Introspection Time

This morning I watched a sermon from Elevation Church in North Carolina. I became obsessed with this church sometime back in October or November, and frequent the website and YouTube channels to watch sermons and listen to worship music. And now, one of the top items on my To Hit List, is an eight day trip to NC, so I can go to Elevation... twice.

I'm going to take a moment to digress, just to address something that tends to be an eyebrow raiser for people. And that is, my religion.

If it hasn't been made apparent in my previous posts, I am here to tell you now, I am a practicing, worshiping, singing, loving, and spreading-the-word kind of Christian. There was an elongated period of time in which religion and my relationship with God were the furthest things from my radar, but in the last three years, I have been regressing -- and of the good kind, to the proper good stuff this time! The last four months have been especially revealing and impactful for me, and I decided that I want to dedicate my life to Christ, and construct my life around Him and what He wants for me. It has definitely not been easy, with all my former habits being generally unaligned with what this relationship requests of me, but I'm persevering in my pursuits of becoming a woman of God. I'm not saying I'm a poster child for Christianity or anything, oh no, no. I've got about a decade's worth of bad habits to overcome, this process takes time. But, I am on my way, and that's what counts. And I'm learning A LOT about myself in the process.

But back to "the point". . . . .

In the sermon, Pastor Steven (whom I recommend all of you listen to, because he is fire!) posed two questions to all of us:

1. What gets your fire going?
2. What are your core convictions? 

(Trigger deep thought and introspection here)

Now, I have a habit of asking myself, "What do you want to do, Allison?" at various moments during the day/week. I do it so I can stop, check in with myself, and determine what it is I'm in the mood for. I've got a lot of hobbies at my disposal, so there's generally something enhancing to choose from, and yes, of course, sometimes the answer comes up, "Watch a movie on YouTube," so that's what I do. I try to do this often, most especially when I can tell I'm being a little erratic and my energy is just flying all over the place, off-center, and somewhat insane. And these questions, especially #1, I have considered so many times in my growing years, I'm not sure how it still stumps me when it is posed. However, considering that I'm entering a major year of change and doing "investing activities for my future," it's incredibly important that I stop, think, and reconsider the question. (And come up with some answers.)

I've been struggling a bit to determine what really gets my fire going, because for some reason, travel, loving people, interacting with people, being and feeling Spiritually liberated, and doing what I feel like doing in the moment, don't seem like good enough answers. Ok, let me rephrase that, they don't seem like inadequate answers, but are they ones that can support me throughout my life and be what I build it up around?  

Travel has always been the thing that I know gets my fire burning the hottest. Travel, and planning things. And while this is all good and great, in life, we tend to have to earn some amount of income in order to make it. So in spite of the fact I'd like to be as sustainable and off-grid as possible, it's still important for me to think about income. To question how I can turn my life into something that centers around travel and planning things, as I should, since it's proven that we are most successful at things when we are passionate about them, but that will also enable me to live without stressing about how I'll get my next meal or flight? (Since this is a question I've often asked myself and the answer always remains the same, I already have lists of things I can do in order to make a life of travel. But that's not really why I am writing this post, so we'll leave it for now.) The next question, "What are your core convictions," is a newer one for me to ask myself. 

There have been many times when I've thought about the kind of person I want to be, which is in essence the same thing, but I'd never heard it said with those words in that order before. So it got me thinking, "What are my core convictions?" And when I ask myself that, the only answer that I can come up with is the following:

I want my life to be an example of what it means to live and love for the Lord, through His love, in His love, and be a beacon of love, light, and positivity wherever I go.
I want people to know me, think of me, and remember me as a happy, loving, kind person, and one with whom the time they spent with me was spent well.
I want to know that when I leave someone's presence, I am leaving it brighter than it was before, and/or have contributed in a positive way to their attitude and time. 

I figure, if I can manage to do that -- live in and spread love, light, gratitude, and positivity -- the rest will fall into place, life will continue to be great, and I'll get to places I didn't even know I wanted to arrive.

