The Universe usually sends me inspiration in so many ways. I often come across stories or moments, both fictional and non-fictional, that get me thinking about life or provide me with hope and the encouragement I need.
Spirit is constantly sending us so many signs and messages but we don’t always see them. That’s why it’s so good to actively open our eyes and pay attention to anything and everything and above all follow stories that spark a feeling inside of us. Nothing is ever a coincidence and the tales we overhear absolutely come into our life for a reason; if anything just to inspire us and help us keep going.
So, I just wanted to share just a medley of things that have been inspiring me lately - and maybe it’ll inspire you as well!
The 2023 Oscars - specifically Ke Huy Quan’s win!
As many of you probably saw, the Oscars this year were kind of extra special. I used to be super into watching them in college, but haven’t really watched the past couple years as it just didn’t feel as good or aligned. But this year, the Oscars actually felt inspiring again. I think part of it had to do with that most of the nominees who got up on that stage and won made a speech purely about gratitude and about dreams coming true. The acting categories seemed especially magical this year. While Brendan Frazer’s comeback, Michelle Yeoh’s historic win, and even Jamie Lee Curtis’ gratitude towards everyone who ever helped her get there, the best story was definitely Ke Huy Quan.
The fact that this was him getting back into acting after not doing it for so long (a lot of it due to rejection and fear of not being able to live up to what he achieved as a kid) is amazing. The fact that he said he came to America on a boat and spent time in a refugee camp and now he’s here on the Oscars stage winning; that kind of stuff only happens in the movies, but it’s really happening to him! And he thanked his mom!
I looked more into his story and saw he said even after completing Everything Everywhere All at Once he had to do so many Zoom auditions (Bc it was the pandemic) and he just constantly got rejected. As an author / creative person myself, I felt that sooooo deeply. I feel like I’ve been rejected so many times and it can just get so frustrating when you know you’re good enough but no one else seems to think that way. But Ke is proof to not give up and keep trying and to do your best work, because someone will say “yes” and once others have seen that, they’ll realize how amazing you can be and that will definitely lead to a lot more “yes”’s.
Which segues me to my next point…
Ashley Eckstein. Ashley, the voice of Ahsoka Tano and founder of Her Universe, has always been beyond inspiring to me. But recently, I saw a clip of her at a Star Wars Women of the Galaxy event (I can’t find the exact clip because she reposted it from someone’s story!) but she said something along the lines of how before every yes there was a bunch of no’s and how to not give up! She said how she experienced so many no’s before finally getting that yes, and if she had given up she wouldn’t be where she was. I will also always recommend Ashley’s biography “It’s Your Universe” it’s really, super inspiring and such a fun, uplifting story about the magic of the universe.
I don’t think I talk about this enough but I actually love Impratical Jokers (New Yorkers represent!)… and lately I’ve been binge re-watching all their episodes on HBOMax. While they always make me laugh and make me temporarily forget about any problems, there was definitely one moment I found to be so incredibly inspiring. In a live show, they had the punishment / challenge to do a really high tightrope walk. One after another Joe, Murr, and Sal all fell and failed to make it all the way across. Q (who happens to be my personal favorite joker) was the final one, and despite looking really nervous for most of the show, he made it all the way across to receive the wild cheers of the crowd and win big money for his charity. I saw in a later episode of Jokers where they were reflecting on all their past seasons, Q said that was one of the best moments of his life. That really inspired me because when you go back and look at that episode, Q seemed super nervous and uneasy standing on the ground as his besties went … and little did he know he was just about to achieve victory and literally experience one of the best moments of his life.
I loved this because it’s just a reminder that you never know what’s ahead. You never know what moment could turn into one of the best moments of your life. Something may seem scary or unsure, or it may even just seem like an ordinary day, then magically turn into an extraordinary one.
