Conscious Inklings Blog. IDEAS, INSIGHTS & INK-SPIRATION. / personal-growth

Mirror, mirror...what do you have to teach me?

We often hear that our world, and our relationships, mirror back to us how we're acting and behaving. Oftentimes, people think that this simply means what's being reflected back is our treatment of others…what some people think of as Karma, so to speak. While this may also be identified, this isn't the primary mechanism of how this "law" works.

With a deeper look, we see that our world, and relationships, actually reflect back HOW WE TREAT OURSELVES. So, if we don't value ourselves, the world reflects back situations where we won't feel valued. If we see ourselves as stupid, the world reflects back situations where we will feel stupid. If we run away from our emotions, this is the behavior we'll experience from others. Our thoughts, actions and behaviors are fueled by the beliefs we have about ourselves, and our world.

We actually create (subconsciously) a reality that brings forth situations that trigger the feelings we're used to having. Think about it. We end up feeling the same feelings over and over and over.

The people, situations, and scenery may be different, but the underlying storyline stays the same.

This may seem cruel and unusual karmic punishment. But, in truth, it's actually grace in action. This mechanism allows us to see vividly where our wounds and patterns are, where we're off the mark, where we're not in alignment with our true selves. It gives us the opportunity to learn, heal and make new choices that reflect the truth of who we really are.

So, if you're not sure of all the subtle, and not so subtle, ways you're treating yourself, and the beliefs you employ, just notice how the world is treating you. Then notice how you're treating yourself the exact same way. If you’d like to change these patterns, make a commitment to treat yourself in the way you'd like to be treated from the outside world.

Breathe. Be gentle. Have compassion for yourself. A lot of emotions may come up. Perfect. This will give you an opportunity to practice self love...the one and only, all-purpose healing elixir.

Frank Gjata,

Founder, Conscious Ink

If you've been waiting for a sign that it's time to do that thing you've been meaning to do but haven't gotten around to, well, this is it. 

You see, everyone comes with their own built in special aptitudes and gifts to share with the world. If you haven't yet uncovered where your own talents lie, look for those things that come so naturally to you that you don't even give them second thought. Our greatest internal gems are often hiding in places that are obvious to everyone except for us. 

So many of us are reluctant to accept these gifts that are innate to us and to in turn share these gifts with the world, because doing so might seem impractical or inconvenient. We may also be unknowingly waiting for some person or external event or circumstance to give us permission to act upon these callings. We say that we'll create that product when the economy picks up or we'll write that book when we feel more qualified to do so. 

The catch to waiting for the perfect external person, place or thing to give us the permission to do what we came here to do is that, more often than not, this permission slip never comes. Thereby we pose the risk of going to the grave with these gifts still inside of us, left unopened. 

When we bypass the permission slip that we believe we need to move in the direction of our dreams and get started now, we step into our power. If you must, grant yourself permission and go for it. The important thing is that you get started.



We humans are quite keen on knowing where we are headed at all times. It gives us a sense of certainty. Something tangible to hold onto, like a road map that guarantees if you take all of the right turns you will arrive at your destination. The problem is that life does not work like this. Life is not a straight-line trajectory- it ebbs and flows. Often times you have to wander off-trail to figure out who you are, what it is that you want and bring these desires to fruition.

I have always been a wanderer myself- quick to abandon a promising, secure path the moment it proves to not be a fulfilling choice for me. My family and friends were particularly worried when I dropped out of high school 3 months into my freshman year. Although this is the path that is seen as necessary in our society, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more waiting for me outside the classroom.

From wandering off of the societally appropriate path, I was able to get in touch with myself and achieve what I previously thought was out of reach. Over the course of 4 years I traveled across the country, hiked through the Sierras and managed to complete my Associate’s Degree at 18, when my high school class was just graduating. This all came from listening to my intuition and letting it guide me, even when it felt insanely impractical to do so.

All too often our desperate need to know where the next step will lead blocks the guidance our intuition provides for us. Intuition is like that high school boyfriend your parents didn’t care for. It shows up, windblown hair and leather pants, daring you to hop on the back of its’ motorcycle. Every bone in your body is screaming for you to hop on, but your mind is like erm, Amanda, you have Biology at 12. And this is how you miss out on the thrill of a journey intuition paved out for you.

Wandering is an essential part of listening to your intuition.

