Anxiety
The illness of our times
Our minds wander to the future
Grasping for control
Wanting to know what will happen
The truth is that the future is completely unwritten
Because of impermanence, anything is possible
Let’s stop trying to control the uncontrollable
If we want a better future, we must take care of the present moment
With aloha,
Johnny
Transformation is all around us
But we don’t see it
A caterpillar turns to a butterfly
A seed to a flower
A cloud to rain
Humans have this ability as well
We have the ability to transform our suffering to joy
The ability to change & growth through challenging situations
One of the fastest growing addictions in the world is gambling addiction
With more availability than ever, more people are going through challenging circumstances because of this addiction
Many lose their house, job, and family
Some even lose their life to this addiction
1 in 4 attempt suicide, the most out of any addiction
Losing money from gambling is tough to deal with but nothing compares to the guilt, shame, and regret that haunts you
I’m 3 weeks sober right now
I’m determined not to gamble
I have lost 50k in my lifetime but also have put untold stress and anxiety on myself because of this addiction
My life purpose is on the line
True freedom is not the freedom to self destruct
But to be free of our addictions running and ruining our life
With aloha,
Johnny
Attachment is at the root of all suffering
Attachment to youth
Attachment to wealth
Attachment to our spouse, family & friends
Attachment to life itself
If attachment is the root of all suffering..
What is the root of joy?
Freedom is the root of joy
Freedom not to hurt ourself or others but freedom from fear, anger, and hatred running and ruining our lives
Liberation from old ways of thinking & doing that make us miserable
Today is the day to start changing, even small changes can lead to huge results in time
When we look at nature, we see that everything is impermanent.
Even our own sun has a shelf life
So why do live as if relationships, wealth, family members, and our own life will last forever?
If we live a full life, one life is enough.
With aloha,
Johnny
We spend our life building our identity.
From a very early age; the music, tv, & friend group shape our identity. What we consume, becomes part of us.
But we often struggle with letting go of this identity, even when this identity is responsible for the destruction of our own joy.
We fear that if we let go of this outdated idea of who we are that we lose ourself in the process.
But the truth is that old identity was never truly us.
It was shaped by our family, culture, religion and media
So who do we truly want to become?
Do we want to self destruct our own lives clinging to the past?
Or do we want to liberate ourself & embrace a new life that is inline with our values & vision?
The first step is to release that you are worth taking care of.
Your life & happiness does matter.
The chose is ours, even minute of each day.
We can always change at any moment
Even the smallest shifts can snowball into a radically different life.
If not now, then when?
With aloha,
Johnny
I was put on this earth for a reason
To reduce suffering
To bring joy to others
To see the oneness in everything
A wave realizing it’s the ocean
Energy flows within myself like an infinite river going out to sea
Many years ago, a dying star supernova gave life to myself & everything on earth
Life is precious according to me so why wait to become a better version of myself?
The time is now for change & growth
Why waste my one precious life harming myself?
Drowning myself in substances, junk food, and self destructive habits
I see my ego wanting to self destruct
All it wants is pleasure & to avoid pain
But I know I’m much more than my ego
I also have a divine Buddha sitting within myself
Patiently waiting
It doesn’t want to harm my ego, that would only feed the anger, hatred, and fear
It loves the darkest side of me with light of a billion stars
With aloha,
Johnny
Life & death are interconnected, not two separate concepts
The ultimate yin & yang of the cosmos
Each day cells are born & die in our own bodies
Death surrounds each moment of life
Without death there is no life
Breathing in I know I’m of the nature to grow old
Breathing out I know I will die one day
Knowing this noble truth I will enjoy this beautiful life that has been gifted to me
Each day is a new opportunity to pay gratitude to the universe
I will do my best to live a compassionate, peaceful, and loving life
I will not let fear, hatred or greed control my one life.
“To truly live, we must die each moment.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
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
Path Unknown. 