See the world through your own eyes

It is all too often that we spend a majority of our emotional and mental energy worrying about how we look in the eyes of those around us. We focus all our attention on our perceptions of what someone else may be thinking. Most of the time, at least for me, these thoughts are a reflection of my own insecurities that I have created. They often have nothing to do with those around me but only my own emotions and how I see myself in the world. We have sacrificed our own individual expression of the self in return for a self critical and often negative view of ourselves. When we do this we accomplish nothing and create a false sense of acceptance, all for the ability to “fit in.” It is only when we truly understand what we want from our own life and accept and love ourselves can we harness all that energy to inspire, create beauty and success in our life. We must continue to strive to see the world through our own lens while disregarding all the filters that society continues to surround us with. I believe that for me as well as most of the world this is one of the most prevalent roadblocks we encounter while trying to create our best and most successful life. If we continue to become so engrossed by the judgement of those around us we will never develop our own creative freedom, intuition and intellect. We owe it to ourselves to ignore the limiting beliefs of those around us and to following our dreams and reject the status quo. It is only when we begin to “think different” that will we see a paradigm shift in the way we view reality. 

This challenge is a lifelong learning opportunity as we are always judging and being judged. It is also not something that can change overnight but instead requires constant mindful attention. It is each persons responsibility to develop their own truths and beliefs about the world while respecting but not necessarily adopting those of others.

 Over the last few months my opportunity to travel alone has catapulted my own thoughts, dreams and insecurities into the forefront of my conscious awareness. Having the ability and freedom to see and do whatever I want has helped me to understand and start to make sense of who I am and what I want out of this journey we call life. Each day is full of excitement and endless opportunities, all of which, I am in control. These adventures coupled with the social aspect of meeting people from all over the world have proved to be experiences that can and will never have a price tag. It is a journey of personal growth and one that each person should experience for themselves. As I travel through New Zealand, I continue to fall in love with the country more and more each day. From the friendly people to the inspiring landscapes and scenery there is something for everyone here. Over the last few weeks I have pushed my physical body to summit mountains while expanding my consciousness during my stay at the Hare Krishna ashram. I spent a few weeks working at an organic winery learning about wine, which of course included its fair share of wine tastings. I even had the opportunity to spend two weeks at a permaculture conference learning and expanding my knowledge of how to work in unison with our ecosystem and environment. An idea and movement that I am particularly passionate about as we have taken our earth and everything it provides for us for granted and it isn't until disaster strikes will we open our eyes to the destruction that we have caused. I just hope and pray that the people of the world will understand this and change their ways before it is too late.

As I sit here writing I feel inspired and grateful for all the ups and downs of my journey. Each day provides me with the opportunity to grow physically, mentally and spiritually. My life is in balance and I look forward to my future and all the lessons that I continue to learn. In whichever direction life points me I am confident that I will continue to thrive while making a difference in the world.

A Farewell to Fiji

Slow Through Village

Everything happens for a reason, and once we can accept this and align our lives with the synchronicity and harmony of the universe doors are opened for us and life just seems to work out perfectly. During my amazing week with Evolution Seminars I became good friends with the family that works in the resort we were staying at. It was my first experience with the nature of Fijian hospitality and love.  They were also the ones to answer my many questions about the Fijian culture and how the villages in Fiji are organized. 

So each village can vary in size from small villages (50-100 people) to much larger villages (400+). Each village is also organized in a very tribal fashion with the leader who has final say on all matters being the Chief. This position is passed down through generations always staying within the family of the Chieftan clan. The Chief also rules until death or until he is no longer physically able. Obviously this is a very respected and highly admired individual who also has the authority to grant pieces of farmland to the men who are of age to start farming as he technically owns all of the land. Next in the hierarchy is the spokesman, this is a position that is filled by a male village member and elected by the villagers and who typically serves for about three years. The spokesman is the villager who talks directly to the Chief and conveys his words and plans to the villagers. The Chief wont talk directly to the villagers as it always goes through the spokesman. Every evening he announces all the tasks that need to be completed the next day in the village whether it be repairs, construction, farm work or another job. The next day the men will meet in the morning to start on the project. Life in Fiji is very simple with a be happy don't worry mentality. People in the village are all very happy with what may be poor materialistic wealth but they are rich in tradition and love, they always have their basic needs of food and shelter met as you always have the whole village to help you and your family. 

