Hey everyone, My forthcoming posts I hope.will open the eyes of many in a positive manner, and more importantly their hearts so in terms of those with somewhat closed off/ hardened hearts, well maybe they wont be so hardened anymore, that is my hope for the world that all proceed with love for themselves and one another. It is important to have love and keep love in oneself for oneself and for others. When I was 5 I told someone very close to me that I was one of the openhearted, strong, determined, good people who would change the world for the better (well in 5 year old terms :)… more love, more compassion more strength, more gratitude, more respect and caring for others, human and animal. I’ve always held onto the heart based wisdom we all have as children, and we all can keep that well into old age should we choose. Each and everyone’s inner pure-hearted child should be honored always. Some lose the authenticity and hopeful heart that they have as a young child, some lose the childhood heart based true wisdom and that is sad, BUT it’s never too late to remember and start living life in an authentic, love based manner and keep your inner child protected loved and honored in adult life, in fact that is how it should be. It does not have to be lost (and never should be), even through life’s hardships, or should I say especially while overcoming life’s temporary hardships. . Retaining a good heart and staying compassionate, yet discerning and filled with heart-based wisdom (true pure love) is immensely important (and this may be the understatement of the century). Peace and love are two things I truly what I want for everyone else too and I’ve stayed true to the peace and love in my heart and keeping that phenomenal love based wisdom we all have as children. I hope for people to be a whole lot more kind and empathetic toward themselves and others. So hopefully my stories of overcoming hardship, the importance of perseverance always, love and immense hope will inspire others to stand in gratitude too, as it is there where we bring even more good to us each and every day.
And I think and know the world in general needs to show more empathy; for example, if a friend reaches out to you for help, by all means help them if you can even if that is simple positive love based (highly important) encouragement, you will be blessed for doing so and your heart will be happy too. A bit of kindness goes a long way, in fact it has the ability to save a life, and that can be simple yet immensely valuable. Something as simple on the surface, such as kind authentic words to lift anothers spirits up matters, immensely. Someone said something to interesting to me once before, they said “most don’t have compassion for others or true empathy unless they have been through something similar, unless it directly affects them”. Possibly this is truth, to a point. I know that those of us who have overcome hardship, immense hardship at times, are typically the ones to want to reach out to others and lift them up in a positive love based manner, but all – as in everyone, whether you have endured immense hardship or not, are fully capable of empathy and kindness toward others. Understanding one another and at times temporary hardship, rather than judging (which no one truly has the right to do or knowledge to do so, only God truly knows) and helping when able (still using wisdom and discernment) rather than turning one’s back, well that is important and valuable to you and the person you are helping, EVEN if its simple words of encouragement or buying a person a meal who is in need.
One purpose of my blog is to encourage all to being a little more kind to one another, as it’s important. See the good in yourself and others, focus on your strengths in a love based way and the strengths of others also in a loved based way. Love truly is the answer, purehearted authentic love. As an actress, producer, publicist, advocate for animals and other social justice issues, writer, vocalist and a simply a person who cares about perpetuating love and goodness and encouraging others to do the same, I’ve worked hard to find and refine, actually utilize for immense good, my God given gifts and abilities for good for myself in terms of my happiness and love within myself of course but also to help many others, human and animal, to proceed with love and true strength which is based in love and of course keeping discernment and heart based wisdom.
I have gone through hardship at times. Also periods of immense good and pure joy. Immense hardship is temporary. I been without food years before, working 15 hour days to overcome that (to be able to afford basics) and more while following my dreams and pursing work I loved to do. I’ve had friends turn their back, the real ones, real friends do step up and help in a positive love based manner. And I’ve helped others even if its just buying a simple meal for someone who didn’t have enough to eat, the simple things can be huge things to a person going through temporary hardship. In my case I make sure I am working long days to the point of exhaustion before I ask anyone for help and only do it when its absolutely needed! I’ve had tears stream down my face and felt immense heartbreak at times from others callousness and true apathy at times in terms of their lack of caring for others, and I’ve also seen immense good from others where my heart felt the immense love. Immense good starts with all of us each day. Each day there is an opportunity to be loving and good to yourself (love / happiness starts with us) and then our hearts are filled with love to lift others up too. You want to see a positive, good, love based change in the world, start by loving yourself in a pure-hearted healthy way, so that you can fully love others. Be a little more patient, a lot more kind to yourself and others (human and animal). Always use discernment and wisdom of course, there are people in the world not acting good at times, but there are plenty of people proceeding with immense good and love too. My hope, one of them, maybe one day there will more than enough love perpetuated in the world and all will come around to the light, to the good, to pure love for themselves and others based in love and kindness. There is immense love now, there is always good. Love and kindness in one’s heart for themselves and others, that is true strength. I also have this immense love based strength to look for beauty in each day, wipe away the tears which can stream from time to time, from the at times harsh uncaring world we live in, and still stand up strong, positive, aware, and ready to tackle the day and look for the immense good that always exists. The world is filled with beauty and love too and THAT should be the focus. Most importantly I advocate to proceed with love and hope, and encouragement for me and others. If I can share an ounce of that ability, or rather bring forth understanding that we all have the ability to have our hearts filled with love and share that love with others, well that is immensely beautiful. It is as it should be. I am a healer, I am filled with love and an advocate for peace in the world, and of course an advocate for love for myself and everyone. 110%.
