Gratitude Attitude!

Welcome to ZEN DAILY WORDS & ZEN HEART CREATIONS!

We hope you enjoy our Zen Inspirational Blogs, Zen Original Art, and Zen Adventures! 

Our Zen Daily Words Book will be available for purchase soon, and we hope you will enjoy many mindful moments solving the Zen Word Search Puzzles! We also hope you are inspired to create some of your own Daily Words and Affirmations! 

Keeping a positive attitude and outlook on life can be challenging at times, and we hope reading these Daily Words & Affirmations will assist you in creating a gratitude attitude in your day! 

Namaste

Hope, Faith & Courage!

Quote by Aristotle:

"Hope is a waking dream."

Hoping, dreaming, praying and having faith are all the things that help us get through each day of our lives. This quote has the same powerful message as: “Courage is Fear Walking.” Hope and Courage; we either have to walk through it or dream through it, but either way we live through it all with Faith.

To me the word hope is similar to the word faith which I created an acronym for when I was writing a piano song: “Faith: Fearless Attitude in thy Heart”. Having Hope and Faith gets me through each day along with my daily spiritual meditations and guidance from Quan Yin.

Of all the times I've flipped through my little Dream Quotes book I don't think I've ever seen this quote from Aristotle, what a serendipitous event to find it today! I am actually living my dream today by publishing my book Zen Daily Words that I have dreamt about doing for quite a while now.

It's quite miraculous when we dream something, and then we make it happen, and we take the action to have it become reality. It all starts with a little bit of Hope, Faith & Courage, and a lot of hard work. In the end it's all worth it, especially if it makes a difference in someone else's life for the better. My mission in life is to share loving-kindness and compassion with all. Hopefully my new inspiring book will offer many mindful moments and enjoyment for all those who read it!

Psychic Dreaming!

Quote by Edgar Cayce:

"Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions."

Sometimes I feel as if I'm a bit psychic or can see beyond the beyond! Probably in our dream dimension that is certainly the case! I know Edgar Cayce is well known for his writings on the afterlife, reincarnation, etc. He must have some insight into are dream dimensions too! He's probably done plenty of research in that area and maybe even has some kind of indirect proof that we can dream into our future creating our life story.

I've been writing about Dream Quotes for almost a month now, and it's as fascinating as ever to read these quotes and learn about what others think dreams may mean in their lives. 

I love dreaming, in fact I had some great dreams just last night, all different subjects and topics that just sort of ran into one another like a bunch of short stories in a book, it was quite interesting and fascinating! I couldn't interpret why my mind was writing all those short essays if I tried! I only wish I could remember all of them, that’s what’s so frustrating about dreams! I don't know why it is but sometimes we remember them so crystal clear and other times we just have a sensation or concept of what we dreamt? 

If only we could be our own DVD recording instrument in our mind, and then get to review what we were dreaming about the next day in living color! Hopefully some technology genius is working on developing a tool for this!

Here and Now!

Quote by James Dean:

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."

Living in the moment is really the best way to go about life. It's all we really have control of, we can't change the past and we can't predict the future. Of course we can dream, make plans, have goals, take action and hope for a beautiful life. In the meantime we need to realize that life is impermanent, we don't know how much time we have left, we need to be grateful right now, in the Here and Now and enjoy life to the fullest.

The Buddhist way of life teaches us to be mindful of each moment in all that we do whether it is eating, walking, talking, thinking, meditating, etc. We need to be in the moment focused on pursuing our dreams wholeheartedly. While we are mindful that life is impermanent, we will live a full life in every moment that we breathe and our heart is beating.

Quiet the mind, breathe in peace, breathe out love, and focus on this one moment in time. Tomorrow will take care of itself; it is completely out of our control. Yesterday is gone, we can't relive history, now is all that truly matters. 

I am reminded of this excerpt from a quote by Kahlil Gibran: “yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream" meaning we need to live in the moment, and never stop dreaming since none of us knows when our time will be up.

Courageous Dreams!

Quote by Erma Bombeck:

"It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else."

I really miss Erma Bombeck, she was the greatest when it came to humorist essays and making you belly laugh! This is more from her serious side and it's such a true statement. We all have our vulnerable side and at times we worry about how people will judge us. I always love the quote by Susan David: “Courage is fear walking.”! We just have to keep walking with our head up high and be brave enough to show the world who we are and what we're all about. 

