Reflection #11: Healing

Reflection #9: Hello, 2018!

Hello friends, it has been a year since my last post and two years since I created INFJash. The last time I wrote to you, I created a list of five special experiences from 2016 and five goals for 2017. I would like to share again today, but first must apologize for my absence. The past year was very busy and required intense focus on my immediate challenges. In what felt like the fleeting moments that I had a break, I tried to slow time by seeking out fulfilling experiences that demanded I focus on the present moment.

As 2017 came to a close and I accomplished my challenges, I reflected on the year with a desire to slow down and make the most of my free moments. Having my mental health put to the test through a year full of stress, demanding deadlines, anxiety, self-defeating thoughts and panic attacks has created a passionate drive for how I want 2018 to unfold.

As many of us know, when a person seeks wellness they need to look at multiple dimensions including: physical, mental, social, spiritual, emotional, and many more. My overarching goal for 2018 is to focus on creating a better awareness of my level of wellness and strengthening it. Though 2017 depleted me greatly, there were many special moments. Some of these special moments were the completion of 2017’s goals!

Five Special Experiences of 2017:

1. My partner and I found a wonderful apartment to live in.
2. I spent a beautiful autumn day in Pembina Valley ziplining with my mom.
3. I experienced many wonderful moments visiting with my family and friends.
4. I started a bullet journal and am exploring my creativity.
5. I successfully completed my Bachelor of Human Ecology Degree majoring in Family Social Sciences.

Five Goals for 2018:

1. Post more on INFJash.
2. Read for fun.
3. Travel somewhere, anywhere.
4. Complete Yoga with Adriene’s TRUE: 30 day yoga journey.
5. Increase my wellness.

It is important to realize that you do not need the beginning of a year to create goals and make changes to increase your wellness. You are in control of your life and you can begin new practices or stop old routines whenever you decide. Sometimes the start of a year can feel like a clean break, a fresh start; but it is not necessary.

Stop, reflect, decide – how do you want your 2018 to unfold? If you ever struggle with making goals that you do not completing, take a look at my post on S.M.A.R.T. goals! Remember: “allow yourself to be a beginner, no one starts off being excellent”.

With love, my friends – be kind, be well, be you.
Shine on. ♥

Reflection #8: Happy New Year!

It has been 1 year since I created this blog, my first blog. I have to admit – I never dreamed that I would receive the amount of positive feedback and followers that I have. Thank you, so much. To each and every one of you who liked, commented, followed and support me throughout this past year of 2016!

INFJash doesn’t mean as much without you all. My desire is to continue to explore my creative side, express it to you and reach even more people around the world. Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with me – what do you like about INFJash? What could improve INFJash?

Today I want to share something personal with you. I want to share 5 special experiences that made 2016 great, and 5 goals for 2017 to guide me in discovering my purpose.

Five Special Experiences of 2016:

1. I created INFJash and you helped me feel inspired and proud of myself.
2. I celebrated my 5 year anniversary with my life-partner.
3. I returned to university to obtain my Family Social Sciences Degree.
4. I made the commitment to discovering my purpose; to find what brings me happiness and fulfillment.
5. I found Introvert Spring, home of the INFJ Forum which allowed me to feel understood, appreciated and make meaningful connections with multiple INFJs (learn more here).

Five Goals for 2017:

1. Create at least 1 blog post per month.
2. Try three new things (snowboarding, rock climbing, a blog challenge)
3. Travel somewhere, anywhere.
4. Find an apartment with my life-partner and make it our happy home.
5. Complete my Family Social Sciences Degree before 2018.

I look forward to being present and enjoying this year. I also look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions on my future blog posts. I love hearing from you! Comment with your own ideas, advice or goals for the new year.

With love, friends – shine on. ♥

Reflection #5: INFJ Purpose Blueprint

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. For real. Today my journey begins on rediscovering my INFJ soulprint, to finding my purpose! How is this possible you may ask? I’ll tell you.

It all began on a cold winters morn’ in January of 2016. I stumbled upon IntrovertSpring. An amazing website created by Michaela Chung to inspire and touch the lives of all the introverts in all the lands. Sounds like a fairytale, doesn’t it? Well just you wait! It gets better. Funny, that sounds like something I heard when I was 13..

Within this website there was a forum. Not just any forum! No, a special forum.. for special people. People who only make up less than 1% of the population. INFJs.

Now, these people must be pretty special if they were able to score their own forum on IntrovertSpring! The truth is they are. Each and every one of them has been blessed with a special gift by the great and powerful Universe! They have superpowers too. Okay, we’re getting off track.

I found this special forum in January and as soon as I joined it, I felt like I had found my home. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to pretend to be something I wasn’t, or hide pieces of myself. There was a community that I could be a part of. I fit in.

