Posts in Setting Intentions
Balancing on Shifting Sands

I bought my first cat for 99¢ at Maxwell Street Days when I was six.

 My family knew I wanted a cat. I’d been told that when “so-and-so’s” cat had kittens, I’d get one. I waited f-o-r-e-v-e-r.

When I saw “Butterball” at the street fair, I  knew she was mine. 

It takes time for cats to have kittens and more time for kittens to be weaned. Time means nothing to a six-year-old.  

Time is Elastic.

Sometimes it “races,” other times, it “drags on.”   

The way you spend your time determines its elasticity. Maybe you experienced both dragging and speeding time this year. 

Life is still shifting, and there’s a lot to consider.

My first “Balancing Act” was painted in 2014 (clearly, this is an on-going quest.)

My first “Balancing Act” was painted in 2014 (clearly, this is an on-going quest.)

 While we coped with life under social lockdown, changes took place within and around us.

 As I begin to face the outside world again, I’m not sure I’m ready.

Are you ready?

How do you want to move forward in your life and career?
(Notice, life before career!)

What do you want it to look like? How do you want to feel?

What did you realize this past year that you didn’t know before?

Life is in constant flux. We’re constantly recalibrating and balancing.

Even when we’re standing still, balance keeps the ever-moving molecules of our body working in unison. Fortunately, our body keeps track of that.

It’s up to us to consciously balance the rest of life.

We now have the opportunity to consciously balance ourselves, our interactions with others, and our planet.

I’m not interested in moving in crazy circles just because I can. I’m looking for a better way to live, not a crazier one.

Let’s focus on what it is that we do want to create and move toward that.

Let’s notice results and base next actions upon desired results.

Copy. Paste. Repeat.

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Creating Lasting Change

Change happens all the time. Often it changes back in a heartbeat.

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Creating lasting change can happen with an “aha moment,”
yet it’s more likely to need a conscious mindset shift — and that takes time.

A dear friend of mine used to say, “anything worth doing, is worth doing badly.”
To this, you can add, “until it’s done better.”

For change to take root, it requires nurturing, and likely a change in our inner dialogue. That’s why it’s important to be aware of our ever-running self-talk.

The greater our awareness, the faster and more lasting the change we want to experience will occur.

Our thoughts are many-layered, like an onion.

Some of our oldest thoughts, those we picked up from our caregivers before we could form our own, are our “root or core” thoughts. We build upon these throughout our lives.

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World views and opinions shift as we learn more about the way things work.
Some of the things we learn clash with our root thoughts.

Once we become aware of these root thoughts, we can “make friends” with them, “wave to them” when they pop up, and “thank them” for reminding us of how far we’ve come.

Replace all the pesky thoughts that no longer serve you.

Thoughts that we’re not “good enough,” “smart enough,” “whatever enough”
are no longer needed. Those thoughts are erroneously trying to keep us safe.

We need brave souls now, not safe souls! Brave up!

“Creation” — as creators and co-creators, its’ what we do every day.

Creation” — as creators and co-creators, its’ what we do every day.

When we change our thoughts, we change the world — one thought, one word, one action at a time.

Balancing Act

June 2, 2020 is my 20th Birthday — as an artist!

20 years ago, on June second, I moved to Hawaii to housesit for my friend Sarah — and, more importantly, to become the artist I’d always wanted to be.

Long story, short, I’d wanted to draw, paint, and sculpt — to be an ARTIST, all my life, but …

a very wet beginning for a new painting

a very wet beginning for a new painting


I was afraid.

I was afraid I wasn’t good enough. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make a living making art. I was afraid no one would want my paintings. I was afraid I wouldn’t have anything to say with my art. I was afraid whatever I said wouldn’t matter.

I have moments, hours, sometimes even days of feeling like I have something to contribute. And I have moments, hours, and days of feeling that I don’t.

I believe this is all part of being human. Though our reasons may vary, we all have days of great joy and days of great despair.

Writing and painting allow me to sort out my feelings and find a purpose for my life. We all want to feel that our life has meaning.

We’re all weary of these COVID times. There are lots of reasons to feel tired, worn out, exhausted, you name it. AND this is a marathon, not a sprint.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never even been tempted to sign up to run a marathon!

The painting continues to emerge

The painting continues to emerge

Yet here we are, living in a marathon.


One way to make this easier on ourselves is to Stop Complaining.

Rather than commiserating and compounding our pain through sharing, we can look for and find things to be grateful for.

We can retain our power rather than giving it away to the complaint we’re about to make.

Complaining can be a way to sneak out of our responsibility to take care of ourselves.

Instead of complaining, look for ways to feel better about what is — or for ways to make what is better.

This space between the cone and the sphere is essential for the degree of movement needed

This space between the cone and the sphere is essential for the degree of movement needed

No! It’s not an easy fix.

Yes! It takes work to shift our habits of thought.

AND we can do this!

As it sinks into our brains that the world is fundamentally changing, that the sands are shifting beneath our feet, it’s up to each of us to learn new ways to balance ourselves out.

There is no going back, there’s no back to go back to!

Mental Hygiene

Stress takes a toll, even on the most positive among us. Have you found a new rhythm to your life yet?

Each day is an adventure; my moods fluctuate roller-coaster style all day long.

A new painting begins

A new painting begins

Until recently, our daily habits sustained us. We might need new habits.

Physical habits like brushing our teeth are a must and are so ingrained we’re not in danger of losing them.

It’s time to cultivate habits that help maintain our emotional & mental health.

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We are our thoughts and feelings, as much, maybe more than we are our physical bodies.

We’re being reminded to wash our hands more than ever (and that’s a good thing); it’s time to start “washing our thoughts” — or at least to be aware of them.

Feelings come from somewhere. It’s often the mental chatter going on in the background of our mind that triggers our emotions.

I think you can guess who this will be

I think you can guess who this will be

“What were you thinking?” (I heard Mom’s voice as I typed that phrase.)

Seriously, what were you thinking just now? It can be helpful to pay attention to our thoughts.

“Monkey Mind” refers to the crazy thoughts that wake us up in the middle of the night, feeding our worries and fears.

It might be easy to push fears aside when we’re awake, but the monkeys come out to play when our defenses are down. Trying to rein in Monkey Mind in the middle of the night is fruitless. Nighttime is not the time to calm fears or tame thoughts.

What if the simple act of mentally acknowledging our fears during the day kept the monkeys off our backs and out of our heads at night?

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Watching our thoughts and acknowledging our emotions during the day is a habit to be cultivated at any age. Set a timer to go off at random times and ask yourself what you were thinking when it goes off. Apps like “Mood Meter” make it even easier.

Was your last thought helpful?

Did it make you feel good or bad in the moment?

Was it a thought that you want to repeat to yourself?

Studies show that we have thousands of thoughts a day, that we repeat up to 95% of them from one day to the next, and that up to 80% of our thoughts are negative.

Thoughts gain momentum.

Are your thoughts taking you to a happy place or to the dumps?

Mental Hygiene might take extra time in the beginning, but each time you catch yourself in a troubling thought, you’re on the path to mental clarity.

It’s easier to rein in negative thoughts before they’re stampeding full-steam ahead. The more we do it, the easier it gets. We seem to have time to start this work now.

Albert is available as in 11x14 matted prints, email patrice@artofaloha.com

Albert is available as in 11x14 matted prints, email patrice@artofaloha.com

Think Better Thoughts. Rinse, Repeat.

Thoughts Feed Fear or Thoughts Feed Love.

Choose Your Thoughts Wisely.