I still can't think of anything else I want to do than travel around the world and love them, giving out hugs everywhere I go, and making people feel visible, loved, cherished, and important, while reminding and showing them that yes, there are many reasons to smile and give thanks to God. But I still can't figure out just how that's going to become my full-time occupation. (Although I've already come up with the title/job description: Healing with Hugs Through the Holy Spirit.:) 

One thing I know for sure is, I trust God with all I've got, and I know He'll get me where I'm meant to be, so long as I continue to walk by faith and let the Spirit guide me. And I also know, that since when I close my eyes and think about my future, all I see is me on dirt roads, in crowded places, surrounded by people whose native language is different than mine, bent down, looking into their eyes, and giving them a hug and a big smile because we've shared something special, then that's what will become my reality. It already is in many ways, and I'm grateful for that, but really, really excited to watch my scope grow! 

We've gotta put our energy into making our lives all we want them to be. I know I am not at all keen on spending my Earth Time filling my life with things that don't satisfy and make my soul sing!

So what about you? Have you asked yourself what gets your fire going? Or how about what your core convictions are? What kind of person do you want to be? And what are you doing to be him/her and accomplish all your dreams? 

These are some of the most important questions you or anyone will ever ask in your lifetime, and are meant to be considered and answers honored. We have one shot at life on Earth, one chance to live a life that satisfies our souls, so don't let it go to waste, working for a better future that will give you the time/money/etc you need to do what you want to do now. Opportunities are everywhere, don't let anyone tell you they are scarce. And remember, they're even more prevalent when you're chasing your dreams and living your life passionately. NIKE!

I'm sending you strength, love, light, and everything good and pure in the Universe. I hope it finds you easily, and blesses your days beautifully. 

Endless 

Blessings, Love & Light

From Above

<3

Progress Report on My Four for 2014

For awhile, each morning when I was writing in my devotional/prayer journal, I would write the date, and I would say to myself a little, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's already x day of the month. I can't believe another day has come and gone, and we're already into the next one! Time moves SO FAST!"

I'm not really sure why I would do this, but it went on for two or three months, and it really was freaking me out. I think originally my thought was that, by reminding myself how quickly the days pass, I should and would try to live each one as fully as I possibly could, and not let one go to waste. But instead of it making me think, "What shall I do today that will make it really count?", I was left freaking out that already the time had come to write another day down! So I stopped doing this when I was home, because I didn't want to think about how quickly my numbered days in California would pass, and I've not started doing it again since. And it has helped!

The urge is still there to think, "another one," when I write the date, but instead of letting myself be like, "holy crap, on to the next one already," I just smile and remind myself that time is slowing down. (Which, as I've learned, it seems to pass more slowly when I tell myself this, and also just remain in the moment.) But since we are now in February, I thought it would be nice to do a little "One Month Check-Up" on our resolutions!

My Four for 2014 were:

1. No cussing
2. No drugs
3. Do more of God's work
4. Let go, and move on

1. No cussing -- this one has, surprisingly, been the hardest of them all to do. Through deciding that I would not cuss this year, I've come to realize just how much I actually like to cuss. And usually, for no reason, and to myself. I love to just say the F-word to myself in any given situation, and then laugh about it. But, also through trying to quit the habit, I've realized the times that I tend to cuss around others are: a) after a couple beers, b) when I'm super relaxed (aka speaking native English), and c) when I'm being lazy. I've pinpointed it to be, ultimately, something that happens when I am just too lazy to come up with a more intelligent way of saying what I want to say. Which can be hard, because sometime, those phrasal insults that involve swear words really have a meaning that can't be so easily expressed otherwise. Overall: still working on it. Potentially doing better, but there's still much work to be done.

2. No drugs -- this has been incredibly easy, considering that my friends here don't do drugs, I don't know where to find or buy them, and I just really don't care to do or take any. So, this has been, by far, the easiest of my resolutions. Overall: MAJOR success, and even better, still no desire for them! (We'll see how bad the temptation is when I'm actually around them though. . .)

3. Do more of God's work -- well, I wouldn't say that I've gone out and done a bunch of mission work since the new year began, but I am going to church tomorrow for the first time in my nearly two years of living-abroad-life, so we'll see what opportunities arise! And, through meeting new people, having loads of couchsurfers, and getting out in the world a bit more, I'm a far more open person that I think I was last year, and this causes me to gush out love with an incredible force, ultimately resulting in me serving God's greatest purpose for our human lives -- to love one another. Overall: doing quite well, and am looking forward to what opportunities come following me finding a church. (Which was part of this overall new year goal.)

