Nothing changes if nothing changes. Complaining is easy, friend. Choosing intentional action is hard. It goes against our negativity bias. Where in your life are you complaining without doing something about it? You can CHOOSE happiness now.

And you don’t have to wait to be happy when
…your boss finally retires.
…your husband gets his act together.
…you start making more money.
...your social post goes viral.
…your kids are out of diapers.

"I don't care..." That's often a default phrase when you're indifferent to the outcome. You, friend, have an opinion. A desire. A preference. Consider that maybe you can't discern your voice from someone else's. And if you "don't care" long enough, you'll end up living in someone else's home, doing someone else's dream job, or living someone else's life. It's time to live a life YOU love!

I remember the moment, like it was yesterday. The shaking of the bed woke me up. I thought we were having an earthquake. We weren’t. And, when I realized Patrick couldn’t speak, the fear set in.

friend, you’re allowed to change your mind. A past dream doesn't have to dictate your choice today. It’s never too late. Whether it’s the dress you’re wearing on your wedding day or how you define a colorful life, make sure your choices are a reflection of YOU.

Last Saturday, I sat at the breakfast table telling Nat, the owner of my guest house, that I planned to go ice sating. The look on his face as I said this confused me. Without saying a word he got up from the table, ran to a closet, pulled out some old hockey skates and brought them into the dining room. Little did I know he used to skate and loved it! When the skating rink in Chiang Mai closed down, he’d often travel to Bangkok to visit his aunt and skate. Then she moved. Eventually, he stopped skating altogether.

Guess what? I cried for the first time on my mat today in what seems like forever. (Just so you know, I’m secretly loving telling you about all the times I cry on this trip.) While trying to get into a pose, my knee started to hurt. On the second attempt, I tried the pose and immediately got out of it. I laid on my mat as tears sprung in my eyes. You’re knee hurts. You can’t do this. You’ll never get this pose. Everyone else is better than you. You’ll never amount to anything. Why are you even trying? You think YOU can teach yoga? My thoughts began to snowball.

I slept in this morning. And by sleeping in, I mean 6:45 a.m. instead of my normal 5:45 a.m. I meditated. I went to yoga. I ran errands. And now I sit drinking my favorite salted caramel mocha silently freaking out a little bit (there may or may not be tears involved). I leave in 4 days, 20 hours. 

Ever had that nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach telling you that you should or should not do something? That’s your gut instinct or your intuition. And, I ignored mine for the longest time. But now? Now, I’m saying yes to all the universe has to offer. 

Since I was little, I always wanted to be a writer. In fifth grade, I remember borrowing my sister’s word processor where I typed up a short story about a boy who had cancer. Who does that? Especially as a fifth grader?! Then, as a senior in high school, I wrote the world’s longest graduation speech. Seriously.  Just ask anyone I graduated with and they’ll agree! I simply wanted my words, my life, to be an inspiration to others.