10 Lessons On Living Sensibly

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

Traveling brings to us life lessons we overlook back home.  I suppose we get too busy to take notice or we get in the rut of routines that we take each day for granted.  Yet, if we look closer, each day is not the same as the one before.  It brings us unique experiences if we choose to pay attention.  The weather alone is different, so are the people we meet, the situations we face, and the choices we make.  Each day is a story in itself, broken down into different chapters of our lives.  But if we are like most people we know, we think nothing of it but just another day.  Until we face a significant emotional event, then we remember every second that transpired within that day.  Perhaps we may even exaggerate a little for dramatic effects.  Still, we remember the meaning of the day and how time stood still, at least in our hearts.

Today reminds me of my recent trip to the beautiful island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i.  It is Springtime now and the songbirds were enjoying themselves in their chorus at daybreak.  For a while there I thought I was back in Kaua’i where the birds were prominent greeters of the dawn.  Colorful beautiful birds graced my windows as they perched themselves on the branches of plumeria trees.  I wished the plumeria was in bloom then as I love their fragrance and soft five-petaled beauty in white or pink with hints of yellow in the center. But the singing and agile take off and landing acrobatics of these wonderful aerial creatures made my morning coffee time just as delightful.

One of the things I love to do when I travel to a new place is to explore either on foot or with a car.  I love to drive everywhere, just to see what is out there, check out who is doing what and why.  People I meet are truly gifts of abundance.  I love to hear their stories, the way many speak with their hands when animated.  I giggle to see the twinkles in their eyes when they talk about their passions.  For some reason, people are more open to share of their passions with total strangers.

So, I enjoyed myself listening to others’ dreams, their reasons for moving to Kaua’i, how they fell in love with the natural beauty of the island and the warmth of the people they befriended, and how they decided to stay and enjoy the gifts of paradise everyday.

As I explored Kaua’i, I cannot help but pick up nuggets of wisdom along the way.  I wrote 10 which stayed with me.

1. If you want to find fun-loving people, go where it is brightly lit and you hear music playing.

2.  Stay focused on the road ahead of you, especially when it is pitch dark.

3.  When in doubt, don’t do it especially when the surf’s high.

4.  The most expensive restaurant is not always the best; go to the sidewalk instead.

5.  Talk to the locals for the inside scoop; you might get a laugh or two and a friendship in between.

6.  Remember to look up and around or beauty might pass you by unnoticed.

7.  When it is sunny outside, go out and play before the rain comes back.

8.  Extend kindness to strangers as you might need kindness later on when you don’t expect it.

9.  Some things are not meant to happen so don’t push it, or you might hurt yourself trying.

10.  Watch how the locals behave before you jump in and make a fool of yourself.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

A Journey Back Around the World

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

Around the World

-  song and lyrics by Connie Francis (1961)

Around the world I’ve searched for you
I traveled on when hope was gone to keep a rendezvous
I knew somewhere, sometime, somehow
You’d look at me and I would see the smile you’re smiling now.

It might have been in county town
Or in New York in gay Paree or even London town
No more will I go all around the world
For I have found my world in you.

Around the world I’ve searched for you
I traveled on when hope was gone to keep a rendezvous
I knew somewhere sometime somehow
You’d look at me and I would see the smile you’re smiling now.

It might have been in county town
Or in New York in gay Paree or even London town
No more will I go all around the world
For I have found my world in you…

There’s something poignant to a song that plays over and over in one’s mind.  The song ‘Around the World’ stayed with me throughout the day until I finally relented to write about it.  What is so haunting about songs and the memories they evoke, taking us back to the journeys of life we once held true to our hearts?  I heard this song when I was young, all the way back in my youth in Manila.  I had no knowledge what the song meant at the time as I had not learned to speak English then.

Yet, everyone around me sang it during those balmy nights when people gathered in street corners bringing their guitars and unrehearsed voices.  It mattered not if anyone sang out of  tune.  What was beautiful was that everyone felt joyful in spite of the hardships they endured throughout their lives.  In this moment in time as they belted out their vocal improvisations, all worries of the day were forgotten.  The star of the show was their gratitude that they had made it through another day.  So, I reflect now how much more fun life can be when taken one day at a time.  It is amazing what songs can do to help us learn about living well.

As I heard this song sung, its lilting melody stayed with me.  I understood as much that it evoked traveling around the world to these wonderful cities of choice.  I often wondered what it was like to be with people who lived in New York, Paris or London.  What is a county town?  What I know of the Philippines is that we lived in cities, provinces and barrios.  Some of us lived in the jungle.  So I wondered. Did people gather at nights in the cities around the world to play bingo, sing songs, play mahjong or just gossip about the neighbors? Did they have the same worries, joys and challenges?

