Underwood Family Farms. Los Angeles, California
Tag: blog
A Message To My Sons
I hope you never seek validation from others in any aspect of your life
I hope you are confident in your desires and remain true to your personal passions
I hope you cling to wonder and curiosity
I hope you recognize your power to manifest an intentional and tranquil life
I hope you are capable of being happy for others
I hope you understand that gratification is fleeting, as is every emotion and moment
I hope you find peace in simplicity
I hope you transform this world, but do not become lost in the trend
I hope you stand in the rain and still enjoy getting wet
I hope you gain insight from those you encounter and embody lifelong learning
I hope you cry when you are sad
I hope you cry when you are joyous
I hope you speak with eloquence and love
I hope you gaze at the moon in admiration
I hope you accept the journey of LIFE with ease and calm
I hope you choose tolerance
I hope you travel to seek, not travel to tourist
I hope you help people without expectations or applause
I hope you demonstrate patience
I hope when you experience deep sadness you have the courage to redirect your life
I hope you appreciate the value of time and never allow money to consume you
I hope you can sleep without melatonin, and survive a day without caffeine
I hope you rest when you are tired
I hope you strive when you are capable
I hope you smile when you think of me
My wish for you…I am hopeful
Share Friends:
You’ve Already Failed at Keeping Your New Years Resolution & Here’s Why
We’re two months into the New Year and let’s be honest, the majority of us have predictably failed at keeping our resolutions. In my early twenties I was much more optimistic about making simple lifestyle changes, becoming outrageously successful and of course, losing weight.
Topanga, Malibu, CA
We cling to this idea that right after Christmas the New Year will bring about dramatic changes in our lives. We chant positive affirmations, and the festive spirit of the holiday season allows us to live in this delusional happy state for a few weeks. Naturally, this optimism fades as the decorations come down and our mundane schedules pick back up. We quickly abandon the promises we’ve made to ourselves and here’s why.
Most resolutions are impulsive
Many of us make last minute resolutions on the first day of the year but they don’t come from a place of genuine concern or interest. They are impulsive or spontaneous decisions, and I’m sure you’re well aware of how hasty actions can quickly turn into awkward disasters. Yep, you’re right, it’s nearly impossible to stop smoking cold turkey, and it’s physically draining to work out every day when you’ve never exercised. So instead of reacting to this momentary impulse how about keeping it real with yourself in regard to your goals.Take it slow, layout a practical plan, and be kind to yourself for once. Accept this universal truth; we all fall off the wagon sometimes.
Resolutions or Abandonments? You decide.
At this point perhaps we should just change the word resolutions to abandonments, because that’s what most humans do. We inevitably abandon the promises we’ve made to ourselves.
You declare a newly found love for animals along with a hatred for factory farming. So the next step you take is a resolution to become a vegetarian in the new year. Two days later you’re chowing down on a juicy double cheeseburger at your favorite fast food joint. Swift abandonment. Indeed, we are the sum of our routines and these habits are hard to break. Is it negative to assume before you begin that you will fail? Perhaps, but it’s even more depressing and unhealthy to pretend we’re able to immediately stop or begin a new behavior effortlessly.
If we’re being honest with ourselves and wish to live an authentic life, the best solution would be to release this idea of resolutions and accept a new tradition of abandonments. Focused on leaving things behind, like our awkward obsession with Donald Trump and Kylie Jenner’s lips. Kidding. But, of course there are certain things we all wish to leave in 2015… is your list realistically achievable?
Not to be a negative Nancy, but more than likely you’ve already failed at keeping or completing your resolutions for many years. Am I wrong? However, in the process you’ve probably discovered how pointless resolutions are to proclaim in the first place.
Many self-help gurus may disagree, suggesting that we should focus on the positive progress we make, but there’s nothing wrong with embracing failure and being mindful of the things we’ll realistically abandon.
I’m in no way suggesting that you won’t conquer your fears this year, or become extremely fit and land a fantastic job. Eventually, your hard work and consistency will be equivalent to your reward. We all have a set of goals we’re working towards, and I commend the passionate pursuit of happiness. I’m simply recommending that we acknowledge our silly unrealistic expectations for what they are and try becoming less impulsive with our goals.
This year, Don’t make resolutions, Make sincere commitments.
Take the time that you NEED and commit oneself to something completely. In the words of the great Jedi Master…
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
-Yoda
The Empire Strikes Back
Share Friends:
Be Brave
Share Friends:
Food For Thought: Communication
Communication
Many will tell you they refuse to discuss politics or religion, claiming it’s ‘personal’ or unproductive. However, they’ll carelessly discuss random relationships, their hair, what they ate for dinner 2 weeks ago or what is worn to bed every night… along with other void filling nonsense.
But once any topic that resonates as awkward or intolerable is brought up, they RUN.
The problem isn’t that it’s personal, the core issue is COMMUNICATION.
The Inability To Communicate.
The FEAR of confrontation, rejection, misunderstanding, or because one is merely unable to openly express why they believe or feel a certain way.
Lack of constructive communication skills lead to severe emotional, physical and mental devastation.
Add to this the technological advances that have made it far too easy for us to avoid healthy or necessary conversations-picture apps, texting, social networks, slang/shorthand- and our Face to Face communication skills are becoming nonexistent.
We’re all guilty of completely misunderstanding someone and feeling offended or becoming defensive and critical.
We blame, criticize, doubt and are then fearful of all that we can’t fathom or comprehend..
