​An irony of human life is that we all possess a higher purpose, yet many of us have no idea what it is. Have you ever asked yourself, “What is my purpose here? Am I meant to do more with my life than take care of myself?” So how do you discover your higher purpose?

Tapping into Your Innate Wisdom and Humanity

If you can look at yourself in a mirror, then you can tap into your innate wisdom and humanity. Things that propel us, what I call accelerators like hope, faith, confidence, and optimism, will help. Your purpose will be your gateway to engagement and motivation and the overarching driver for action. It will give you the energy to move forward and free you to make your unique contributions in the world. And remember, when you act with higher purpose, things will generally turn out better.

Ultimately, purpose is the connection between what we do and why we do it. If you're struggling to find your purpose, you might want to think about answering some questions. The New Year is a great time to pick up a journal, light a candle, and write down some of your thoughts about purpose.

To Find Your Purpose, Ask Yourself These Questions:

What do I love doing and what am I passionate about?

When do I feel most alive?

What are my natural talents and skills?

What do others say are my special abilities and qualities?

What values am I most committed to and when do I feel best about myself?

Find Your North Star and Keep It in Your Heart

Aside from the sun, navigators believe the most important star in the sky is the North Star. It’s a humble star, not shining very brightly but always there and reliable. If you find yourself lost on a clear night without a compass, the North Star can be your best friend. Metaphorically, the North Star represents our higher purpose. It leads us to take action and make our own lives and the lives of those around us better. But if you are not keeping your purpose consciously close to your mind and heart, it is easy to get lost. Getting lost in our accelerating and disruptive world is not hard to do.

Conscious people are driven by fundamental, undeniable principles. These principles are deeply ingrained in us, shaped over a lifetime of development and introspection. They serve as a moral compass, an internal guidance system that has honesty and fairness as its magnetic north. At its heart is being a grounded and conscious person. To follow your North Star, you need to be vigilant and aware of the changes around you.

At some point, all of us face conflicts between who we are and what we do. This is a wandering moment—a time when you need to pause and engage in an internal conversation about who you want to be in the world. The more conscious you are, the easier it is to remember your purpose and manage through these contradictions.

Intentions Lead to Actions

To bring your purpose alive, you must translate it into deliberate action. Intentions can be both positive and negative. Regardless, they influence everything we do. Positive intentions are kindness, service, or excellence. They add value to peoples’ lives. Greed, jealousy, envy, and fear fuel our negative intentions. When people are driven by these ghosts, we are often selfish, spiteful, protective, or detached. The goal is to know the inner truth that drives you.

Even when we think they are hidden, our intentions can be seen or felt by others. That’s why we need to be aware of our own intent before we act, and check ourselves for any lurking hijackers that can produce unwanted consequences. Sometimes we step up with good intentions and even then, bad things can happen – like perfectionists who are motivated to get it all right, but whose behavior can feel too controlling to others. Or a hard-driving parent, committed to their child’s success, but who spends too much time in critical mode, dashing their child’s self-confidence.

When you assert yourself and challenge the status quo, or change something, you are telling the world that you are taking personal responsibility for your life and actions. So own your intentions, speak your truth, keep agreements, and practice integrity. Your right intentions will lead to right actions and help you to find and follow your higher purpose!

Every day there is something we see or hear about that breaks our heart, angers us, and makes hope feel like a million miles away. Things can feel hopeless when you look at the world and feel that you have zero control over anything that happens. The world can feel like a place of self-destruction with no where to hide. Social news feeds and the media thrive on the latest terrible thing that has happened. We are getting informed, but a flood of that negative energetic information can really take a toll on us mentally, physically, emotionally and even spiritually.
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How do you find peace in a world that is just nothing but chaos, killing, hate, prejudice, ignorance...?
You find the good. It's still out there.

Balance is essential to having a peaceful existence. If you're weighted down by heavy topics, you need to be lifted up by positive things that also occur every day in the world. 

I find peace in nature. I take a walk in a forest and gaze up at the tall trees with thick trunks. The smell of fir trees in the air. I breathe in deeply, in and out. I see the animals and insects in their natural habitat. I squint as the sun beams stream down through the tree branches and feel the warmth and also a cool breeze pass me by. In that moment, I am present and taking in what I am experiencing.

I'm not thinking about how so many forests are being torn down and developed. I'm not allowing negative thoughts of other places to bring down the place I am presently in. I allow myself to feel grateful for this forest and all it has. I take off my shoes and feel the earth beneath my feet and ground myself as I energetically feel in sync with Mother Earth's heart beat. The beat of life itself. 

There is a time and place to be informed about the very real and important things happening in this world. I do not ask you to be blind and pretend it isn't reality, because it most definitely is. I'm suggesting to find a healthy balance.

