Why its important to have a passion (to me)

So it has been a while since I have posted on here, but I always come back - funny that. Covid-19 has been a whirlwind and yes, this devastating disease is a factor - but I am also studying full-time, so I am busy, so busy in fact, I would be isolating whether out of global necessity or not. 

I passed an exceedingly difficult test today. Although many say it, 'study is hard' – I struggle a lot. I struggle for reasons I simply cannot help, no I do not have a closed mindset, but I would rather not discuss my struggles now. This post is about passion – something which can be so ridiculously hard to come by when life is just difficult, frustrating, boring or even busy. I do not dwell on these things, but doesn’t everyone get carried away with daily activities and emotions? This, this right here and now is just sometimes what we must embrace – the moments – when you may have them, that make up why we are here and what we love to do! Perhaps ‘this’ will explain what I am struggling to say:

Life throws lemons at you, you bruise, they bruise - so you cannot make lemonade and you go looking for oranges instead. Those imperfections though, the odd bunch of stories, “really's?” and “why me's?” – one day, you might look back on them and think, “why didn’t I?” or “I am glad that happened” – it’s up to you!

I have learnt not to rely on others too much. If everyone knows everything about me, well I do not think this is possible, but if they did - I guess I would be disappointed. Disappointed in that, they can take everything away, dictate how I feel and even influence what I do and BELIEVE I am capable of. It sucks, but let me show you another song, one I feel just displays this so well:

"All my secrets with you."

I get it, you have a romantic partner or friend and they break your heart, I'm not saying don't tell anyone everything, I'm just saying - keep some things for yourself, know how to perk yourself up.

If you give all of yourself to someone or everyone, it doesn't even have to be someone close, perhaps a mentor, boss, co-worker, friend, parent, sibling, neighbour even, if you let them know everything (or most things) and rely on their response to anything you do, well, are you setting yourself up for pain?

I'm not talking break-ups or regrets, not really. I am talking about being yourself - to yourself. Proving that you can do something purely for you, not for others - your passion. If you can always revert back to your passion after living your everyday life - well to me, that can just be all of the self-care and inspiration I need to keep going, keep fighting!

Stay passionate!

KK

My Inner Child

The title of this post may sound a little 'woo woo' to you, but I assure you - it doesn't have to be. I think of my inner child, literally as 'me.' Thinking back to my childhood, I can clearly picture the innocence and sense of adventure I had. Thinking back to that happy, adventurous child running through long grass, climbing onto roofs, haystacks and trees are a lot easier to reflect on than doing those things as an adult... usually.

Being an adult is hard work. I'm not saying that adulthood sucks and being a child is bliss, but they are different. Seeing as I really always knew who, what and where I wanted to be, I knew if I worked hard and became a decent human, I'd achieve my dreams. I often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life now - so, just thinking about the days when I was a kid really help me and bring all that I wanted, back into perspective.

I know that not every childhood was like mine and not everyone knew what they wanted to do when they grew up. I do believe that everyone must have at least a handful of moments that reveal pure innocence and joy - even if you have blocked them out or don't care to admit it.

You may think I am dwelling on the past, but the truth is I am not, far from it really. I choose to remember those times and smile because I know that at that age, I believed in myself - so why aren't I doing that now?

A big reason why I go back to my childhood and remember how it was is to recall inspiration, wonder, excitement, love, nostalgia, sentimentality, sadness, physical hurt and the life-changing moments and other emotions we are supposed to feel. I don't generally experience these every day, I do think they are good to feel and take in. As a creative, I also often need to recreate similar characters in my writing. It is much easier to remember curiosity, excitement and lose count of the number of times I laughed when reflecting on my younger self. Fun fact: we don't laugh anywhere near as much as we did as children!

The meditation I use to do this is from The Honest Guys YouTube channel: Heal your inner child

If you still aren't sure how much your inner child can help you overcome the worst, watch this video with an open mind and do it privately so that you can immerse yourself in, you: 

So embrace your inner child, regularly if possible and remember that you really haven't changed all that much, you can still have fun, right?

