The Beauty in the Process of Becoming

Maya Angelou said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” In the early days of elementary school, I was taught of the metamorphosis of a butterfly. I distinctly remember growing caterpillars and harvesting their cocoons in a tree nearby my childhood classroom. The week that we learned about the process in which a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly is still so evident in my mind. Every day, I would await the next school day, looking forward and counting down the days until the cocoons hatched and the butterflies emerged. Still, in literature and film, the metamorphosis of a butterfly is used to symbolize a spiritual or physical period of growth in which we expect a certain personal transformation. But, in these periods of growth, in our own personal metamorphosis, we often focus on the result of becoming a radiant butterfly, tending to overlook the changes we undergo that shape the intrinsic beauty of our wings. In making our new year’s resolutions, by which we may or may not have stuck to, we looked forward to the possibility of a new year. We thought of everything we wanted to achieve and of all the possibilities we thought we could be. We thought of all we had yet to do, those items on our bucket list left unchecked, all the places we have yet to see, and all our dreams we have yet to reach. We formed resolutions and goals, in part, based off what we have not yet accomplished. Alternatively, we formed resolutions based off all that we dreamt of achieving. As the excitement of a new year swiftly approached us, we were thinking of the result even long before the beginning of the year was upon us. We were thinking of the beautiful butterflies we would become before even making our cocoons. We were waiting to show off our beautiful wings and to explore the height that those wings would take us even while we were still caterpillars. While we have such adventure to look forward to in this next year, we must remember the inspiration in the every day. It is more than okay to be excited about the result, about the possibilities, and about the promise held within a new year, but it is important not to let our excitement about the result hamper our acceptance of present circumstances. We must be mindful in our present happenings so that we are able to be joyful in all circumstances. At times, we may find it difficult to be joyful in the midst of the calamity and the change. No doubt, we will face challenges, disappointment, discouragement, and failure, but we must acknowledge that those moments, even in their ugliness, play an important role in shaping our beauty. It is through those ugly, unpredictable moments, those times we wish not to remember and try vigorously to erase, that our beauty is more distinguished. It is for the beauty of becoming, that we must rejoice in the present. We must then find inspiration in the process of developing our wings. We must discover those sources of inspiration, seek out the people that encourage us and lift us up, visit those places that enlighten the truth and peace in our hearts, and invest in those moments that invigorate and revive us. For, it is in the midst of those moments that inspire us that those moments that have discouraged, disheartened, or challenged us become all the more worthwhile. When we focus on the present moments and how they are shaping and developing the wings by which we will soar, we will learn to value and rejoice in any moment, good or bad, invigorating or heartbreaking. We will come to value all these moments as the result of the intricacies that make our wings so distinct and unique for the purpose of our flight. We will come to love each moment and experience as they, without a doubt, aid our flight and amount to the joy in reaching our destination. But even more than that, we will come to love each moment and experience as they add inherent worth to our journey of becoming the people we are meant to be. Throughout the course of this month, we have discovered how reflection, rest, rediscovery, and revival will influence all the promise of this year. By remembering how years past have shaped us, by resting in what the present has to offer us, by learning to dream again, and by inspiring ourselves to courageously go forth in the direction of our dreams, we will learn to love not only the people we are becoming, but the process that we use in order to get there. We will then find beauty not only in the result of becoming all we have imagined to be and achieving that which is beyond our wildest dreams, but also in the process of becoming and achieving everything of our hearts desire. Let us now allow 2016 to become a collectivity of the moments in which we find inherent worth and dignity, that allow the beauty and intricacy of our wings to shine brighter than they ever could. With those wings, which we have grown and developed, let us soar to new heights and uncover unmapped destinations, so that we may be able to offer every unique part of ourselves in order to make our mark on this vastly beautiful world. As we continue into 2016, let us bravely spread our wings and soar. 