Who cares what other people think, they've got their own perspectives on life and it really has nothing to do with us anyway. The courage comes from within and it is a wonderful characteristic to have.  Being kind, loving, empathetic, humble, resilient and courageous, are just some of the characteristics that are so important to have in one's life.

I sometimes think of myself as shy even though most people would laugh at that concept! But I think the shyness comes from the child within me that might have a lack of self-esteem or complete confidence in myself at times!

As a child I did not have what I hope most children have which are role models who encourage and inspire them to follow their dreams! Now that I'm the adult I am my own role model! I am the one who encourages me to take that step into the unknown, out of my comfort zone and to walk through my fears, be courageous, and show the world all that I dream about and what I have created. 

As it turns out I am beyond thrilled to know that my creations whether they are in art form or other aspects of my personality are embraced and accepted by most everyone I meet along my path. I must be doing something right and I have to keep doing it and keep following my inner guidance my GPS system: “Gratitude, Purpose, Soul” system, and always share loving kindness and compassion with everyone who crosses my path.

I love the quote by Thich Nhat Hanh: “Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” I will always keep smiling and courageously living life to the fullest!

Soul of Money!

Quote by Bette Davis:

"To fulfill the dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy."

This quote sounds like a favorite saying I’ve heard over the years: “do what you love and the money will follow”!  I sure hope this concept becomes reality in my life! I'm willing to make sacrifices, sweat, and do the hard work to create my dreams. I will enjoy the process in the moment and take pride in what I have accomplished. It would be great if the money follows as the ultimate reward! I think if it’s your dream you'll do it either way just because it is your Ikigai or passion and purpose in life! The money that comes is the energy that follows the loving creation that you're sharing with the Universe!

I'm reading a book now called: “The Soul of Money” by Lynne Twist. I find parts of it to be very enlightening about our relationship with money. We all seem to have our own personal organic experiences with money and how it affects us and our life. But if we keep remembering that it is just energy, then maybe we can keep it flowing and growing with the love and nurturing we continue to do and share with the world. 

This quote says it all by Francis Assisi: “For it is in giving that we receive.”, or as I always say: To Give is To Receive!

Dream Recordings!

Quote by Henry David Thoreau:

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."

Dreams can be so magical and mysterious! The other night I had a dream about this beautiful bed frame foot board that was made out of a stained glass material with a light inside of it displaying a design of a portion of the Eiffel Tower! It was exceptionally beautiful, I remember it vividly. It was just one third of the foot board on the iron frame. I even googled the description the next morning to see if there were any such images of a similar bed frame, and of course I found none. 

I love knowing I dream in vivid color and that I can create something in my mind and imagination that has never been made before. I don't know about the practicality of this particular creation, but nevertheless it just goes to prove how with some dreams we can actually make them into reality, as this quote suggests; put a foundation under them! That's what makes dreams so fascinating and so magical!

Last night I had a dream and I know it was important, but I just couldn't remember it when I woke up, and I am still thinking about it this evening. It's driving me crazy since it feels as if it's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't grasp what the concept was about! If only we could set our DVD player to make recordings of our dreams, and then dial up our dreams to replay the next day, how wonderful that would be! 

I don’t know, but I guess maybe sometimes we're not supposed to remember our dreams? It's a mysterious dimension that there aren't a lot of logical answers for, but that’s okay with me, I love that dimension, it’s the best part of sleeping!

For as you dream, so shall you become!

Quote by Friedrich Von Schiller:

"Keep true to the dreams of the youth."

When we were young our innocent minds were wide open to learning and experiencing all new things! We had no inner critic or ego shattering our dreams. We were free to dream and have many choices about who we wanted to be when we got to be adults! 

We had so many role models, our teachers, mentors, parents and other adults who encouraged us in many different ways, especially telling us we could be whatever our hearts desired! They reminded us we would have to work hard to get to that ideal, and we really had to decide if that was what we wanted to do. Not all of us had those kinds of role models and encouragement, and I think some of us suffer from not having had that in our youth.

Many times as we grew to become adults, we started having responsibilities and families, etc., and we had to put our dreams of our youth on hold and choose other ways to earn a living.