I know its important to inspire myself but also to inspire others about the immense strength they have within them, God given I know, to weather the storms, any storms that comes anyone’s way can be overcome with true strength courage compassion all based in love. I hope to inspire others to help one another, we are all connected and when connected through immense love for ourselves and others, the world is so so beautiful, it can be and IS very beautiful and there is beauty and love to be found in each and every moment of the day. So, don’t turn your back on friends / loved ones who need you, starting there that is important. Don’t turn your back on yourself. And if a stranger asks you for a meal because they are starving on the street for example, even if you have never starved yourself, THINK about what that must FEEL like, think with your heart and your mind, think with LOVE, and say wow that would be terrible, then help buy them a meal if you can afford to do so. People don’t have to have the same experiences as others to know what something like starving might feel like, that is empathy, everyone is capable of having empathy for others and that is a good thing. Stay discerning but listen to the heart wisdom, there are answers in proceeding with love. So point is.. help, human or animal, help by proceeding with love.
I want to open up peoples eyes to the importance of standing in gratitude, when facing obstacles focus on the solution – a positive one full of grace and love and strength for yourself and others, and still finding good in each day if you are struggling or having problems, being compassionate / empathetic too. Always find and proceed with love for yourself and others, human and animal.
One of my short stories about my real life experiences to inspire, I have many! But here is one….to inspire, to give hope, to perpetuate love and kindness. Something I endured and overcame with love, and an immense amount of hope and love, mostly love the source of the truest strength.
Years ago when I first moved to LA (going back 15+ years!), one of the times I had gone through immense hardship way more than what I am sharing here (lots of overcoming and lots of good too but back to this point for a moment). I worked through it…. started my strategic consulting business, and things were SO HARD at one point that I had no car, no food, a little place where I was having trouble managing rent behind a couple who was having problems of their own and lived off of Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. I’ve always been a bit of a “fashionista” and always one on a budget (hardship or not), I would buy nice things, I always liked pretty clothes etc., BUT I would always find nice things at resale stores (at super cheap prices) , always looking for bargains, still do! Having to struggle at times made me want to never be wasteful. I like nice things but could never understand wasting money, when you could find them much cheaper (and more fun, resale stores etc). I just cant justify paying immense money for clothing when it can be found at yes, resale shops, just as nice…doesn’t seem reasonable or kind to me to be wasteful, when there are people struggling to buy food and animals who need to be rescued. Excess can be put to better use, as in saving lives! Someone buys a $500 purse to show they have a $500 purse, and for what? Its not heroic or even admirable when a less expensive item could be useful and pretty, and the EXCESS funds could then instead go to helping those without food or saving the lives of animals for example. That is worthy and admirable, not a $500 purse, not really admirable. You are “cool” in my opinion (at least the way I and I know some others proceed) when you can rock as in coolness factor… maybe a vintage purse, maybe designer or not, that you found at a resale store etc for $20 for a high end purse and then you donate the excess (or what you would have spent on a high end purse!) you have to save a life, or helping better a life yours or the life of another.
When I first moved to LA, when I struggled to make it (one of the times), and by “make it” I mean yes pursue my dreams, do work I love, proceed with love for myself and others, and by make it specifically in this context also, first or concurrently I should say…. “make it” as in earn enough income to have enough food to eat each day and to keep a roof over my head to be able to stay in Los Angeles and pursue my dreams etc.
