Aimee Mullins: You Can Do It!

January 20, 2012 By 74 Comments

It takes a certain person to succeed; a certain personality to make it big in the real world; a certain dedication to keep the vision going. It takes passion, integrity and faith in your own self to inspire people, to influence people and to make sure that your message is clearly conveyed to the rest of the world.

It takes that kind of an individual: a very special person!

Looking at Aimee Mullins picture above, you’d think she has everything lined up for quick ascendance to success: beauty, talent, articulation, power and influence. You would not second guess that somehow behind the pretty face and the slender body, something is missing; something that is vital in her daily movements: her two legs.

When I first read about her, I immediately think of all the individuals and young adults I interact with everyday with disabilities. I think about their potential and the many things they are capable of doing. I do not think about their limitations but their capabilities to do great things, just like how you and I can do wonderful things with all our given strengths.

Aimee Mullins is just an incredible person. She is a runner, a runway model, a speaker, an activist, an actor, an athlete, an NCAA track star, an amazing soul! She’s been named as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world! She graduated from Georgetown University in 1998 with a dual degree in history and diplomacy. Aimee, as you saw in the picture above is double-amputee. She lost her lower legs because she was born without fibulae. Despite her impairment, she is changing the world with a message.

Aimee is telling us someting.

She is telling us that no matter your situation is (whether you have money or not), no matter whether you are physically impaired or not, whether you can read or not – you have the same gift that all of us have: the power to think.

You, with the great mind and the will - can change the way you think.

You can think differently! Soar higher and reach for your dreams!

You do not have limits as to how you can create your future! You can make things happen.

If Aimee Mullins, without two legs have found ways to still enjoy life and be competive in what she does –  how much more with you who do not any impairments or disabilities?

YOU can!

You can do it, despite any adversity you have.

(Listen to Aimee Mullins video on the opportunity of adversity and see her 12 pais of legs)

Filed Under: Daily Inspiration, Most Popular Posts, Motivations, VIDEOS Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Create Balance and Focus

January 19, 2012 By 37 Comments

 

Photo of Shem-shem Pablo

By Liz Scala

As I was driving home through the city today I was distracted by all of the commotion outside of my car.  Tractor trailers were banging and clanging quickly past me.  On the sidewalk, construction workers were shouting to one another, finishing up the day’s work.  Loud noise, such as radios and car horns, was invading my quiet space.  My thoughts were scattered and I was having a hard time concentrating on one thing at a time.  My mind was racing from topic to topic.  Then I realized; it all reminded me of a busy day on my nursing unit!

I know we have all had experiences like these; getting interrupted while making dinner, being called to the telephone when helping a child with homework, or having your boss ask for your assistance as you are trying to finalize a large project.  This is the nature of our busy lives.  We need to be in a million different places all at once.  We care for many people at the same time.  We have so much to get done each day and so much responsibility on our shoulders.  It can be a distracting to be in many roles with multiple facets and tasks.  And it can get a bit chaotic; and quite exhausting at times!

One way to decrease distraction during your day to day routine is through using positive affirmations.  Stating positive declarations can create greater focus, increased concentration and a sense of balance.  Taking time out each day to sit quietly, breathe, and state mantras either to yourself or aloud can have a deep impact on your happiness, peace of mind, and health.  When you do this you quiet the mind.  You create a space that is free from disruption.  And then, with practice, you can call upon this state of mind at any point during a busy shift. 

Here is what you do.  Make time each day, either in the morning or the evening, to quietly state each affirmation.  Reflect on what it means to you.  You can also begin to add affirmations of your own as you become comfortable with the process.  Take a slow and deep breath in and out through your nose between each of the affirmations.  Become aware how you feel and start to notice any shifts in energy, mood, or stress levels.  Also, observe how you relate to others; your patients, your family, your friends, or your colleagues.  Here are some statements I use that can help you get started: 

•              I am exactly where I need to be as my journey in life reveals itself to me.

 •              I honor my mind, body, and soul and treat each aspect of my being with respect.

 •              I am a confident, knowledgeable, and successful role model as I inspire others to be the same.

 •              I know great joy and peace and therefore have wonderful energy.

 •              My speech is a form of love.

 •              I am limitless in my capacity for joy, healing, and happiness.

 •              I will achieve perfect balance and be successful in all that I take on.

 Realizing that you are worth it and taking the time to sit quietly with your own positive thoughts will greatly affect your life on many levels.  You will create a way to cope with distraction during your busy days.  You will generate a calmer presence through slowing down and breathing with yourself.  Knowing that you are a wholesome force of good that deserves peace and joy in your life will create a space of being able to receive for yourself.  You deserve great happiness, peace, and love in your life.  Make room for yourself!