I remember when I was a youngster inspired by my third grade teacher, I would love to pretend I was a teacher too! I had my blackboard with colored chalk and my desk facing in front of my class! It was so many years ago, I can't remember what I was teaching, but I remember loving to write on the chalk board and talk to my imaginary students in my classroom (bedroom)!

Unfortunately I did not become a teacher, but you never know, there's still time! When I really think about it, becoming a teacher was one dream I put on hold, and still to this day I would like to give it a try in some format! At this stage I don’t have the college degree to be a school teacher, but I could certainly start teaching art workshops, etc.! We shall see as I continue to think about reinventing myself in my third act! 

I love this quote and I will definitely ponder on what my dreams were of my youth! My other favorite quote by James Allen: "Dream lofty dreams, as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you one day shall be: your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil."

Zen Daily Words Book!

We are excited to announce that our Zen Daily Words Book will be published in mid August 2018. It will include Daily Word Search Puzzles, Inspirational Affirmations, Personal Essays, and Original Art.

Endless Universe!

Quote by Shad Helmstetter:

"You are everything that is, your thoughts, your life, your dreams come true. You're everything you choose to be. You are as unlimited as the endless universe."

What a lovely affirmation! I always know in my heart that I am a very important part of the universe, we all are! We have the free will to make choices in our lives and create a life filled with our dreams coming true. We have to have a passion and then take the action to make it happen. 

Anything is possible when we put our mind and heart into it! The sky's not the limit....it is our soul that soars beyond the limitless endless universe! We live into eternity and have the gift of life in this human form now, but in the next dimension we shall see what form that takes! We must keep our thoughts and our dreams positive and healing so that the entire universe feels our love and legacy.

Look up into the night sky and pick a star, make it your own, nurture it into its full potential and its brilliance, it will live in the endless universe, and always be there to inspire others to do the same.

Zen Nona ~ Celebrating 9 Month Anniversary! & Zen Daily Words Book!

I have been enjoying my Zen Nona for 9 months now! So many adventures, new friendships, and memories created! I have created this fun word heart displaying some of my travels and adventures!

Today is very exciting since I will be giving birth to my newest project culminating these many months of inspiration and dream-time!  

I will be publishing my book: 

ZEN DAILY WORDS

An Inspiring and Interactive Book offering:

Zen Word Search Puzzles, Zen Inspirational Affirmations, and Original Art & Essays!

Serendipity of Dreaming!

Quote by Gloria Steinem:

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

How exciting it is to wake up and write down an inspirational dream knowing that in some way it was your soul planning your next steps! Sometimes we need to go into that deep sleep dimension where there is no ego or inner critic awake disturbing our flow, and let the magic happen. Our soul is then free to speak to us through our dreams and encourage our deep down heart desires in life. 

Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to record our dreams as they're happening? Sometimes I tend to forget my dreams when I wake up and it's so frustrating because I know it was something really important and meaningful, maybe even a lesson I needed to learn. I guess there probably is some scientific method maybe to measure your emotions while you're dreaming, whether you're excited or calm or what your heart rate might be, but I would love to be able to record the concepts, the language, the words that my soul is speaking to me.

There are so many possibilities in life, so many open doors to enter or curves in the road to take along ones journey. Imagination and dreaming can take us there if we are open and allow our soul to speak through us, listening loud and clearly.

I have to mention my favorite Einstein quote once again: “Imagination is more important than knowledge!” It just seems to fit almost every quote I’ve read in the last 3 days! I've always loved the quote and years ago I designed a photo art poster, it was of a beautiful jacaranda tree blooming in its purple glory. I so loved that tree in front of my house, and I included the Einstein quote because, in reality the tree had been chopped down but I always kept it alive in my imagination.

In our imagination we can create beautiful dreams and worlds that one day may become amazing possibilities and even realities.

Gratitude Attitude!

Quote by Anne Wilson Schaef:

"To hope and dream is not to ignore the practical. It is to dress it in colors and rainbows."

My immediate take away from this quote is to always look on the bright side. I love the inspiring words by Maya Angelou when she speaks about rainbows in the clouds. Life may throw us lemons but if we choose to make lemonade, and maybe sometimes we might need to spike it with a little rum, it's better than going through life bitter and frowning!