Embracing Your Dance

In the movie Invictus, the highly acclaimed New Zealand All Blacks rugby team performed the haka before facing off against the South African Springboks. South Africa’s team, uniting under the leadership of Nelson Mandela in his first term as president, symbolized the unity of a nation battling the systematic regime and institutional oppression of an apartheid era. The Springboks came to defeat the All Blacks in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, cementing the team’s fight as one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Before the match, the film portrays a cultural warrior dance from the All Blacks. The haka, as performed by the rugby team, “is a type of ancient Māori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as when groups came together in peace. Haka are a fierce display of a tribe's pride, strength and unity … Today, haka are still used during Māori ceremonies and celebrations to honour guests and show the importance of the occasion. They are also used to challenge opponents on the sports field.” Gaining recent widespread media attention, the haka was seen as a beautiful depiction of love, support, and loyalty when groomsmen, bridesmaids, and other family members and loved ones dedicated the symbolic dance to a couple on their wedding day. With these various illustrations of the haka in film and in the media, the war dance has become known as a custom of revival, preparing its members for anything from battle, to coming together in peace, to displaying a spirit of unity, strength, and pride. Though many of us may not perform a haka routine in the early moments of our mornings, as we prepare to take on the day, the illustration of the haka and its meaning is something that we can learn from. Throughout this month, we have been preparing our hearts for taking on this new year with courage, dignity, strength, bravery, and intention. We have learned to reflect on past years, as they have molded us into the people we are today. We have learned to find periods of rest, in creating habitual patterns of rest and reflection so that we can strengthen our minds, form courageous intentions, and prepare for present moments of opportunity. Just last week, we learned to allot space for our imaginations to roam free and for our dreams to trespass any barriers we have set or seen set before them. We learned to trust our strength, to grow our courage, and to invest in our imaginations, as they give forth to the fruition of our wildest dreams. This week, then, as we conclude this series, we will see the growth in our reflection, rest, and rediscovery unite in our revival. Creating spaces every day where we revive our spirits, stimulate our minds, and inspire habitual dreaming, is essential in order to see the fruits of our efforts, ambitions, and adventures in this year ahead. Experiencing revival may look different for each of us. In fact, here are many ways to practice the intention of reviving our minds, spirits, and dreams. One way is by journaling. Taking time to set intentions for the day, week, or month will enable you to remember those intentions throughout the day and will encourage you to work towards achieving them. You may notice opportunities that you would not have noticed otherwise, or you may seek out people or make plans that will further your ambitions. Another way to revive your spirit and to stimulate the reimagination of your dreams is by surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you to relentlessly pursue your dreams and who will encourage, strengthen, and inspire you to become the best version of yourself in order to fortify the reality of your dreams. The people you surround yourself, then, become an inviolable force in the pursuit of your dreams and in taking on every triumph, trial, and adventure that this new year has to offer you. Still, another way to revive your inspiration and intent for this new year is to strive to become the very inspiration that you are seeking. If you are looking for inspiration in changing your community, you may look for ways to offer your talents, expertise, and passions to the development of your community. If you aspire to grow in your career, you may open your eyes to new opportunities, reinforce your spirit in acting outside of your comfort zone, and define your resilience and persistence in facing fear and overcoming defeat. If you desire a change of course, a difference of behavior or habit, or deeper personal growth, you may instigate small but defining changes in your courses of action. You may challenge yourself to adhere to the promises you have made to yourself, accepting moments of failure, but pressing on in the face of defeat. You may learn to trust yourself and to find confidence in your strength, allowing yourself to achieve what you might have otherwise thought was impossible to achieve. In any way that you decide to revive your spirit, the action starts with you. You must make take the first step in relentlessly and fearlessly pursuing your dreams and obtaining your ambitions for this next year. In finding the inspiration to chase after your dreams and obtain your ambitions, be inspired by yourself. Let this next year tell a story of unexpected adventure and success. Rather than giving up at the first sign of defeat, accept the imperfection of your journey and encourage yourself to continue on the road of achieving your goals, of reimagining your dreams, and of refining your purpose. Believe in yourself, give your story leeway to ebb and flow to unexpected and unforeseen circumstances, and, always, go boldly in the direction of your heart by the light of your dreams.

The Dreamer’s Dream

“Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and then the total- all of these acts- will be written in the history of this generation. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a [wo]man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, [s]he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” - Robert F. KennedyOne of my most memorable moments while studying abroad in South Africa was standing atop of Elsie’s Peak in Fish Hoek, a city just south of central Cape Town. Two of my roommates and I had taken the train down to its end in Simon’s Town where we hiked around, explored some more, stayed in a hostel, and then traveled back north to our home. On our way back, we stopped in Fish Hoek, which after having had read about, we wanted to wander about. We looked up some suggested hikes, found Elsie’s Peak, grabbed our backpacks holding all our essentials for the weekend, and ventured up the peak without a map in hand or any idea of where this trail would lead us. To our surprise, it lead us amid the most beautiful scenery- my roommate Matt even found a rock that resembled Pride Rock from the Lion King, upon which he cradled his backpack in the same way that Mufasa cradled baby Simba. We continued through untouched greenery, majestic rocks, exotic flowers, and eventually found ourselves atop of the mountain. We continued to what we could see was the mountain’s edge to behold a perfect panorama of the Western Cape and the sprawling bay, spilling out into the vast ocean that seemed to go on for an infinity’s end. We were amazed and struck with wonder as we beheld the most beautiful and peaceful picture of nature that we had seen before. My heart was full as I was captivated in a moment’s time with the beauty of the world before me. To this day, that moment stands in time as the single moment that took my breath away and allowed my dreams to roam free. That is when my mind and soul felt the most free they had ever been to dream, to wander, and travel beyond my vision of the ocean’s end. Throughout this series in which we prepare our hearts and minds to grasp the vast opportunity that this new year awaits to give us, we have explored what it means to reflect on what these past years have taught us and to rest in what the present moments have to offer us. This week, we are venturing in what it means to dream again, to envision what we can offer this world, and to rediscover our purpose, influence, and inspiration. By reflecting on how we have grown and what we have learned through past experiences, struggles, lessons, triumphs, and rewards, we will be enlightened to discover our passions and rediscover the deepest desires and dreams of our hearts. Similarly, by resting in what these present moments have to offer us, and what they are preparing for us, we will be empowered to use our strength, talents, passions, and beliefs to pursue our dreams beyond what we could imagine of their fullest potential. When we realize the inherent value of our worth and the undeniable power in who we have come to be, we will believe that we are not only able to pursue our dreams, but to see those dreams become reality. In that moment that we enable ourselves to rediscover our dreams, we will be able to envision things for not only our own futures, but for the future of the world- dreams untouched by any precedent before us, and dreams so unique to our own character that we become the distinct driving force behind them. Once we believe in this power of ours, we will begin to take the steps to assure that we are constantly re-envisioning and rediscovering dreams for ourselves and for the vast world beyond us. For me, that experience on that mountaintop stands as the pillar of my imagination and of the basin that holds my wildest dreams and my purest hopes for the world. But, I am not limited to flying halfway across the world just to experience that mountaintop revelation. Rather, I am able to access that same emotion, that same moment that took my breath away, and that same powerful essence that freed my heart and mind to travel to the ocean’s end at any moment of any day. I can access that revelation that freed my dreams beyond the confines of my own doubt because I had experienced it before. The same goes for any of us. The truth is, each of us have had empowering and captivating moments, and because we have once experienced them before, we can draw up those invigorating experiences, that breath of life, that unparalleled inspiration in order to activate ordinary moments of inspiration. There are moments awaiting us each day with which we can become inspired and empowered to live out our dreams and our purpose. We must only be aware and open to looking for them in rather unexpected places. We must be intentional in alloting ourselves time to daily rediscover our dreams and remember our purpose and influence. For some of us, that may be surrounding ourselves with friends that share our ideals, our dreams, and empower us to affect change throughout the world. For others of us, that may be finding time in solitude, amid the world’s rawest and most beautiful natural wonders. Still, for some of us, that may be embarking on adventures, placing ourselves in unfamiliar territories, in unchartered waters, and resting upon the faith of our strength. Every day, we have moments to re-envision our purpose and influence and to rediscover our dreams. We must only allow those moments to be revealed, actively seek out those moments, and remind ourselves of prior experiences in which we have stood in awe to the freeing of our own imagination. In this next year, it is my hope that these moments are not just found in single life-changing experiences, but in the ordinary, almost mundane instances of our every-day lives. I hope that this rediscovery, this breath of invigorating life, becomes our normal, our habit. As we stand at the threshold of this new year, I hope we learn to rediscover our dreams throughout our weekly dispositions, our morning routines, our workday grind, and our nighttime slumbers, when we free our imaginations to dream all over again.

