Conscious Inklings Blog. IDEAS, INSIGHTS & INK-SPIRATION.

NOW, NOW, PEOPLE.

(Two Tips To Make New Commitments Stick.)
Greetings lovely peeps!

Okay, so, I won't delve too deep into the whole New Year's resolution thing here today. However, I will offer up a couple suggestions of support to activate your intentions, and make them stick (no pun intended.)

TIP 1.) One vital step in materializing any new commitment is interrupting our old subconscious patterning. Meaning... things are all fine and dandy when we feel grounded, present in the moment, day dreaming about our desires, gratitude journaling, reading something inspirational, sipping green tea, etc. However, all bets are off once we fall back into our old habits and behavioral patterns.

This is exactly why Conscious Ink was created in the first place. To remind us about our intentions and commitments at times when we'd otherwise FORGET.

Couldn’t we really reminders plastered all over our forehead?! 

Well, perhaps, one of our Manifestation Tattoos on the wrist would be a good start :-). 

Set yourself up for success. Be sure to surround yourself with things and activities that will interrupt old patterns, along with people that will support your commitments.

TIP 2.) If just the idea of making New Year's resolutions gives you anxiety, perhaps try making a SINGLE commitment to a a powerful process instead of drafting up a long list of goals or desired outcomes.

One process commitment that will support all others: SELF LOVE!

Loving ourselves is the most effective action we can take…by leaps and bounds.

Commit to the process of self love, whatever that may look like to you. When we commit to loving ourselves in the moment over and over again, it will, paradoxically, lead to the most amazing, even unimaginable outcomes!

But do get clear on what truly feels loving to YOU. Don’t just rely on preconceived notions you may have. Really feel into it.

So when is the best time to love yourself? Right NOW, of course.

And to support the loving of yourself in the moment, and any other loving intentions you've made, our gift to you is one of our new "NOW" Manifestation Tattoo 2-Packs. The “NOW” message will wake you up if you happen to “fall asleep” while you're out in the field..of life, so to speak.

Scroll down below to get your free 2-Pack. This is also a fun way for us to celebrate the introduction of our new 2-packs. See more details below.

Wishing for you everything you wish for yourself, and beyond.

Here's to loving ourselves.

The time is now.

Happy manifesting to you!
 

Frank Gjata
Founder, Conscious Ink

Receive a Free NOW Manifestation 2-Pack ($5.00 Value) Transform NOW!
Add a “NOW” Manifestation 2-Pack to your Conscious Ink shopping cart. Use discount code at checkout: NOW2018 
Free with any purchase. Valid thru January 7th.

The month prior to the Championship, the young women completed two 3-day camps to come together as a team refine their techniques and hone their skills. Right before they headed off, Paige Folkner (one of the historic team’s wrestlers) was tagged on a Conscious Ink page celebrating how far they had come as a team.

Inspired by their strength and devotion, we decided to interview them to highlight their success.

Why do you love wrestling?   

Paige: Because it teaches me life lessons, and how to overcome struggles.

How does it make you feel to have come this far?   

Paige: Proud, strong, happy, empowered. Plus the feeling of having you hand raised [when you win] is just, well - victorious!

What do they want other girls/women to know about this sport?   

Paige: It’s not just a male sport. It changes your life! That’s hard to explain, I just know wrestling makes you a better, stronger (mentally and physically) person.

Paige also mentioned that for those women strong and brave enough to become wrestlers, that there is a lot of opportunity for scholarships.

Paige’s grandmother, Pamela Bredenkamp, bought her the Conscious Ink tattoo that she is wearing in her picture. I asked for her perspective on the tattoo she chose and her granddaughter’s team’s inspiring journey.

Why did the SHE BELIEVED tattoo resonate with you?  

Pamela: I chose this tattoo because it was empowering, female specific, and appropriate for the challenge(s) [Paige] faced. (Plus it was just cool!)  This past school year, [Paige] wrestled on the McCluer North High School team as the only (and we believe first ever) female wrestler. As a Freshman, she had to earn her place on the team. She not only earned her place as a Freshman, she was awarded MVP for the Junior Varsity team as she had the most wins overall.

If you could tell the world one thing, what would that be?

Pamela:  Do not downgrade your dream to fit your reality.

One of the team’s coaches, Scott Cutbirth said when asked about the experience, “I was blessed to be a small part of these amazing girls journey that included matching the State’s 15 year combined program history of 9 All Americans.”

These young women, their devotion, strength, and teamwork inspire as do the people who support them. As a community, we wish them every success as they charge on with their passion and discipline.

“She believed she could, so she did.”

