Compounding Change

May 16, 2020 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

Amidst these unique times, change has become obvious. We see differences in the way we navigate everyday activities, and modes of adaptation are at the top of the agenda as we discuss what our post-pandemic future may look like. As we continue to learn how to cope with the ever-evolving situation that our world is battling, we are also still experiencing the inevitable trials of human life that have always existed. Personally, I find myself dealing with immense feelings of change as I graduate college and attempt to transition into a new phase of life during this universal uncertainty.

I am grappling with the reality that this current position is not what I had visualized for myself when I dreamt of becoming an official Berkeley graduate. The long-term planner in me had assumed that logically my first step in the real world would be to place my foot in the door of a stable career. After spending months preparing for dream opportunities, my prospects dissolved given the economic circumstances. However, in addition to a degree, my college years also bestowed me with valuable lessons that I believe will carry me farther than any formal education could. Once I got accepted into Berkeley, I thought I crossed off a big item from my life agenda; but, come freshman year I realized that there were holes in my fairly linear plan. I hadn’t thoroughly considered how my time at Berkeley would impact my identity beyond the classroom. Being a student was so engrained within me, and I soon found that there were points in my college career where my bigger objectives were to manage my relationships and maintain my health. Now - as I sit here writing this from the vantage point of straying from what I felt was a secure, original blueprint - I recognize that this period ahead is asking me to apply my larger ambitions and lessons to manifest abundance in all aspects of my life. Juggling the multitude of emotions and experiences over these last few years has essentially been like training my brain to stay balanced on a surfboard in an effort to ride out the waves of life with as much strength and confidence as possible.

Balance cannot be achieved without training one’s focus. And, while the chaotic global climate has not been overwhelmingly positive, I will say that it has given me the gift of perspective. Last week, I took a solemn walk on campus as a goodbye gesture to the place I have considered home for the last four years. I noticed so many more details than my buzzy, rushed walks to classes ever allowed me to observe. My separation due to quarantine granted me with the ability to relish in the minutiae that I would not otherwise have missed until it was too late to soak them in one last time. A moment of epiphany occurred when I recognized that expecting this change was a blessing, and without the natural ebbs and flows of life I wouldn’t be able to enter this phase with the same brilliant force and appreciation behind me. I feel like my life up until this point has been the gradual baking and stacking of a cake; and, with my tiered foundation now in place, I am ready to continue the process towards my ultimate masterpiece, decorating myself and adding color along the way.

I suppose that in sum, we can never truly predict the dose of change that life will heap onto us; however, what we can do is choose the way we respond. In any situation it is important to stay open-minded to the lessons we may learn about ourselves, as well as foster gratitude. When we take the time to dive within and assess what we can and cannot control, we exercise our capability to remain stable during rocky times. Change has transformed our pasts into our present selves, and change is what is currently building us into better versions to embrace the future. Being thankful for growth relieves the blocks we subconsciously place on ourselves. It is by no means easy, but when we reach a point of self-trust we lose the tension and apprehension that comes with facing changes.

These are scary times for many, and as we continue to face the natural ripples that affect us, we are also all weathering out this global tsunami. I encourage you all to notice your own strength and capabilities – your entire life up until this point has been one extensive course on how to stay afloat, and if you continue to hone in on maintaining your equilibrium, you will not have to fear even the biggest of breakers. While life can seem stagnate at times, other stages offer more action and require more adaptation. Let us not fail to remember that we have all survived changes before, and we have the power to conquer what may lie ahead. xoxo