I know there's scientific research that happiness can be a skill that is taught, but sometimes I truly believe some of us are born with the happiness gene and some of us may not be. I tend to be optimistic and looking at the glass half-full rather than half-empty kind of person. I know people who don't see it that way and struggle sometimes with depression. I have great empathy for them and I understand it's not easy for any of us to be happy all the time. But, at the very least I hope all of us can find something to be grateful for. Attitude is everything in life, and having a gratitude attitude will make a world of difference in your daily life.

There are so many things in a day that we have to do, those mundane and practical things that just have to be done, but if we can try to go about them with a positive attitude and even a song in our heart, life will be much more bearable and enjoyable. We must never stop hoping and dreaming and trusting that there are always rainbows in the clouds when we look through eyes of gratitude!

Be Curious!

Quote by William Blake:

"What is now proved was once only imagined."

Another brilliant quote, right in the theme of what I wrote in my essay yesterday! I feel as if I'm repeating myself, but this new quote by William Blake fits precisely to one of my most favorite quotes of all time by Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

The brilliance of the human mind and our imagination can produce wondrous results when they are put to their highest potential. 

All these proven inventions, creations, and equations about our world started with the wondrous human mind of thought, and developed into miraculous conclusions to teach us about the world as we know it today. 

Many famous Physicists, Scientists, Archaeologists, Geologists, Astronomers, Etc. have utilized their exquisitely brilliant minds so we can learn and understand about our history and our potential future on this planet and others.

Dreaming and imagining are miraculous gifts that humans have been blessed with. We must keep dreaming and developing our intelligence and indulge our curiosity to continue making this planet a better place.

A wise quote from a very special soul ~ Stephen Hawking: “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”
 

Unique & Wondrous Dreams

Quote: by Linda Staten:

"There will always be dreams grander or humbler than your own, but there will never be a dream exactly like your own...for you are unique and more wondrous than you know!"

It is quite wondrous that each human has a completely different fingerprint, just as each snowflake is different, or each droplet of water. We are a unique and fascinating specimen!

No two dreams are exactly alike and it is quite amazing; human consciousness and our mind. How boring the world would be if we all had the same dreams, it's wonderful that some dreams are grander and some dreams fit exactly what the needs are of who the dreamer is.

It is quite comforting to know that no one can read your mind and that your thoughts are sacred and your dreams are your own. Sharing those dreams and ideas with the world when the time is right can make all the difference. 

We need to pay close attention to what we dream and take action if it feels like it could be good for the world and may somehow make a difference in someone's life for the better. It could be as simple as inventing or discovering something to make life easier that may help those in need. 

Dreams can start out small and if there's passion and the right intention and the stars are lined up, the universe can make them all come true for the benefit of all.

There's a quote I recently read, it goes something like this: “All those who have achieved great things have been great dreamers.” That's how scientific equations and discoveries about our planet come to be, it’s that spark that happens when all the neurons are lined up and ready to fire. Einstein is one example and his quote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” says it all!

I just watched a NOVA episode on PBS the other night, a segment about metal that becomes foam, and it can be molded into whatever it needs to be! I'm sure many brilliant minds got together after years of research, and imagination, and dreaming, and then creating all the ingredients to come up with such a brilliant idea.  

I imagine all artists and musicians have all started out as great dreamers. How grateful we are to delight in their wondrous and uniquely talented contributions.

Embrace your human mind for its uniqueness and wondrous imagination of dreams! Another quote I love by William Arthur Ward: “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”

Be Love!

Quote by Buddha:

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought."

Very simple and to-the-point, thank you Buddha! Our minds can be our best friend or our worst enemy. It all depends on how we monitor our thoughts. If we can keep a positive attitude, an attitude of gratitude, and flowing optimistic thoughts we will be in good shape. We need to be kind to ourselves, we need to nurture ourselves, and trust our innermost desires. We need to be our own best friend, and beware of judgmental people, as well as our own inner critic causing havoc with our positive thoughts. We need to stand guard at the door of our sacred thoughts, trust our instincts and intuition, we will know the truth, we will feel it and believe it to be so.