Spirit + Soul Studio - so many things at Spirit + Soul Studio have been really inspiring me lately! First of all, I did Reiki Level 1 taught by the amazing Gabby Farah (@wellwithinmysoul on instagram!) and I loved it so much. Gabby is amazing and Reiki was sooo cool. I’ve been practicing using it on myself almost everyday and I can definitely see a difference in how my energy feels. I can’t wait to do Level 2 soon! I also recently received the Rose Petal Ritual as made by the incredible Daphny Bravo (@larosamystica on instagram). Daphny makes these incredible roses in every color of the rainbow that are to be used in a burning ritual (they’re smokeless too!). I’ve been using the blue ones (for flow and communication) and I’m obsessed I love them so much and I can’t wait to get more! Overall, I’m just inspired by Tiffany Cohen (@spiritualbossmom on instagram) the owner and founder of Spirit + Soul - she’s made some super incredible things happen lately (like being featured in Newsday!) and she’s done it all via manifestation; she’s so powerful and inspiring and it reminds me (and all of us) that if she can make her dreams happen, we can too!
Spirit + Soul Studio is really such a magical place, if you haven’t yet I definitely recommend taking classes there (you can attend both in-person or virtually!), whether you take one of my classes or another teachers (they’re all amazing!) you are going to get so much value!
I also will admit I inspired myself a bit hehe - on 3/22 I taught my “Manifesting with Movies & Music” class at Spirit + Soul Studio and I was super happy with how the class went and how everyone received the information - it made me feel really great and empowered and proud of myself and I think that’s okay to admit too! Check out my class here - you can always purchase the replay!
My Nephew. I was watching my 1 year old nephew the other day and an interaction with him actually really inspired me. He was picking up and handing me all his toys that were on the floor in front of him. I’d say “thank you!” To each one he handed me. Once he had given them all to me, he had the biggest smile and was cracking up laughing. I’d give them back to him, and the process would repeat all over again.
I thought of this a such a basic principle that when we give purely out of the love within our heart, it not only brings the other person joy but it brings us joy too! and when we give, more always comes back to us. I also thought of it as like the Universe. The Universe just wants to give to us to make us happy, and when we say and genuinely feel “thank you!” the happier it makes the Universe and the more it keeps giving and giving.
Which also brings me to the next point. Gratitude. This is a principle we obviously all know - especially if we’ve been studying manifestation for years … but it’s always one that doesn’t hurt to be reminded of. Practicing Gratitude. Having and expressing gratitude for anything and everything you already have is the best way to transform any station - and transform your mood! I found myself feel down one day (I don’t know why, sometimes it just happens we’re human!) and I wanted to feel better … so I just listed all the things I was beyond grateful for and it really helped transform my mood and make me feel sooo much better. I also started to use gratitude to look at money a different way. I looked around my room and saw all the different things that money helped me buy over the years. I expressed gratitude that it had always been there and helped me … and by doing that I definitely saw an increase in my income this month! So thats’a victory for sure!
& speaking of money manifesting, my next thing that inspired me was The Secret’s Money Chapter. I re-listened to the Secret’s chapter on money on Audible and it gave me so much more hope. I’ve read it a bunch of times, but this time it really helped me feel better. Living in New York, cost of living is definitely higher than a lot of the country, (plus with things like student loans etc) money definitely has not been the strongest area of my life but I’m always working on it and trying to make that area of my life just as strong as some of the others. So, re-listening to the money chapter reminded me to focus more on prosperity and less on worrying about lack. Of course, yes it’s not always as simple sometimes we have deeper subconscious beliefs around money that need to be healed and that explains our lack… and I’ve definitely spent a lot of time working on those as well (So if you’re looking to up your abundance game, of course look deeper as well!) but for the surface level advice it is, focusing more on prosperity consistently is super powerful! And it’s definitely something I want to dedicate myself to consistently doing more and more of.
& finally Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is alwaysssss inspiring but especially now just living her best life on her era’s tour. She’s been through so much drama on a global scale that literally next to no one can relate too or understand and I think if it happened to most people they’d want to just hide forever … but Taylor came back stronger than ever, and she just gets stronger and stronger, an she’s not afraid to be herself and admit her mistakes and failures and put all her emotions out there. I especially loved the quote she said at the iHeartMusic awards (Which I used on a reel recently!) talking about how all her failures and bad ideas led to her best ideas and its so important to give yourself permission to fail…. It’s so true, our failures teach us what not to do… and once you understand it’s safe to fail, you can become truly unstoppable!