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

— Rumi

Pushing Past Budding Potential to Get to Full Bloom

April 14, 2019 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

Lately I have been reflecting a lot on how far I have come in my personal life, noting the key practices and elements that helped me get to this point, along with the areas of my life that I still feel like I have not completely unlocked. Inspired by Michael A. Singer’s book The Untethered Soul, I began to come to the realization that I am my own barrier in knocking down any walls that I currently have or ever will have. One of the most important aspects of my journey to where I am now in life, was that I always tried to follow the idea that you “grow through what you go through,” so whether it was one of my lowest lows or highest highs, there was a lesson that I tried to extract for future application. Secondly, in my past, the most prosperous moments came when I had decided to completely surrender myself to whatever life had in store, erasing any imaginative borders that could confine me to a specific outcome. As I have begun to once again ask myself how I can transcend and open myself to even more abundance, ready to focus on my inner self in a way that I haven’t been recently, I have pieced together that in an effort to grow, I must enter out of my “comfort zone” (a place that only exists because I arbitrarily decided that some things in life are scarier than others).

I have been visualizing myself as a little sprout, hoping to push through the dirt and see the sun, imagining that once I get above ground I will finally be able to absorb all the light and beauty of the world. That is when I realized that my perspective was that I had to struggle to emerge from underneath this soil that was blocking me, rather than noticing that this dirt was chock full of nutrients, helping me in my endeavor. This relief of recognizing that something wasn’t a threat to my existence, but was rather a helpful element that wasn’t worth fighting against brought so much contentment – so much stress was shed and I realized that regardless of my stage in life, I can always just be and welcome in all that the universe is willing to provide. Life shouldn’t be a continuous process to get to a certain point where you think happiness exists, there is always happiness and life waiting to be soaked up every day. We have to teach ourselves to turn this perspective into the dominant lens through which we view life.

However, living life free of stress, fear, etc. is easier said than done, and it definitely is not an overnight process. For me, it helps to set little challenges for myself that help me to physically experience and feel accomplished in overcoming things I presume I cannot. Examples of this can be running the extra two minutes even when you feel like you are going to collapse on the treadmill, smiling and saying hello to someone you don’t know very well even if you think you are risking ultimate embarrassment, or maybe it is just deciding to go to a different coffee shop or take a new walking route to test entering into the unfamiliar at a small scale. After successfully achieving the little goals you set for yourself, it is easy to gain a sense of empowerment that will help you to chip away at your larger personal inner walls, letting that warmth of light peek in, and eventually helping you to enter into an infinite space of possibility.

I highly recommend reading The Untethered Soul, as it does such an amazing job of underlying how much unreasonable attention we give the voices inside of our heads, along with helping to illuminate how to get to the point where life feels like it is an effortless, beautiful flow. We are all in a continual state of growth, but sometimes we hit those walls that require us to reflect on how we can push ourselves to bloom into beings that can truly make the most of every moment and surrender to the winds of life. Try to work on tuning out all the meaningless chatter that suggests that you can’t – it is time for us to be brave and slowly emerge out of the boxes we have placed ourselves in! Have a great week everyone! xoxo

An Ode to “Eat, Pray, Love”

August 17, 2018 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration, Travel

For those of you who have never read Liz Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love,” I highly suggest that you add it to your reading list (along with her book “Big Magic”!). When people ask me who my celebrity idols are, and mind you, I’ve never really been the fan-girl-type, I have three people I might suggest depending on my mood: comedian Ellen DeGeneres, chef Gordon Ramsay, and yes, author Elizabeth Gilbert. My wanderlust, spontaneous soul has always admired Gilbert’s story of leaving her conventional life in search of a deeper meaning, all while trusting in the universe’s divine guidance. My personal Instagram plays homage to the novel with categories dedicated to “Eat,” “P(l)ay,” and “Love.” Long story left un-shortened…. I revere Gilbert and her journey with all my heart.

One March night, after I had recently arrived back from my trip to Canada, I caught my mind spiraling with all the possibilities of where I could travel to next, and of course I couldn’t help but tease the possibility of getting up and just moving to a foreign country for a month without a plan, much like Gilbert. I jokingly said in my head, “Well at least I got the eating part out of the way,” as I reminisced on all the cheese platters and other rich foods I had consumed in Québec. It wasn’t until the next month that my trips to Israel and Hawaii were solidified. And once again, as I fell asleep I realized: my trip to Israel was going to be for soul searching and praying, while my trip to Hawaii was going to be spent in the company of my family, the people I love most. I had found the “Pray” and the “Love” pieces to my very own “Eat, Pray, Love” quest!

