The Irony of Vacations

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The Irony of Vacations

Vacation travel allows for expansion. Whether you prefer beaches or mountains is irrelevant. What really matters is taking time out to gain new perspectives, renew our energy and enjoy our lives. We all love to dream of our escapes. Some of us travel more than others. Some travel great distances and others stay close to home. The important lesson is to travel not to escape daily life, but to enhance it! Vacation allows us quality time where we can build lasting memories with friends and family. Yes, we love to capture moments by camera to share with others, but be mindful to stay fully present and not get pulled into social media for too long.

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Understanding the Law of Attraction and How it Can Work For You

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Understanding the Law of Attraction and How it Can Work For You

Bob Proctor is an inspiring man who has taught The Law of Attraction to millions of people around the world. One of his most famous quotes is, “If you can see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.” This is exactly what happened to me last week when I went to The North Face store in Seattle to buy a Gore-Tex jacket for hiking. For the past six months I’ve been looking for a waterproof jacket in a specific shade of blue with no luck. They were always too expensive and not the exact color that I had in mind. I’m not an impulsive buyer and I rarely pay full price for anything. A little over a week ago I started seeing The North Face ads on Instagram for their Summer Sale with up to 40% off of past season styles so I decided to check out their sale.


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In Gratitude

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In Gratitude

Libby is away on summer vacation with her family so I would like to take this time to personally thank you for reading our blog and supporting all that we do at Total Soulful Journey. We are humbled and grateful to all of you who reach out to us on a weekly basis and tell us how much our writing inspires you and how it has helped you trough difficult times. Believe me when I say that your feedback and kind words mean the world to us! We also want to extend a special thank you to all of our international readers from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Australia. We love that TSJ is an international community where we can all grow together and become the best versions of ourselves.

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From Mindfulness to Awakening to Higher Consciousness

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From Mindfulness to Awakening to Higher Consciousness

Mindfulness is a powerful practice that helps us to calm our minds, focus our thoughts and anchor ourselves in the present. By being aware of being aware we are able to live our lives with intention, focus our energy on what really matters to us and let go of what no longer serves our greatest good. This means that we become aware of the unconscious programming that has controlled our thoughts and our behaviors, and awaken to the realization that we no longer have to be rule by it.

Two highly effective ways to make the unconscious conscious is through meditation and journaling. They are especially effective if you do them first thing in the morning before your mind is filled with your to do list for the day. To learn how to meditate, check out Libby’s previous post called, “The Powerful Benefits of Meditation and How to Get Started.”

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Is Your Mind Full or Are You Mindful?

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Is Your Mind Full or Are You Mindful?

Mindfulness is a big buzz word right now. I have learned mindfulness through my yoga practice and studies. Mindful speaking, mindful meditations and basically growing awareness to cultivate a higher consciousness is what I think of when I hear the word mindfulness. However, this week when I completed parent orientation at the University of Kentucky for my daughter’s freshman year I heard the word and a detailed explanation in an entirely new way. We heard from many authorities and leaders from the school and it was very impressive how many resources are available to the students at UK, but the head of student services talked at great length about the transitions and stress our children undergo throughout college, but especially the freshman transition. He talked about what it means to drink responsibly. Think about this and jot down how you would explain that phrase to your child. First, be of legal age.

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The Soulful Side of Eating

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The Soulful Side of Eating

Sex and eating have a lot in common. They both involve pleasure through our senses and they can connect us more deeply with other people as a shared activity. That is if we slow down our super busy lives, become more mindful and make them a priority. 

The idea for Total Soulful Journey began years ago while I was on a photo safari in Africa with a couple from Spain, a couple from Canada and a number of couples from the USA. After shooting the sunset each evening we would return to our safari camp or hotel for dinner. The Americans typically ate quickly and returned to their rooms. My Spanish and Canadian friends, however, dined slowly savoring the wonderful flavors of the food along with a yummy variety of South African wines while sharing personal stories, laughter and camaraderie. These dinners had a soulfulness to them that was sadly lacking from my rushed dining experiences back in the States. Upon returning home I was determined to bring mindfulness and the romance of fine food back into my life. 