Listen to a baby's laughter. So innocent, so precious. Know that you can be someone to help the next generations thrive. Yes, one person can do great things. You don't have to be famous, have a lot of money, power, authority, recognition to do things that can impact the world in a wonderful way.

Most everyone is familiar with the powerful quote by Mahatma Gandhi, "We must be the change we with to see in the world." I've always been a big fan of inspirational quotes, because they are reminders to awaken our purpose. I'm going to share several more quotes with you now.

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." - Jane Goodall

"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." - J.K. Rowling

"Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in the world and the life to come." - Henri Nouwen

Chaos doesn't just exist in the world around us though, does it? Many times this chaos is in our own personal lives. When you already have stress you are trying to manage, taking on the stress of the world too is not healthy. In fact, it can cause serious health risks.

One thing that helps me is to dip my toes into the chaos without diving in head first. I don't watch the news. It's depressing and I've never felt happier after watching it; therefore, it doesn't uplift my life. People have said, "But, then you don't know what's happening!" Sure I do. I skim headlines. If you're on social media, you can't escape it. Instead of opening every news article and spending time feeling angry, sad, or hopeless - I read the title and get the information that I need. Now, of course, there are times that I do want to read more about something and get in-depth information and that is 100% okay! But, not every day. Not even every week for me personally. You have to find your own balance.

After seeing the headlines and then seeing a photo or two I wish I hadn't on my news feeds (please people stop posting photos or auto-play videos with horrific images!), I then make sure to fill myself with something positive. I think about my family and the love we share. I begin listing things I am grateful for and allow that love to fill me inside out. I think about the people out there actually making a positive difference and try to do my own part. 

I've found that many times the people that are so upset with the world are sometimes the ones that do absolutely nothing to help better it. They are trapped in this negative space and energy and all they do is share more bad news and talk with anger about every single thing. It's a rarity to see anything positive on their posts. Even their comments on other people's posts are the sour apple in the mix. Always argumentative or has to stir up CHAOS. Because when you live only in chaos, you begin to become chaos yourself and that's what you're then sharing with others. That's not helping the world, that is adding to the negativity you're so angry about in the first place.

Sometimes, we just have to WAKE UP and force ourselves to find the good and be the good. It's there. It exists. It's what keeps me going every single day knowing that there IS love in this world. There ARE people who are trying to make a positive difference.

If you feel stuck in a negative mind space, you can train your subconscious brain to have a different default thinking than it does now. Mantras help with this. Also known as affirmations. It's a positive, uplifting thought that is to be repeated many times throughout the day until it becomes an inner truth and self belief. Mantras can pull you back into your center and help to ease your mind. Words have POWER. Thoughts have POWER. Mantras help retrain our minds to have a different belief system. One where your mind can be put to ease and where underneath it's not all doom and gloom.

Stay focused on how you can add value to the world each and every day. In Ayurveda, it is called Dharma, and it means life purpose. Every one of us has our own unique mission in life, the reason we are each here. We have an individual gift to be shared with others. It's the script written on our souls.

In moments of chaos, cling to your purpose in life. If you are unsure of your unique life purpose, you can always do life coaching which can assist you with clearly seeing the part of you that has always been there, and will never leave. One purpose you can always focus on is to be and to spread unconditional love.

Remember that the outer world is a mirror to our inner world. When events occur that are beyond our control, we can use tools to remain rooted in our center and remain at peace.

Namaste.
Tristan Orion

I am awakened to the belief that being "too busy" can be a way to keep you at a lower vibration. If you don't have time for anything anymore, are you really making time for the things that truly matter? When we believe and live a life of scrambling from one thing to the next thing, we are like a hamster spinning inside a wheel. Sure, he's going fast, but where is he really going? If you removed the hamster from that wheel, and he simply walked - taking a break here and there - he would actually get much farther faster.

Internally we can become addicted to being busy. We have to keep moving or else, we die? Or, we're not successful? Or, we will have too much time for idle thought? There are actually root reasons for staying busy and if you're one of these people, I encourage you to dig deeper. I'm not pointing fingers, since not too long ago I lived a life of being so busy I could barely breathe. I was exhausted, yet kept going even though I told myself I had to stop! I actually believed I was trying to stop, but yet I kept finding new ways to be busy. As I weaned off - I believe it's like a drug - I would find myself still looking for things and then lying to myself saying, "But, that won't take too much time! I can do it!" I then had to face the ugly truth and learn how to do things differently.

Some things I just had to let go of. Things that took too much of my time, drained my energy, and provided nothing (or barely anything) in return. At first, I fought it. "I can still do it. I'll just do it less. It doesn't really take that much of my time!" The funny thing is that the things you don't think take much time, once you remove them from your life - you see that they actually take up a whole lot more time than you could have ever imagined. It's like being blinded... you see what you want to see, while others are on the sidelines waiting and waiting and waiting...for just SOME time with you.

