To and With

We’ve mastered talking about and posting about others. Could you imagine speaking with and interacting with people we don’t understand?

We typically don’t understand others for only one reason - our experiences are different.

That’s right. We each experience life differently. Those experiences will then inform and mold our beliefs. Those beliefs then become safety, security, and comfort to which we cling. Let that land.

When you take issue with someone else, it is not the other person who is causing you to feel tension or negativity or hostility but rather, you are actually struggling to navigate why their beliefs are not yours. That’s simple. Their beliefs are not yours because their experiences are not yours.

Once again, allow that to land.

When we fight and argue about which beliefs are right, we are literally dismissing the experiences that have informed those beliefs. In essence we are dismissing the person’s entire existence.

This is why I feel less conversations about each other and more conversations with each other can benefit all of us. Conversations are the gateway to understanding and acceptance. We can disagree and still accept each other. But that will never happen if we first don’t give each other an opportunity to learn and understand each other.

Much love,
Michael

S2E6 : How About Avoidance?

If you are avoiding anything, you are limiting the authentic expression of your truth.

If you are avoiding anything, you are limiting the authentic expression of your truth.

Not Authenticity

That moment when you doubt your worth. Question what you deserve. Settle for less. Abandon your dreams. Allow judgements from others to influence you. Believe on any level or in any way that you cannot or should not be exactly who you feel to be....Recognize you are choosing mediocrity and NOT authenticity.

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Freedom

To feel free is to release the self-imposed restraints of what others may think or say about your truth. Your truth is yours to accept and nurture. Hiding your truth in the dark drains energy which could be used for self-healing, self-forgiveness, self-love, and self-expression. Your truth is worthy of the light.

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Love Is Simple

We have found different ways and words to justify the judgment of others. Social media and cancel culture. Anonymous attacks to expose. All done for the greater good. Shaming, in any context, does not teach or heal. We have become so removed from love energy that it is no longer our primary expression with each other. We reserve it as we create conditions. We deny it to determine if it’s deserved. We preach oneness and practice separation. We ask for positivity and share negativity. Love is simple, but we’ve made loving difficult.

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Daily Moment of Awareness [10.9.2019]

Moments of awareness shared with you

It is something special when you are seen and heard. I felt that way this morning. A friend of mine shared some very kind words with me about how I affect a particular aspect of his life. See, we both play music together and he expressed how my drumming is opening him up to new ways of how he plays bass.

Why this is so special is because I’ve been playing drums for almost 25 years and I’ve been in a couple different bands. Each has been a unique experience and each has helped me grow as a musician. However, during my short stint with this current band, I’ve let go of my fear of feeling inadequate. It’s freed me to explore and to have fun.

I’ve mindfully been expressing my creative side and it has shown in my playing, my feeling, and in gratitude from others. It is really special to be seen and herd for who you really are.

Fear Is Not A Validation

People hear what you say. People see what you do. But people do not experience your life experiences as you do.

Furthermore, we often dial down or even hide our truth. The deep, core experience dancing in our souls and warming our hearts. For as real as it feels to us, we still try to make sense of it. We question it and doubt it. There are so many reasons why we do this and it all points back to fear.

How much do you reveal in your moment to moment? 

We tell people what we think they will accept. We show people what we think they will accept. We surrender to fear. We tell ourselves we have difficult choices to make, but what that really mean is we have tradeoffs to make. The tradeoff is our authenticity for someone else's acceptance. Why? Because we allow fear to be a validation for how we choose to live.

Fear is NOT a validation.

words on image: Michael Barata / image: Jez Timms

words on image: Michael Barata / image: Jez Timms

Be Instead of Prove

Think about your energy. Think about your time. Think about YOUR LIFE. How do you want/need to be expressing yourself? How often do you allow someone else to influence how you create and live your life? 

Your reference point for your authenticity is within YOU. Your successes and failures contribute to the path you are blazing. Burn the bridges of conformity and judgment with every step you take. 

Stop proving yourself. Love yourself. Trust yourself. Nurture yourself. BE YOURSELF!

all words + words on image: Michael Barata / image: Nick Fewings

all words + words on image: Michael Barata / image: Nick Fewings

What Are You Telling Yourself?

Are you aware of the dialogue you spin in your head?

Are you rehashing a painful, past experience?

Are you doubting yourself?

Are you replaying somebody’s harsh judgment of you?

Are you what if’ing yourself into an oblivion?

Are you judging others?

Are you amplifying your fears and piggybacking them with anger?

Are you aware you can change all of that?

words + words on image: Michael Barata / image: Henry Be

words + words on image: Michael Barata / image: Henry Be