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Juicing 101

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Juicing 101

Juicing is one of my new favorite things and I am about to explain why! I am not talking about a juice fast or cleanse, but simply adding a juice a day to keep the doctor away. Suddenly more juice places are popping up, my friends are talking about it and a local yoga studio is even thinking of offering juice to its clients. I personally do not own a juicer, but my dear friend does and was kind enough to show me how to juice using a combination of fruits and vegetables that pair well. I began to juice almost every day and I noticed my skin becoming clear and bright and I was far more energetic. I occasionally drank the juice as my breakfast, but most of the time I juiced in addition to my meals. 

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Love is the Garden That Grows in Your Heart

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Love is the Garden That Grows in Your Heart

Love is the garden that grows in your heart. If you do not tend to it with care, it will wither or become overrun by the weeds of life. This is also true with our minds if we allow them to be consumed by negative thoughts. 

A beautiful love garden begins with loving ourselves. As we’ve mentioned before on this blog, we cannot fully love another person until we learn to love ourselves and feel our completeness on our own. Many people seek out intimate relationships with the thought that they need another person to make them complete. By giving our power over to a significant other we place the responsibility for our happiness unfairly upon that person. This may also lead to codependency, neediness and a lack of balance in the relationship. Often times people repeat this pattern over and over with others, wondering why their relationships never work out. Heartache, fear, jealousy, anger, neediness and contempt are weeds to the heart and leave little room for unconditional love and romance to bloom. This creates conflict, drama and resentment, which can lead to a downward spiral.

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How to Communicate Effectively in Times of Conflict

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How to Communicate Effectively in Times of Conflict

Conflicts can always be expected in life. We cannot avoid all hard times because sometimes they happen for a reason that is beyond us. People are like magnets or mirrors. We are attracted to what we have within us. And when we are upset by someone either angererd or hurt, that too is a reflection of something within us that causes a rise in emotion. Learning to respond to conflicts rather than reacting to them is key for peaceful resolution. What is the difference?

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The Power of Belief - Part 4: “The Power To Heal”

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The Power of Belief - Part 4: “The Power To Heal”

Our beliefs have a power and influence over our health and our wellbeing. What we think can actually manifest in our bodies both good and bad. You probably know people who focus on their aches and pains, talking about them often as if they are part of who they are. For these individuals there is always something that is ailing them and they are happy to tell you about it. On the other hand, you may know individuals who are super positive and never seem to get sick. Even when they feel symptoms coming on they say, “no, I’m not going to get sick” and miraculously they don’t. 

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Suicide is Not the Answer 

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Suicide is Not the Answer 

Life is precious. There are many times when we do not understand what is going on and we all have that in common. In fact we are more alike than different. Anxiety and depression are on the rise. We all have fears and insecurities, they just vary. There is a feeling of hopelessness looming in the air at times, but I urge everyone to dig deep and plant your roots in the power of belief and purpose. If you do not yet know your purpose, please forget the expectations and opinions of others and follow your passion.

Because of the two major suicide stories this week of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, may they rest in peace, the subject of suicide is now being brought into the limelight and it is time that we have an honest discussion about it that comes from a place of love without judgement.

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The Power of Belief - Part 3: Faith in Something Bigger

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The Power of Belief - Part 3: Faith in Something Bigger

Ponder for a moment what a miracle it is that you exist here and now on a beautiful planet in the middle of an infinite universe reading this blog on a smart phone or a computer, written by a person who may live on the other side of the world from you. It’s rather mind boggling, isn’t it? Now go inward and think about the ingenious complexity of your body… all of your organs, blood vessels, skin, bones, muscles, nerves and individual cells and how they make it possible for you to think and to move about… Can you see that you are a living miracle?


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The Power of Belief - Part 2: How to Harness the Power of Belief to Improve Your Life

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The Power of Belief - Part 2: How to Harness the Power of Belief to Improve Your Life

Our beliefs not only affect the outcome of our future, they also affect those around us in our intimate relationships, at work, with friends and with family. I grew up in a fanstastic loving home, but being the baby of the family and the caboose, born 10 years after my sister, my parents and siblings did a lot for me including making my decisions. Of course they meant no harm and were simply trying to help me. It was only recently that I realized that those “nurturing” habits and tendencies that they had for me really created a dependency on other people for my well being, a fear of surviving on my own and a delay in finding my purpose. Sometimes life throws us curve balls that are out of our control, but with a strong belief that you deserve to live the life of your dreams and to become the best version of yourself, you realize that all things are possible. 