I Have A Few Dreams

I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

...I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day honoring the great man whose resilience for equality forever impacted this nation. Most of us enjoyed the day off, where we got to catch up on errands, cherish time with our kids or loved ones, and extend a weekend’s rest, even if just for a day. But this day symbolizes more than just a break from the business of life’s demands; it reminds us of a man who dedicated his whole life and gave of his whole spirit to fight for something he believed in, for something he thought was an absolute right, for something that would be esteemed and continuously defended for generations to come. Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream speech, delivered on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., is one of the most viscerally raw, truthful, and poignant speeches of our time. Here, he outlines his dream for America; a dream that was situated between pillars of oppression and adversity. But against all opposition, Martin Luther King embodied resilience in achieving his dream of equality and freedom and of establishing a home that rests on these principles for future generations. In fact, his resilience, bravery, and courage are what we celebrate and revere on the third or fourth Monday of every January for years to come. More than just esteeming Martin Luther King’s spirit of resilience driven by the pursuit of truth, justice, and freedom, we can seek inspiration from the pursuit of his dreams in the pursuit of our own. You see, the spirit of Martin Luther King is accessible to us all. What made this man so inspiring to many and so influential even beyond the years of his life is not a product of one man in one time in history. The qualities, trials, triumphs, beliefs, ideals, and dreams that made this man a pillar of hope and achievement are all qualities that each of us possess in unique and distinct ways. Martin Luther King tailored his own experiences, times of despair, points of weakness, defining moments of strength, and instances where his courage stood against adversity into the relentless pursuit of his dream of justice, freedom, and equality for all. In a similar manner, we too can use our defining moments, beliefs, strengths and convictions in the pursuit of our own dreams. Martin Luther King inspires more than just the legacy he left behind, but he embodies the courage and conviction we must all draw upon in standing behind our dreams and the resilience we must all muster up in pursuing our dreams against adversary, obstacles, oppression, and discouragement. Learning from this great man and his greater fight to achieve so much more for our nation than what any single person had done before him, we may be inspired to muster up every ounce of our spirit in order to achieve what we have set before ourselves. As we reflect on how Martin Luther King discovered and achieved his dream, we may be able to tap into our own resilience, to build up our own strength, and to stand behind our own beliefs in the pursuit of our own dreams. As we stand at the threshold of this new year and of all the possibilities, adventures, and dreams that it begins to unfold for us, we may ask ourselves how we will begin to rediscover our dreams; we may begin to seek out why we have placed these dreams before ourselves. Once we have defined the importance of these dreams and the purpose that our dreams have in the world, we will then begin to recognize our own distinct potential in driving our dreams and our uniqueness in seeing those dreams become reality. Martin Luther King undeniably was one of the most influential and impactful men of our time, but what defined his influence and what shaped his greatness are the same spirits of conviction, defining points of strength, and triumphant moments of victory that have shaped each of us into the people we are today. It is time that we rediscover our dreams, ambitions, and passions and use the pursuit of our dreams in order to change the world in a way that no one else could. It is time to realize our potential and to activate our courage, conviction, strength, and resilience in order to leave our legacy and, perhaps with our success, to encourage future generations to believe in their dreams and to use their distinctness and uniqueness to impact the world. 