Editor’s Note: Liza Scala will be contributing twice a month on AMSDaily about Health and Wellness. You can visit her blog at Living Sublime Wellness to read more on these topics.

Filed Under: Guest Post, Photography by Shem-shem Pablo Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesdays with Buena: Peace Be With You!

January 18, 2012 By 22 Comments

Photo of Shem-shem Pablo

By Buenaflor Laoang

First, I’d like to thank everyone who have stopped by Barefoot the past week and gave their linky love- THANK YOU! Feel free to hop in there any time- and you may start with this one, my lessons learned from last week’s challenge.

Okay- here’s what I have for all of us this week. One thing true to anyone of us is that, we all are busy!  Wherever we are, whatever circumstance we are in- we are busy with our routines, or with a new project, maybe planning our lives, or thinking what we’ve yet missed! We are into our own hectic worlds daily, and quite often, we almost can’t imagine the noise of everything going around. And there are also those like me, who’ve been or who are right now in a state when what you just wish is to be locked in a room by yourself, but then, even the deafening silence can be intolerable!

When we become so affected with all the “chaos” in our outside world, or even when by being alone we still feel so disturbed, then maybe we have to reflect- are we storing enough “inner peace” in our heart, to keep us going with the happiness and grace in our every day bustles?

To me, to invite peace, or calmness and serenity to our being is a very personal weapon we all have to take. Whenever I’m forgetting to have inner peace, it’s like I’m going to a war daily; and at the end of the day, losing the battle. But if we have peace inside, no matter what goes on around us, we are not connected to the distractions, but to our very self. And we know just how to respond! We emerge beautifully from all the chaos, keeping with our personal purposes in life, and still able to emanate that smile on our face.

This week, I’m inviting you to a personal challenge, that- PEACE be with you!  I’d been one who’s quick to anger, instantly reacts, rebellious in many ways (and sometimes I still go back to that old self). But after taking a much gentler talk to myself, I figured out that all the tough things aren’t excuse to giving me a hard time. All the chaos going around is in the road of life, and your inner peace will lead you to the most meaningful journey you can ever have.

Peace be with you! That’s a prayerful blessing to keep you through the week, a gentle reminder to persuade you to keep the inner peace in your heart (no matter your life storm), and an angel’s heavenly whisper you can think about doing for, or giving to someone, for the rest of the week.

I am reminded of that poem “Desiderata”, written by Max Ehrmann, which has the following lines. Maybe- you can start with this challenge by pausing a while and having the words sink in…

Therefore be at peace with God, 
whatever you conceive Him to be. 
And whatever your labors and aspirations, 
in the noisy confusion of life, 
keep peace in your soul. 

and may these lines from the book of Psalms encourage you to seek peace:

Whoever of you loves life

And desires to see many good days, 
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies;

Turn from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

Peace be with you!

Filed Under: Daily Inspiration, Photography by Shem-shem Pablo, Wednesdays with Buena Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tuesdays with Ronald: A Perfect World

January 17, 2012 By 27 Comments

Photo of Randy Legaspi

By Ronald Colunga

If you guys did not know, I’m a big comic fanatic. Yes, comics! Lost art, eh? The comic culture is not to big if you begin to look at it (except at Comic Con of course!) but here are the reasons I do it.

1. Comics enhance my creativity

2. Comics put me in a world that would never be. It let’s me create my perfect world

3. It’s fun! The drawings and the stories are beautiful, I honestly can’t get enough!

Why am I telling you all this? What does this have to do with AMSdaily?

I know you’re asking yourself this, but trust me, this post has a purpose. I started talking about comics because, they are fictional. They enable you to be in a world that you create. Enhance your creativity and put you in a place you have not been before. People become unhappy all the time its inevitable! There is obviously no perfect world, actually this world is far from it. However, if you could create your perfect world, what would it be? How would you do it?

That is the purpose of this post. I want you guys to start thinking about what makes you happy. What puts you in your perfect world and makes all that stress go away. Even if you are in this so called “perfect world” for half a second. There is always something that triggers it. Makes you happy in your stress filled day.

So far if you guess comics make me happy and put me in my perfect world. Then you, are correct! Comics are my trigger, my time passer, my fun, my perfect world. Which brings me to my last two questions.

 

 “What is your trigger?”

 

 What is your perfect world?”

