Hi, I’m so glad you’re here for the next edition of The Journal. The last month has been busy to say the least with exams at university, warm summer nights and lots of work on new exciting projects. For me, July has been characterized with so many lessons, moments of growth, connection and bliss, and equally there were lots of moments, where I felt overwhelmed and it was challenging to find balance amongst it all. If you feel the same, I hope you know that you are not alone and maybe my key takeaways and intentions will particularly resonate with you.
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It’s less about establishing perfect balance and more about prioritizing and cultivating inner peace. When everything feels like a lot, there are demands and disruptions, your environment is loud and there is pressure coming from all sides, you do not have to succumb to it. You do not need to perfectly manage it all. A balanced life in every moment and every way is not desirable. Instead, look to prioritize. Connect with yourself over again and over again. Do not get lost in your surroundings, repeatedly turning within to ensure that you are connected to yourself and what you are doing is still aligned with your heart. Cultivating an inner calmness, which will allow you to withstand turbulence.
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Letting go of attachments and expectations is a transformative way to liberate ourselves from the confines of our own minds. Releasing the need for specific outcomes and detaching from material and emotional dependencies creates space for genuine freedom. It allows potential to arise. It enables us to live fully in the present moment and move gracefully forward in acceptance. It is the act of removing control, forces and powers, and simply experiencing life as it comes. The process of letting go requires hard and deep work in so many respects, yet it is the only way to free yourself. To set yourself free.
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Acceptance allows you to feel love towards yourself and others. When you embrace your real authentic self, acknowledging your strengths, challenges, and everything in between, you create a nurturing inner environment where self-love can flourish. Acceptance dismantles the barriers of self-criticism and judgment, replacing them with understanding and kindness. And as you extend this acceptance outward, becoming more empathetic and open-hearted towards others, you will begin to recognize and appreciate more, the beauty of vulnerable human connection. You will allow for more love to flow freely in both giving and receiving.
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invest more into relationships. I will particularly look out for others, be more generous, share, embrace more kindness and be wholly present when connecting with other individuals. I will work on building deeper relationships and equally, spreading just a little more kindness, wherever I go.
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let myself be more me. I will compare less, release the value I attach to other people’s opinions and fully embrace who I am. I will show up authentically, make time for reflection and keep returning to my heart.
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The last month was very work intensive, not leaving as much space for big highlights. However, what I am particularly grateful for is the grace and lightness that carried me through July. Although the past few weeks have also been stressful in many ways, I was able to still find lots of joyful moments among it all, especially with people I love, my dog and when moving on my mat. Furthermore, I finally took the first step towards another one of my dreams and even though I still have some time until that journey begins, I am already so excited for this adventure, a little nervous (but I guess we only grow outside our comfort zone) and I can’t wait for the challenge. Lastly, I’m so glad to finally be done with my exams for this semester and look forward to the coming time, where I can focus more on other projects that are close to my heart and also have more time for myself again.