The new year is here
Will we repeat the same patterns of behavior?
Or will we grow and change into a better version of ourselves?
Many of us(including me)
Can envision ourselves in the future
Wiser, stronger, calmer, and healthier
But few can say no to whatever derails us from this vision
It takes grace, dedication, and determination to build a life worth living
If not now, then when?
With Aloha,
Johnny
This life in finite
So I will live the life I desire
Go off the beaten path
Not worrying about society expectations
Judgements of others is a sign of their insecurities
Live simply if you want
Pursue life experiences instead of money, fame, and respect
Choose love
Not fear
Create your life through mindful actions, not impulses.
With aloha,
Johnny
The Ferris Wheel of life
Enjoy the views
The sounds
Bask in awe of life
As you turn slowly
Aging
Growing
Ever-changing
Embrace your childlike curiosity
As you notice all the details of nature
Outside & within you
Beauty found everywhere
Love unconditionally
For everything & everyone is impermanent
Enjoy each day alive
Knowing it won’t last forever
The ride will end for you & I
Allowing others to enjoy the ride
Without death, there is no life
Embrace both
Culture wants me a certain way
Break under the pressure
Bend my values
Ignore my instinct of compassion
Indulge my ego
Feed my darker side
How do I pave my own path with such pressure?
Constant flashing lights
Tell me to eat foods against my values of health & compassion
The talking heads on the screen tell me to fear the world
They have enticed me my entire life to choose greed, hatred, fear & apathy
Dividing me into a million labels
For me to fear the other
Not today
I will choose another path
Paved with compassion, understanding, & love
This is the path of the peaceful warrior
A path that doesn’t fight greed, anger, & hatred
It just focuses on growing peace by showing compassion, love, & understanding to all
Compassion begins with me
Peace begins with me
Love begins with me
How I talk
How I listen
How I eat
How I breathe
How I write
I must live my values in order to make the world a better place
I must practice faith that what I do matters in an infinite universe
I can always find something wrong
Something to worry about
Complain about
My mind is gifted at causing my own suffering
Untrained & disobedient
It drifts from lane to lane
Speeding at 130mph down the highway
Out of control
Rarely grateful
Often a victim
Always right
All else is wrong
Happiness always found around the corner
Grand delusions of
Discipline, commitment, and focus
Today I can make an effort to pave this new path
If not now
Then when?
I am not my job.
I am not my college diploma.
I am not defined by the amount of money in my bank account.
I am not my religion or lack of one.
I am not my skin color.
I am not defined by my car, clothes, or stuff.
Careers are overrated.
Stuff is just stuff.
Money is paper we give meaning to.
We are much more.
There is much wisdom found in the mountains.
Knowledge found in a flowing stream.
Follow the waves as they form & dissipate in the ocean.
Go to mother nature.
Sit, walk, & listen.
Let her heal you of your suffering.
Let the wind dry your tears.
The answers you seek will be found here.
Within you.
Because you are an extension of her beauty.
Namaste 🙏🏼
Who am I to judge?
Deciding what others should or shouldn’t do?
I am no God or ruler.
Today I will begin the process of letting go of judgment.
For I too have fallen short.
I will allow love to fill the space where judgment once was.
To work to understand those I disagree with.
To understand that people change in their own time.
First I will begin the journey of letting go of self judgment.
Non judgment day has arrived.
I have lived in paradise
Warm weather
Palm trees
Tall lush mountains above me
I have travelled far & wide
In search of adventure
Hawaii
Japan
New Zealand
Vietnam
Thailand
I have been tested on this journey
Brought down to my knees
Fearful of uncertainty
But I kept going
Faith in the path unknown
As I pack my bag one last time
Tears fall down my cheeks
Joy of the many great memories
Flooding my mind
Many new friends
So much growth
Beautiful mountains, ocean, & people
It was worth every penny spent
Worth every fearful moment
On my path unknown
Path Unknown. 