Why was I so busy? It was a mixture of things. (1) I enjoyed feeling like I was being successful in life - being remembered for something - not "wasting" my time here on Earth. (2) I didn't know what to do with idle time. I wanted to spend more time with my fiance', yet I would agree or sign up for something that would prevent that from happening. (3) It kept my brain active from having to think about the "tough" things in life or things that I really needed to do.

Sometimes we can keep ourselves from our own happiness. Did I feel like I didn't deserve it? Did I worry I would fail? When I dug deeper, I realized there was a lot hanging out inside of me blocking me from not only my true purpose, but my true happiness. The first step to changing was learning to say one word: "NO!" and truly desiring for my priorities to be the people and things that actually matter!

Stop agreeing to attend event event, do project after project, lose another weekend doing something that pulls you away from what matters. As I began this, my time started to open up and at first I didn't know what to do with it! Like I said earlier, I started to find new things. Amy (my fiance') had to push some tough love on me to help awaken me to the lies I was telling myself. "But, I can do this in my free time, and it won't impede on anything else," I'd say. Finally, after her being firm several times (and meaning it), I stopped.

At first, I felt a bit resentful. "Hey! It's my life... why can't I do this? I've always wanted to..." Then, the truth hit me. HARD. What am I really accomplishing? I was the hamster. Sure, I accomplished many things, but certainly not enough for the time and energy I was putting into it all - not to mention, the time I was away from what really mattered - the memories LOST. I had to start looking at everything I do and see what actually serves a greater purpose in my life.

Time for another Free Meditation. A popular notion many people have is a "pauper" mentality. They worry about finances, penny-pinch, complain about how little they have, don't believe they will get much of a raise, etc. When it comes to manifesting...they will continue to not only have financial issues, but it can be even worse - car breaks down, extra bills in the mail, laptop crashes...

Money needs to be your friend, not foe. Be grateful for the money you have and the money that is coming to you easily. You have to REALLY believe that you deserve money, that you have stable finances, that you will have more than enough.

When I first started with abundance manifestation, I started getting checks in the mail that I had no idea about. My bank account would be more than I thought it would be. I would get a good raise, then a better job with better pay. I never worry about money. That doesn't mean I go out and buy everything! I still have a responsible budget, yet I always have more than enough.

If you have a battle with money - I encourage you to listen to this meditation every day for at least 7 days and let me know what happens. 

You have trouble sitting still when talking to someone
Your mind is constantly racing
Too busy to find time to sit down and do nothing
You have ADD / ADHD
You don't feel capable of meditating
You're constantly under stress
You have trouble getting to sleep

Do any of these sound like you? If so, meditation may appear to be a practice that feels like something you'll never be able to accomplish. I'm here to tell you: You CAN Meditate and this is a gift you deserve.

Finding the gift of meditation is something that can help change your life and literally rewire your brain.

I don't believe you have to follow rigid rules of meditation. In fact, I think that's what holds so many people back from even attempting it. Just know, that meditation is about "showing up" and creating a practice, something that works for you. Something that you can continually improve on at your own pace.

Rome wasn't built in a day (as they say), and quieting yourself takes work, and PRACTICE.

Here are several tips to help you start (or enhance) your meditation journey:

1. Count - Close your eyes. Sit up straight (where you are is fine). Smile. Take a deep breath in through your nose and silently count to ONE. Slowly let that breath out through your nose and silently say TWO. Repeat this until you get to TEN.

Start over each time your mind wanders and you lose count.

2. Take a walk - Meditation doesn't have to be motionless. Walking meditation is a form of meditation in action. You simply focus on walking. Go outside and take a walk and just have the actual walk be your focus. Don't pick up your phone and text people or use this time to call someone. No! Simply walk and take in the beauty around you (wherever you are, there is always beauty to be found).

​Here is a guided meditation you can try:

3. Animal Time - Simply spending a few minutes petting an animal can be a very relaxing and calming activity, especially when it's done mindfully (when you're focusing on the activity rather than while you're doing something else). There is a two-pronged effect whereby your touch calms the animal and at the same time, releases feel-good endorphins in you, reducing your heart rate. 

Don't have a cat, dog, or horse to pet? Even spending a few minutes watching fish swim will help you feel less anxious and less stress. Research has shown that your body actually goes through physical changes that make a difference in your mood. The level of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, is lowered. And the production of serotonin, a chemical associated with well-being, is increased.

