Life

You Aren’t Original – And It’s Ok

Posted on November 6, 2015 by lainamunoz

We are all just walking projections of everything we have ever learned, all the hurts we’ve ever experienced, whatever innocence we were born with that was protected and the built in human moral that at least half of you will believe in. There is in fact NOTHING original under the sun. Though you’d love to think that you were the first to create, write, paint, build, engineer, you actually developed those ideas off of things that you already knew. It’s like a load of those little Lego pieces all over the ground. They serve one purpose in linking together, but the combinations of the pieces snapped together that you ‘come up’ with have actually been done before.

But you are still beautiful.

**You are beautiful and the way you create is unique and wonderful.**

Though you are repeating news there is a new way to say the information that you have, there is another way to tell your story. People need to hear what you have to say with the tint of your perspective. The way you compile your information and regurgitate it in a personal way is what will speak to others. I think something I have figured out (or at least pretend to have figured out) is that, it’s not about what you’re saying; it’s about if you’re speaking to people.

G-d put this thought on my heart a while back and if you keep up with my Facebook author page you would have seen me say:

This was that project… To challenge you all to firstly –

Get over yourself.

But once you have that out of the way and realize where you get the resources you’re using to create –

TO CREATE

Your life and knowledge bears repeating, don’t forget that.

I asked my good friend Dalton Smith to help me out with a logo for this project, for you to share and use and challenge people in your world to share and use.

((See what I did there?))

You people inspire me!

I have a few confessions:

Jaclyn Hill is a make up artist on Youtube and I follow her religiously. But only wear make up a handful of times a year
I follow more blogs than I have time to read
1. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/
2. http://maddiefantillo.wix.com/life-to-the-full
3. and many many more
Songwriting is the best stream in the world and I could watch people play their songs ALL day
1. But all the chords are the same

Why do I watch YouTube videos? Why do I read? Because your story might be borrowed concepts but people with humble beginnings who love what they do is what it’s all about.

Publish – Produce – Share

How beautifully convenient was it that last nights #Teamnight was all about creating and showing your work? Let me tell you. This has been on my heart for a while, do what you love to do and share! Get it out. Post your blogs, Instagram your paintings, dance and teach others your moves, use the skills you learned to teach someone else how to apply a winged eye-liner. I’m obsessed with people who love their art and share their art.

I’m challenging you to share, rip off my logo and get the people in your world to become obsessed with creating. Let’s bring our stories (that sometimes have the same message) but douse it in our language.

You aren’t original and it’s ok –

I think we create such a difficult life when we try to be the only ones who’ve thought up the next big thing.

Be creative, be you, give credit and steal.

Don’t Bore Us Get To The Chorus

Posted on June 5, 2015 by lainamunoz

Sometimes story time is hard.

Sometimes there is too much going on to focus on just one thing, or lesson or instance that has happened in the last week. I will say that more and more everyday I’m finding that I’m getting involved in things that if G-d doesn’t turn up for then I am screwed. I’m doing more than I expected and all the opportunities I’m graced with being apart of are nothing short of Jesus handing them to me on a silver platter. I don’t deserve the blessings but He keeps pouring them out, and I’m so thankful that He is.

This last week has been focused on creating space and seeking clarity. I just began praying for G-d to show up and I think halfway in my mind I was expecting some great moment where He sat me down and spoke massive and deep revelations that I have never thought about. But that didn’t happen. Instead I had a lot of quiet moments of peace and realizing that:

1) I was alive

2) Worship was sweet

3) If there is no ‘A’ or ‘B’ to choose from then the path is the path (thanks dad)

I feel odd saying I was given peace about being alive but I can’t actually think of a better way to explain it. I was just existing and breathing and drinking tea and sitting in class and cleaning my room and writing – and I was ok. I was responding to Facebook messages from people back home updating me about their lives and some who haven’t quite made it back home traveling around and being awkwardly reassured that my person on this earth is both insignificant and absolutely necessary for this time right now.

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are becoming some of my favorite times each week. My housemate and I just go to the coffee shop and read and write and chat and allow each other to encourage one another and speak into each others lives… which, if you don’t do that with SOMEONE I would highly recommend it. One of the wonderful parts about having someone to speak into your life is that you have less of a chance to forget who you are. When someone is looking at you telling you from an outside perspective that you HAVE grown and that you ARE gifted and anointed and that they see your faithfulness you feel refreshed and not trapped in your own thoughts. As well as you get to have another person that you encourage and uplift and get to do that for as well.

So have friends. And be alive.

Worship was sweeter. I’ve grown up in church and have heard several hundreds of song of Jesus’ presence being all we need or His presence being sweet and I do recall time and time again the truth of those statements – but something about this week… and focusing on it just makes it so much better. It wasn’t this over-emotional journey of being with Jesus it was just an overwhelming snuggle-session with the Savior. It was like all the sudden I was comfortable in His presence; not that I wasn’t before but this week has been more inviting.

Finally, the parent conversation…

I text a few of my close friends and my parents asking them to pray for me as I was seeking clarity this week to which my dad asks, “What choices or decisions are you needing to make?” ((well, really… I didn’t)) “Because if there is nothing that needs deciding, the path is the path” ((ugh, dang… thanks for confirming what I was thinking and unsure of for three days))

“I don’t want to simplify it, but if you have a choice of ‘A’ or ‘B’ then you “need” to hear, but if you’re moving forward and there is not a choice… Focus on the now and learn all you can, EXPERIENCE all you can. Live all you can. I wish and pray for you… (remember how I got here) if you are going to fail, fail quickly… fail as often as you need to. Pick up, brush off and carry on.”

So, I have said in previous posts but if you are just joining from this point or only joining at this point I’ll let you know its been a relatively quiet season for me as far as what I FEEL but the only snippet from Jesus I seem to be getting is “carry on with your last set of instructions” which will be different for each one of us but for me its to get quiet, get on my knees and be with HIM. Learn to be still and know that He is G-d. Do what I love. REST. TRUST. BE.

So to take a week of focus and hear nothing but, “hey, why are you seeking for an answer on a question that hasn’t been asked?” really put into perspective my season. If my only option is to continue then what am I worrying about?

Story Time With Laina