We must stop the self-sabotage and be encouraging and affirmative in our thinking along our life path. Saying positive affirmations daily is one important practice to have as a discipline. The more we tell ourselves we are worthy, and respected, and talented, and loved, and courageous, and successful, and fearless, we shall be.

Stop the worrying and become a warrior instead. Don't waste one more second worrying about tomorrow or yesterday. Live in the moment and know that this is all we have for sure and make the best of it. It's just as easy to put a smile on your face as a frown, and when we are smiling there's an actual chemical reaction that gives us the endorphins that keeps us in that optimistic mindset. On the same token if we're frowning, miserable and negative we're just going to continue to bring ourselves down lower and lower. 

Take the high road and look up, trust the Universe and ask for everything that you need and desire, trust that it shall be, that it is your destiny. Make sure to take time to help others, be kind, be love, and remember; what goes around comes around. To give is to receive.

Keep Smiling!

Dream Labyrinth

Quote by Marsha Norman:

"Dreams are illustrations...

from the book your soul is writing about you."

Oh how I love this quote! I only just discovered it a few months ago. As I flip through my little Dream Quotes book I have come across it quite a few times since then. It so resonates with my soul. I guess I've always known all along that my dreams are important to my life purpose and ultimate legacy. I love that I get to see glimpses of my soul book through my dreams. I am continually creating new chapters from my dreaming imagination directly through my heart and into my soul.

I wonder sometimes where these dreams come from and why in the world I would be dreaming them, but eventually I will read my soul book and all the pieces will divinely come together. 

So until then I will be patient and not worry if I can't figure out what a dream may have meant in the moment, because I know eventually it will come to light. Obviously I need to work through some things that may even be beyond my comprehension right now. Ultimately these ideas and lessons are, and will be shaping my character throughout my remaining days. 

It's going to be a great book to read when it comes out; when I move on to the next dimension I will definitely bring my reading glasses! Wait a minute I just realized I won't need them anymore!

Breathe in Life!

Quote by Margaret DeLand:

"One must desire something to be alive."

I firmly agree with this quote otherwise what would be the purpose of living? Life needs to be exciting, with some purpose, with some dreams and deep desires to keep us alive and excited about the gift of life.

One must desire something to feel alive, not desiring to just be alive. Feeling alive and being alive are two different things. We need to have a purpose, a dream, a goal, a desire to keep getting up each morning. If life were only about the mundane tasks of day-to-day living what would be the point? There needs to be something to hope for, to be excited about, to care about and desire to accomplish to make it all worthwhile.

I have so many dreams, sometimes I get overwhelmed with all of them, but I can't imagine how bleak my life would be without them, without any desire to persevere. One must at least try to fulfill their dreams.

I am thankful to be alive and to wake up each morning, (not necessarily early since I'm not a morning person!), but when I do wake up I look forward to my day ahead. I desire to accomplish my goals and check them off my daily list of things to do.  I check off the mundane tasks, but most importantly I attempt to accomplish my creative ideas and desires, those that get my juices flowing and cause me to keep smiling, to be optimistic in my day. I like to share the loving energy that I feel because of my desire to be alive – right back into the Universe.

Excerpt from a song I wrote: “Breathe in Peace, Breathe out Love, FEEL ALIVE, Sharing Love in this world opens your Heart.

Ted Talk Inspiration - 30 Days Essay Writing

If you have just started to read my blogs, you will notice I have been posting one per day for the past few weeks. Here is a bit of background behind this daily practice:

7/4/18
This is a beginning, a new ritual for the next 30 Days, that I was inspired to do by a recent TED Talk I watched. This is the second day now that I'm writing these essays. It’s a good way to get in touch with my inner desires, and share this universal insight with others. I am getting my inspiration from these wonderful quotes from my special Dream Book. I have been flipping to a page of dream quotes each day for the last several years, and they have now become the perfect start to these essays.

Click on the link below to listen to this inspiring Ted Talk:

TED TALK  

Try something new for 30 days | Matt Cutts

Beauty in Being Alone!

Quote by Pearl S. Buck:

"Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up."

I identify with this quote because I am a lover of my solitude. I savor my alone time, and I rarely if ever feel lonely, because I choose to spend quality time with me, myself, and I! I'm not saying that I'm an introvert, as a double Gemini that would be almost impossible! I do love social outings with friends, and love to communicate my ideas and curiosities about life.