4. Watch or Listen - Personally, I use guided meditations 50% of the time. It helps to focus my mind and I think of them as "personal trainers" for meditation. It's very important to find someone where their voice resonates with you. You can use the free meditations I provide on this website - click here for free guided meditations. I also have two people I listen to the most and both are on Spotify.

Since I practice the Law of Attraction, both of these meditations focus on that principal. Glenn Harrold - Law of Attraction is one that I thoroughly enjoy. He is British and his soothing voice allows me to go to the depth of within to a very calming place. Another is Rapid Hypnosis Success - Law of Attraction & Abundance Hypnosis. This one has over 16 hours of guided meditations. Her voice is soothing and I love the nature sounds in the background. The last one on Spotify I follow is a playlist simply called Guided Meditation (almost 20 hours worth).

Another thing I do is listen to music, but not just any music. Typically, when I meditate I want soothing sounds or voices only, not lyrics to a song being sung. I have a Native Flutes playlist and Tai Chi playlist that is also flute music. 

Spotify and YouTube are my go-to's to find music that is calming. On YouTube I listen to music that will even focus on a certain chakra. I am mindful, focus on my breathing and the music/guided voice I am hearing. I also wear a sleep mask to tune out the light, headphones to cancel exterior noise (and hear binaural beats), and can even envision myself someone else, including another galaxy.

5. 60 seconds. 90 seconds. 180 seconds - Don't think that you have to sit and meditate for at least 20 minutes for it to count. To start out, sit and meditate 60 seconds at a time. Once the mind calms for 60 seconds, move to 90 seconds. Then to 180 seconds, and so on.

6. Say "Thank You" - Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions that we can experience. Gratitude changed my life and it's something I practice every single day. It's a way to step outside of yourself for a bit and a great way to slow down.

Simply sit down and say "Thank you." It doesn't matter if you say it out loud or silently. Just say it. Then say it again. And again. Really feel and mean those words. 

Do you have a favorite song? If so, what makes it your favorite? Is it the lyrics, the singer, the music, the way it makes you feel...or, all of the above?

Music is an amazing part of our world and something I would truly miss if I never heard it again. While I have many favorite songs, my top pick is a song called Let Go by Frou Frou.

Why? Beyond her voice, the music, and the feeling...it is the memory. A memory that takes me back and now makes me feel GRATEFUL.

Once upon a time, I felt stuck in an unhealthy marriage. It would feel so toxic at times that I would drive to the park in the neighborhood and sit in my car alone. I would listen to this song on repeat. The song was exactly how I felt and what I wanted. It kept telling me to just let go...it would be okay...and that there is beauty in the breakdown.

So...I finally let go. And...I had a breakdown. The breakdown didn't feel so beautiful. In fact, it felt ugly. It felt painful. But as I rode that wave of anger, fear, and total loss...the more strength I found in myself again.

The beauty I realized isn't during the breakdown. The beauty comes from withstanding the breakdown and making it to the other side. A ship making it out of a tumultuous storm, being toppled over and over, sure of its demise. But then the ship sails into the calm waters as the sun rises yet again. There is beauty in the breakdown. The strength you find, the courage you possess, the determination to not give up.

​To make it out alive and better than well. To now have a story to tell others, to help others, to console others...a story to remind you of lessons you've learned and to be there to tell you: YOU CAN DO IT no matter what comes your way in the future. Sometimes we can't keep holding on to situations or people that no longer serve us. It holds us down. It breaks us to the core. Is there anything in your life that you need to let go of? Free yourself. The other side is so so so worth it.  #findyourpurpose

I am turning 40 next month. Over these years, an important lesson that I have learned is to trust your intuition...that gut feeling.

In my youth, I tended to ignore my gut because I wanted to do something or be with someone...and that control always led me down the wrong path.

Even when we first meet people, many times we can pick up their energy, their vibe...whether positive or negative. You may meet someone that your intuition tells you that should keep a distance from. But, what if this person is attractive, charming, says all of the right things to make you question your gut?

Your head then says, "they really do seem nice though...and what a great smile!" Or your heart steps in, "they have been through so much...they really need me to help them." NO, NO, NO.

When your intuition says NO, listen, or prepare for a negative situation to happen. That is plain and simple. You have to quiet your mind and heart and allow your intuition to lead the way. The gut feeling you get is trying to help you, it is coming from a higher source, your higher self. The more you listen, the more you stay on your correct path.

These side roads only take us off course and we then get lost, confused, scared, feel alone, depressed, anxious...those feelings can all be tied to side roads. When you feel emotions that do not really serve you, ask yourself what is the root of this feeling in that moment. What is it telling you? Is it tied to another person, situation, decision?

​As one of Shakira's songs says, "my hips don't lie", my new song is, "my intuition doesn't lie." Play THAT on repeat. ​