A Community of Lighthouses

A lighthouse has often been represented in literature, film, history, and culture as a guiding light, a safe harbor, a beacon of hope. Joseph Panek has described a lighthouse’s proximity to sea as an intentionality that warns sailors of potential dangers. A lighthouse “notifies sailors that land is near and warns them that they are approaching rocks, reefs and shallow waters which must be navigated with caution. [It] is also a comforting sign that the calm waters of a welcoming harbor are close at hand.” Lighthouses have been central figures in literature, in novels like To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolf and The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, often symbolizing a guiding presence to all those voyaging or lost. This image of a lighthouse as a beacon of hope, a welcoming light, is a promise that solace and restoration are awaiting us when we reach dry land. Panek describes this comforting image of a lighthouse in its metaphorical sense, as “the element of Water represents the emotions, the Lighthouse is a Symbol for the Spiritual Strength and Emotional Guidance which is available to us during the times we feel we are being helplessly tossed around in a sea of inner turmoil.” In our lives, as we have sought these living images of lighthouses during our times of strife and trial, we have also become figures of hope and beacons of light for those in our lives undergoing trying circumstances. More often than not, we give of our energy and efforts in order to guide those we love to safe harbors. We expend our time, advice, thoughts, and feelings in order to guide our dear ones home, to safety and refuge. However, when we have spent our own emotions, when we have extended our own strength past what it is able to bear, the light in our lighthouse begins to dim, and we find that our guiding light may not be able to transcend beyond the shores of our own harbor. For this reason, it is essential that we take time to rest emotionally, that we actively seek out the people, places, circumstances, and practices that will refuel us and that will reignite our light so that we can continue to give off our luminescent energy and guiding light to all those around us. There are many ways that we can seek emotional rest in order to regain strength for ourselves and for those leaning on our strength. First, we should realize and accept that we will not always be a guiding light or a safe harbor for someone else. It is okay that we are not always the source of strength for someone else. It is okay if we are not the single lighthouse that guides everyone to a safe harbor. Once we relieve ourselves of the pressure to be the constant source of light, energy, and strength for every person in our lives, we may find that our light will not become dim, or its influence weak, but, rather, we may find that our light will beam brighter and that its scope will stretch farther than we could ever imagine. When we begin to rest, when we step down from being the emotional bearer, the allegiant advice-giver, or steadfast navigator, we will find time where we will be able to fan our own flame. In the difficulty of taking a step back, we will find beauty in realizing the force of our own light and the potential of our own strength. When we take instances and moments to rest in not being the lighthouse, we may find serenity in igniting our own flames and allowing our own lights to burn ever brighter. Once we take moments to step back, once we find time to rest and refuel, we will begin to seek out moments, places, and people that refuel us. When we take a step back from being the lighthouse, we may grow more comfortable in finding a lighthouse in someone else who will guide us to our safe harbor; we may be able to navigate beyond the walls and reserves that we have built up for ourselves, and we may see troubled waters grow calm. In seeking out a safe harbor in someone else we may ask ourselves: What fills us up? What reignites our fire? What keeps our flame alive? For some of us, we may be refueled by spending time with our closest friends, those who know us best and who are able to speak convictingly and intently into our lives. We may find a source of inspiration and strength in a long hike with a dear friend, a dinner date with close friends, or cherished time with family. For others of us, a period of rest and recharging our spirits entails a time of solitude, a long walk encountering nature, or some downtime with a good book. In any of these instances, though, we must become okay with abdicating our position as the lighthouse and the constant source of light for others in order that we may be able to find that light for ourselves in other people, places, instances, or things. When we revere this time of emotional rest for ourselves, we allow ourselves to refuel our passions, to regain our strength, and to reignite our light. Once we find strength in letting go, once we see newfound desires, inspiration, and hope in the midst of allowing others to shed their light on us, we will see our light spread further. Even still, in receiving the guiding light of others, we will begin to build and better maintain a collective light, a community of lighthouses whose luminosity casts its ever-flowing light to the ends of the earth. 

