Hi gorgeous people! How are you all doing? It seems like ages since we last spoke, which is totally my fault…Shaun and I (finally) got married last weekend! It was an AMAZING day and I still haven’t taken it all in. I can’t wait to share some photos when they are ready.
Now that I am no longer pre-occupied with wedding planning, I am so excited to get back into my normal routine and focus on some exciting Gorgeous Presence projects (stay tuned!).
For my first post as a married gal, I have been itching to share with you an email that recently landed in my inbox and knocked my socks off. The story in this email is everything that Gorgeous Presence represents and really had an impact on me. With the permission of the author, here is what the email said:
“Dear Friends,
I was having coffee with a good friend this week.
He was going through a difficult time and felt quite down on himself about having made some decisions he regretted. As he spoke, I had this overwhelming urge to share something with him. I don’t usually like to give advice, but this is what came out of my mouth…
“No matter what you’ve done, the essence of who you are is never touched.”
He looked at me with a sense of relief on his face. It was like the gap between his actions and who he was widened a little.
We then had a beautiful conversation about the playfulness of life. Exploring how life isn’t about being ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but more about making choices that are helpful and nourishing. And how being able to really enjoy our lives, in the deepest sense, develops as we learn how to treat ourselves and others with genuine kindness, gentleness and care.
The pervasive notion of “not being enough”, can leave many of us feeling like we have to prove ourselves in a multitude of ways – namely, more money, more success, more sexiness, more accomplishments and on and on and on. However, given that we will always make mistakes and we will always fall short, we end up coping by numbing ourselves (with our addiction of choice), beating ourselves up – and missing the preciousness of our lives.
On the contrary, many wisdom traditions point to human goodness as their foundation. For example, in buddhism your fundamental nature is referred to as “bodhichitta”, “buddha nature” or “basic goodness”. They all point to the same thing – an innate essence that is pure, whole and compassionate.
When you next feel like you are “failing” life, you might want to consider that you are more than what your thoughts are telling you – and that you have the choice to learn mindful practices to calm your mind and open your heart.
Most importantly, be gentle and kind to you – treat yourself like you would to your dearest friend. Never give up on yourself. Remember, the deeper you go underneath the crashing waves of the ocean, the calmer it becomes.”
This gorgeous email was written by Jono Fisher, the creator of The Wake Up Project, which is a truly inspiring online community that promotes acts of kindness and bringing out the best in people and organisations.
I stumbled across the Wake Up Project community many years ago by chance, and loved their initiative of mailing “kindness cards” to those who joined the community. The purpose of the cards is to prompt you to undertake simple acts of kindness, such as buying a stranger’s coffee, sending flowers to a co-worker or helping someone go about their day. You then leave a kindness card for the person in the hope to create a ripple effect.
Here is what Jono has to say personally about The Wake Up Project:
“In 2009, I had an idea to start a ‘kindness revolution’. I left my job, designed some ‘Kindness Cards’ and booked a venue for my first-ever event. This simple idea has grown into Australia’s largest and most trusted community celebrating mindful living & leadership.
We’re now a community of 75,000+ people. We’ve posted out 250,000+ Kindness Cards and more than 30,000 guests have attended our 50+ sold-out events. It’s been a wonderful journey bringing together world leading speakers, musicians & scientists to help awaken the best in people and organisations.
I believe qualities like compassion, kindness and authenticity are no longer luxuries, but necessities for a flourishing and innovative society.
May this be of benefit to the whole!” (www.wakeupproject.com.au)
Living and working in the busy city of Sydney, it can be very difficult to remain positive when you are surrounded by people rushing and stressing, unaware of what is going on around them. That is why I love the Wake Up Project – it reminds me to appreciate the simple things and how one little action can turn someone’s day around for the better.
I now make it my goal to do something positive each day, such as smiling at a stranger, allowing someone to go ahead of me in a line, and simply learning not to take things personally when people (unintentionally) do something to offend me.
If we all adopted this simple mindset of kindness and being present in the moment, can you imagine how different the world would be?
I would love to hear from you if you have any stories to share about acts of kindness and the effect they had on you and the recipient. If you haven’t joined The Wake Up Project community, make sure you sign up today and start spreading the kindness message!
Kate says
I love doing kind things for people Amanda. As a kid I even used to walk around smiling at everyone (and still do) because I loved seeing them smile back. My mum started to get worried about all the random people smiling at me haha. Even writing down something positive a day. I used to write down a sentence a day and sometimes include a photo about something good that happened. Even as simple as ‘I sat back for 5 minutes with my favourite tea and relaxed’, including a photo helps and it reminds you that things are always OKAY! Thanks for sharing. Kate, Wondrous
Amanda says
Hi Kate! Thanks so much for commenting. That is such a great idea to smile at everyone, and to have carried this mindset through from your childhood is so beautiful! I totally agree that smiling can change your day and the lives of others. So simple but so effective! I love the idea of photos – maybe we should start an Instagram challenge! Amanda xxx
Kate says
Kindness is my husband getting up to make me coffee every single morning before doing anything else.
Amanda says
Love this Kate! It sounds really simple, but that coffee changes your day right? Go Matt! Xxx