Welcome to #meaningful #connection, where I share #resonating ideas, thoughts, and realizations from my month of January.

👓 What’s New?

My biggest accomplishment for the month was completing holiday cards for my family. I started drawing on 2022-11-24 and finished it a week later than the plan. I hand-drew eight different cards. The goal was to make quick sketches and see what I liked on the internet before putting them together. Then create text in various languages and sign each card. Then I made a budget of 160 dollars to split among each card. The best part about doing the cards was the live streaming on Twitch because it made it super fun and gave a way to mediate and take breaks while illustrating. A single most exciting discovery was when creating the cards, don’t make the cards out to a particular person. Instead, let the creative process be fun and open. Then, in the end, I started discovering who to gift.

My most significant career achievement was when I started creating a map of content for my projects at work. I didn’t use Obsidian because, at work, we use OneNote, so I decided to modal my notebook using the PARA method. Then it was alright to create the idea of linking my thinking.

I should pause and pray during the Imaginative Illustrator events. In other words, I can seek balance in everything I do. So, I decided to tear off my notes from my monitor except for the word pray.

Sometimes I have a vision of my encounters, which makes me upset. After speaking to my mom and therapist, they suggested I reframe the picture and tell it I’m not afraid. Then perhaps it will decrease its hold on my life.

🔔 What is resonating?

During January, I chose something that I rated above four and now is in my life. With that in mind, I got the Om Mani Padme Hum the true meaning. It’s a YouTube video that got many views and ran about one minute and 25 seconds. The author left a summary for us: Aum is the body, speech, and mind. It’s also the opening to the four syllables—impure practitioner. The budda is pure, a practice to Buddhahood’s development path. An intro to the meaning of the words.

After going through the initial dive, I left with more questions than answers. In other words, I had to do deep reflection to discover the truth. Even if the explanation was clear, the chant was meaningless unless I knew the real reason for each word. What’s more, even if I knew the reason, it wasn’t enough to free myself of the burden of learning it. I needed a way to relate it to my personal life to find a profound connection.

While dating an Indonesian woman, I discovered the true meaning of Infinite Altruism. I had to try to understand the person’s suffering before loving them. Even after our breakup, I tried to make sense of it. Letting go of something with such beauty was not easy, even if I loved her. Both of us were suffering from trust issues and weren’t ready to give up our past to be bold together.

Therefore, as I pass through Mani, I reflect on my Padme as it grows through the mock of the earth into something clean and beautiful. As time goes by, every day reveals my stuck places, but I have the option first to acknowledge that it happened, each event has internal beauty, and I can always gain something even if I have to give it up. In the end, finding a beginning, it’s a balance that I must seek, and the process continues.

Given the opportunity, I will continue to remind myself it’s about progress and not perfection.

If you are interested in learning more about the true meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum, visit the YouTube link. Om Mani Padme Hung – The True Meaning – Based on an Explanation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama – YouTube.

🌻 What’s Growing?

For January, I will choose some sprouting things that need to be elaborated upon further. Of such caliber, I need to hire a personal cook helper. I’m looking for a helper to prepare my meals because it will speed things up regarding my stress level. Also, allow me to learn faster. In other words, the cook and I will work together to make the meals.

Meanwhile, I can learn a few tricks, which lead me to do a google search and eventually to care.com. I don’t know much about hospitality service, but I must explore it to live a balanced life. In turn, the action will promote my cooking and improve my health. What’s more, it is like a mental massage because I will be investing in life.

Next on my list, balance core value is growing in the number of connections in my daily life. I have noticed a desire to expand and prove myself. For example, I get triggered when I make a mistake. Then I completely forget about my body. As the new year started, I accumulated numerous links to gain insight into seeking balance. For example, during my relationship with my love, I came across a question: How do I want to be treated? I came to know that I needed to be a glass half empty before fear sets into my response. While working with my therapist, I’m more impulsive when I don’t meet my needs, so I need to seek balance in everything I do. As such, reflection and pausing are dear to me.

Therefore, to be treated respectfully, I must take care of myself and seek my internal happiness.

🥑 Mental Nourishment

As January moved beyond our reach, I had many thoughts that differed from the more traditional object bullets. Some time ago, I decided to focus on feeling content because those are visited every morning or if I get triggered. Of such interest, the happy feeling has been at an all-time high compared to others. The feeling is described as pleasure or contentment, while I use it as an adjective.

While listening to Alexa, a song titled “A Clear Night” by Jeff Pearce got me into a feeling of happiness and sadness. It took me back to when I skied with my ex and had an opportunity to explore the world outside of New York. As a result, I learned I need to travel more with friends and build new memories.

Travel more on my own to find a unique experience. Therefore, maybe I can plan to travel to Calgary or Colorado to create something great.

🚿 Stream of Consciousness

Moving near the end, I like to grab a summary of the month or some obstacles I faced. I drew holiday cards for the family while live streaming Twitch. I met with Tyler Tseng, Brian Relph, Soul Coach, and Mark Haskins and had an art meetup. Meanwhile, I visit Chinatown throughout the week. Mostly regular days at DCAS. On weekends, I went shopping, cooked, did an art meetup, and sometimes did no bible study.

Interestingly, I was obsessing over the Bluetooth issue. I focused on the Acts project and ski planning with Edi at work. Sometimes, I felt the urge to defend the Act’s existing system to try to get it to work, which led to good and bad days because I did things without balance.

I struggled with balance and keeping an eye on it, especially with my recent breakup. I’m spending only a little time on social media to prove I’m worth it. Next time I will keep doing the healing code. Something may come of it.

💝 Warming Up My Hands!