself short and missing out on an amazing opportunity for personal and spiritual growth, if you don’t ascertain what you’ve learned.

This experience can go very deep, exposing feelings and beliefs you didn’t know you had. This allows you to remove perspectives that do not serve you, and start establishing ones that do. And now, rock bottom becomes your new foundation.

Solid foundation – laying the first brick.

You’ve done the hard work at this point. By now you know what you do not want, and you have a clear picture of what you do want. You’ve accepted that this is where you are and have the hope and motivation to arrive where you want to be. You know what your new life looks like, so now it’s time to start building it.

Your new thoughts, ideas, and feelings become your beliefs. These beliefs create your new mindset. Your mindset is the total sum of your beliefs, the I can, or I can’t, the I will, or I won’t. And your mindset is what fuels your motivation to succeed. Pay close attention to what you are feeding your mind and make sure that your new beliefs about yourself and your goals, align with what you aspire to achieve.

Your rock bottom is your new foundation, and every brick you place upon it has a purpose. These bricks are the future walls that protect you from the past mistakes you’ve made and learned from. Because you now know what they look like, you won’t allow them in again.

You can only go up from here! Each brick you lay, is a great achievement, and these achievements are your motivation to keep building. You’re going to find that you have built something stronger and more resilient than you ever had in the past. You’ll have built the castle you dreamt of all along.

We all make mistakes; I call it growing.

Congratulations on your growth, you’ve survived a traumatic experience. You can now learn from it and rebuild upon it. Isn’t growth a beautiful thing? 🖤

Note: If you are feeling utterly hopeless and can not foresee a positive outcome for yourself, please seek help. If you feel that you are experiencing a suicidal crisis contact:
Listing of world crisis hotlines can be found here: Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World | Psychology Today
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A Week of Journal Prompts

Beautiful weekly journal prompts coming to your mailbox every Sunday!! Subscribe today. 🖤

Whether you’re a seasoned writer, or just dipping your toes into journaling, these prompts will help to ignite some inspiration and encourage self-reflection.

It can often be difficult to come up with something to write about, and prompts are a fantastic motivator to get you started. There are so many benefits to keeping a journal and I hope that I can inspire you to do so.

Benefits of keeping a journal.

Relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.

Stress, anxiety, and depression can be greatly relieved by journaling. You can be taken to another place emotionally when you’re forced to focus on the writing, and not on your distress. If you’re concentrating on a positive topic, then as you’re immersed in writing about it, you’ll naturally be stirring up positive feelings within yourself.

Strengthen your mind.

Journaling can help to strengthen your mind by encouraging you to contrive ideas and observations that are your own. These days we don’t think enough for ourselves or dig deep for answers because we rely on search engines to find the answers for us. Our poor minds are being sorely underused and neglected and we all know that our brain is a muscle that needs to be exercised and utilized. Journal prompts are especially helpful when you want to improve upon mind strength as they give you a reason to think outside of your norm.

Increase your self-awareness.

You can increase your self-awareness exponentially by writing about yourself and your beliefs. How often do you just sit and truly comprehend what your beliefs are? When you’re writing, you’re compelling yourself to reach below the surface for those answers. With a pen in hand and paper in front of you, you have to think to have something to write.

Discover and unearth negative emotional blocks.

A journal can help you to discover hidden beliefs that you didn’t realize you have. We all have hidden beliefs that were instilled throughout our lives, and many of these deep-rooted beliefs do not serve us well.

When thinking of a topic for this particular purpose then use a subject that you seem to struggle with in your life experience. For instance, if you struggle with a lack of money, then use something like: What beliefs do I have regarding money? Once you unearth all the negative beliefs you can replace them with new positive beliefs.

Journaling can help with decision-making.

When you are forced to make a tough decision, you can gain a lot of insight by writing about it. Writing down how you see the outcome from all angles allows you to make good, informed decisions like a pros and cons list would, but better. Since writing helps you to deeply explore feelings, you will have a better understanding of how either outcome would make you feel.

Why journal prompts are beneficial.

Journal prompts can push you to explore new thoughts and ideas that you wouldn’t normally explore on your own. They are especially beneficial for leading you to write about things that may be out of your comfort zone. Writing about specific topics that have been provided for you, can challenge you to answer questions that you wouldn’t normally ask yourself, leading you to learn new and exciting things about yourself.

Without further ado, 7 journal prompts to get you through the week…

Fostering Purpose - Journal Prompts

#1. List three qualities that you appreciate in yourself.

#2. Write about a goal that scares you but excites you at the same time.

#3. What legacy do you want to leave behind?

#4. What does success mean to you?

#5. What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?

#6. Write about a time when you experienced a breakthrough or revelation.

#7. Reflect on a time when you felt most fulfilled. What were you doing?

Bonus points for getting super creative and adding stickers, drawings, or any other decorations for some creative, artsy journaling. 🖤

Want journal prompts every week? Subscribe and receive a weekly email with journal prompts for every day of the week.

Comfy Cozy – Beat The Winter Blues.

No winter blues this year my loves. Get comfy cozy with these 12 joyful ways to enjoy the frosty season.

❄️ Cozy up and be grateful that we get to experience all of Mother Earth’s beautiful elements! This is the season where we can create warmth and comfort no matter what is happening outside. Doesn’t that sound kind of synonymous with life in general? Read on to stay comfy cozy and beat the winter blues!

#1. Sip on a gourmet hot drink.