At an early age I dreamed of seeing the world, meeting people who spoke English and Spanish.  I was fascinated with the idea of experiencing diverse cultures, seeing ancient and modern buildings people created from their imaginations.  I felt intrigued by the imprints of civilizations from days gone by, still permeating today’s cultures.  I wanted to experience first hand what the authors of books wrote about their journeys.  I read about snow in Alaska and sandstorms in the Sahara, flying over Mount Fujiyama and sailing the Amazon River, riding camels in Saudi Arabia and elephants in Thailand.  I heard of Scandinavian people who are tall and fair-skinned and of Africans who are dark skinned with textured hair.  From the eye of a child, the world was full of wonderment, waiting to be discovered.

Today, I am grateful for the song playing in my head as it took me on a journey back around the world.  What a treasure childhood memories can be when created with magic and curiosity.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

Creative Writing Cruise To The Western Caribbean, A Life-Transforming Event

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

Throughout my life I turned to creative writing when my emotions could power a community with their intensity.  To me creative writing serves as a catalyst to gain meaningful inner guidance and answers to life’s questions.  Is it for my highest good to accept his proposal to marry?  Is it for his highest good?  Is this job offer the right one for me?  Is relocating the answer to my prayers?

At first the first few paragraphs of my writing gleam the surface of the questions.  Then as my writing goes deeper into the well of self-reflection, so is the meaning of my soul’s  guidance.  At times my writing turns out to be prose, other times poetry, then most times it turns out to be free-flowing sculpture of ideas and wishes, of wants and desires, of visions and wishful thinking.  Most of all it is my sense of communication with my soul, written in verbal silence.

On April 6-14, 2009, Catherine Ann Jones, Author of the popular television series, Touched By An Angel, is taking her creative writing workshop, Way of Story:  the Craft and Soul of Writing, to the sea with World Tours and Cruises and Holistic Life Designs.  As I reflect upon the wonderful journey waiting ahead, I find myself dreaming of the many new friendships and adventures my soul has laid out for me.  I am looking forward to experiencing the energy exchange of cultural discussions in Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica and Belize.  I wonder what visions through my sixth sense will come to me among the Mayan ruins and what vibrational healing effects on my well-being would being surrounded by the ocean bring me.

One thing would be a certainty about this creative writing cruise to the Western Caribbean.  Way of Story at Sea promises to be life-transforming and I will come home with a definite renewed sense of self. Perhaps that book waiting to come out of my heart will finally find its new beginnings on paper.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

An Absentee Father Affects Not Only A Daughter’s Jaded View on Relationships But Even More So The Son’s

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

One never knows what could transpire in a given event until he or she becomes engulfed in the heat of a debate.  By then it becomes more challenging to keep the social norms of healthy discussions and etiquette goes out the door.  I stumbled upon this discussion, and like anyone who comes in a tail end of a sentence, I had to find my bearings so I could follow the passionate exchange.

The topic was on love and relationships, and how women turned the tables on men, driving them out of households and expecting child support only to be used on themselves and not on the care of the children.  Several men’s admission to this belief led a few women to band together, fuming with poisonous rage.  Soon after verbal altercation ensued.  It was war of the sexes!

I did not feel any need to join in the heated discussion as both parties sought to bring each other down.  From an outsider’s point of view, I saw no joy in doing so knowing that any hurtful words slung at anyone will hurl back at me in no time.  Yet, I felt to sit through the intensity until it is over, pondering what is actually the root of this intense anger.

Then, it dawned on me that the men in this debate who believed that women are nags and users, manipulating their way to make men feel inferior to the point that the men are driven away from their homes, actually felt this experience in their lives.  It turned out that their fathers were absentees, and they blamed their mothers for not allowing them the joyful experience of having fathers in their lives.  So what if their fathers did not have a job, or did not help around the house?  What mattered to them was that they had their fathers and their love.  They had contempt for their mothers, so they carried that over to their relationships with other women.

On the other hand, the women felt equally remorseful of their fathers being absent in their lives, not having the paternal support and teachings on what they can expect from men.  They resented how their fathers did not care enough about them to make something of themselves so they could stay in the family structure.  They blamed their fathers for their failed relationships with men, for not being there to help them feel confident about themselves.