May and June rolled around, and I couldn’t have been more overjoyed at the idea of having traveled to three different unique destinations, all with their own purpose, in the span of under four months. First, in Canada, I indulged in heaps of cured meats with fruit preserves and buttery chocolate chip croissants, washed down with sweet wines and floral gins. Next, in Israel, I meditated, I pushed myself to overcome things I couldn’t have imagined before, and I wept when I came in the presence of the Western Wall. Then came time to dedicate life to love and those closest to me in Maui, a destination very dear to my heart. I modified my “Love” phase to be symbolic of paying homage to my roots and soaking up my favorite sceneries with my wonderful parents and sister. After all, I couldn’t expect to be swept off my feet by some guy while in Hawaii like Gilbert experiences in Bali, right??

So now, it’s been two months since I’ve arrived back home after my travels, and I am now in a relationship – with a guy that I connected with while I was in Hawaii. Although he himself wasn’t physically on the island, the universe has a funny way of working out, and I couldn’t be happier, not only with the direction life is going in, but also that I got to live out my own little “Eat, Pray, Love” that I had always dreamed of. Life is spontaneous, and these past months have been full of surprising changes and opportunities that I couldn’t be more grateful for. Sometimes things happen quickly and unexpectedly, but always remember to trust in the universe and let life flow! Open up your heart to the potential of what your heart and soul are seeking, enjoy the moment, and the universe will provide you with more than expected! We all are going through our own journeys, so you must enjoy your own for what it is! Don’t be afraid to share you stories, reach out to others, and always live life in the moment!

The Sands of Time

July 05, 2018 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

Happy July! Lately I have been reflecting a lot on how so much has changed in a year! If someone had asked me a year ago where I saw my life headed, I would have said something completely different than what I would respond today. Despite the fact that the emotions and experiences that this past year held were not always the most pleasant (and at times I questioned if I would even survive to see another day!), I couldn’t be more grateful for where I am now. I think it is important that we all realize that with time comes change, and though it can be change in either a positive or negative direction, all change serves a purpose.

I know I have written about embracing all that life has to offer in any given moment, which is somewhat repetitive of allowing for change in either direction, so I’d like to focus this post on setting intentions for the future, knowing that as time goes on, we have the opportunity to transform into our most ideal lives. Change can be scary, unexpected, and stressful, but I honestly believe that there is always some, even if it is small, positive takeaway from any situation. So, no matter where you are currently in your life, where do you hope to see yourself in three months? A year? If you think back a year ago, could you have predicted all that was to happen from that moment up until now? Life is a whirlwind of sensational occurrences, it is doubtful that one’s life will remain forever stagnant in the way it currently is. As individuals, we have the power to analyze where we are, and then make decisions to fine-tune our paths in a stronger direction towards our dream.

Growing up, my parents always reminded me that no matter how hard it seemed to push myself to do something, whether it was to go on a run to stay healthy or even sit down and try to write a blog post, that someday I would look back and wish I had started today. Essentially, we can’t gain time back, but we can make the most of what we have. Every day is a new beginning. If the life you wish to be living someday includes daily yoga, then find an outlet to take your first class this week. Why wait for “someday” when today is waiting for you to take the reins and live life to the fullest? I think that it is just so important to recognize that although we might not have complete control over what happens in our lives, we do have some power in the choices we make to place us on different paths, and it is never to late to take some new exits and find ourselves on new routes.

