Arms

Arm (Eng.)/ Bras (Fr.) : noun
• an upper limb of the human body
• anything thought of as being arm like, especially in being attached or connected to something.

"The most beautiful clothing for a woman are the arms of the man she loves. But for those who do not have this happiness, I am here for them."
- Yves Saint Laurent

Lucky

Lucky (Eng.)/Lucky (Fr.) : adjective

• Fortunate. Favorable.

"If you're lucky, you wake up in your forties."

- Ali McGraw

Mantra

Mantra (Eng.)/ Mantra (Fr.): noun

• Any sacred word or phrase used as an object of concentration and embodying some aspect of spiritual power.

I recently heard a snippet from a Louise Hay interview that caught my attention. She was sharing her life's mantra. Apparently she reiterates this aloud daily, and multiple times a day. It goes something like this:

"All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good, and the highest good of others. Out of this situation only good will come. I am safe."

She also said that the key to living a happy, loving and blessed life is "to always be grateful in advance."

The mantra seemed dangerously close to a mock self help affirmation that Stuart Smalley would have spewed in an SNL skit. But its message really is a perfect reminder throughout the day. 

So here I go, "Thank you universe for cooperating with me to clear the obstacles that are temporarily standing between me and Paris."

Reality

Reality (Eng.)/ Réalité (Fr.) Noun

• the state or quality of being real
• resemblences to what is
• a real thing or fact
• something that exists independently of ideas concerning it.
• something that exists independently of all other things and from which all other things derive.

I've been on the wagon for a month. It was just time for me to take a break from wine. I wanted to miss it again.  Or perhaps I am getting drunk off of the reality of my upcoming changes. This lucidity has allowed me to tune into the universe's vibrational hum as I tackle fearful decisions, and knock off items on my to do list with wild abandon. I have no doubt that the celebratory wine will be well deserved soon enough.

"When a lot of change is happening, or a new dynamic is presenting itself, I want to be deft and aware. (When I put my plans in place to up and move across the country) I was a reality junkie. I wanted to be aware and take it all in.  The high was coming from the soberness of being able to experience every sensation. I can't imagine being like this again for a while... every once in a great while you get the sensation that you are exactly where you need to be, with razor sharp clarity, and you want to hold onto it and savor every last ounce of it. I can't think of anything more refreshing. It took a lot of faith to get here."
- Theo Enzo Aalto, since 1976

Passion

Passion (Eng.)/ Passion (Fr.): noun

• A strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything.
• Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling.

The single most important step to connecting with your passion is to find the things that turn you on and begin doing them. Don't judge what they are, just do what you enjoy. For me, that means fashion magazines, documentaries, Paris and wine, and not necessarily in that order. This is the key to living a passionate life.

There are three elements that you must have in place as you tap into your passionate life:

• Friends
• Facts
• Faith

Friends: Surround yourself with people who love and support you and have your happiness and best interest in mind. This does not mean that you should look to naysayers or pessimists to supply you with love and support, but rather, seek those who are ready and willing to lift you up.

Facts: Want to create your own comic book? Open a wellness center? Publish a blog about possibilities? Gather the facts. Do the research and find out everything you think you need to know to make the next step. This is important because you will undoubtedly face fear along the path, and when you do it is a good idea to revisit the facts in order to keep the fear in check. Similar to the comfort that we get when we pet our dogs or cats, I call the revisiting of data "petting the data".

Faith: Take a leap of faith and act. Step off the cliff and learn to fly. There is only so much due diligence that one can accomplish before needing to jump. As Cheryl Richardson said, "You must act. You must try new things. You must pursue the things that interest you. You must make mistakes. You must act. Because action opens us up to passion."

Reconnecting with your passion gives you energy that counteracts the fear that no doubt will pop up time and time again.