So can you.

Everyday we claim our titles, our choices, our paths. Everyday we make 35,000 decisions -- choices that can seem as inconsequential as we choose to add an extra slice of tomato to our sandwiches or how we tie our shoelaces. But among those many decisions, those big and small choices, we also decide WHO AM I.

We choose to be compassionate or judgmental.

We choose to cling tight or surrender.

We choose to be kind or be cold.

These are choices we make as we drive down the street, see our coworkers in the hall, greet our families at the door or kiss our kids (or fur babies) goodnight. Our thoughts and actions shape who we are and who we are becoming. It is by living consciously, by intentionally choosing those thoughts and actions do we become radically empowered in creating the trajectory and momentum of our lives.

Conscious Ink was created to empower the world to own their truth. The manifestation tattoos are a simple tool of awareness and empowerment to serve our daily reawakening and our daily reminder to choose wisely.

How can you be GRACE today?

How can you be INSPIRATION today?

How can you be HOPE today?

How can you be HEALED today?

How can you be POWERFUL today?

First, you must look in the mirror and claim it.

I am...bold.

...brilliant.

...hope.

...strong.

...powerful.

Decide it. Declare it.

Look into your eyes and see the truth. Be witness to your great, glorious, sometimes messy, always evolving I AM.  

We are honored to be choosing, growing, claiming, evolving with you.

Shona Marie believes in the power and potency of words. She lives them. Breathes them. As the CEO of a copywriting boutique, her business is to know how to yank and tease words together to make them entice a reader or buyer.

Shona Marie has a copywriting team from all over the country. She trains them and leads them, but first, she wants to support them and make them feel seen and supported. Before diving into a team project, Shona asks her writers to pick a word, a mantra or a phrase, that deeply resonates with them at that moment.

That’s where Conscious Ink tattoos come in. The team gets to pick their tattoo and then can wear it as a reminder and beautiful adornment as they set to spin words into stories. 

“A permanent tattoo doesn’t capture the fluidity and evolution of our individual experience. That’s why I love these temporary tattoos,” says Shona. “ A mantra or word or phrase that may have deep resonance today, may be something completely different a week from now, or a year from now. The key is to be present to our experience in the now and honor it. When we do, our power emerges.”

To be present requires honesty.

To be present requires us to get still and listen.

The beauty of Conscious Ink Manifestation tattoos is that they require us to lean back and reflect on…

And as we do, we get present and every time our eyes skim the tattoos on our skin, we are reminded that what we need is right here.

“It looked like a death sentence,” says Collins King about the moment she got up at 3am to reflect on her cancer diagnosis. But fast forward nearly a decade and now she is celebrating 7 years cancer-free! “I'll be 7 years out in November 2017 for Triple Negative Breast can-sur. I don't even spell it out and give it merit.“

But after chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, at 53, Collins started having body issues. Then Collins saw Conscious Ink tattoos  pop up in her Facebook newsfeed. Collins had decided to start a workout regiment. She wanted something positive on her skin that was visible to keep her on track, keep her positive and so she began wearing a Manifestation Tattoo on her right wrist every day before a workout.

You are loved.

Love your body.

Empowerment.

These were the words that she wore to remind her of her own strength. “Every time I look down at that tattoo, I am reminded that I can begin again.”

Collins can’t have tattoos (needles) in her arm and these tattoos allowed her the beauty and purpose of a tattoo without the actual ink, needles or permanence.

“I love wearing them and when my friends ask, ‘did you get ink?’ I say ‘temporary on the skin, indelible on the soul’ to them.”

In the end, it comes down to the words we choose for ourselves.

Collins says that if she could leave a single message to the world, it would be:

“Life is a Journey, not a destination. Go with God. Oh,and of course cancer sucks!”

Have you struggled with an illness? How did you overcome it? What mantra would you claim (or have you claimed) for strength for the journey?

Share your story of healing with our Conscious Ink family. Our collective stories are powerful when we allow them to rise.

Ellen first learned of Conscious Ink through her friend, Wendy Harvil. Wendy purchased various sets and then had her friends lean on their intuition to pick the one meant for them. The choice was immediate for Ellen. Her heart knew what she needed and when she saw the tattoo in the pile, it called out to her.  Here is her experience:

I chose my own tattoo. Wendy gave me several to go through and choose. As soon as I saw the Let Go tattoo I knew it was mine since I was in the process of allowing more flow into my life. I wore the the Let Go tattoo  and it continued to be a gentle reminder for me.  As it faded, I felt release. Then I added Om Mani Padme Hum on the same arm.

