I recently visited the Banksy exhibition at the Moco museum in Amsterdam and was greatly inspired by the philosophy and work of this incredible artist whom I hardly knew before my visit.

Today’s inspiration is a quote from Banksy which is something that I deeply believe in and I can stand behind based on my personal experience – winning is about personal mastery and growth that can only be achieved through perseverance despite failings and setbacks. Every failure can be a lesson when there is perseverance, positivity and desire to learn from our mistakes. So let’s dream on and keep on following our dreams without fear. Because our mistakes are nothing more than stepping stones.

Yesterday was the International Happiness Day and it is the perfect opportunity  to greet ourselves with a card from the “Happiness is” series . More about this cool concept here.

Today is the first day of the spring! The beautiful, uplifting season which is a never-ending source of inspiration deserves a celebration in the form of a poem 🙂 Happy Spring!

Its like the birthday
of the world,
When earth was born in bloom;
The light is made of many dyes,
The air is all perfume:
There’s crimson buds, and white
and blue,
The very rainbow showers
Have turned to blossoms where
they fell,
And sown the earth with
flowers.
—Thomas Hood

Focusing on yourself is an art and a form of a self-care. One of the practical ways to do this is to explore the power of silence.

The conventional ways to perceive silence is as absence of external noise. But in its essence, it is much more than this- it transcends beyond the external to reach our core and to manifest itself into silence of the mind and a feeling of piece.

Spending time in silence is therefore not so much about staying in a noise-free place, but about keeping your mind silent.

Silence allows you to connect to yourself and to hear yourself. Silence also helps you to unleash your creativity and to generate new ideas.

It gives you the space to observe your thoughts, to take distance from them and to change the ones that are taking energy away from you, such as worry, fear and anger.

Spending time in silence is one of the most challenging endeavors- there never seems to be time, it makes us sleepy, and it is something that we need to do alone. Indeed, nobody can do it for us.

The power of practice is in your hands and it is also one of the best investments that we can make. Give it a try!

More about my experience with a ten-day silent meditation called Vipassana – here.

In 2014 Matthew Mcconaughey received an Oscar for his role in the “Dallas buyers’ club”.  Upon receiving his award, he delivers one of the most inspiring speeches of all times which main message is to be your own model and strive to become a better version of yourself. Watch, enjoy and stay inspired! 

Have you noticed that your feelings and thoughts very often evolve around the external things around you- your job, relationships and what surrounds you?

We are rarely giving our attention and energy to ourselves, focusing on how we feel and what we need to heal, grow and develop.

It starts from school where we are thought to study and memorize external facts and to strive for grades and approval. It continues as we grow up through high school and university where we want to be a part of the group of the ” cool kids” and often do not express ourselves in an authentic way in order to be more easily accepted. And it consolidates when we start working- in the corporate environment competition and comparison are so prevalent that you often feel inclined to do “the right thing” rather than what you really want to go for.

So how about focusing on yourself and your inner world and taking care of yourself for a change? Because in the end, if you don’t do it no one will do it for you!

There are people who leave traces in the most powerful way – through their personal example. One such person is Stephen Hawking, whose journey ended today. He will forever be a bright and shining inspiration to all of us to give 110% despite the challenges we face and to believe in endless possibilities.  Because there are all around us!

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”

It is one of life’s wonders that our most powerful ally can also be our worst enemy. This two faced character is our mind and the quote of Marc Twain depicts the shadow power of our mind so well.