…Simply because We Don’t Understand One Another.
There are far too many adults unable to discuss ideas or express emotions effectively, and this is a poor reflection on our society.
WE CAN DO BETTER.
Rather than avoiding matters of substance, can we accept utilizing our voices for the common good?
It’s our responsibility, to future generations, in setting the example by implementing vulnerable and open communication at home, with friends and in public. It starts with YOU.
Don’t just tell your child to SPEAK, show them how to positively communicate.
Express your affection, doubts, concern, and praise without avoidance, but with love and sincerity.
Encourage your children to genuinely express themselves, to embrace new information and to openly discuss their curiosities.
Never be afraid to use your voice and speak your truth
Ultimately, the inability to communicate leads to extreme emotional distress, hate, discrimination, ethnocentric attitudes(Crimes-Wars-etc.), and a multitude of problems on a daily basis within our relationships(family & business) that few choose to acknowledge.
However, mustering the courage to openly share or exchange information with tact, vulnerability, tolerance and acceptance is incredibly empowering.
Add to this- the ability to LISTEN, or fully absorb a response, while taking into consideration the other person’s perspective-
and You Will Experience a Vocal Awakening.
We’re all CONNECTED and I genuinely believe we should never stop absorbing knowledge from those around us.
Listen. Agree to disagree, but please, face life head on, and don’t avoid conversation.
Be Courageous.
SPEAK. Be a VOICE not an ECHO
Sincerely, Rosalie Bardo
Share Friends:
An Uncharted Path
THE CHARGED LIFE, the truly lived life, is not a routine existence in some quaint, picturesque village of safety and certainty. No, the life worth living is out there, in the wooded wilds of the unknown, on the craggy battlefields that test our wits and wills in the daily fights with our own demons.
It is found during the long onward slog through the storms and strife, when we hear only the whispers and taunts of foes and opponents stronger than we, on the ground where we are knocked sprawling and forced to face our own weaknesses, and on the mountaintops that we reach only because we pitted our every ounce of virtue, strength, character, and courage to keep climbing no matter the slings and arrows flung at our backs or the barriers thrown up before us.
It is only in the herculean quest for something more that life fills us with wisdom and meaning, but only after we have paid with our sweat and, at times, our tears.
It is in the marching on when we are tired and weak and fearful, and in the camaraderie of those fellow warriors we have striven with—our brothers and sisters and family and friends who cheered us on and toiled with us despite the messiness and apparent madness of it all.
It is out there on the path less traveled, an uncharted path chosen by each of us alone, an often meandering, overgrown path that leads only to another unpaved road or open field of opportunity, where we must strike out once more with the same hope for victory and transcendence.
It is out there when we have the guts to stand naked before the world as who we truly are, when we peer into the souls of those around us and finally see in them the image of the divine, that we plunge ourselves bravely and unconditionally into love that has no bottom or boundary.
It is out there, outside the confines of our comforts and the pleasures of our accumulations, beyond our architecture of the routine, that we slip the bonds of our limiting beliefs, soar magnificently above our own shortcomings, and express our highest selves.
It is out there, in a world rich with choice and challenge and fear and freedom, that your greatest gifts and adventures await you. Listen. It is out there that destiny calls. Be bold and ready yourself. It is time to charge once again.
From the book THE CHARGE by Brendon Burchard
Share Friends:
Passion Portrait #BeSomebody
ROXIE and ROSALIE BARDO are in… #besomebody.
Roxie Bardo and Rosalie Bardo have always shaken their heads at the status quo. “Ordinary” has never been interesting. “Expected” is where Passion went to die. Growing up in a small southern town, they wanted to free themselves from the familiar, and chase their craziest dreams… Now, taking on the Entertainment business and spearheading philanthropic platforms, they are paving a Path and a Purpose that’s growing bigger every day. Rosalie’s four children’s books will be hitting the shelves next year, and Roxie’s debut EP – which earned her a nomination as female vocalist of the year for the 23rd annual LA Music Awards – is now available on iTunes.
Check out their Passion Portrait here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJwWI6K2ySM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPkRHQHa44tiwnq-Lzm5sVA. #besomebody.
Connect with #BESOMEBODY ! http://www.besomebodyblog.com/
#Besomebody is the fastest growing Motivational Movement in the world. Their Passion Portraits showcase people across the world who embody the #besomebody lifestyle by living their passion, building their dreams, and inspiring others along the way.
Share Friends:
Hopeful
“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future.
The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
— Howard Zinn
Share Friends:
World Humanitarian Day
Today, August 19, is World Humanitarian Day!
It is the beginning of a month long, first of its kind project – to TURN WORDS INTO AID.
Sponsor a word and turn your VOICE into funds that will help millions of people worldwide affected by disasters.
“On this day in 2003, 22 aid workers were killed in a bombing at the UN headquarters in Baghdad. It’s a day to commemorate all people who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and to celebrate the spirit of people helping people that motivates this work. This year the World Humanitarian Day project is a month-long campaign of events around the world to raise much-needed funds to continue the effort to help others.”
Please visit http://worldhumanitarianday.org to learn more.
BE A VOICE FOR THOSE WITH NO VOICE. TAKE ACTION.
Share Friends:
Success
The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; the question is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young man ceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks his conditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stone of a solid and honorable success.
Hamilton Wright Mabie
(Picture: Malibu Beach, Los Angeles, CA)
Rosalie Bardo 