Make it Personal

I like to think I’m a genuine person.  It’s hard not to be when your facial expressions have no filter and you’re the stereotypical definition of a Cancer, zodiac speaking.  So many feels, you have no idea.  In a world that, I am convinced, is so insensitive anymore it takes an extra effort to be REAL and to not only type and capture but to speak and act.  More importantly, we have to give our eyes a break from the glowing screens and be present in order to truly live.

With technology forging the path to the future, I find the world has become less and less sincere.  Texts don’t require the focus or committment or presence a good old conversation does.  A conversation actually requires you to put your world on pause and listen and who really has time for that between Netflix, work, the Fall TV lineup, getting into political arguments, online shopping and feeding/bathing ourselves??  Snail mail has been replaced with Facebook messages, tags, and virtual e-greetings.  You can’t tell me you don’t get all sorts of Jessie Spano excited when you get mail and it’s not your birthday or a bill or a creditcard offer.  It’s flat out jubilation.

There are so many inconsequential distractions surrounding us on a daily basis that it is easy to get lost in it all.  I see people walking around all the time, eyes glued to their phone- and in a city like LA that’s a risky little game due to the percentage of people with dogs and their inability to clean up after them.  #Fact  The digital world has taken precedence over reality.  I know this because I dropped my phone in a toilet (it was empty for the record) last week and didn’t have a phone for 2 days and realized how dependent I am on that stupid thing.  I also felt so incredibly free because I had an excuse not to be available!  In conclusion, I highly recommend throwing your phone in a toilet or any shallow body of water of your choosing.  2 days in a bowl of rice and it’ll be good as new.

We ask people how they are in passing and most of the time we aren’t interested in the answer.  Someone asked me that the other day and before I could even answer, they were around the corner out of earshot.  As I stood there alone with my answer on the tip of my tongue, I thought to myself- why did you even ask?  Why do we say things out of courtesy?  We ask questions with no intention of a conversation, but with an expectation of a generic answer.  When someone asks “how’s it going?”, 9 times out of 10 the answer is ‘good’ when 8 times out of 10 that’s not the truth.  It’s evolved into a robotic superficial conversation that’s all too common.

I hear the words “I didn’t mean to” a lot.  It’s synonymous to an apology minus the feeling of actual regret.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually MEANT the things we said and did?  As a society, we need to be more intentional.  We need to move around in this life with reason.  With advancements in technology, a lot of what we do and say is recorded.  Life isn’t as care-free or without repercussion any longer.  This is a hard truth to face as someone who is passionate and has a tendency to let words fall out of her mouth on a daily basis.  It’s not my fault, it just gets real cluttered up there sometimes and I run out of storage.  It’s called shifting.  Oops.

Get creative.  Find your motivation.  Personalize your life and how you treat those people you hold dear.  It is so very easy to fall into a rut and go through the motions, but I promise you everything is better when it is felt and done with passion.  Get excited about what drives you.  It’s different for everyone but we have to find those parts of our lives that are magic and make us smile like idiots watching fireworks.  As people, we absorb eachother’s energies meaning each of us has an aura that we emit.  Cultivate your life so that you’re giving the same kind of energy you’d like to be receiving.  It’s called karma and she can be a petty B, so watch yourself!

We do what’s easy, what’s quickest, what’s convenient.  In some cases, we reap the benefits whether it’s extra time for ourselves or minimizing stress but in many cases it cheapens the quality of life we are living.  Take the extra time.  Make the effort for yourself and the people you love.  You won’t regret it.  In fact, you will most likely feel really good about it.  For example, no one works out and then feels bad about it afterwards.  No one.  That’s not a thing.  Unless you competed in American Ninja Warrior and didn’t make it past the first obstacle…then you can feel bad about yourself (I’m KIDDING…kinda).  Think about the end game and how you’ll feel when it’s all said and done.

I am guilty myself.  I cut corners.  I make lazy decisions sometimes.  I screen calls.  I text when I should be dialing, I sneak peaks at my phone when I’m already in good company, I think of people a lot more often than I let them know, I take for granted some of the people in my life and let too much time pass between conversations.  We all do it.  This isn’t an epiphany.  What’s important is that we acknowledge it.  When we become more aware of the decisions we are making, we take back control of the messages we are sending to others.

This is your life.  Be intentional.  Make it yours.  Everything you say and do has your initials on it…especially if you’re into monograms.  Make it mean something.  Nothing is more valuable than when it’s authentic.