My heart has so much to say about this experience. It is hard to stay focussed on just one amazing aspect. Purpose. Me. Identity. Soulprint. The INFJ Purpose Blueprint was created! My ticket to the creative, exciting (yet peaceful) and fulfilling future I have always dreamed of!

My insecurities try to hold me back; but I will open my soul if it means I will wake up every morning, excited to live my life.

Do you ever have a desire to discover what makes you feel alive? Do you know what your purpose is? I hope I will soon.

With love, friends – shine on. ♥

Reflection #3: Physical Health

Despite my love for junk food, I have always had an interest in leading a healthy life. Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Over the past few weeks I have really been trying to get in touch with what that means to me. I decided (despite my anxiety) I would like to begin sharing those thoughts and experiences with you. I will begin with a summary of my physical life experience.

As early as I can remember I loved being active: running around the farm with my brothers and our imaginary games, participating in intramurals throughout elementary and middle school, after school basketball, curling, soccer and volleyball teams. I think I was even in jazz for a year or two. Apart from that, I was outside every chance I got.

After graduation came a year of university, three years in the workforce, two years of college. Never being exposed to “working out” in a gym, a few months into college I had a startling revelation. I had barely done any physical activity in the last four years! This honestly shocked me, how does this happen after a childhood so immersed in physical activity?

It made me feel sad and stupid. How could I let such an important part of my life disappear? Why didn’t I fight harder to make time for it? I suppose my priorities changed – as they do with many teenagers. This felt like a lame excuse to me.

Good news was, I could exercise whenever I wanted. I had to laugh at myself though. Twenty-two years old and I had never been to a gym with treadmills, weight benches and whatever all of those other crazy contraptions were. I had experienced all of my physical activities outside.

During my second semester of college I decided that I would take a yoga class once per week, in addition to my full time studies. I had always wanted to try it, a classmate accompanied me and.. It was great. I loved the quietness and focus it took. It was incredibly difficult, my legs and arms trembled and spasmed as I attempted to hold the poses. My face went red as I glanced around the room, worried someone would notice my inexperience and call me out. They never did.

That’s the beauty of yoga, you start where you’re at and progress as your body adapts. There is no right or wrong, just the persistence to not give up. Also, the added bonus of everyone focusing on themselves – not you! My competitive nature helped me catch on quickly and after a few classes my body welcomed the challenge. I think it missed exercise too. My favourite part of yoga was how awake and energetic my mind felt after each class. The 8 week program was soon over and I immersed myself in my studies, quickly forgetting about exercise.

Near the end of my third semester a couple friends invited me to come to the gym with them, a place foreign to me with mystical machines strategically placed in a huge room. It took a little getting used to, but it was a lot of fun with my friends and I felt great after every workout!

Unfortunately, school ended and I again found myself not exercising. I realized my physical activity was tied to interactions with friends. I bought a 3 month gym membership (hoping the financial burden would motivate me to use it daily). I did a pretty good job of sticking to my routine, and felt great after every workout! However, when my membership expired I couldn’t justify renewing it to spend a small fortune on exercises I could probably just do at home.

Long story short, I truly miss exercise when I abstain from it, and I ALWAYS feel great after a workout. So why the difficulty staying committed? Why is finding motivation such a struggle for me? Why do I let the day-to-day take over, instead of setting aside time for such a significant gift to my well-being? My INFJ self-improvement voice be thinking, “I will speak daggers to her”.

Expect some goals (and progress!) from me in the near future, the “voice” demands it.

Do you lack motivation? Have you had a similar struggle? How is your physical health? Feel free to share your stories and make some goals with me! If you need help with that, check out my recent post: INFJ: Self-Improvement.

Be beautiful, be you. Shine on, friends. ♥

Rise and Shine

Have you ever had the experience where you stumble upon something that changes your outlook on life? This anonymous quote found me at the perfect time and really inspired me, it reads:

“If you only take one piece of advice this should be it. You will always be too much of something for some people, and for others you will not be enough. But please, never shrink yourself for someone else. Never tame your voice. You are a force of nature. Like hurricanes, some will be fascinated by you. Some will spend their whole lives chasing you. Some will lock their doors and hide. What I’m trying to say is that even though storms are beautiful, there will always be those that will run from them, and although you think you can’t live without the ones who do, in time you will come to see that you were created to be extraordinary, and the value of a incredible painting is not decreased by those who cannot see it’s worth.” – Anonymous

Finally. I realized that I am who I am for a reason, a purpose. I was not born into this world to shrink away and crawl through life, unnoticed. The words my mother said to me at the dawn of a new day suddenly had so much meaning, “Rise and Shine”. If I am to inspire people and serve this world I must celebrate myself, with all my strengths and flaws. I accept that there will be exciting adventures and difficult trials to endure, that I will make mistakes and fall.

Ultimately, I trust the universe will take me where I need to go to fulfill my purpose – and I hope you will too.

With love, friends. Shine on and share your stories. ♥