Your intuition will lead you down awry paths that may not always make practical sense but feel right in your gut. Onlookers will likely take your swerve off-track as a sign of you being lost in life but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Following your intuition only brings you closer to yourself. In reality you are not lost, you are actually closer to finding yourself than ever before.

With that being said, I urge you to tune into that gut feeling lying beneath all of the well-laid plans. When you get the impulse to flee from the perfect path you’ve carved out for yourself, know that there is no harm in wandering off course.

Often times it is the dirt road with the overgrown bushes that leads you back to who you really are.

 

Amanda Brown

Conscious Ink Staffer

 Conscious Ink’s mission is to spread love and raise global collective consciousness, one body at a time. As Conscious Ink has grown, its team has been blessed with witnessing incredible transformations and stories from all over the world. Conscious Inkers are a family who use their tattoos to proclaim, share, or whisper their truth to the world. Women, men and children have worn Conscious Ink tattoos while…

• Manifesting intentions and transformation
• Facing cancer, illness and dis-ease
• Embarking on a new career or adventure
• Marching forward into the unknown
• Deepening spiritual practice
• And so much more…

The Manifestation Tattoos have been worn as badges of triumph, as comfort in difficult times, as a subtle yet potent reminder, and as a bond between people. In the coming weeks, we will be exploring the raw and real stories of Conscious Inkers. We will share them to remind us all that our stories matter, deserve to be heard and can be the catalyst for someone else’s change.

Do you have a story to tell?

Did Conscious Ink help you through a situation or honor you in your celebration? The Conscious Ink Team would love to hear your story.

Your story matters.

Email us here!

Be Brave

Share it.

In celebration of the launch of our BEHIND THE INK blog series, we are offering our REMEMBER WHO YOU REALLY ARE Manifestation Tattoo for free (with discount code: REMEMBER2017), with any purchase through July 5th, 2017. Just add the REMEMBER WHO YOU REALLY ARE Manifestation Tattoo to your cart, and when you check out, add the discount code: REMEMBER2017

In Arabic, the root word for human is insaan. Translated to English, it means the one who forgets. The one who forgets. Allow that to sink in. How often do we forget the power of who we are, of what we are? Conscious Ink was created for those aching to remember.

Being human is a wild and wondrous thing. As Frank Gjata said in a recent interview, “We are sparks of the divine in a human body.” And it is the recognition of that truth that gave birth to Conscious Ink. Frank, as a transformational coach, began to see how people could reach incredible epiphanies and then let the routine of life flood in to wash it away, how they would be reminded of their truth and then forget.

 

[“We are sparks of the divine in a human body.”- Frank Gjata]

 

“We may attend an empowering workshop, read a self-improvement book, have an engaging conversation with a friend and then we step outside onto the curb and life happens and we get thrown off,” Frank said. “I’m always thinking of ways to support myself and others in catching ourselves when we may fall asleep, fall back into our old familiar patterns and so this [Conscious Ink] came up as a way to remind us when we have forgotten.”

            The original idea for the tattoos occurred to Frank when his daughter came home from a birthday party with a pack of temporary tattoos in her party favor bag. Curiously, he played with him, put them on and then it hit him how something so simple, so small could have incredible influence. A tool, a way to keep people awake to the their truth.

           These Manifestation Temporary Tattoos and the company behind them are infused with a heart-felt and expansive intention to use the potency of words as a tool for awakening, transformation, and creation. The simplicity of the concept—words on skin—can have a profound impact as it fuels positive affirmation in our daily lives. We put the tattoo on our skin--our bold declaration, mindful intention, soulful reminder—then as the day(s) roll on, no matter whether they are filled with highs or lows, peace or turbulence, pain or hope, the tattoo remains steadfast, an ever present whisper for us to remember.

 

[The simplicity of the concept—words on skin—can have a profound impact as it fuels positive affirmation in our daily lives.]

 

            Conscious Ink is about how words can change us from the inside out and how that vitality can inspire the world around us. As you wear your Manifestation Tattoo, know that years of intention, imagination, teamwork and miracles went into its creation. The idea for these tattoos sparked from a birthday favor bag, but now are on women, men, and children around the world, a global community united by words and ink. Humans aka Conscious Inkers who have decided that they will strive to remember.

            Remember who you really are. 

            You are divinity. 

             Life is this moment now. 