Buca Bay- Always Nice 

At the end of my week in Savusavu I was invited by the family to accompany their son George, who I became great friends with, to the mothers village of Buca Bay about 3 hours north of Savusavu. Her father also just happened to be the Chief of the the village and invited me to stay at his house for the week! Buca Bay actually pronounced “Butha Bay” is a village of about 350 people with each family being primarily self sufficient through farming and each house having 24hr electricity from hydro-power. The religions in this village are most commonly Catholic and Methodist with your own families religion dictating what you will be born into. I can honestly say that I don't think I have experienced a culture that emulates the virtues of love, kindness and generosity as much the Fijians do. Each and every person is genuinely kind and welcoming and expects nothing in return except that same kind love. It is a truly remarkable culture and country. After arriving to the village on the bus, which are never monotonous here as you are always driving along coastline, with the green mountains and coconut trees on one side and crystal clear water on another, it was time to meet the chief. Of course I had to look presentable so I put on my Sulu (fijian garb resembling a skirt) and button up shirt. I had my offering to the Chief which of course was Kava, a root plant that is grounded up and mixed with water which is consumed out of a coconut shells every night by Fijians. It also serves as Fiji’s major cash crop. Kava sessions which usually are accompanied by some type of music can extend into the early morning hours which are usually follow by a day of extreme relaxation something westerners confuse with laziness. After meeting the Chief and his family he graciously accepted my offering and welcomed me into his village grating me permission to stay with him as long as I want for nothing in return. He even went on to invite the rest of my family to his village and stay at his home. He said each house in the village was now opened to me and each person in the village was now my neighbor and family member. There is no shortage of love here in Fiji which is something the whole world could learn to incorporate into our daily lives and routines. 

Daily life in the village is very simple, for the men you tend to your farm which usually consists of growing Taro a starchy root vegetable similar to potato as well as Kava. For many men this is their one daily responsibility other than helping with any communal village jobs. While the women stay home to take care of the children and prepare the meals. In the afternoon usually after lunch their is a designated nap time as it can be very hot. After nap time the whole village, men women and children gather for two hours to play either rugby or volleyball. Only the men will play rugby but volleyball is open for all the villagers to play. I personally found this to be absolutely awesome. This was a designated time during the day that the whole village came together to laugh, smile and play without becoming overly competitive and angry. Even during the mens rugby game each player (who were awesomely talented) played their hardest an gave it their all but never got caught up in scores, teams or winning or loosing. It was all about going out giving it your all and having a great time. After playing everyone cleans up and then has dinner with their family. Also because Fiji has such as large Indian population you can see the cultural infusion in there foods with a lot of spicy curries, dal and roti. The evenings are then spent with the children doing their homework or often you see families watching American movies. It is then that the men and sometimes women congregate at a villagers house to partake in a night of Kava which will usually continue until there is no more, a night filled with music, jokes, laughter and heavy sleep as Kava has sedative and anesthetic properties!  

Chief Ratu with nephew

It was an amazing week with a true insight into a completely different culture. I was humbled and in awe of their simplicity while amazed at their genuine happiness and joy that they each exude There is no need for us to complicate life as it can be as simple as we allow it to be. What is important is the love that we each have for ourselves which allows us to both give  and receive love from others. This then plays into our family life of which are the most important people in our life. We must constantly learn to express to them how much they mean to us while expressing gratitude to them for being themselves. There should be no material possessions or material wealth that should be able to come in-between the love of a family. It is such as simple concept and these ideas are what bring us happiness in life, but yet why do we find it so hard to find happiness in what seems like such a busy, hectic and draining western way of life?