Fixing a Routine that Demands our Rest

In our day in age, there seems to be not nearly enough hours in a day. Between working our way up the corporate ladder, caring for our families, spending time with friends, seeing to our extra responsibilities, running errands, maintaining a social life, and attempting to revive any creative outlets, our days are quite literally spent. It would come as no surprise, then, that any period of rest is overshadowed by our determination to juggle all our responsibilities and interests. But, as we step into everything that this new year has in store for us, finding this period of rest is absolutely essential in order to maintain the drive to achieve every goal and aspiration we have set before us.The Oxford English Dictionary defines rest as an action in which you “cease work or movement in order to relax or recover strength; allow [yourself] to be inactive in order to regain strength or health.” Finding a time of physical rest, then, is essential for our lives. If we do not find time to rest our bodies and to allow our minds to unwind, we will not be able to offer all of our energy to our efforts that demand our best performance. We all may be able to recall a time in our lives when found that in our pursuits, our energy had been spent and when our efforts had grown weary. These are the times when we have pushed our bodies and our minds to perform beyond what they were capable of. Despite the warning signs, the signals of exhaustion, weariness, and depletion that grew a certain inaptitude in our performance, we pushed our bodies and our minds to achieve more, to go further, and to surpass any limitation we saw set before us. There came a point in these instances, however, when our efforts could not measure up to the standards of our desires. There came a time when our bodies and our minds had had enough. So, we accepted defeat, we succumbed to disappointment, and, ultimately, we were left wondering why we could not measure up. Though there is raw beauty and true meaning that is revealed in the midst of defeat, and in carrying on in spite of defeat, there are prevention measures we can take to assure that we give of our best selves in order to pursue the most beautifully genuine and unique dreams that we have set before us. One of the most important ways that we can set prevention measures for ourselves is by first acknowledging when we need rest and by then assuring that we get that rest. According to a study by the University of Washington, rest “is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for all ages. It rejuvenates your body and mind, regulates your mood, and is linked to learning and memory function. On the other hand, not getting enough rest can negatively affect your mood, immune system, memory, and stress level.” In order to chase after our dreams, to pursue our ambitions to their fullest potential, we need to give our bodies and minds the opportunity to rest and prepare for all that we are asking of them. In order to continually set ambitious goals for this year ahead, we need to allow ourselves time to rest in order that we may be in the best posture of creating dreams for ourselves and of setting intentions of pursuing those dreams. After realizing the importance of allowing ourselves daily physical and mental rest, we must, then, create the space in which we find rest and solace. A couple months ago, in the weariness of the unpredictable time of emerging adulthood, I was advised to go to the beach every day. Here, I was told, I would find a time of clarity, simplicity, wonder, peace, and inspiration. Now, the beach is not a magical place that would captivate my thoughts and spirit into this sense of peace and tranquility, but it is the place where I, personally, would go to devote time to my own thoughts. It is the place where I would go to pause the business of life’s demands and, moreover, it is the place where I would free myself of every intention, pressure, and aspiration I was placing on my life. Immediately upon hearing this, my mind started to conjure the many reasons why I should not go to the beach every day-- the beach is too far to go just to sit and think for half an hour, people will think I am just wasting my time, I should be spending that time on countless other things. But, why not go somewhere out of my way, even just to think? What was holding me back from allowing myself to have this time of rest? Is it fear of changing my habit? Is it fear of what people would think of me? Is it fear of what that time of rest would bring, what change would come out of it, or what inspiration would be prompted from it? Why do we fear rest? Why do we think ourselves unworthy of rest? What is holding us back from going to the beach every day, taking a walk in the park, or driving somewhere, despite the inconvenience, so as to set intentional time that we would use just for ourselves?Creating the spaces and times of rest for ourselves may seem impossible amid the demand of our own thoughts and the intimidation of society’s standards, pressures, and constructs. However, assuring the existence of these spaces and periods of rest in our lives is absolutely essential for the growth of our dreams and the fruition of our ambitions. Knowing the importance of this rest and what it can do for our dreams, intentions, and aspirations, we must prepare these spaces, we must go out of our way to assure these times of rest, and we must shake up our habits in order to allow the freedom of our thoughts. So, go to the beach, take a walk through the park, go out for a jog, wake up ten, thirty, forty-five minutes earlier. Create and continually assure this time of rest for yourself, not only because your dreams and aspirations deserve the fullness of your intention, but because you deserve the fullness of your intention. Allow yourself to rest in the uncomfortable yet wholly beautiful silence and stillness of your thoughts, for in that time of rest, you may discover uncovered truth and revealed treasure for your spirit in the pursuit of every one of your dreams.