4. Let go, and move on -- well, I'm not sure how many of you read this post about moving on and letting go, but, I can say this has been far easier and smoother than I thought it would be. I have had one serious breakdown, upon realizing something quite with a lot of impact and depth, but I am definitely traveling steadily and happily down my path, without excessive looking back and dwelling. Overall: succeeding!

So, that's where I'm at with my Four for 2014, how about you? Did you set any resolutions or goals for the year? And if so, how are you holding up with them? Hopefully they, you, and all, is just splendid!

Loads of Blessings, Love & Light to you all. 

I love you, I adore you, I wouldn't exist and be me without you! 

Thank you for sharing the globe with me! <3

16 Things To Do in Five Years

When I sat down this morning for my devotional, I wanted to put down on paper all the grand plans I've been coming up with for my life. It started out as a list of things I'd like to do over the course of all my years, but after looking at the list, I realized they are all things I would like to, and could, accomplish in the next five years. In five years, I will be nearly 30-years old. I will be nearing the age I have decided (and also kind of promised my mom) would be appropriate to have a bit more of a career path in place, and perhaps have decided in which part of the world I will make my home. All of the things you are about to read are things I WILL accomplish in the next five years, apart from two.

16 Things To Do Before I'm 30:

• Learn Portuguese, Italian, French, German and Japanese
• Spend more than a month travelling Portugal (Checking this one off this summer!)
• Live in/travel Italy for three to four months
• Live in France for one year
• Return to the Baboon Sanctuary in Belize and volunteer
• Spend five months travelling Central America
• Go to the furthest tip of Africa
• Do yoga on the Great Wall of China
• Be a travel writer/inspirational person with a great reach (#1)
• Do a handstand
• Make my own bread and pasta
• Collaborate with a visionary artist to make psychedelic story books
• Write a novel
• Hear God's voice
• Ascend the chakras in meditation
• Grow my own food (Note to self: This requires finding a place to live and turn into a semi-permanent home)

The two things on this list that I have on my "General Life List" are to learn German and Japanese, but the rest, you follow along on this journey of mine long enough, and I will personally bring you along with me as I accomplish them!

I think it's important to set big and small goals for your life. I'm against planning out your life, but I am all for having ideas and a broad timeline in which to accomplish them. That said, what can you think of? What have you thought of? What's on your list? Anything special or simple you'd like to accomplish in the next year? Five years? Share below in the comments anything you might want to do, and we can make sure we encourage each other all the way to successful completion of everything! 

Blessings, Love & Light sweet souls 

<3

I'm A Big Kid Meow

Well folks I finally did something I set out to do! I came on this massive roadtrip with the hopes of finding myself a job down here in Los Angeles, and while it may not be a permanent position, it certainly is a paying job! I am back at Disney's ABC working in the communication administration department. It's a 6-week temp job, but could turn into something more permanent somewhere. So I have moved myself down to LA, into my uncles' home, and am beginning the next chapter of my life.

It's very strange jumping into this type of thing so quickly. I came down here to go to a few interviews and meetings, catch up with people I worked with during my internship, visit close friends, and try to snoop out a job. I never in a million years would have expected that me dropping in to say hi to a few old colleagues would lead to a short-term position right back where I was only a matter of months ago. But in a way it's very fitting, and in a strange way could have been expected simply because of how things go in my life. It is full of the unexpected, crazy things happening at crazy times, and little surprises that only God knows about.

I didn't have any time to adjust to the idea of moving out of Chico, so it's probably a good thing that I will be going back this weekend to gather my wardrobe and get in one last night of debauchery with my friends! And then it will be back down to LA, where I have pretty much always belonged, to continue my "adult life" and try to really make my mark in the world. In an interview I had last week one of the questions was about my long-term goals, goal for the next 5-10 years. I answered by saying that I will have moved up in the company from where I started and all that good stuff, but my biggest focus was the fact that I will be a force to be reckoned with in whatever industry or job I am doing. It's something that I've always thought, wanted, and known would come of my life, but to actually vocalize it that way felt so amazing. I think my confidence increased a few decibels in that sentence alone.

