What comes
Let it come
What goes
Let it go
Embrace the impermanence of each moment
Stop clinging
Stop controlling
Start allowing
Start releasing
The world does not revolve around us
Flow with it & you will know peace
Fight it & you will know suffering
With aloha,
Johnny
I almost got married in my mid 20s
But I was not ready for such commitment
It ended in disaster
I caused much suffering to myself & her
I vowed to be better
But I did not realise until recently that I had closed my heart
Maybe this was needed for me to become who I am today
7 years later
7 years single
The life of a nomadic backpacker doesn’t lend to serious relationships
But I know this is a chapter in my life, not the entire book
At 32 years old I have realised I truly would appreciate having a girlfriend again; someone to share my life with
Some things in life we can not learn outside of a deep relationship with another
When the time is right, I will choose to be in a relationship out of love, not fear of being alone 🙏🏻
With aloha,
Johnny
Veganism is not a diet
Not a weight loss strategy
My intention is not to reduce my carbon food print
It’s a radical shift in the way I look at non human animals
To see them as individuals with the capacity to feel pain, joy, and suffer
To harm them is to harm myself
5 years ago I vowed to look at all beings through the lens of compassion
To reduce suffering in the world by not supporting the exploitation of animals for food, clothing or entertainment
To practice peace in each meal
I don’t expect the world to understand or agree with my life choices
I understand many are not ready for this radical message of non violence
With aloha,
Johnny
What’s truly good or bad?
Thanks to impermanence everything changes.
My darkest times have led to moments of liberation, joy, and enlightenment
So I don’t know if it was bad or good when I have self destructed in previous relationships or with my gambling addiction.
When things appeared to be falling apart they were really falling in place.
In the dark, there is some light
In the wrong, there is some right
Every storms runs out of power, the trick is to not run from it
Embrace the darkness & allow it to transform you into someone you couldn’t of imagined
As my teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said..
No mud, no lotus
Through deep suffering there is joy
With aloha,
Johnny
True success isn’t found on a business card
It isn’t found on a bank statement
Not on a fancy diploma hanging on the wall
Or a sports car, Rolex, mansion
Success (to me) is happiness
A life full of joy & adventure
Both inside & out
Success is found in kindness & compassion
It’s found in the smile of a baby
And the wisdom of an elder
In the end, we define what a truly successful life is
In my experience, success is not found in the material world but a kind, compassionate and happy life
With aloha,
Johnny
At times we can feel so lost
Lost in an emotion
Lost in the worries of the path unknown ahead
Lost in the past mistakes & regrets
I know what it feels to be lost
Not knowing what is up or down
My life falling in pieces
What I thought was the end was actually the beginning of something much more beautiful
For every storm runs out of energy
The trick is to not run from it but embrace it
Life doesn’t give us what we want
It gives us what we need
To grow, adapt and eventually move on from
So if you’re feeling lost just know everything is temporary
That each day can be a start of something fresh and beautiful
With aloha,
Johnny
To truly live
We must die each moment
We must let go of the past
Not obsessed over the future
Not worried about what could go wrong
Just enjoying this moment
Naturally our mind will wander like clouds in the sky
With mindfulness we anchor the mind to our breathe
Breathing in we know we are of the nature to grow old
Breathing out we know one day we will die
Knowing this we vow to live each day like it’s our last
We look at all life through the lens of compassion
We vow not live our life full of fear, anger, and hatred
Instead we will water the seeds of compassion, peace, and love each day
So they bloom at any moment
Living this way will benefit yourself, the planet and the ones around you
With aloha,
Johnny
When I child suffers, he or she cries a lot. They are hurt and in pain. A mother can transform their child’s suffering into tears of joy by listening and showing loving compassion to their child. Soon the child is smiling and joyful. I have seen this and experienced in real time.
You can do the same with your most inner child. Showing deep compassion to the hurt, misunderstood, and anxious parts of ourself. This is the practice of healing ourselves and the world. This is a way to transform suffering into joy in our own body and mind. 🙏🏻
Namaste,
Johnny
For us to be truly happy we must let go of the pursuit of happiness
Because when we feel temporarily happy, we desperately cling to it
We become restless and fearful of losing happiness, which causes a vicious circle of suffering
So for us to be truly happy we must be calm and centered
You can’t be truly happy if you’re not calm
So instead of seeking pleasure or avoiding pain
Seek the discomfort of stillness
Look within that restlessness, anger, or hatred
And let go of the pursuit of happiness
Instead of trying to find this elusive happiness, practice the middle path of awareness, peace, and being calm
Each time we fall off the path of clarity & calmness we self reflect, let it go and move forward
From my experience, this way of living seems much more sustainable than chasing elusive happiness
A friend shared this with me and it has enriched my life significantly and I hope it does the same for you
With aloha,
Johnny
Turn off the phone
Leave it behind
Only bring yourself & some water
Go into nature
Breathing in
Breathing out
Smile
Enjoy mother nature with out any distractions
She carries all the answer to our ills if we can look deeply into her nature
With aloha,
Johnny
The Narrow Path 