My business is named Soulshift and I offer energy work and workshops to bring balance, healing and divine love to others. My plan is to open a studio offering yoga, energy work, workshops and joyful Sacred community gatherings. I will have a booth at a local expo and will offer these tattoos at the end of each short healing session. I know the tattoo will 'choose' each person and they will be able to have this reminder of healing or empowerment long after their session.

Besides the playfulness of a temporary tattoo, reminding us of our inner child, they are a gentle reminder of something in which to place our focus. Life is busy and our minds (well mine!) tend to race. The tattoo pulls me back into focus during the day and helps me to be aware of my heart goal.

If I could tell the world one thing, it would be this: don't take life too seriously. Find your balance, your peace and your joy. And make time to fill yourself up, which will enable you to fill others up, too.

***

Part of the beauty of these tattoos is our ability to share them. With our family. Friends. Communities. The words we need will call out to us. As we choose and allow our tattoos to choose us, we are engaging with our truth and we can lean on each other for support every step of the way.

Conscious Ink is about community and it is an honor to witness how our Manifestation Tattoos have brought people together in love and purpose.

Stacey Lorin Merkl, Founder & Executive Director of Realize Your Beauty, reached out to Conscious Ink for her nonprofit’s New York City event when she realized that her own mission and that of Conscious Ink were perfectly aligned. “Realize Your Beauty is all about youth empowerment and Conscious Ink is all about empowering people with their tattoos. The messages of positivity, working to empower others, and helping them to believe in themselves - though we do this work in very different ways, at the end of the day, we have that strong commonality.” The event was a wonderful success and as the pictures poured in, we knew we had to feature Stacey, her organization, this event and her mission. This is her story of outreach and impact.

At a young age, I fell in love with theatre arts, and I knew that in some capacity they would be a part of my professional life. When I was about 14 yrs old, I had a mentor who used theater/music as a means to help those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. When I was 15, I began performing with his organization, helping with the fundraisers, and so on. It was this experience that taught me I could use what skills I had in theater arts as a means to help others. For me, that realization changed everything.

After years of struggling with my own serious body image and eating disorder issues, it became clear to me that I wanted to spend my life empowering young people to feel good about themselves, to see their value and truly to understand their worth. With my background and skill set, using theatre as a means for social change was the natural path for me. For all these reasons, in 2010, I founded the non-profit organization, Realize Your Beauty, with the mission of promoting positive body image and eating disorder awareness to children and adolescents through theatre arts.  

Conscious Ink so generously sponsored our annual event, Realize Your Beauty Day, which is an International celebration of inner-beauty, kindness and self-esteem: a day to celebrate what makes you uniquely beautiful. Conscious Ink sponsored our NYC Celebration, which was the main event for the organization. The event was so much more than what we could have hoped for! We had people of all ages in attendance: high school groups, parents and grandparents with young children, Girl Scout Troops - everyone was smiling and enjoying the activities! We had jewelry making, face-painting, a juggler, live music, live theatre performances, crafts, activities, and even a ‘Tattoo Parlor’ (sponsored by Conscious Ink!). All of the activities had a common theme: inner-beauty and kindness. The space was very generously sponsored by BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center, and we were so lucky to have Denise Bidot (Plus Sized Model, Activist and Founder of No Wrong Way Movement) as our Guest Speaker. Everyone was so supportive and engaged with the presentation, and Denise Bidot gave a wonderful speech. It really helped the whole day come together, and reinforced the message behind the day: a day to celebrate what makes you uniquely you!

If I could tell the world one thing, it would be that we are the most beautiful when we are the most ourselves. Be yourself, let yourself just…be you. You bring something to this world that nobody else can, because there is nobody in this world just like you. That seems so overly simple and maybe even trite- but it’s the truth. We all have different life experiences, along with our natural personalities and strengths, that combine to make us unique individuals. And we all have something positive we can share and contribute to this world – and the word desperately needs more positive contributions! The beautiful thing is that the more you’re able to love and embrace who you are, the more you’re able to love and embrace others.

 ***

Conscious Ink was honored to contribute to the Realize Your Beauty event. When Frank Gjata founded Conscious Ink, he wanted the simplicity of a Manifestation Tattoo to have lasting impact by using the power of words as a regular reminder of our power. Stacey shared her own thoughts on the power of words and they perfectly reflect the heart of Conscious Ink: “I think many people underestimate the power of their words. Words inspire us, they influence us, they help to shape the way we think. A positive mantra can have a very powerful effect on our day to day lives, by helping and teaching our brains to think of things in a positive way. Words have power, and the way we speak to ourselves on a day to day basis has a very strong impact on how we feel about ourselves. It’s time to learn to speak to ourselves with words of love, respect and kindness, and a positive mantra is a great place to start.”