Yet, during the intensity of their debate, they could not see how they are all hurting inside and they are lashing out their pain on one another. They may be adults now, yet they have not outgrown their pain of not having fathers in their lives.  They could not see how they are mirrors of themselves.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

Home Rules To Live By

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

One of the blessings of travel is finding nuggets of wisdom along the way.  I came upon a beautiful reminder on how we could all have harmonious relationships especially with our loved ones.  What makes this find a treasure is that it was written on a decorative wall tapestry, and they truly are words of wisdom promoting love, joy and peace.

Home Rules by Carole Taylor

Proverbs 12:22.  Always be honest.

Psalms 34:1-3.  Count your blessings.

Galatians 6:2.  Bear each other’s burdens.

Micah 7:18.  Forgive and forget.

Ephesians 4:32.  Be kind and tender hearted.

1 Thessalonians 4:18.  Comfort one another.

Romans 4:21.  Keep your promises.

Acts 20:35.  Be supportive of one another.

Revelations 15:3.  Be true to each other.

Deuteronomy 15:11.  Look after each other.

Matthew 7:12.  Treat each other like you treat your friends.

but most important..

1 Peter 1:22.  Love one another deeply from the heart.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

Body-Mind-Spirit Connection at Sea: Holistic, Metaphysical and Spiritual Cruises

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

In these stressful times with the ongoing War on Terrorism, the US Presidential Election, and the roller coaster rides on Wall Street, it is becoming increasingly essential to take a holistic approach to our wellness and daily living for optimal health.

When we speak of holistic approaches to wellness, we touch on the body-mind-spirit connection necessary for a well-balanced living.  We discuss physical fitness, emotional intelligence, mental stability, and spiritual growth.  When we speak of balance, we work on ensuring we achieve balance in the 9 areas of our lives in Feng Shui terms:  work and career, love and romance, family and history, wealth and abundance, health, friendship and travel, children and creativity, wisdom and self-cultivation, fame and achievements.  Too much or lack of activity in any one area creates an imbalance in our lives.  All imbalances negatively affect our health and wellness.  Illnesses, setbacks and accidents at times occur to give us time to rest and relax, engage in self-reflection, and prioritize our lives.

Gina Alzate of Holistic Life Designs offers a series of workshops at sea on holistic living, metaphysical therapy and spiritual healing.  The ocean offers a perfectly calming backdrop filled with negative ions that are good for us, restoring our mental acuity and giving us clarity in purpose.  Time away from our stressors as well as a change in scenery give us opportunities to see things differently, gain different perspectives and insights, and uplift our spirits.  An all-inclusive vacation makes sense economically as it offers gourmet meals, lodging, entertainment and diverse cultures to experience, all priced lower than if one takes a vacation on land.  Holistic Life Designs at Sea takes us on holistic cruises to exotic destination spots throughout the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, and the Mediterranean.  To top it off, workshops on body-mind-spirit connection build skills for a lifetime filled with transformation and spiritual growth.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

Inner Journeys to the Soul

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

When you see or hear the phrase, “Inner journeys to the soul”, what perceptions come to you?  What visions do you get immediately?  What conversations start happening inside you?  What reactions do you have right away?  What thoughts come to mind instantly?

How you reacted to the phrase indicates what extra sensory perception is prominent with you.  If you immediately received visions, you may have the gift of clairvoyance.  If you started to hear dialogues inside your head, you may have the gift of clairaudience.  If you felt any sensations in your body, you may have the gift of clairsentience.  If you had an instant knowing but didn’t know where it came from, you may have the gift of claircognizance.

The operative phrase in this instance is ‘may have the gift of…’.  Some of us learned to come to terms with our gifts and use them for our own highest good.  Some deny themselves their own spiritual gifts for whatever reason such as religious beliefs, fear of the unknown, lack of knowledge of spiritual truths.  Some equate this as having supernatural powers.  Some dismiss the entire matter completely as nonsense.

Whatever the situation may be, these extra-sensory perceptions are normal and they illuminate our five physical sensories.  They take us to higher levels of understanding about the world and how we truly are a part of one another’s essence.  Following this line of understanding, whatever we do to others we then do to ourselves; and whatever we do to ourselves, we also do to others.  The ‘do’ part is not only our actions but also our thoughts, words, and feelings.  Our extra sensory perceptions allow us to have foresight and insight, to sense energies around us and gain intuition about our surroundings.  At a soul level, we all know the truth.

