Monica McCarthy - Life Stylista
Archive for the ‘Philosophy & Spirituality’ Category
Friday Photo: Through The Filter
Friday, May 25th, 2012
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, not look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books. You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself.
~Walt Whitman, Song Of Myself
Koh Yao Yai, Thailand
This week on Show & Tell, we explored the benefits of being multifaceted, with the idea that everything we experience makes it through our unique filters, with our core self as the final destination.
Wishing you a Friday full of all that life Read more [...]
Making the Cut: A Matter of Needs
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
{This is part four in a four part series exploring the four elements of Diamond Grading as a muse for sharing our stories: Clarity, Carat, Color, and Cut}.
As promised in this week’s newsletter, today we’re having a chat about the value of being multifaceted. (High quality diamonds are multifaceted as to best reflect and filter light. This gives them sparkle.)
But this is not a post where I wax poetic about how to balance all your numerous interests, nor is it where I’ll write about branching out and trying new things. There are countless other blog posts that can talk Read more [...] Friday Photo: Where The Straight Way Was Lost
Friday, April 27th, 2012
“In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark woods where the straight way was lost.”
~Dante Alighieri, Inferno
Wat Rong Khun (otherwise known as the White Temple) in Chiang Rai, Thailand, is both Buddhist and Hindu, beautiful and bizarre, garish and haunting.
This week began with a post on ambiguity and ends with an image from a place of contrast.
Read more [...]
A Changing Perspective: What Travel Is Teaching Me
Monday, February 20th, 2012
Sign at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Prior to departure, my decision to travel to Southeast Asia felt like an exciting adventure. Elephants! Tuk Tuks! Pad Kee Mao!
Except.
From the moment I landed in Bangkok, I was surrounded by a gadzillion other people who were doing the exact same thing. Suddenly my escapades felt… not so special.
Soon I began meeting other people who having been traveling for years, many of whom devote their time to helping the plight of the less fortunate, and/or take jaw-dropping photographs or write witty diatribes.
Now Read more [...] How to Make Big Decisions
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
Decide
Sometimes people leave you
Halfway through the wood
Others may deceive you
You decide what’s good
You decide alone
But no one is alone.
~ Into The Woods, Stephen Sondheim
Last week, my lovely friend Kerry asked a simple yet important question on twitter:
What is your favorite way to make big decisions?
Oh boy.
I’ve written quite a bit about the importance of making difficult choices here and here and here. I'm a firm believer that making choices provides necessary opportunities for growth.
But I’ve steered clear about Read more [...] 
Hi! I'm Monica and I believe in choosing, living, and sharing our own stories.
In 2011 I left the world of acting behind to pursue writing, traveling, and a life worth telling about. What's your story? The world is waiting.
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