But it is true unless you're really alone you can't renew your springs, or as I think of it, I can’t get in touch with my deepest dreams and desires if I'm distracted by the outside world. It's in your own inner soul and deep in your heart that all the dream seed planting and marinating occurs.

I like this saying about being with yourself and enjoying your own company: “In many ways I prefer my own company”! If I don't like to be with myself then I can't imagine how anyone else would enjoy me!

Take time to be alone and plant your dream seeds so that they will sprout into seedlings of reality and continue to grow, just remember to keep watering so they never dry up!

Dreams Realized

Quote by James Allen:

"Dreams are the seedlings of realities."

James Allen has said many things that have touched my heart in his quotes. He was such an inspirational writer and is famous for his book from 1903: “As a Man Thinketh”. This dream quote is so perfect with its preciseness, very few words but massive meaning to me.

Almost every night I have interesting dreams, sometimes little snippets that I remember, and sometimes I don't remember them. Sometimes they're long and detailed dreams, and sometimes they are just little moments that I experience. These stories in my subconscious, in my dream imagination, usually contain desires and things I need to work through in my life. 

It's like when we plant a seed in the ground, we plant dream seeds deeply in our soul, until one day we have the dream again that reminds us of that seed we planted, and suddenly we become aware of that long-lost desire. We need to nurture that desire and watch it grow from a seed into a seedling, and water it and offer it our love and attention, so that ultimately it becomes a blossoming reality in our lives.

These seedlings start from something, from a thought, from a desire, from a plan in childhood, and we need to focus on what's important to us and not forget about these seedlings. To grow anything in a garden takes patience and nurturing and hard work but in the end there is that ultimate reward, the pride in seeing what we've accomplished, what we've become because we planted one tiny little dream seed.

I will continue to be in touch with my dreams and pick out those very special seeds and watch them become seedlings and grow into a dream realized. “For as you dream so shall you become.” is another James Allen quote that is my absolute favorite of all the time.

Moments in Time!

Quotes by Kahlil Gibran:

"The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness; and knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream."

I am always talking about being in the "in-between”, I guess a better way to put it is living in the moment. In between yesterday and tomorrow is today, this moment which is all we really know for sure that we have. I like this quote; it really stops me in my tracks and keeps me aware of being mindful, and not getting too far ahead of myself or looking back in the wrong direction.

I do love the feeling of timelessness when I'm creating art or writing, which is the perfect experience of living in the moment. It seems our minds like to swirl about thinking about the past and the future and forgetting that now is the time that we should be focused on. 

Life is ephemeral, and it's so important to enjoy each moment and be grateful for our lives. Writing a gratitude journal every morning is something I've been doing for years; it keeps me grounded, and reminds me of all the good fortune in my life. There's always something to be grateful for even if things are not going the way you had hoped. If you stop and think about the simple daily gifts of life there's always room for gratitude. Brightening someone’s day, laughing with a friend, doing a random act of kindness, and then the reward of seeing someone smile in gratitude! I have always said: "To Give is to Receive".

At this exact moment in time I am looking out my window and I see a beautiful pink sky as the sun is setting here in Sedona, Arizona after a day of threatening monsoons with clouds and thunder. I like to call this time of year, “Heart Cloud Season”, since there are always so many different cloud formations every day moving at a very fast pace, sometimes causing buckets of rain and sometimes causing beautiful rainbows. I am always out there with my camera searching for rainbows and heart clouds! I shall now call it Heart Cloud and Rainbow Season, I just came up with that idea in this moment! 

This is a gift from Mother Nature and it is only momentary because the sunset will never be exactly the same again. I guess there's a good lesson about timelessness just looking in the sky at the clouds, at a rainbow, and at a sunset! 

We must keep dreaming, enjoying every moment and always take the time to express the gratitude in each miraculous day of life we are given.

I took this photo a few years ago during monsoon season in Sedona!

Heart Cloud photo taken a few days ago in Sedona!

Keep on Zen Dreaming!

Quote by Anais Nin:

"Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country."

With so many dreams of mine, it might be fun to take the advice of this quote and release them all into the Universe, and then wait and see what gifts they bring. 