So, when you hear or see any phrase that catches your attention, pay equal attention to what follows within you.  I invite you to explore that side of you which may be the key to your achieving your greatest human potential.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

BlogTalkRadio is a Social Networking Forum for Discover the World with Gina Alzate Talk Show

I am new to BlogTalkRadio and I find that its platform for high interactive communication with listeners and hosts alike is fun, inviting and interesting.  I invite you to tune in to Journey with Gina and Discover the World on BlogTalkRadio when we launch our talk show on Tuesday at 2 PM Eastern time on September 30, 2008.  Come and have fun with us as we discuss world travel, diverse cultures, and inner journeys to the soul.  BlogTalkRadio is user-friendly.  Journey with Gina and Discover the World is hosted by Gina Alzate and Joan Branch of World Tours and Cruises, a full-service travel agency specializing in themed cruises and workshops at sea.

Looking at the World with Feng Shui Eyes

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

In the world of Feng Shui, the environment is critical in bringing harmony to the home, allowing energy to flow freely in one’s space which, in turn, allows for greater clarity in one’s mind.  Life transitions often shift the energy in one’s environment.  At times these transitions may come as being uprooted from a familiar space and transplanted in another. Or they may come in the form of the same space undergoing a change however slight.

Looking at the world with Feng Shui eyes gives us an objective look on the health of the environment.  Harmonious home designs which complement one another give a feeling of unity among the residents.  Nature-filled landscapes and scenic by-ways give the feeling of balanced living and groundedness.  The presence of wildlife in a space give the feeling of vitality and movement.  Spacious places to congregate, play and engage in convenience living give the sense of wealth and freedom.  Children freely playing in the park, on the playground and in the streets give the feeling of peace and safety.  People of all ages jogging, power walking with friends, strolling with family members and taking their dogs out for walks give a sense of community and health consciousness.  Tree-lined communities give the feeling of growth and prosperity.  Numbers of people headed together to church services, performing arts in the schools or game night in the community center give the sense of responsibility and stronger networks.

When transitions occur in a home, a neighborhood or in a much larger community, the environment reflects the effects of the energy shifts as well.  Evaluate the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ pictures of the space, and assess the immediate effects of the change.  Does the energy feel like it is flowing with greater freedom in the space?  Do the people who live, work and play in the space seem to feel a greater sense of well-being and vitality?  Does the space feel bright and uplifting when you enter it? Do people feel more motivated and inspired to be creative and productive because of the change?  Do the children look happy and smiling and are they laughing as they freely play in the space?  Do wild and domesticated animals seem calm and content as can be determined by their natural movements in the space?

Looking at the world with Feng Shui eyes reveal so much about us.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.

Watching Life From The Sidelines, A Commentator’s Perspective

By Gina Alzate, The Concept Whiz

Isn’t it fascinating how comments, blurbs, remarks just keep on coming like projectiles without aims when someone else is in the hot seat?  Somehow we take on the role of judge, jury and prosecutor all in one hat, yet seeing the situation from one perspective, ours.  It sounds much more effortless to comment when we are not the ones burdened by opinion or evaluation.

I wonder if we are aware that every word and action that comes from us reflect our values, beliefs and philosophy in life.  What fascinates me even more is how careless these barbs can get thrown at an unsuspecting target, that co-lateral damages often occur.  I often wonder when do we forget that people are people everywhere with feelings and thoughts, with dreams and fears, with loved ones.  What is more revealing regarding our writings and speeches are the dislikes we reveal about ourselves that the situation at hand may have been reminders of hurtful experiences, painful significant emotional events, or hateful occurrences in our lives.

There is so much to be learned from the way we communicate, the topic that warrants our need for discussion, or the manner we deliver messages.  Speakers and writers fascinate me, as they offer me mini-journeys into their world through their words and actions.  In essence, when we are the audience, it is important that we are discerning readers and listeners continually engaging our critical thinking skills.  Otherwise, we ride the coat tails of writers’ and speakers’ perceptions, and, in turn, be persuaded to discover the world through their meaning of reality and from the lessons of their journeys.

About Gina Alzate

Gina Alzate is The Concept Whiz. She is Holistic Life Designs’ Metaphysical Therapy Educator. She is Host of several online radio talk shows and Broadcaster for World Radio 365. She is a lifelong student of Leadership and Empowerment, World Travels and Diverse Cultures, Metaphysics, Holistic Health and Spirituality. She teaches about human consciousness and personal awareness through radio broadcasting, writing and workshops on land and at sea. Contact her through World Tours and Cruises. Follow her on Twitter @GinaAlzate.