……I was concurrently looking for writing work etc (was also writing and developing business plans at that time, this was right before my consulting practice launched and was successful, I had faith! Immense faith and still do, always will) but concurrently to get by going back to this time frame, I would walk 8 blocks down Melrose Avenue to resale stores from my tiny 2 room apartment to SELL my clothes at the resale stores, clothes right out of my closet which I loved but food and surviving a bit more important to say the least. (A note about the resale stores in Los Angeles, in Hollywood etc = super cool and over the years, much later than this point…15 ish years ago… they eventually knew me by my first name because I would look around so much at the pretty things and sometimes get things, and chat with people who worked there etc). ……Anyway back to this point, 15 ish years ago, yes… I would sell my clothes at resale stores (something all do in LA/fashionistas especially, but usually not to buy food, sometimes though perhaps as one struggles to build a career in acting etc and in between pay checks from their extra jobs for example) its buy and sell at these clothing resale stores and…once during this time (selling clothes to afford food for a temporary period of time), I sold an authentic Dolce and Gabbana dress, which I loved, sold for about $20, yes to buy food. (note, these stores sell high end clothing/shoes inexpensively because they buy them very inexpensively). So!! Did it suck at the time a bit, heck YES!, BUT I needed food, living is more important than a dress. And this continued for a while, unbeknownst to most, until I had sold EVERYTHING in my closet except for maybe 6 dresses, and a few other items.
……..Funny thing, when I was walking down Melrose Avenue literally selling clothes I previously wore and loved, I found so much strength and gratitude, even then… and no one knew I was selling my clothes for food, well God knew; and to make him proud too and others and to proceed with love, love inherent in me and how I was raised with love, well I kept my hope and my happiness, I smiled at people and lifted others up. I didn’t show my temporary “suffering” how one day I sold an article of clothing to literally buy a sandwich so I didn’t starve that. I thought this is life, life is a gift, I have many blessings so I am not going to sweat this so much, so to speak, I am blessed. And I am blessed was then, am now blessed, and will always be.
……..It’s important to show strength and love even and sometimes especially during immense struggle but yes always, that is how more good comes to us and how we can also be a blessing to ourselves and to others… simple things like smiling and finding reasons to do so. There is also always good, sometimes we just have to dig deep for true strength that is found in the purest of love and immense gratitude, which we all have within us.
So the good thing, I didn’t starve 15 years ago living in LA, while I worked out the big things. HUGE blessing right?! Right! It was a huge blessing. a good and true perspective of mine based in immense strength out of love… is thank God I had the clothes to sell so I could survive that temporary hardship. I was strengthened and thought wow I made it and stayed strong, still found love within myself and each day. I remember everyone talking to me, just greeting me with hellos on my walk 8 blocks down Melrose Avenue to sell my clothes to buy food at this point. NO ONE knew I was struggling because maybe I wasn’t focusing on the struggle, by the grace of God I kept hope, optimism and joy and most importantly love for me and others. Perception is a funny thing, others see a pretty girl walking down the street with a shopping bag filled with clothes (probably thought I did a lot of shopping, yet the opposite was true!) no one thought a thing, meaning they didn’t suspect I was enduring hardship, selling my pretty clothes to buy food but it was MUCH more than that too, I know now. It was my response to adversity, I was focusing on the solution and thought okay not my first choice to sell my pretty clothes for food but hey it will work out (there was some pain of course, it is hard when trying to figure out how one will eat for the day). . I did keep a handful of outfits and until I got things back on track, I realized I had “enough”. I truly did. And I learned I can smile and be kind to myself and project immense kindness for others even through true struggle. I remember one man on Melrose Avenue who owned a coffee/bakery used to give me cookies when I walked down the street, on my way to the resale shop in the afternoon because he said “pretty girls need cookies” lol not sure how that correlates haha but point is he wanted to give me cookies and he had NO IDEA how much I NEEDED and appreciated those cookies. Those cookies mattered much more than he could ever imagine. I accepted the tray of cookies with a smile and said thank you so much. Graciously and with much gratitude. He would respond, THAT smile is worth every cookie in my bakery. Enjoy sweet girl he would say to me. I felt the love, and was able to proceed with love and kindness too.
Many more stories here and inspiration, check back often. Much love, stand in gratitude and be kind to one another. Please. The world needs KINDNESS. Proceed with LOVE, even more love is needed in the world. That is STRENGTH. LOVE is strength. Kindness and love is true strength fyi peeps 😉
Thank you for reading!
Much love and many blessings! Lisa
Lisa Pellegrene 