I would like to pose a "mission" to you all for the rest of the week... figure out what your goals are in life. Make them as big and outrageous as you possibly can. Say them to yourself, write them down, or if you're feeling like letting it all out, tell someone you know. Manifest destiny is a real thing and you can really apply it to your life if you believe and try. Keep God with you and He will enable you to do all things. Life is a crazy, messy ride, but it is the most wonderful thing that we can ever do. It is up to us to make it our own and make it what we want it to be, so don't hold back and no matter if it's the millionth time you've heard it, live your life with no regrets!! And if you need a little motivation to get out there and do something crazy, here are some pictures from our wonderful triple-threat-bday-bash of a weekend in LAS VEGAS! :)

 Can you say TWINNING!?!

 Triple-Threat

Today's Quote: "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." -Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. 

Casi, Casi

I should probably begin by explaining the chosen title for this entry... 

"Casi" in Spanish means "almost," and has been chosen for tonight's title because I am CASI done with my application for NALCAS (North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain)!!! YAY!! After much procrastination and internal debate, I am finally almost finished with the thing and can then wait, impatiently, to hear about my acceptance. I have just a few things more to do, but hope to have it all completed by the end of the week (I am giving myself till the end of the week because part of the application involves submitting a reference letter, the writer of which is still undecided). 

ADD Drift: Is it appropriate to ask someone (who I would like to write the letter) on a scale of 1-10, would they make me seem like an 11, or below a 7? I assume so, but since I tend to go against the grain and do things in an unconventional way, I can also assume that when I decide to ask my professor, I will also ask where he would rank me. Whoops ahead of time? I think not! ;)

And here we go...

I would like to start by saying that I think I owe it to my vision board that I have become so directed! (Either that, or my medication has been in my bloodstream for enough days that it actually is having an affect?) No matter where the credit be due, I am happy as a clam that I feel so "on track!" And what you may wonder is a vision board? The answer is simple! I got the idea from the ABC show "Happy Endings," a truly wonderful and comic show I might add! 

ADD Drift: Simply writing the three letters "a" "d" and "d" next to one another only make me think of attention deficit disorder/A.D.D., and not the word "add." I read it as "a" "d" "d," and am left feeling strange, like I am referring to my blog or something. Therefore, I will probably make my use of the word "add" very minimal in order to avoid getting bugged out in my own head.

Back to the explanation of a vision board... What you do is take a poster board of some sort, and on it you put pictures or words of the things that you want for/in your future. It is supposed to give you some sort of visual inspiration, and ultimately the goal is for everything on the board to come true. And this ladies and gentleman, is mine!!

Quite a beauty, ain't she? ;) But really, I've pinned it to the ceiling right above my bed... That way, every night when I go to sleep, and every morning when I wake up, and any random time I check the vent to ensure that it is pumping out heat (when we actually decide to start using the dang thing), I will see it and be reminded of the things I want in my life (at least the things I want in my life this week.. =/). Pero en serio (but seriously), every time I look at it I get this feeling within that just lets me know:

• I have a plan
• I have goals
• And I will accomplish everything I want to in this life! 
• As well as remind me that I want to make a positive change in the world and help guide it into a peaceful direction. 

I highly suggest this approach to anyone who is feeling a little confused, lost, defeated, unsure, or even if you think you are completely satisfied with your life-- MAKE A VISION BOARD! Maybe it works so well for me because I am an avid list maker and love to watch the things on my "to do" list dwindle away as I ferociously cross them off (sometimes ferociously, others with a smug look of satisfaction as though to say, "HAHA, item! I have taken care of you!").


Yes, yes dear friends, life is good. I feel good and am keeping negative thoughts at bay. Even though finals are upon us and I have a term paper due on Thursday, I am cool as a cucumber and know that everything will work out. I just can't think about the term paper, or the fact that I have yet to even figure out a book to write about and read. YIKES! But it is alright, I have the best teammate around, and He and I will conquer all! 

But now, Dan Gibson's "European Spa" CD has come on my iTunes, and I am drifting away to the land of waterfalls, pianos, and harps! Good night my avid readers, and thank you as always for the soon-to-come support :)


Today's Quote: "Life is good with God!"