People don't change based on what they know, they change based on what they feel.
Unknown.
Sometimes we all feel the urge to experience some kind of change. When I lived in Cuba and felt like breaking my routine I just traveled. I went from Havana to Holguin by train to visit my family. Each trip was an adventure. But after I became a Mom everything changed. Now I cannot travel whenever I feel like it so I have learned different ways to experience change without going away.
One of the easiest ways to keep a fresh mind is by enjoying something as simple as the way we dress everyday in the morning. There was a time when I didn't really got dressed, I just covered my body with clothes in order to make sure that I didn't go out naked. I didn't dedicate a second to observe the color of what I was wearing. My Mom did notice it when she came to visit. I remember her say: Elsita, why don't you wear something nicer? You shouldn't go out like that. That didn't make sense to me. I thought that the way you looked on the outside had no importance at all. I was too busy and too worry about other "more important things".
Here you see me in 2005 out of shape and wearing my typical uniform, including the most boring shoes that I was able to find on planet Earth. That day I was looking the best I could with a little bit of makeup and my hair down, because it was the opening of my solo show at a gallery in NYC.
If someone had told me that one day I was going to have a blog named The Hidden Seed where I was going to post photos of myself wearing this and that I would have laughed like crazy. I would have consider that to be the most ridicules thing that a person could do. But nature designed our brain to be very flexible, what you find crazy today could be fun tomorrow.
When I decided to change my life a few years ago I wasn't thinking about doing it by wearing nicer clothes. That was just one of the consequences of other deeper changes. I just didn't feel healthy, I was always tired, uninspired. I went to bed early to see if by resting more I felt better the next day, but it didn't work. One day I just realized that something profound had to be done so I started working on it.
It took a long time and lots of dedication. I starting educating myself on nutrition, self-esteem, how the brain works... and other topics related to human behavior. It was like going to school again but on my own terms. I gave myself time to learn a series of basics things that everybody should learn in school in order to achieve happiness. The most crucial thing that I learned from that period was that nothing is more important for progress than intentionally working on changing what you think that needs to be change. Just the first week into this personal and quiet process I felt amazing. I was still out of shape and tired by I had great faith and confidence that I was on the right path and that soon I was going to approach a much better place. It was just like going on the train from one location to another, I understood that all I had to do was to be patient and keep going.
Now after all these years on the right path I look back and I realize that change is possible and that change is important and good for you. Without change life would be boring and meaningless. Now I feel confident enough to post pictures of myself, even when some people (like me in the past) will find it a little bit "loco". I wake up in the morning and feel inspired and energetic and just plain happy. I smile sincerely and everything looks beautiful. Nothing is really different out there, the world will always be the world, but the way my mind processes that world is different now, it's a lot better.
In the first picture you see me with straight hair, that's how I look now. It was something that I wanted to do for a while so I went for it. It was such a fun experience. I educated myself on hair straightening by reading every good article that I could find, I decided what method I wanted to do and then I found the ideal person to do it for me. This took me to Takako, a wonderful Japanese lady who is now another positive addition in my life. Spending time with her was wonderful. Takako was born in Japan but she started a whole career in the USA based on her great talent and understanding of hair and beauty. She reminded me of what we can do when we follow our dreams. No matter how far away the place of our dreams is, we just need to be patient, stay on the train and keep going.
THE END :)
(If you have been considering the possibility of straightening your hair, the most important thing is to find the right person to do it, someone professional. I highly recommend Takako if you're in Los Angeles, CA. She will setup a free consultation with you so she can see your hair in person and say wether hair straightening in OK for you or not. You will feel great, she's very friendly, honest, down to Earth, her prices are fair and her place is cozy and it feels very personal. I loved the experience.)