Filed Under: Photography by Randy Legaspi, Tuesdays with Ronald Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Why “it’s more fun in the Philippines”?

January 16, 2012 By 31 Comments

Photo of Shem-shem Pablo

I can tell you exactly why it’s more fun in the Philippines in one sentence: because it is only in the Philippines that you have the best and the worst of the world; a mixture of sorts; a unique blending of people, language, economic status, food, culture and religion that despite the yin and the yangs, living and being in the Philippines is truly an experience!

You can agree or disagree with me on my statement that I just wrote but being born in the Philippines and keeping my Filipino identity despite the fact that I have pledged both to my native home and to my adopted country (which I am very grateful  and proud of!), the United States – I know exactly why everyone is buzzing with the Philippines’ Department of Tourism’s newest campaign:  “It’s more fun in the Philippines”.

The Philippines is a gorgeous island with beautiful people ready to rise above any adversity they are faced with. It is the land of the educated, the ardent politicos, the most-talked singers/celebrities and where gay people are appreciated in every corner of the land. It is also the land where every citizen is proud to fight for freedom and democracy (think People’s Power). It is the land where religious beliefs are strong and even dominates the decision-making of the statesmen (think RH Bill and birth-control issues). It is the only land where languages/dialects are different from the 7, 100 islands across the country but its people are unified with the common understanding of “karaoke singing” and eating with bare hands!

Truly, there is always a divide among the Filipino people: sikat (well-known) and the unknown; rich and poor; homeless and mansion-sheltered; Tondo and Alabang; Catholics and Muslims; Bisaya and Tagalog; barefooted and Imeldific – among others. Yet, with the inequality prevalent and ceaselessly acknowledged the irony is that this is where the beauty of the Philippines comes through. This is the reason why “it’s more fun in the Philippines”, the perfect harmony of negatives and the positive. Where else in the world would you see such a scenario but in the Philippines?

And this is the reason why I was instantly hooked with the campaign.

Browsing through the hundreds of interesting “it’s more fun” photos over the course of last week, made me smile and laugh at how people portray the Philippines in their own exclusive experiences. Every photo shared as part of the campaign is equally creative – and also, humorous. However, the humor part can hardly be appreciated if you don’t know exactly what the “pun” is intended for.

Let me try to unpack a few of them for you and see if you can share a laugh with me or two:

 

1. Beer – this was the first picture that got me laughing. Yes, beer is on average $3.50 at a local bar in the United States but in the Philippines you can buy bottles of beers. The last time I was home, a bottle of beer is only 25 cents at the bar! It is only in the Philippines where a minor can be asked to go to a store and buy a case of beer without getting ID-ed, such fun!

 

2. Tweeting/Logging Out/Facetime – Philippines loves social networking and it penetrates in every household. But despite the percentage of Tweeter/Facebook users around the country – the beauty of the island is more evident among the people and the hands-on activities around.

 

3. Bath Time – while it is more convenient and more personal to take a bath in your own bath tub, the Philippines have a lot of falls and other bodies of water where people are free to take showers and bath, not to mention several way to exfoliate themselves.

 

4. Public transport – cars, jeepneys, tricycles and motorcycles abound the metropolis! You just have to be prepared to squeeze yourself in as compared to sitting alone in your car during your morning commute. Talk about body heat and body odor sharing.

 

5. Shopping – it is an open and wet market, where flies and other flying bugs can certainly land on your potential meal. Though there is that factor, what is best is that most vegetables and fruits are freshly harvested and mostly, organically-grown.

 

6. New Year – it is only in the Philippines where firecrackers and other noise-makers are allowed for use by any people of any age in the Philippines. That is why every new year’s day hundreds of people (young and old) are rushed to nearby hospitals and welcome the new year with less than a finger on their hands.

 

7. Commuting – traffic along the major highway? That is nothing compared to Manila’s most congested area during rush hours.

 

8. Rugby – Because Filipino children are very creative and resourceful, they can use anything for their toys.

 

9. Privacy in paradise – if you are looking for absolute privacy go to Amanpulo (a luxury resort located in the island of Pamalican in the province Palawan) or choose from the rest of the islands where you can do some real private R and R.  

 

10. Naptime – nothing beats the siesta or the Filipino way of relaxing: just plop your head under the coconut tree or in a hammock and you are all set!

Now, why don’t you add your comment and tell me why in your own opinion it is indeed more fun in the Philippines. Start typing away and show your support!

Filed Under: Big Moo, Daily Inspiration, Most Popular Posts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,