I love this quote because it gives me a childlike sense of wonder in my heart and soul. Oh how I long for the innocent days of my youth, spending the day flying a kite! This was the age when we began to dream, and find out who we were, and what we loved to do, and who we wanted to become.

Sometimes I do get a little confused because I'm not sure which dream to focus on first, or how to prioritize my dreams there are so many of them. I feel fortunate having so many dreams, and hopefully with these odds one of them will come true! But for now, when I really think about it, there's only one dream that I could actually envision, the others are just ideas in my imagination that I'm still developing and creating.

It seems over the years so many dreams come and go, but I guess the really important ones stick with you for a lifetime. Those are the ones we need to release, set free, and if they keep coming back, those are the ones we must pursue. 

I just read another quote by Friedrich Schiller that sums it all up: “Keep true to the dreams of your youth.” 

Keep on Zen Dreaming!

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Quote by Jorge Luis Borges:

"Writing is nothing more than a guided dream."

I love this quote, since the act of writing to me is similar to painting, or drawing, or creating music. When I'm doing any of those things I often feel as if I'm in another dimension, without distraction expressing myself authentically through my heart and soul. It really is my happy place, a place of solitude.

How often do we really get the time to just retreat into our soul and have the luxury of solitude to create? Sometimes it's difficult when you're at home with all the normal distractions of day-to-day life. In a way it's sometimes easier when you take yourself on an excursion, away from your normal day-to-day routine, I know I find I can be more creative sometimes that way. At least it offers a different perspective, and a different environment that might pique my curiosity or creative intention. I do believe the creative soul needs solitude, and the more the better! 

When we're in our dream state it's the ultimate solitude, it's just you and your soul communicating. When I'm daydreaming I feel a sensuous enjoyment in those moments of pure imagination. I rarely have the time to daydream, since I'm not the napping type, but I do try to take a few moments each morning to meditate and be quiet listening to my inner desires and dreams.

I love that place in time, when I have no idea what time it is, or how much time has passed, and especially when it results in something that I have created and am happy with. The creative flow is a beautiful place to spend time away from time!

I continue to listen to my dreams, dream my dreams, write about them, create lyrics and music, and artistically express them. I can't imagine life without doing any of those activities. 

One of my favorite quotes by Albert Einstein is: "Imagination is more important than knowledge" it's the perfect quote to begin writing or creating whatever you can dream or imagine!

Pursue Your Dreams!

 Quote by Barbara Sher:

“As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning.”

Yes! It's all about getting over that fear and finding the courage to make that decision, then momentum kicks in and watch out! I've seen it happen in my life on a few occasions and it's quite amazing to witness! It seems everything starts falling into place and all the things you were worried about never come to be! You feel alive and ready and free to pursue and make your dream come true! 

I will be thrilled once I make my decisions on what road to take and which dream to pursue and then I will let the magic happen!

In the meantime I just have to keep on dreaming and wait for that ping, that inner voice of knowing; all is well and watch as the path is laid in divine order in front of me. I know my dreams will come true if I have faith, courage, determination, and the resilience to overcome any obstacles that may be in my way. I don't want to force anything, it has to feel right and then I will move forward in my pursuit. I will let the momentum move me as it has done in the past.

Today I made these beautiful heart-shaped signs with my 11 affirmations and I have placed them in my home so I can read them throughout my waking hours. 

I'm reading an excellent book right now entitled the 90-day Life by Dr. Jenn Faber, and I was inspired to make a list of all the things that I want to happen in my life, and read it for at least five minutes per day. Keeping these positive goals and affirmations flowing will quiet any self-sabotage or inner critic negativity.This daily practice has been proven to miraculously change your mindset utilizing the plasticity of our brain to rewire our thoughts. Quite fascinating reading, I'm about three-quarters of the way through, and I really enjoy her writing style, very easy and authentic. I bought the book several weeks ago when I saw her on Facebook, it was a Project Happiness interview and she was sharing her inspiring life story. The book was patiently waiting for me to pick it up when the time was right to start reading!

I shall continue to pursue my dreams and look forward to sharing them with everyone one day soon! In the meantime I hope everyone continues to pursue their dreams, let the momentum take you where you need to go, and enjoy life wide awake one ZEN Moment at a time!