With this fairly fresh start of a new month, I think it is a healthy exercise to reflect on how your life has changed in various ways. What was a change you weren’t expecting, and are you happy with how you handled it? How have you evolved into your current position in a positive way? Taking the lessons from the past, then apply these thoughts to the future, coming up with some first steps to progress towards a happier and healthier you. Live in the now, in a way that your future self will thank you!

P.S. These sunset photos are from the same night, taken within the span of 10 minutes! I thought it was symbolic of how fast things can change and seem completely different than one might expect! :)

Embracing the Essence of the Soul

September 30, 2017 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

As we emerge into this transformative time of the year, as it is not only one week into the Jewish New Year for some, but also one week into the transition of the autumn season, it is important to look within and evaluate what we hope to shed and gain in our lives. I personally feel that setting intentions is important daily, but it’s even more imperative during a time when the universal energy is in high support of an evolution, be it at the level of the world collectively, or at the level of the individual soul. Recently, I have been introduced to a lot of ideas about the soul and its purpose, the art of envisioning your ideals and actually achieving them, and forgiveness.

I always find it funny that often times the themes of life overlap, meaning that we can learn about a new idea and then it begins to pop up in various forms in other aspects of our life. One of these ideas is that of living our lives guided by our soul, rather than giving into the distractions of what our body might desire. According to Ancient Greek philosophers, the secret to ultimate happiness and a good life, is to listen to the soul. Everyone’s soul seeks what is truly essential to life: love, wisdom, courage, and justice. However, to be given the opportunity to go on such an enlightening journey, we are given human bodies, which have other desires. The philosopher Socrates says that this is often why people are prone to mental conflict, as we have both our soul and our body’s desires fighting to beat the other out. This can be solved though when we separate the distractions of the body from the truth that our soul speaks.

In lieu of this time of the year where we look towards who we want to become and acknowledge the characteristics we want to leave behind us, the ancient philosophers give us perspective on how to be successful in achieving our goals. For those of you who are familiar with the Law of Attraction (the idea that when we emit positive thoughts we attract physical prosperity in our lives, and the opposite when we are negative), this is essentially an earlier version of this idea. Dating back thousands of years ago, the importance of envisioning what you wanted something to be like and then working your way towards it, was vitally important. This is the spirit that built the great cities that we now learn about in textbooks, but it is also the spirit that the philosophers believed could be applied to an individual’s life as well. When we conceptualize the version of something that we hope to reach, we subconsciously align our actions in a way that effortlessly leads to the realization of this image.

Another important theme that helps us move forward in our lives and let go of what is no longer serving us, is the concept of forgiveness. I think this idea is fairly well engrained into our society in the aspect that we are all aware of it, but that we do not always remember to apply it. Lately, I have been letting go of things that previously upset me and realizing that I may not have the power to reverse upsetting things, but I do have the power to give my energy towards the positive things in life and dismiss the negative. I think it is important to note that forgiving ourselves is also crucial. When we love ourselves and realize that we are human and make mistakes, we lift off a weight that disadvantages us in our pursuit of what we truly desire in life.

With these three points in mind, I encourage you to take some time and reflect on what you hope to gain in the months ahead. Looking back, what do you hope to release and fix in the future? As you do this, reminding yourself to forgive and not wallow in the guilt or upset that certain things may have caused you. Set intentions and visualize what would make you the happiest, focusing on the positives with the viewpoint that you hope to achieve them, not that you don’t have them currently. According to the philosophers of ancient times, setting goals of what you want will change your perspective, and in turn will cause you to naturally begin to act in a way that will lead to the ultimate manifestation of your hopes. Above all though, these desires that you wish to attain should be desires that in the end will place you further on your journey to ultimate happiness based on the soul. As you take this time to reflect, clear your mind and listen to your heart and soul, what does your soul point you towards? By acknowledging the deeper longings within yourself, you can help to subside the temporary requests of the body. Honor yourself and take this opportunity to reign in the generative energy in the universe to help jumpstart your own transformation into an even happier phase of your life.