New Year’s Reflection: Learning from our own Histories

Maya Angelou said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” Studying the events of history, then, have become important in shaping the course of our futures. We learn about history in order to better understand its events and to work against repeating them in the future. From grade-school to university, we have devoted years of studies to learning about our state’s history, US history, US government, ancient and modern civilizations, and world history. We have spanned topics of geographic history, history of ancient cultures, history of world religions, history of race and ethnicity, history of major world events and movements, and history of mass atrocities and world tragedies. Throughout the study of history, our aim is to better understand our collective actions in order to continue progressing where our actions have contributed to improving the world and to prevent similar mistakes where our actions have caused harm to the world.In reflecting on our own pasts, then, it is important for us to examine our own histories- to acknowledge the ways in which we can improve, to realize the ways in which we have progressed, and to attempt to learn from our experiences and actions in order to live our lives to their fullest potential and to offer our best contributions to the world. The way in which we examine our histories, and reflect upon our pasts, supersedes the events we choose to focus on. It does not become important, then, to mull over the circumstances that have caused us pain or the mistakes that we continuously replay in our minds. Examining our histories is not useful to us if we focus on missed opportunities, regret, failures, disappointments, or sadness. The “would-haves,” “should-haves,” or “if-onlys” do not encourage us to use our histories, to reflect on our pasts, in order to make the best of our futures. Instead, reflecting on our pasts in this way only makes us more apprehensive about our futures and about experiencing everything that this next year has to offer us. Since focusing on the content of our pasts inhibits us from launching into the fullness of this next year, and the years to follow, it becomes more important to adjust the lenses we use to examine our pasts. If history books were filled only with stories of mistake, regret, or suffering, there would be no hope that our world could ever evolve from the calamity of past societies, cultures, orders, regimes, or ways of life. Instead, the orators of these events, and the teachers of the content, provide lessons and applications for which future generations can learn, grow, and transform. We learn about history in order that we may be better equipped to use our own capabilities, intellect, and strengths in order to answer to the current and future needs of our societies. The approach we take in reflecting on our own pasts, then, should be no different. We should study the events of our past, not to obsess over the mistakes we made and the pain we were caused, but to grow from these experiences and transform from prevailing circumstances. When we redefine the way in which we examine and reflect upon our pasts, we become living testaments that our pain, disappointment, failure, sadness, or wandering does not go to waste. When we realize that those moments of pain or confusion are serving a bigger purpose than the meaning we attribute to them in the moment, we are empowering ourselves to live beyond our pasts and to look forward to what lies ahead. When we look forward to what this next year has to offer us, then, we do so with a frame of mind that has been enlightened by a reflection on our past. Those mistakes, missed opportunities, failures, or moments of pain, suffering, disappointment, and sadness become opportunities for which we can strengthen our character. In reflecting upon our past, we use those personal and individual history lessons in order to build our futures so that these lessons enable us to envision dreams that trespass territories that may have been once restricted to our use. We also use these lessons in order that boldness and courage may become the baseline from which our actions spring forth. We use these lessons, even still, to empower us to pursue aspirations that reach beyond the confines of our own limitations. But, more than just advancing our own lives and encouraging the best in our own future endeavors, we use these lessons as inspiration to advocate for those around us, that they may be empowered to live their lives to their utmost potential and to their fullest worth. Reflecting on our pasts, then, does not just become a tool for us to use in the process of our own self-betterment, but it becomes an invaluable asset for us to speak to the worth of all those around us. When we each reflect upon the lessons of our past, we do so in order to bring out the best in each other, so that the collective reflection on our pasts becomes an undeniable force in the promise of our future. As we begin to look forward and as we prepare to launch into this next year, let us study our own histories and reflect upon our pasts in such a way that allows everything in our futures to flourish. 

An Unconventional Warm Up: Reflecting on the Years Past

We all have a jam that gets us going- our favorite song to set the tone for the day, a warm up song before a long work-out, an upbeat song to put us in a good mood, a dance song for those moments when we want to celebrate how good life is. For me, that song is Kids by MGMT; it is the song that puts everything else I am doing on hold, it is the song that I can belt from the top of my lungs and shamelessly dance to alone in my car, or with a group of my closest friends. Simply, it is the song that always puts me in a good mood. Today is the first Tuesday of 2016. Usually, this is about the time when the “New Year’s Blues” kick in for me. The Christmas decorations come down, the lights get put away, the tree gets put out on the curb. Twelve months until the next holiday season seems like an eternity. We go back to work, some of our family leaves to go back home, and the mundane duties of life pick back up, almost without skipping a beat. This year, though, I was unusually looking forward to a new year, a fresh start, and the beginning of all I have to look forward to. My eagerness in awaiting the arrival of a new year could be attributed to a period of uncertainty, discontentment, confusion, and a sense of endless wandering that I found myself in post-graduation. In the last few weeks of December, I found myself eagerly awaiting a fresh new start, the relief of a new beginning, and the sense of promise that unfolding a new year’s surprises and treasures would bring. I was ready for 2016.Before jumping ahead to unpacking the adventures, treasured moments, surprises, and celebrations of this new year, though, I find it important to reflect on the years past, on the joyful moments and the uncomfortable moments, alike, on the happiness and on the disappointment, on the accomplishments and on the failures. In order to extend our arms to receive all that this year has to offer us, in order to make the most of the adventure, the hardship, the celebrations, and the surprises that this year will bring us, we must take time to reflect on how these past years have shaped us, steered us, and guided us to be the people that we are today. Those situations that made us discontent are a significant part of the course of our lives; likewise, are those moments in which we found ourselves lost, wandering, or not belonging, those times that tested us to our core, those hardships during which we almost gave up, those accomplishments we failed in achieving, or those expectations we have not yet met. Those moments and situations, those which we try to avoid or which we do not wish to remember, have significance in not only contributing to the people we are today, but they add meaning to everything we are awaiting this next year to unfold for us. It is important to reflect upon the situations that make us feel uncomfortable, lonely, and unaccomplished because those moments have given us the stamina to reach, even wearily, into the promise of a new year. Those moments and situations have given us the strength and determination to pursue our dreams, despite a time of wandering in which we may not see an end in sight. Those moments have a place in our lives, in the people we have become, and in the process of attaining what we want for this year ahead. This time of reflection is our warm up song. It is what will get us excited for what is to come. It is what will prepare our hearts and our minds to achieve goals, dreams, and aspirations that we did not think were possible to achieve. It is what we will draw upon to believe that we can soar beyond the limitations we have set for ourselves. It is our reminder that although similar times of discontentment, confusion, sadness, and loneliness may root themselves in the midst of this new year ahead, the strength that we have found in those past times will carry us through the uncertainties that the future may bring.Over the course of this month, I want to establish a space where we can prepare our hearts and minds for the year ahead. Through reflection, rest, rediscovery, and revival, let us set intentions for this year to come. Reflecting on the years past, then, is the first phase in preparing for the year to come. Establishing a time of reflection is necessary in order to begin living with boldness and tenacity, setting goals and dreams that resist fear, doubt, and all other limitations. Reflecting on how we have grown and changed during years past allows us to persistently work to achieve those goals. Reflecting on the love we have been shown allows us to shower those around us with unconditional love, abounding grace, unhibited kindness. Reflecting on the hard moments and the incandescently joyous moments, alike, reminds us to celebrate each moment with an authenticity and honesty that casts light to the lives of all those around us. Reflecting on the strength we have built leads us to believe that the hard and sad moments we may face will equip us and strengthen us beyond what we could ever imagine. Reflecting on the celebrations during even this past holiday season, with loved ones close and treasured moments held dear, invites an inspiration into our lives that reminds us to be present for the people in our lives, to, be aware of what is going on in the world, and to offer what we have to work to bridge gaps, distances, and differences.Through this time of reflection, let us make this next year more joyous, more progressive, and filled with more courage, depth, and love than all the years past. Let us welcome this year with openness and readiness. Let us plant our feet firm upon the ground that has been paved with the power, resilience, understanding, and all the desires of the years past. Let us use this foundation under our feet to launch into all the wonders of this next year ahead, a year that has incomparably more to offer us and exultantly more to reveal to us.