KK

Left: This is me as a kid (I don't know what age) with the cows and another with my brother.
























Below: is a picture of me now (at 26.)

The refresh

Things always get better. Its all about refreshing.

Whenever I have had a slump in life, (and I have had many) I find that I am better for it when I refresh my mind and make myself remember why I love the things I'm doing.

Now, I'm not talking anything huge or 'weird' like spa retreats, meditation, even travel or anything that comes to mind when I say 'refresh.'

Recently, I have felt up-in-the-air about my studies, blog and a few other things, so I thought about what I used to do to get myself motivated. I think it also helps, to come up with new, refreshing ways, to be inspired as well.

I used to do 'photo-shoots' with my friend (by 'photo-shoots' I mean taking photos outside with a cheap camera and ordering my friend around, certainly amateur stuff!) And the amount of fun we used to have, was just priceless, plus I got some great, genuine shots for my blog/memories. So I took to the park with my friends and did just that. I used my phone (I left my SD card at home, I bought the shell of the camera though...) and the shots came out really well. Once my friends got used to the idea of being more natural, everything just flowed. (So you'll be seeing some of those photo's soon!)

I also started writing with my personal projects again. I haven't had the inspiration to do this lately, so I let it go, put it low on my priority list and threw myself into study. I had forgotten this, but that was just what I needed for my inspiration to flow, letting go of overthinking.... I re-watched some great movies and downloaded some songs I used to listen to when I wrote and BAM, I could write with flow again!

Now with study... the hardest of all. I study science by the way, and it's not always easy. For me, it is very personal - how I get back into focus with this. If you want to know more about that side of me, head over to my other blog never doubt nature.

Some previous photo-shoots for fun!

Find what refreshes you and do it!

KK

Don't forget to remember - you are successful every time you breathe!

True success is absolutely just being okay with your decisions and what you do. Whether you change your mind everyday, never finish anything, follow a routine or have had the same goal since you were three years old. No matter what you do or how you do it, you are alive and that in itself is worth celebrating.

Your body is keeping you alive for a reason. Every time you breathe, it is for a reason. God, science or the universe, is all a little irrelevant when we just focus on the reasons why we are alive. Success itself should be measured by our own standards, not everyone elses.

So don't forget to remember that, no matter how hard the 'down' days get, you can breathe deep and always get through them,

KK

Don't forget to remember series - respect your elders

There are so many times when we forget to remember the important things, so since this is something I think about a lot, I thought I'd do a little series of posts on the important things to remember, everyday if we can!

So, always respect your elders!

I have always found this so important. And to be utterly truthful, even if the person older than me seems downright dumb.... I am still able to respect that they have lived longer than me - therefore I don't know what they've been through in their life, I never could!

Obviously, this isn't the sole reason for the 'need' to respect your elders.Whether older than a month, a year or a few more years, it really doesn't matter - they deserve respect.

To respect your elders, it is vital to understand respect.
According to Dictionary.com - respect is more complex than it [should be] seems.

respect

[ri-spekt] 

noun

1.

a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded by in):

to differ in some respect.

2.

relation or reference:

inquiries with respect to a route.

3.

esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability:

I have great respect for her judgement.

4.

deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgement:

respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag;respect for the elderly.

5.

the condition of being esteemed or honoured:

to be held in respect.

I think definitions 4 and 5 apply best here, (and not just because the example is 'respect for the elderly...) I hate going into the specifics of definitions, but I show them to be clear. Honour your elders, acknowledge your elders and know everyone has a right to be respected.

By respect I don't just mean, look up to someone, trust them, adore them, bow for them, (although you can if you feel that is right...) but I mean respect their opinions, what they have been through and what they are doing. Everyone deserves your respect - but I think I need to point out respect for elders as just being kind and knowing that no one has an excuse, but everyone has an experience. 

Those that are older than us have done so much for who we are today, they went to war, came up with the recipes we eat today, gave birth to your ancestors, etc. - what's not to respect?

Don't forget to remember, your elders might just have gone through things you are or will be going through...

KK