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The Power of Belief - Part One: Believe in Yourself

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The Power of Belief - Part One: Believe in Yourself

Our beliefs have an enormous power over how we see ourselves and how we perceive reality. They are the catalyst behind what we do and what we don’t do. At the heart of our belief system is what we believe about ourselves. Those who believe that they can achieve anything, boldly pursue their desires and their dreams. While those who hold back, often carry self limiting thoughts and negative beliefs that were handed down to them by their parents, as well as other authority figures from their youth. 


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The Rhythm of Life; What Are You Waiting For?

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The Rhythm of Life; What Are You Waiting For?

"The Rhythm of Life," by Matthew Kelly in my opinion embodies the concept and the mission of a Total Soulful Journey, which is to AWAKEN, INSPIRE AND EMPOWER YOU TO BECOME THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF. This is one of the most powerful books that I have read. Although the author's answers to life’s mysteries seem obvious at times, we can all relate to them. The book begins by stating that life is a series of choices. Choices in the food we consume, in love, in fear, in anger, in what we wear, where we live... Every choice we make either leads us closer to our destiny or draws us back from our goals. But, what are your goals and what is your life’s mission? Many do not know, and that is OK, but we must always dream really really big, because as Matthew Kelly says, “Dreams foster hope, and hope is one of the forces by which men and women live.” Each choice we make designs the tapestry of our life.

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A First Timer's Guide to the Island of Kauai

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A First Timer's Guide to the Island of Kauai

Have you ever visited a place and it instantly felt like home? Some places have a special energy that resonates with our hearts. Hawaii is that kind of place to me. A few weeks ago I returned to Kauai for the third time with my daughter for a vacation. I have been to the Hawaiian Islands twelve times. Each island is special and offers unique beauty and opportunities. If you have never been to Hawaii, Maui will give you the quintessential island and beach experience. If, however, you really want to kick back and chill out, Kauai may be the place for you...

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A Message to the Graduates of 2018

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A Message to the Graduates of 2018

It seems like yesterday that my first born, my baby girl Morgan was born. Each stage and every year of her life has truly been a gift. From watching her take her first steps, to hearing her sweet giggle, then experiencing her emotional and academic struggles and celebrating her award winning talents. I cannot believe this day is here already. Today is the start of a new chapter in our lives. Morgan, and all of those who graduate this year, now has the foundation and the wings to soar. I have no doubt that she will accomplish all of her dreams.

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5 Reasons to Book Your Next Vacation Through Costco Travel

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5 Reasons to Book Your Next Vacation Through Costco Travel

I recently used Costco Travel to book flights, a rental car and a hotel for a week on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. I love Hawaii, but a week on the islands can be very spendy. By booking my vacation package through Costco I was able to stay at The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on the very desirable north shore of Kauai and still keep within my budget. I couldn’t be happier with our Costco Travel package and here are 5 reasons why:


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Why Do We Self Destruct at Each Roadblock in Life?

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Why Do We Self Destruct at Each Roadblock in Life?

Why do we self destruct and sabotage ourselves when we hit roadblocks in life? 

The answer has two parts: ego and fear. Roadblocks are merely obstacles that lead us on a better path in life. We may be forced to pause or slow down exponentially, but what if that roadblock saves us from going over a cliff? Trust yourself and never give up on the map you draw that leads to your true purpose, your goals and your dreams. Maybe the roadblock is putting you on a better path? Perhaps it is there so that the Universe can show you things and new people along your way? Ponder these questions and know that your life holds a divine plan that is being revealed to you along your spiritual path. Ego is there to protect us, but sometimes too much fear overcomes us and stops us from pursuing our destiny and then we feel conflicted. 

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How to Make the Most of Your Experience on Instagram - An Interview With Melissa Teng

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How to Make the Most of Your Experience on Instagram - An Interview With Melissa Teng

What’s your favorite social media platform? For the past five years I have been a big fan of Instagram due to my love of photography, travel and nature. It’s also been a wonderful place to make great friends from around the world, including my TSJ blogging partner, Libby McAvoy. When I started on IG it was fun and easy to gain followers and make friends. Since Instagram introduced their notorious "algorithm" a couple years ago that selects what photos appear in our feeds, however, it's become more competitive and, quite frankly, rather frustrating at times. Seeing some accounts grow while your own stays the same can be discouraging, considering that many of those fast growing accounts are using computer bots to follow and unfollow you. And then their is the risk of falling into the "comparison trap" when you see so many fantastically edited photos, exotic locations, fabulous lifestyles and heavily curated galleries.

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