Generosity.org + Generosity Water: To Give The Gift of Life

Growing up in Southern California, I have always been a “water baby”. When I was younger, I spent my afternoons at swim practice and on the weekends I would compete in swim meets. During the summers, and most of the year when the weather was nice, I spent my days with my family at the beach, building sandcastles, boogie-boarding, body-surfing, or spending hours jumping over the ocean waves and floating in the sea. To this day, the beach is my favorite place to be; it is where I can hear the deepest thoughts of my soul, the longings of my heart. It is where I can rest assured that I will find solace. I have found that I thrive on water -- the image of it, the proximity of it, and the readiness of it. I have not yet experienced a world where the availability of water was not at my fingertips. First thing in the morning, after a workout at the gym, or any time that my body has experienced thirst, I have been able to go into my kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, then walk out of the room and go on with whatever I was doing without skipping a beat. But, 663 million people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). For, Generosity.org, a humanitarian organization dedicated to ending the water crisis in Haiti, Uganda, and Ghana, 663 million remains not just a number, but it represents the faces, experiences, and lives of millions of people in the world who lack a basic human necessity.In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, fittingly a time when gratitude and generosity permeate the air, I sat down with Jordan Wagner and Anna Lindtjorn to learn more about the way in which Generosity.org and Generosity Water, the for-profit business, off-branch of Generosity.org, is affecting change, giving life, and restoring dignity to lives around the world. Founding Generosity.org only six years ago, Jordan witnessed how water deeply affects lives and communities while on a trip to East Africa in 2008. During his visit to a community in Uganda, where a month before he arrived there, nearly half the population died from a cholera outbreak, Jordan saw the devastation that the lack of clean water can cause on an entire community. He described this indispensable connection between water and humanity, saying, “water really is the most basic human need, it really is the catalyst for community transformation; you can’t really grow without clean water, and then, at the same time, seeing how clean water was an affordable solution, it was actually solvable.” Upon returning home that November with a passion to contribute to the efforts of others to end this water crisis, Jordan opted out of receiving Christmas gifts and, instead, asked friends and family for donations so he could help this community back in Uganda. The action, then, of raising over $5,000 to build a water project for that community birthed an organization determined to unify people to contribute every one of their talents, passions, and efforts to abolish the global water crisis in our lifetime. Today, Generosity.org has funded over 727 water projects, providing roughly 413,000 people with clean drinking water. On its own part, Generosity Beverages and Generosity Water, a for-profit business selling the highest quality alkaline bottled water with a perfect pH balance of 10.0, has funded three wells since its establishment this past August. But, more than a business that provides the best quality of a product, each product sold enhances the quality of life and sustains the wellbeing of communities around the world. With every purchase of a Generosity Water bottle, two people are provided with clean drinking water for a month. The idea for Generosity Water, then, tethered two actions of generosity, the one that we give to our own selves, and by which we honor the health of our bodies, and the one that we give to others around the world. Appropriately named Generosity.org and Generosity Water, these entities thrive on the belief that it is the generosity of people that transforms communities and impacts the world. This tangible concept of generosity, one that we practice in our daily interactions and dialogues, will remain the driving force that sees this water crisis to its end. Anna elaborated on her take on the concept of generosity, “We truly believe that generosity changes people and … that’s what’s going to change the world … I just think that we’re all created to be generous, we’re not created to live for ourselves; like to fully live, to be fully alive, I think you have to see beyond your own personal needs.” Stepping into the role as Executive Director of Generosity.org, Anna has noticed how the culmination of generous acts provides a transformation unlike any other. In fact, Generosity.org works to ensure that the change that transforms these communities affected by the water crisis, comes from within the communities themselves. The first thing that Generosity.org does in order to enliven the local people to be their own catalysts for transformation is establish a Water User Committee. The first task of the Committee, then, is to set up a bank account with a local bank, a task that has single-handedly sparked the creation of whole banking systems in some regions, like in a region of Uganda. Another way that Generosity.org inspires community empowerment through these water projects is through the collection of fees for using the water projects, a practice that ensures that community members are buying into the maintenance of their own water projects. Every Saturday, then, the elected treasurer of the Committee collects the funds from the water projects and uses those funds for the needs of the community. Some instances have seen those funds used for repairs while other instances have seen those funds attributed to buying books for children so they can attend school. On one of her trips revisiting previously installed water projects, Anna realized the strength of the impact that this in-community buying and that Generosity.org, as a whole, have on the water crisis, not only on a global or quantitative scale, but on an individual and personal scale. In one particular community where a water project was being installed, the president of the Water User Committee went to his local district government and requested that a light post be put in by the water project so that people could get water at