Heroes and Heroines

Archetypes are said to be mythical, like Aphrodite and Dionysus. They live in our deepest desires and imagination, whether they are actors on TV, characters in books, or celebrities on the cover of Us Weekly magazine.

Archetypes are heroes and heroines, characters and people, who are "bigger than life." According to Deepak Chopra in The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, "Our individual archetypes are reflected in our desires and intentions." We all identify with the labels given to us by others. Some of my "labels" include: sister, friend, mother, wife, writer, etc. These are labels that are given to us by the "outside" world. When people ask who we are, we usually answer with one or more of these labels. Because, really, other than our relationships and our jobs, what else are we?

The real question is who are you without the labels you've been given? What are your archetypes? I participated in an exercise to find out what I desired most in life. What am "I," other than the labels I carry around. Think about the "bigger than life" people who inspire you. I spent the morning deciding on who inspires me, and these are who I came up with...

"There is a vision for my life that is greater than my imagination can hold."

~Oprah

Success

Spirit

Abundance

Gratitude

Generosity

Inspiration to Others

Teacher

“What happens when you lose your heart's desire?”
~Stephenie Meyer, New Moon

Publishing Success

Best Selling Author

Books brought to life through movies

Inspiration to Authors

Changes lives of readers

Brings joy to others

"The past is gone. The future is not here. I am free of both. What do I choose? Joy!" ~Deepak Chopra

Enlightenment

Fulfillment

Unity Consciousness

Compassion

Meditation

Transcendence

Synchrodestiny

Teacher

Now that I've shared mine, who inspires you? Find out who you are by looking at the qualities you are drawn to in others.

XOXO,

Taryn

Why is it so natural to fall for the bad guys in fiction?

Whether it's movies, TV or books we tend to gravitate toward the "bad" boys when in "real" life they would only break our hearts, or worse, depending on the shows we watch or the books we read. If the bad boy is a vampire, it could mean death. You know who I'm talking about...Damon, Jace, even the sociopathic ghost, Gabriel, in my book Whispering Hills and Kai from Dark Seeker.

It's so hard not to love them. I believe that deep down at the core we are "love." It's when "lower" feelings such as anger, betrayal, jealousy, frustration, etc. get in the way our ability to be compassionate and love unconditionally get covered up. 

Deepak Chopra said in The Path to Love, "Ultimately people are good because of who they are; goodness is a quality of being. Once we have made this discovery, we stop measuring people by their achievements. We expect goodness as part of their essence, and of ours. When this happens, we no longer expect a reward for doing good. We no longer bestow love when people are go to us and withdraw it when they are bad. Instead love becomes a constant in our lives. It just is. People who have reached this stage are in true possession of their love stories." 

Yes, it's the compassion we feel for those bad boys who have led such dysfunctional lives, or have been hurt so badly that their internal wounds attract us to them. I believe that deep down we all know that inherently everyone is good. It's the pain of life expressed outwardly that causes them to act out of fear instead of love...and there lies our compassion. Plus, they are so fun to read about, and swoon over, lol! :)

XOXO,

Taryn

Gratitude and Our Ability to Attract

"By focusing on the things that you actually have, the things which allow you to fulfill your purpose, opens the doors for even more blessing to come, as our ability to attract is directly related to our state of gratitude." -Dr. Nick Campos

I read this quote earlier today in a newsletter that was sent to me via twitter this morning. It spoke to me, so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you instead of writing them down in a journal.

By being grateful for the things that you already have, you attract more gifts into your life. Tony Robbins, who I mentioned yesterday on my blog, said that you can't be angry and grateful, or frustrated and grateful, etc. at the same time. If you switch your thoughts to one of gratitude then it is impossible to feel anything but grateful. Not only are you getting rid of painful feelings such as anger, frustration, boredom, guilt, jealousy etc., but you are allowing yourself to receive more. When the flow of energy is open...anything can happen! :)

Five things that I am grateful for at this moment are my husband, two beautiful boys, my family for their ongoing support and guidance, my amazing friends and the friends that I've been fortunate to get to know through my writing, and for being able to share this post with you. You can be grateful for something as simple as breathing - even though breathing is definitely not trivial since we need to breathe to survive. Even if you feel that you have nothing to be grateful for, at this moment (which is really all we have for sure), you're alive and breathing.

Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear what you're grateful for.

XOXO,

Taryn

A Personal Story About My Journey To Live My Life's Purpose

Hello my friends,

This is probably the most vulnerable post I've ever written, but I felt that by writing down my thoughts, I could maybe connect with at least one person who has felt the same. Over the last few weeks I've had the urge to dive back into my "spiritual learnings." Now, I'm not talking about religion. I'm taking about the connection to myself and what I already posses inside. For a lot of my life I've been a "spiritual" person with the desire to be the best person/human being that I can. I realized that I've been working so hard lately that I've forgotten to put into practice everything that I've learned. By stressing and pushing myself to the limit, I am actually cutting off my connection to the universe. In other words, I'm cutting off the flow of energy from myself to the universe. Because truly, we are all made up of energy. I'm sure you've heard the term, Karma - what you put out, you get in return. If you want love, then give love. If you want abundance, then give to others. If you want respect, then give respect, etc... It's also called The Golden Rule.

One night I was watching Oprah's Next Chapter and found myself captivated by the episode. I had never heard of the man on the screen, or his seminars before, but I found his words and message so inspiring. His name is Tony Robbins. He is a motivational life coach who teaches people how to live their best lives and to live with purpose. I immediately went onto my Kindle and downloaded one of his books, Awakening the Giant Within. I devoured the book, and from there, sparked an overwhelming need to focus more on living my life's true purpose. I believe all of use have a purpose and a unique gift to share with the world.

Over the last week I've read three books by one of the most famous spiritual teachers, Deepak Chopra. One of the teachings that really grabbed me, from both Tony and Deepak, was...Expectations & Judgement. Many of us have a preconceived vision of how things are "supposed" to go or how other people are "supposed" to react. I know that I do - even though I am working to change. This especially rings true when it comes to my husband. Tony Robins said something that really stuck with me, "Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world will change with you." I realized that when my husband would do something or say something that didn't meet my expectation I became frustrated. My expectation led to pain. Then, I also realized, who am I to dictate how anything or anyone reacts, including my husband. This is a job designed for a being much higher than myself.

This past weekend my husband said something to me that would have otherwise made me irritated, but I decided to change my thinking and in return changed the outcome. He needed time to work on his graduate work over a very busy weekend. Before the start of a hectic day he said to me, "I need you to give me time to do my work." Feeling overwhelmed and stressed my first instinct was to snap at him. Instead, I changed my pattern of thinking and in return changed his. In a comical voice I said, "I am the oh so powerful keeper of time," and bowed as if I were getting ready to grant him three wishes. I don't think this was the response he was expecting because he just stared at me like I had three heads. Then, after the shock wore off,  in a playful tone he said, "I request five hours." With that, I responded, "Granted." We then broke into laughter. It was wonderful. Instead of arguing, we were laughing. Suddenly, a day that seemed packed with responsibilities a few minutes earlier, was no longer weighing on me. Instead, I was excited to venture into the unknown and go with the flow - because, "What you have is this moment with the people you love. Live every moment without assuming that there will be another moment. Then you are living on purpose." -T.D. Jakes

We fear not having control, but in truth, we can't control the future, only live in the present. If we are always looking to the future we will never really have a present.

Thanks for letting me share an experience from my personal life. As I learn I will continue to share my learning put into practice on my blog for anyone who is interested in my journey. It is my hope that by sharing my experiences I can help someone else. I believe it is important to give and show gratitude. I am so thankful for you *hugs*.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love to hear your comments/experiences/thoughts. We can learn from each other.

XOXO,

Taryn