April 16, 2019

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

April 16, 2019/ Paul Garrett

Last week I was going to write a touching tribute to my mom in honor of her 85th birthday and then I was hit with a serious case of writer’s block. I value your time and the last thing that I ever want to do is to force a blog that lacks heart and soul just to make a self imposed deadline. I have to admit that I was so content after returning from a wonderful time at my first yoga retreat in Sayulita, Mexico that I wan’t able to focus my mind on writing.

March 12, 2019

How To Succeed at Your Passion

March 12, 2019/ Paul Garrett

Last week I wrote about competition and how it can be a good thing by motivating us to work harder to become the best that we can be. Since writing that post I have really been stepping up my photography and editing game in an effort to push my boundaries and get really good at this craft. This may look like a blog about photography, but stay with me. It actually applies to all of us as I show you the steps the you can apply to become the best that you can become in your areas of interest. These steps are common sense, but sometime we get stuck or discouraged and we need a reminder of how simple it is to get started taking steps toward the fulfillment of our dreams.

March 05, 2019

WHY I CHOOSE TO EMBRACE COMPETITION

March 05, 2019/ Paul Garrett

Just between us, let me share a current irritation of mine with you. Make yourself comfortable, enjoy your coffee and hopefully you will appreciate this rare rant from me, lol. For the past two and a half years I have been doing yoga, fitness and lifestyle photography for this blog and for my social media. During this time I have created a very nice client list and group of amazing yoga friends. This past week while I was doing more photo shoots in Seattle, I found out that another photographer has basically gone down my client list and privately contacted all of my friends so that he can shoot with them, as well.

February 12, 2019

Why Do We Make The Same Mistakes Over And Over Again?

February 12, 2019/ Paul Garrett

Do you ever wonder why people make the same mistakes over and over again? The answer to this question is both biological and psychological in my opinion. Patterns in our behavior come from deeply seated habits and beliefs that we have hardwired within our brains. In addition, our love of the chemical neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine can also play a role in promoting our non-productive behaviors, like screen addiction. Once a habit has been developed, it is really easy to repeat it because our brains have developed strong neuro pathways that make it effortless for us to perform these behaviors.

January 08, 2019

What If Your Life Was A Living Prayer

January 08, 2019/ Paul Garrett

What if your life was a living prayer? And what does that mean? Do you pray, but feel like your prayers are never answered? I’ve heard some people who have been through hard times say that they have stopped praying because their prayers are never answered. Remember that we create our own reality. Our belief that our prayers are never answered becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Without having faith and acting as if our prayers have already been answered, we pretty much run the risk of undermining our prayers through our doubts, which then create low vibrations that do not align with what we want (everything is energy).

January 01, 2019

2019 - The Year of Truth

January 01, 2019/ Paul Garrett

Happy New Year and welcome to 2019! Last year had heavy moments for many of us. They happened in order to teach us critical lessons that will help us flourish like never before during the next twelve months. I have learned to be grateful for these lessons, even when they were painful. After all, sometimes it takes pain to move us out of our comfort zones and into radical action.

December 29, 2018

The Four Commitments - 2019

December 29, 2018/ Paul Garrett

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you follow through with them? You are not alone if you answered YES to the first question and NO to the second. For example, 90% of people who join gyms to in January no longer go to them by March. And according to Forbes Magazine, just 8% of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Why is that?

December 18, 2018

Creating Happiness During the Holidays - Tips 7 to 9

December 18, 2018/ Paul Garrett

A huge source of stress during this holiday season is the “obligation” that we feel to buy gifts for way too many people. This not only bursts our budgets, it also steals our happiness and our energy.

Do yourself a huge favor and narrow down your shopping list this year! Furthermore, try to only give gifts that come from your heart. The Bible says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Remember that! If you are not a cheerful giver, then don’t bother giving.

December 15, 2018

Creating Happiness During the Holidays - Tips 4 to 6

December 15, 2018/ Paul Garrett

Happiness and gratitude go hand in hand. That’s why I start every day giving thanks for 3 to 5 people or things that I appreciate in my life. This immediately puts me into a positive state of mind and sets the tone for creating a beautiful day.

A happy life requires that we become aware of our thoughts and that we condition our subconscious minds with positive thinking. After all, positive thoughts create a positive life, just as negative thoughts create a negative life. The practice of gratitude conditions our minds to be positive, even when our lives are turned upside down by external circumstances.

December 04, 2018

9 Tips for Creating Happiness During the Holidays - Tips 1-3

December 04, 2018/ Paul Garrett

There is a saying in the news biz, “If it bleeds, it reads.” The news industry is all about making money by peddling bad news to up their ratings. The news primes our brains to feel unsafe by hyping wars, riots, shootings, natural disasters, ugly politics and the list goes on and on. All of these negative Images and messages take a toll upon our feelings of well being and are downright depressing. Watch enough of the news and you are going to feel down. I turned off the news two years ago and I have never felt better. Remember that most news is toxic, so don’t drink the punch! The media also exaggerates our illusion of separateness. It points out our differences such as red states vs blue states, black vs white, rich vs poor, Muslim vs Christian… This is what is known as identity politics and it is designed to pit us against one another. This too preys upon our fears, causing us to have a stress response, so turn off the news during the holidays to preserve your happiness.

November 06, 2018

Why We Play Small and How to Break This Habit

November 06, 2018/ Paul Garrett

I’m guilty of playing small. At least the old me. You see it’s so much easier to play it safe and not take risks in life. If we can just stay small, maybe no one will see our flaws or question what they see in our shadows. This is why so many of us are satisfied with our comfort zones, even though our souls continue to remind us that we were born to be so much more.

Total Soulful Journey