night. After working in collaboration with the government to ensure that he could maintain this water project in his community, the government granted his request and brought him a light post. Using the fees collected, the community was able to purchase a lightbulb for the light post, which became the first-ever light post in that community, shedding its literal and figurative light on all its community members. Another example of the tangible change that generosity imparts through the act of giving water is lived through the story of a man named Josue Lajeunesse. On one of his trips to Haiti in 2009, Jordan met Josue who was born and raised in Haiti, but has since moved to the US, where he has been working as a janitor at Princeton University for the past eighteen years. Growing up in a community where mostly everyone has lived below the poverty line, Josue was always inspired, alongside his brother and father, to build a clean water project in their hometown. This lifelong, or nearly forty-year-long, goal of his and his family’s was kindled by the struggle he saw people of his community undertaking just to get water to drink. Because of the environmental, geographic, and socio-economic conditions of this Haitian community, people were either embarking up a treacherous mountain, and endangering their lives, to get water, or they were traveling to a remote river that had contaminated water, and, subsequently, falling ill from it. Upon learning his story, Jordan and the Generosity.org team began to work with him to initiate a solution to build a water project for this community, a solution that would prove to be somewhat of a challenge since it would require $25,000 in order to pipe water down from a nearby mountain. Soon after Generosity.org began working with Josue, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake shook Haiti and brought worldwide attention to these rural communities. However, since Josue was a janitor on a prestigious Ivy League campus in the US, students began to transform this devastating and untimely environmental disaster into an opportunity to make Josue’s lifelong dream come to fruition. After throwing fundraisers, giving up meals, and, ultimately, using of their time and resources in order to pool together their finances, the student body at Princeton University raised over $35,000 in order to help their beloved janitor bring clean water to his hometown. Jordan was, then, involved in producing a documentary called La Source, the name of Josue’s community, which perfectly illustrates the way that Generosity.org pools together people’s talents, strengths, and resources in order to empower people, to transform communities, and to wholly dismantle the global water crisis. Stories such as these perfectly encapsulate the various ways that we can come together as a human race in order to uplift the lives of people around the world by assuring that their lives are not harmed or threatened due to a lack of clean drinking water. With a concentration of their efforts on Haiti, Generosity.org and Generosity Water are transforming communities in a region that has been devastated by a natural disaster that inspired worldwide attention and a region that is continually thwarted by environmental, economic and social obstacles. As a result, only 69% of its population has access to clean drinking water. The proximity of Haiti to the US, coupled with the fact that it is the poorest country in our Western Hemisphere, Generosity.org and Generosity Water are determined to empower other people like Josue to rise above poverty, above circumstance, and above devastation in order to transform their communities and to ensure that their basic human needs are fulfilled. In joining with the efforts of Generosity.org and Generosity Water, you can start by giving a donation, by rallying your friends so that, together, you can fund a well, or by starting an Us For Us campaign. Perhaps, the most worthwhile gift that you can give, is setting the intention of a lifestyle that is built upon and thrives on generosity. The collection of all these generous acts, of these reoriented lifestyles, will create a forcefield against which the most severe disease, famine, or injustice cannot break through. Though the end of the holiday season looms near, the act of giving remains timeless. Your generosity is not confined by the confounds of a calendar season. Instead, your gift, your generosity, imparts an eternal impact, inspires an immeasurable transformation, and supplies incessant hope that, through the bond of humanity, we can surely see this global water crisis come to an end as we empower communities throughout the world. Our action, then, is vital. When the lack of clean drinking water is the current leading cause of death, surpassing AIDS, war, and famine, combined, can we afford to sit idle while the rest of the world demands our attention? When the bond of humanity remains much stronger in aligning our passions, interests, strengths, talents, and dreams than it does in differentiating us, how can we not react to a crisis that is debilitating some of our own? The time is ours, then, to use our capabilities, to light a fire beneath our passions, and to drive our strengths in order to give life to those around the world who share our common humanity. Jordan elaborated on this strength of unity, saying, “for me, it was more about realizing all these different desires and gifts and talents that might be in my heart can be used to actually … make a difference in the world and not just increase the size of my own bank account … [but] use whatever talents that I’ve been given, whatever gifts I have in my life … to make our world better and create a better future for people.” This action sprung forth from generosity, this concern for the wellbeing of people, of strangers, around the world is the fuel that will ignite the fire that will encompass all people of all different backgrounds, strengths, talents, interests, and passions in order to stand against the injustices of the world and to fight to ensure that human rights are awarded to and enjoyed by all people. As we begin to usher in a new year of life, a fresh start, let us begin and continue curating a lifestyle of generosity. Let us give the gift of water that gives the gift of life throughout the world, and let us work fervently until all people can bask in the goodness of life and all it has to offer.