I placed the Conscious Ink Manifestation Tattoo next to his scar. I had saved it for my own arm, but I needed to see it. On him.

I had been lying on my husband's bare chest the day before and I found my fingers tracing the scar that runs for four inches from below his ribs to his belly button.

A scar. From a bullet. When he was 9 years old.

He was playing on a road in Mexico, his parents across the street buying food when the shots rang out. Police and those running. Shots fired and returned. One hit him.

It was 4 hours to the nearest hospital. He remembers feeling cold and thirsty and feeling sad that his mother and father were crying while they looked at him and kept urging the driver to drive faster.

The doctor said he needed surgery. He also said he may not make it through it. While waiting his turn for surgery, his parents found a priest and baptized him. And they prayed that God wouldn't take their little boy from them.

His brother told me this story after he had a few beers with tears streaming down his face as if he was still the 13 year old boy who peered through the window wondering if they would drive four hours home with one seat unfilled.

Right before the surgery, the doctor checked my husband and blinked. Then rechecked. Then baffled said that he no longer needed surgery. And that by some miracle, he was going to be okay.

I share this because I know so many of us have experienced profound loss, but there are also miracles. Search your life for them. Shine a spotlight on them. Make room for more miracles.

But also honor the pain, the rock bottom moments, the heartache.

Today is a gift.

That was the tattoo I put on my husband.

Because no matter the tears, the smiles, the highs or the lows, every moment is a miracle.

Sometimes, we simply need to remember.

There are stories in your scars. There is power in our words.
And in the end, it is how you wear them that matters.

Bold Declarations. Quiet Whispers.

The words you need, where you need them.

The beauty of Manifestation tattoos from Conscious Ink is that not only can you pick a word or phrase that is in alignment with what your soul needs at any given moment, allowing your chosen words to evolve and shift and change along with the tides of your hopes and dreams, but you also have the freedom to decide exactly how those words are to be worn.

Over your heart.

On you wrist.

Behind your neck.

On your ankle.

On your back.

On your hand.

Worn boldly for all to see.

Like armor. Like fuel. Like a challenge. Like a declaration to the world.

Worn only for your eyes.

Like a secret. Like a promise. Like a whisper to your heart.

Only you know where your Conscious Ink belongs.

So, wear your truth.

Wear it as your soul craves.

Let the world see.

Or keep it close and silent.

The power of your words will still rise and reign.

Be brave and let them.

We have 12,000-60,000 thoughts per day. Our brains are firing, wiring, and soaking up information constantly as we move through our lives and even right now you are likely processing these words while other thoughts are ricocheting off the corners of your mind. The fact of the matter is that our brains are turned on and are gathering and internalizing data at record speed and the majority of those thoughts are the same as yesterday’s, which were the same as the day before. But even more alarming is that it is estimated that 80% of those thoughts are negative. That’s right. As we brush our teeth, kiss our kids, get stuck in traffic, call for take-out, step in the shower, lead that big meeting, there are conscious and subconscious negative thoughts that are bombarding us.

But can our thoughts—negative or positive—truly have an impact on us? The answer is yes. In fact, in a recent interview, Conscious Ink’s founder Frank Gjata, mentioned Dr. Masura Emoto’s work in a recent interview. Dr. Emoto is known for his studies that showed the impact of positive and negative messages on water on a molecular level. Positive and negative words and phrases were spoken over distinct jars of water and then frozen. The water was then put under a microscope to reveal that the water that had been infused with negativity had a disfigured, asymmetrical, and almost blobbish molecular structure while the water infused with positivity had crystalline symmetrical shapes like a snowflake under the microscope. Balanced and intricate elegance. Our bodies comprising of 50-75% water and our brains processing tens of thousands of thoughts a day, the concept then forces us to ponder how our negative and positive thoughts impact our minds and our bodies.   

If you were put under a microscope, what would you see?

Would you see harmony and elegance?

Or would you see distress and pain?

The Conscious Ink tattoos are about claiming the positive for yourself.

They are about taking back your thoughts and words so that you can affirm your desires and your truth as you shift the statistics and biology to your favor. The consistent reminder and action of re-orienting yourself to the positive as well as by actively creating positive associations in your life, you are actually changing your neural pathways to accommodate a shifting mindset that breaks away from limitations, doubt and fear and moves toward infinite possibility and limitless power and true connection.

What words do you claim today?

How will you use them to rise?