In celebration of the launch of our BEHIND THE INK blog series, we are offering our REMEMBER WHO YOU REALLY ARE Manifestation Tattoo for free (with discount code: REMEMBER2017), with any purchase through July 5th, 2017. Just add the REMEMBER WHO YOU REALLY ARE Manifestation Tattoo to your cart, and when you check out, add the discount code: REMEMBER2017

Let’s be honest, in our fast-paced world with endless to-do lists, we need all the help we can get to stay grounded, and focused on our well-meaning intentions. But temporary tattoos, really? Most of us are already familiar with the most popular self-help rituals, like meditation, yoga, and walks in nature. These are all wonderful, and have proven to be effective. The problem is that more times than not, soon after we’re done with repeating our 1000th mantra, luxuriating in savasana pose, or communing with nature, we quickly can find ourselves back in our old routines, and may find ourselves cursing that inconsiderate “idiot” in front of us in traffic!

Wouldn’t it be great to have something…a practice… that would help us in those out-of-control moments, when we’ve simply lost our center? Well, one way to keep our intentions top of mind is to also keep them “top of body” with a Manifestation Temporary Tattoo by Conscious Ink. It’s this precise purpose that life-coach founder Frank Gjata created these unique, unexpected, and effective tools.

With over 300 positive words, inspiring phrases, and empowering affirmations, it’s easy to find the perfect message to support you with whatever you’d like to manifest into your life.

Plus, these Conscious Ink Manifestation Temporary Tattoos can perform magic even if when you’re not consciously noticing the inspiring messages. According to Dr. Emoto & his groundbreaking research on water, even water molecules are affected by thoughts, words, and feelings. Since our bodies are 70% water, just imagine the influence that thoughts, words and feelings have on us!

So, there you have it, it’s time to get inked up for good! Log onto our online Conscious Ink Store and pick out the temporary tattoo that speaks to you... you might find that it’s the tattoo that picks you. (We think that’s a good thing.) Happy manifesting to you!

About a year ago, I set an intention for myself...for conscious communication.  I have always admired people who don’t necessarily talk a lot, but save their words for truly meaningful dialogue.  Unfortunately for anyone who is stuck in close quarters with me for any extended period of time, I come from a long line of long-winded people, and realistically, I will never be the silent type.  So, I decided to start with a goal that felt more attainable, that honors who I am while still challenging myself to be the best version of me I can be.  I decided to simply try to be more mindful of the ways that I communicate with people.

The process of turning my attention to my communication habits allowed me to notice all sorts of patterns that I hadn’t really been aware of before.  For example, I noticed that I frequently drift off mentally while in conversation with others.  I start thinking about my day or my life and am no longer really tuned in to the person who is speaking to me.  I also noticed that quite often when I am “listening”, I am actually just waiting for my turn to talk, and that when I talk, I am often doing so to fill empty space, to distract myself from uncomfortable feelings, or to seek validation.

All of these things are pretty normal, and I would guess that most of us find ourselves falling into these habits from time to time, but any time I notice a pattern in my life, I like to ask myself some questions.  How is this pattern serving me?  Is this a pattern that I want to continue?  Or, is this a pattern that I learned long ago, but isn’t actually useful anymore?

The simple answer is that, while these patterns may have served me at one time, they no longer achieve the desired effect.  The greatest part of communicating with others is the connection that comes from sharing experiences.  If I am not actually being present with the person I am communicating with and really listening to what they have to say, then I am missing out on a lot of the gifts that they have to share with me.  It is very comforting when friends are willing to be sounding boards as I try to sort through my thoughts and feelings, but talking endlessly about an issue until I sound like a broken record is really only a temporary distraction from actually dealing with whatever is troubling me and doesn’t honor my friends’ time or attention.  Also, if I find myself continually seeking validation from others, and the need doesn’t seem to be getting adequately filled, perhaps it is a need that must be filled from within, from quieting my mind and really listening to myself.  After all, that voice inside, the one that can so easily be muffled over with endless chatter and mental busy work, may be the most important voice to listen to of all and there is only one person who can actually hear it.

So, my commitment to try to be a better listener continues.  I try to listen intently when people are speaking to me.  I try to be more conscious of what I am saying and why, and I try to be quiet often enough to hear my inner voice, the greatest guide I have.  Some days I find myself succeeding and other days I completely miss the mark, but all I can do is set my intention every day and know that, even if it is only inch by inch, I am moving decidedly in the right direction.


Conscious Ink tattoos were created to remind you to listen, be present, and be the very best you that you can be!  Check out the temporary tattoos featured in this article and many more in the Conscious Ink Temporary Tattoo store!