The tree of life

For an extended period of my life, I nestled in the comforts of my own incubator. There I was, wrestling with the unknown, wanting to emerge, but worried I hadn't quite placed a finger on the pulse of this beast. I was afraid to show up, not knowing what to be.

But if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it, and that is your punishment. Oscar Wilde said if you never know what to be, then you can be anything. To be human is to realise that we are alive in a state of becoming. Accepting ourselves as mere nouns dishonours the human experience because growth requires strength and courage. To live is an act of faith and so being human is but a powerful verb in a constant state of evolution.

Be gentle because life is like the evolutionary journey of a tree that starts from a vulnerable seed growing with roots, often tangled and messy, that eventually rises into a beautiful and resilient tree, grounded even in the harshest conditions. Trust in the process with patience and compassion.

With love,
Yours truly.

P.S. I find a lot of joy in gifting cards to those who have touched my heart. Each card comes paired with a song to accompany those thoughts and feelings that I have laid down on paper. I wanted to start sharing the love here as well so I hope you enjoy the soundtrack to this post x

Tidal Wave

Let yourself recede
Deeply into the blue lull
Embrace the chaos of your displacement
For you are just in the process of nascence

You’re a force of nature
Bridging your transition
Towards a great transformation

Let yourself retreat
Quietly into the deep blue
Embrace the chaos of your homecoming
For you are only becoming

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A post shared by Jenny Hsu (@ihsuyou)

It’s hard to show up sometimes

Hey, 
It’s okay you got angry. 
It’s okay you broke down and started pouring out tears. 
It’s okay you got moody and didn’t say thank you to the nice stranger.
It’s okay to fly through the entire spectrum of emotions all in one day. 

It’s okay to feel like an absolute wreck because life is just hard sometimes. Remember though, gems and treasures are usually found under the wreckage. So when life is like a stormy weather blowing you in every direction, know it’s okay to feel turbulent with pieces of you scattered all over. Let yourself break because it is from that broken place that we become whole.

So let yourself feel. Part of being human is to feel deeply. You aren’t a robot so stretch out your joints and let out a big sigh. Cry if you need to. Laugh if you need to. Honour your emotions by feeling them fully. Noticing and naming your feelings allow you to hold space for them to rise and release. So let yourself feel, feel fully from the deep wells of your heart.

Forgive yourself for being human and release any negative thoughts or emotions that don’t serve you in moving forward. Energy is here to be moved and released, otherwise, they become stagnant blockages stuck inside the body. Recognise where you can learn from your emotions, but don’t beat yourself up for being human. Don’t treat your emotions like they are bad problem childs. Treat them like opportunities.

Accept that there will be testing moments so pick yourself back up and try again next time. Nobody is perfect. And guess what? Nobody tells you enough that you are enough. Despite your best efforts, sometimes it’s plain hard to show up, and that’s okay. You’re not a failure. You are both a masterpiece and a work in progress. Every day is a practice and a step towards the right direction. 

So whenever you’re feeling low, remind yourself that it’s okay to feel bad. It’s okay to not be okay. Surrender to the world and go gently. Be compassionate with yourself - forgive and release. Sometimes you need to fall one step back in order to progress two steps forward. You’re never really descending, you’re just falling forwards.

Are you happy?

Being yourself is the greatest gift you can give to the world. You only get one life so make every moment count. And if it’s not making you happy then it’s keeping you stuck.

We live in a world that moves so fast, and often to the rhythm of other people’s beats. We are rarely encouraged to slow down, feel and process - especially in the workplace. Some of us will even drink from the firehose that gladly keeps pumping while it reaps the benefits from those who keep chugging. Because we’re always chugging, we don’t have the time to slow down and ask ourselves the important questions that matter:

1. What is happening in your life right now?

2. How do you feel about it?

Think about these questions one at a time before you jump to a response, one at a time. Find a quiet space where you are alone and take a few mindful breaths. Reflect deeply through the process of writing, and be honest because you only need to answer to yourself.

Honesty takes courage, even if the truth is painful. Choose courage over comfort and lean into the fear because that is where you’ll find yourself. So find the courage to go within and embrace the journey. Trust the process because things are about to get magical. ✨

📷 @lesliedwight 

The meaning of life

Maybe the meaning of life is to live your life so authentically that you don’t even know you’re dead. You don’t know because you’re not actually dead. You never left because your spirit lives on forever, and you are the full embodiment of bliss and oneness living in a total state of harmony with yourself and the universe.