   

Villagers House 

Transformation in Paradise

A warm hello to my amazing family and friends or more appropriately Bula a word used here in Fiji to welcome and greet both family members as well as strangers with love and respect. It has already been about two weeks and each day has been filled with excitement and adventure. Starting with delayed flights and barely making it through immigration each moment is proving to be a learning experience. After landing in Fiji I learned that you are actually not allowed to enter this and many other countries without having a return or continued flight out of the country, but with some charm, confidence and maybe a few white lies I am writing to you from these beautiful islands with no plans to leave anytime soon! 

After landing on the main island of Viti Levu I only had a few hours before getting on the tiny island hopper plane to meet up with the rest the seminar group as my delayed flight set me back a few hours. The flight provided a breathtaking view of the many beautiful green islands and the majestic blue oceans that surround them. Also as if that wasn't enough, with no doors to the cockpit the pilot gave the three other passengers and I an introductory flying lesson, scenic tour from 7000 feet and history lesson of Fiji all within the 1.5 hr flight time! Definitely one of the more interesting lectures I have listened to in a while! I had finally arrived on the island of Vanua Levu the second largest island with a population of about 3,300 in the town of Savusavu, the airport consisting of a short concrete runway with a small hanger and two workers who check your name off in a notebook during departures and arrivals. Airport travel has never been so easy and convenient! Soon after arriving at the resort I met with the rest of the group, made up of entrepreneurs and respected professionals from all walks of life that I would be spending the next week with and led by Matt Brauning an inspiring, confident and wise soul who I am honored to call a great friend. During the week we explored the remarkable Fijian culture and its beauty and simplicity of living in harmony with the land, while diving into our own personal growth and transformation, enabling each of us to access the infinite potential and incredible abundance that lies dormant inside each and every human being. Using concepts such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) we learned to understand our own thought processes and their origins. Basically, the way we think and why we think that way. From our earliest childhood interactions we are conditioned to react and think in certain ways whether this is from our parents, teachers, friends, society or media. These thought patterns are ingrained into our way of thinking and follow us throughout our lives and are the reason we all react differently to situations. After understanding our own thought patters and their origins we are able to alter the “thinking habits” that no longer serve us and actually keep us from achieving our dreams. Once we change the way we think and what we believe to be truth, there are no limits to what we can achieve and  accomplish! 

Another concept we explored was Spiral Dynamics, an absolutely fascinating way to analyze and understand human nature, the world around you and how you fit into it all. This concept and model was actually used by Nelson Mandela in the creation of reconciliation strategies in the post-apartheid South Africa. It has been especially remarkable to be able experience and live in the different levels of the spiral firsthand within the Fijian culture which is separated into villages and function within a tribal hierarchy with the chief having the final say. If spiral dynamics was taught to and truly understood by world leaders, many conflicts all around the world would be able to be resolved with all parties having their needs met. However what makes this material so amazing is that anyone looking to improve their own life, make their dreams a reality and positively impact the world can benefit from these teachings. Out of our amazing group there was one person who I really connected with and was inspired by. She is a physician living in California who went to medical school at the age of 34 and has since dedicated her life to medical missionary trips serving in war torn and poverty stricken areas all over the world. She is an amazing soul who had so much wisdom and love to share with the world. She wakes up each morning grateful for where her life has taken her and for everything she has, while serving and helping those who aren't as fortunate. And this makes her happy, something people, especially in our privileged society often confuse with wealth and monetary gain. She is truly passionate about what she does and through this finds purpose and meaning in her own life.   It is people like her that inspire me to find passion and purpose in my life while staying true to my souls journey. Overall the week was full of transformational thinking with powerful insights into personal development, leadership, achieving dreams, happiness and success and this is only the start of my adventure! 

"Beauty awakens the soul to act" 

~Dante Alighieri

Welcome my beautiful family and friends! I am so excited to share with you the launching of my Blog, where you can join me on my adventures around the world. I will try to update you all as often as possible on where I am, the amazing people I have been meeting and all the epic experiences that I have. It is without the shadow of a doubt that it will be a life enhancing and changing experience and I am so grateful to be able to share it with you. Im all packed up and ready to leave for my first destination...Fiji! 

Talk to you all very soon!