Kelly Ashley

I have a few friends who have recently gone through some difficult experiences, and one recently said that they keep thinking, “Why do bad things happen to ‘good people’?”

I (think I) figured it out; at least some of it.

Bad things happen to ‘good people’ because they will use the grief, lessons, and understanding to help others in similar situations.

‘Bad people’ will turn those experiences into anger and use that energy to make others hurt or suffer in the way that they did, or worse.

Whether you think of yourself as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, in every moment of struggle you have the power to choose one; for your present and future effect on yourself (mind & body), and others.

If you’re going through a tough time, know that when the situation is over or these feelings have passed or subsided, you will be stronger as a person and as a contributor to the world.

Have faith in what comforts and guides you, and, most of all, in your own strength.

Be good to yourself, and others.

“…Every person on this planet, including you, desires to be deeply loved.

At the core of your soul, your spirit requires that in this lifetime you seek out and find unconditional and pure love.

The reason most of us spend our lives searching without ever really finding it, is not because this precious love doesn’t exist, or even that it is rare.

You’ve been taught to look in the wrong places - outside of you - when the truth is that the love you seek starts and ends with the love you have for you.

It is your right to fall so deeply in love with yourself that you only invite that same kind of unconditional love into your life.

It is your quest in this lifetime to get to know who you truly are in your soul, beyond all the surface and societal muck that covers up your beautiful spirit.

It is your gift to learn to accept the person you are today, right now in this moment and love him or her, all of her.

And it is your duty to free yourself to fully express every piece of you without apology, so brightly that it lights every heart it touches like a firefly, including yours.

That is self-love. Being. Loving. Living. You.

When you can do this, you not only receive the extraordinary ability to feel the greatest of love, but you also gain the ability to give that same deep love back, giving others the gift of witnessing and loving their beautiful souls.

My wish for you is that today, you start and/or deepen your journey of falling madly in love with the powerful, beautiful and free being you are, just because you are you!”

The lunar new year is approaching. We’re moving from the year of the rabbit to the year of the dragon in the Chinese cycle.

I was recently speaking with a friend who, on New Year’s Eve, was planning a backpacking trip through Europe this spring. I recently checked in with her to ask how her planning was going:

Her: “I’m dithering about going.. Worried about quitting my internship and not being employable after.”

Me: “GO! I have gotten my last two jobs partially because they loved that I traveled, and partially because my travels connected me to people my bosses knew.”

Her: “…how does this sound- go to Europe in April then come back and try and get into marketing (because I think I would love it and be good at it..) realistic?”

Me: “…you may travel and learn that you love teaching, or dancing, or skiing, or music - plan to go to Europe in April and learn more about yourself, then get into what you love.”

The dragon appears in the Chinese calendar once every 12 years. It’s the epitome of power, nobility and perseverance, tracing back to early Chinese mythology.

In Chinese astrology, the Year of the Dragon is by far, the luckiest. A year to be brave, passionate, innovative and flexible.