by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
What is a manifesto? For me, it’s a mantra – a series of words that reflect how I live my life (or try to) and give me reminders to stay focused on what makes me happy. I’ve posted this mantra before, but it’s somethat that deserves repeating. . . . .
Be thankful. Be happy. Be in the moment. Learn from the past, live for today and prepare yourself for the future. Don’t be afraid to do, be afraid of not doing. Embrace change and the unknown. Learn and share. Take care of you. Give yourself to others. Dream. Be the brightest star you can. Live.
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by Melissa | Archive, Blog Post, Random musings
Just a few things I recently pinned on Pinterest that I wanted to share here as well. I’ve begun my journey along my my longer-term Five Minute Plan (which was featured on You, Me, & Charlie! I’m still in awe that this happened, but I digress), and I couldn’t be more happy with my decision. It’s time to do things for me, on my terms, and to truly listen to myself – and not the wishes of others – on my quest for happiness.
I hope to be sharing more here over the coming months, as well as developing my online photo portfolio so I can share more of that work as well.
I hope you are all well, and please, take some time for you this weekend – you deserve it!
by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
Just wanted to share something that I recently submitted to the site You, Me, & Charlie. Now, I don’t know if it will get posted there *crossing my fingers that it will*, but I wanted to share it here too, since it’s a message that is a great reminder for all of us.
During an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, I found myself lost in the moment playing on the swings at an elementary school in the city I now call home, carefree, lost in a moment of pure joy, enjoying the sun and in awe of the simple beauty of my surroundings. This was not where I planned to be at that moment, but I let myself wander and indulge in something that made me happy. It is in these moments of wandering that I find that I gain insight into myself, and can truly seen how I have grown and developed into the person I am today.
I know that even if I try to plan each day, each moment, each experience, there are some things that are just out of my control. But I am excited. I am excited about decisions I am making for me, for my life, for my happiness and growth. I am focusing on a five minute plan – things I can do in the near future to have a more immediate impact. Not what someone tells me to. Not what I think I should be doing, but what I want to do; something that adds meaning to my life or makes me happy. It doesn’t have to be something huge, but it will have an impact and move you further towards your ultimate goals. At the end of day, these are the things that I know make me feel rewarded and fulfilled.
This approach allows for more freedom, more exploration, more chances to try new and different things since I’m not tying myself to any one path. I’m trying not to be afraid of making some wrong turns. I’m listening to my heart, working on being happy, and following what inspires me. I may end up taking a slight detour, but I believe I’m still on my way to where I am meant to be.
As I meander down this road I find myself traveling on, I’ve developed the following mantra: Be thankful. Be happy. Be in the moment. Learn from the past, live for today and prepare yourself for the future. Don’t be afraid to do, be afraid of not doing. Embrace change and the unknown. Learn and share. Take care of you. Give yourself to others. Dream. Be the brightest star you can. Live.
Long story short? Don’t be afraid of the detours. Have some fun, let yourself wander, and enjoy life.
by Melissa | Blog Post, Commentary on the world around me
Last night I was sad to hear about the passing of Whitney Houston. She had a true gift which will live on through her music.
Addiction is a real, and often fatal, struggle for many people. Too often people do not know how or where to get help – in some cases due to barriers to access or the stigma related to such problems. The same is true for other mental illnesses as well.
This leads me to pose the question: When can there be a real discussion about how mental health is as important as physical heath?
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by Melissa | Blog Post, Music, Random musings
I will admit, I never really listened to Bjork before, a sad byproduct of the apparent musical cave I live in. (I’m working on it, the whole “expanding my musical horizons thing”). However after I saw a mention of one of her songs somewhere, I fired up one of the best things I’ve ever had to feed my addiction to music, Spotify, and did a quick search. Other than a brief period where I was in a Natalie Merchant mood, I’ve pretty much been on an all-Bjork-all-the-time kick.
Luckily for me, I have quite a lot to catch up on, but already have some favorites among her songs.
What was this realization I came to this weekend? I’m a fan of her music, really dig the vibe of the tracks, and am upset that I didn’t listen to it sooner. It’s like she found a way to turn the randomness that goes on in my head and in my life into music.
Her songs are varied – some are upbeat and peppy, while others are much more low-key and almost sad. They go from very electronic to songs having orchestral elements and everything in between. They are quite random, and quirky and I enjoy it immensely (even if most of the time I have no idea what she is saying).
Even after a few days of listening, you can see how her music has grown and developed and changed, while still staying the same at its core. I’d like to think this is a reflection of the journey that any one of us goes through over time. We are constantly adapting to our life experiences and adding to taking away things that maybe just don’t fit anymore or that add value to what we are doing.
Long story short, I really am loving this musical journey I’ve been on as of late. I’ve found some great new music, added a few tracks to my Me playlist.
I may be unexpectedly counting myself as a fan of Bjork, at to a greater extent “electronic” music, just don’t expect me to start wearing some of the “outfits” she does.
And with that, I will retreat back to my comfy chair and do some more reading. I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend and that you took some time to do something for you.
Much <3 to you all.
Cheers 🙂
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my latest and greatest adventure www.divaunleashed.com!
by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
This Monday was one for me. Not for anyone else. Just me. And it was fabulous.
Why? It was different. While, this is a one-time thing (not having to be at work until noon), it was needed, wanted, and exactly perfect.
Simplicity was the theme of the morning. I woke up, fed the four-leggers, ate a bowl of cereal and drank some coffee in bed. Then went to my office, cued up some jazz on Spotify and sat in my awesome plaid chair, sipping on more coffee and reading.
Really, doesn’t get much better than this.
I’ve said it before, and it warrants being repeated again – take time to do something for you. It recharges your spirit and is soothing to the soul.
To quote Tom Haverford – Treat. Yo. Self.
I also needed this morning of relaxation since the rest of this week will be a mad sprint to Wednesday. Starting something new and getting excited.
I wish you all a week of positivity, productivity, and ample time to relax.