Fostering Purpose Cozy Hot Drinks

Whatever your favorite hot drink is, you don’t have to go out in the cold to get one. You can find recipes online and make them yourself at home. Try these: Best Hot Drink Recipes for Fall and Winter (marthastewart.com). Jot down a few of your favorites, and next time you’re at the shops grab the ingredients so you can enjoy them all winter long.

Homemade hot cocoa is a breeze and you can jazz it up with a simple latte syrup, that you can also make at home. Add some whipped cream or marshmallows, shaved chocolate, and a sprinkle of cocoa. Beautiful!

Warm your hands and your heart with a hot mug of homemade deliciousness, and be sure to add garnishes to kick it up a notch.

#2 – Relax in comfy cozy loungewear.

Having a couple of cute, cozy outfits to lounge in over the winter is a must! Comfy enough, but also presentable in case someone happened to stop by. Throw on your favorite tights paired with an oversized knit sweater, and don’t forget some slouchy socks. Whatever your comfy cozy is, wear it and feel good in it.

Fostering Purpose Cozy Winter Walk

#3 – Take a winter walk.

Getting outdoors doesn’t have to be cold and awful! Dress for the weather making sure you put on a hat, scarf, mitts, warm jacket, and boots. Pull that scarf up to keep your face warm. As long as you dress appropriately, you can really enjoy the frosty outdoors. Don’t forget to use extra moisturizer so that chilly air doesn’t dry out your skin.

Breathe in that fresh crisp air and take in the scenery.

#4 – Beat the winter blues with a feel-good book.

The universe has given us a beautiful season for rest and restoration. There’s so little to do now that we don’t gather outdoors every weekend, and it’s the perfect opportunity to get to work on yourself.

This is your time to learn some new things, such as more about yourself, and the things you love. Pick up a self-improvement book, or maybe a romance novel, whatever it is, make sure it’s positive and can bring you some joy.

#5 – Start a creative journal.

Fostering Purpose Journal

Keeping a journal can help you learn a lot about yourself, and writing things out will allow you to organize your thoughts and put a lot of them in perspective.

Your journal can be used as a tool to help create the life you desire since it can help you discover what emotional blocks you may have that are holding you back from receiving those desires.

Adding some creativity like art, stickers, colors, and such, can really bring your attention to what you love. This helps you to focus on what you want more of in your life. Focus on gratitude, and watch as more things to be grateful for fall into your reality.

#6 – Create comfy cozy DIY decor.

This is the perfect season to create some handmade decor for the holidays. There are a zillion DIY ideas all over the internet. How about some unique ornaments for your tree, a gingerbread house, or a beautiful wreath for your door?

I’ve found you 75 cute DIY projects from the Pioneer Woman: 75 Easy Christmas Crafts to DIY This Holiday Season (thepioneerwoman.com)

#7 – Scented candles to light your night.

It may be dark earlier now, making this the perfect time to light up those scented candles. Be sure to pick some festive scents that take you back to when you were a child. Scents like mom’s baking, fresh crisp air, and hot chocolate are winter scents I love. There’s just such a romantic and cozy feel in the dancing light of a flame.

Fostering Purpose Cozy Hot Bath

#8 – Pamper yourself with a comfy cozy hot bath.

There is nothing more amazing than a luxurious hot bath in the winter, so lay back, relax, and unwind. Use lots of scented bubbles and a candle or two, to light the room.

Maybe go even further and create a little spa evening for yourself. Face masks and body scrubs are delectable treats for the skin. Afterwards, slather yourself in your favorite body cream before climbing into those warm PJs. So comfy cozy!

#9 – Knit, crochet, or sew.

Don’t know how? No problem. I didn’t know a thing about it, but I watched as many tutorials as I could find and worked my way up to a good intermediate at crochet, in no time at all. I love to see my family wearing hats or mitts I’ve made them with love.

Cozy homemade throws and blankets strewn about, are a surefire way to add a feeling of comfort and warmth to your home. Some super easy sewing patterns are perfect to warm you up – find some flax seed heating pad patterns.

I must warn you though, you are about to become addicted! Creating useful things gives you a certain satisfaction that will have you wanting to create more, and more, and more.

#10 – Holiday baking.

I love to get together with a friend and do an all-day bake-fest sharing a cocktail or 2 and a lot of laughs. We make double batches of everything and split it up. It’s a wonderful tradition.

Do you know you can bake ahead and put all the goodies in the freezer to enjoy right up to the holidays? Just cut them up and place them into plastic storage containers. Whenever you want some you can make up a plate. Just thaw for 15 or so minutes on the counter first. I do this every year.

#11 – Take a Christmas light drive.

What’s more beautiful than colored lights over a glistening snowy backdrop?

Fill up a tumbler with your favorite hot drink and go on a holiday light-up adventure. Your town may even have a list of locations for Christmas show homes, and many parks have Christmas lighting events as well.

#12 – Meditate.

Tis the season for finding yourself. This quiet season is our time for restoration and reflection. This is the perfect time to look back on our year and discover what lessons we learned, how we have grown, and what we want to accomplish in the new year.

Mastering meditation can can have a profound affect on you. You can experience some serious spiritual growth when you can train your mind to be silent Take a look at The Official Website of Dr Joe Dispenza. FYI – I have no affiliation with Joe, but in my opinion he is the leading expert in meditation and breathwork. His techniques are excellent and they work.

Enjoy a comfy cozy winter my loves. Take this time to rest, reflect, renew and grow 🖤

Ready to really embrace the winter season?

Check out our Seasonal Glow-Up Journey at the FP Extraordinary Living Academy!