Tag: diversity

Accept and embrace our differences

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in Life Journey

~Toni O’KEEFFE

It’s those who are different than us, that might make the biggest difference in our lives.

While it might be easier and feel safer, to be around those who are similar, its the ones who think, live, look and believe differently than we do, that provide the best opportunities to learn, grow and deepen our understanding of the world and ourselves.

Spending time with those who’ve had different life experiences, are older or younger, have different educational, cultural and religious backgrounds, lead us to be more open minded, tolerant, accepting and generally better, kinder, well-rounded individuals.

During my professional career, I always tried to hire people who were different than me and thought differently than me. I learnt more from those individuals than I’m sure they ever learnt from me. The more diverse the team was, the better our collective outcomes were.

Being open to building personal and even romantic relationships with those who are different than us, might help us grow and succeed in ways we had never imagined and, may lead us to living more interesting lives.

It’s usually our fear of what’s different that causes conflict. When we take the time to learn about the things that make us different, and accept the fact that we do not know it all, the fear fades and is replaced by tolerance, appreciation, personal growth, new knowledge and healthier relationships in all aspects of our lives.

Your ideas, and your ways of knowing, being and doing, might be exactly what I need to grow and move my life forward. Likewise, I might possess qualities or knowledge that help you grow into your best self.

The strength and support we can offer each other does not always come from our similarities, but from the unique, and interesting, things that make us different.

Toni O’KEEFFE ~🌹❤️

Stop making so much noise

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in grief, healing, life challenges, Life Journey, loss, Love and relationships, nature, peace, Reflection, self discovery, Spiritual, Uncategorized

By Toni O’Keeffe

We’re all so busy making noise we can’t hear the sage whispers of truth flowing from our whimsy, tired souls.

We need PEACE, We need PAUSE, We need QUIET.

When we’re busy being loud, spewing anger, hating, judging, mocking or insulting others for who they are or how they live their lives, we’re really reflecting our own fears, low self-esteem, ignorance and insecurities back into the world.

We need to be at peace with ourselves before we can be at peace with the rest of the world. Hate, anger, jealousy, greed, or the desire to control or change others is a reflection of what’s broken inside each of us.

At the heart of every human being, is a soul wanting to live peacefully, wanting to love and be loved. At our very core that’s who we are.
That’s who YOU really are.

If we want to fix our shattered little world, we have to stop making so much noise. We have to stop asking others to change. Individually, WE have to change. We have to change the way we look at ourselves and how we accept each other.

This little shit storm we have going on across the planet, is ridiculous and can be fixed. We’ve all been given a huge time out to go back into our corners and look inward. We’re wasting the opportunity.

If we don’t learn the lessons from this period in our history, I believe the next wave of this global “punch-to-the-gut” will be more painful than anything we’ve ever felt before. It might be a full-blown knock out.

Our souls know how to get along. Their trying to tell us to take care of one another, to be kind, loving and compassionate, all we need is the will. The problem is, we’re not all listening.

So let’s all stop making so much noise and listen to what the universe and our soul are telling us.

Really, let’s all shut the “F” up, close our eyes, inhale peace, exhale gratitude and start listening. I say that with a heart filled with love for every single one of you,
Love Toni

None of us are getting out of this alive

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in family, friendship, healing, life challenges, Life Journey, Love and relationships, peace, Reflection, self discovery, Spiritual

By Toni O’Keeffe

It doesn’t matter if you’re a cop,
a gas station attendant, doctor, farmer,
black, white, brown, Irish, Italian, Asian,
catholic, jewish, atheist,
gay, straight, male, female, trans,
short, tall, rich, poor ~ whatever,
We have to stop hurting, judging and killing each other. Because this crap that’s playing out, nobody’s winning.
We all have it in us to be kind, compassionate, peaceful and loving, even when we disagree, especially when we disagree.
Please try and exercise your kindness muscle today. If you can’t do that, then just stay home, drink beer, eat chocolate, pet your dog, do what you do and stop wasting precious time worrying about how others live their lives.
In the end, none of us are getting out of this alive.
None of us.
Not one.
Nope not even you.
Love Toni xo

We’re not here to be the same.

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in family, friendship, healing, life challenges, Life Journey, loss, Love and relationships, nature, peace, Reflection, self discovery, Spiritual

By Toni O’Keeffe

The sun does not twinkle like the stars.
A rose can not bloom into a buttercup.
And, you can’t yell at a tulip and demand that it grow into a daffodil, (well you can, but you’re wasting your breath).

Some flowers bloom in the spring, some bloom in the summer. Some need a little rain, some need a lot. Every flower is a miracle, even the ones we call weeds and each one will bloom when it’s their time.

The most beautiful gardens are a blend of splendid colours, varying shapes and sizes and home to an interesting collection of birds, bees, bugs and little ponds filled with all sorts of fascinating life that happily coexist.

You and I are a part of this garden of 7.5 billion little creatures splashing around in different ponds, trying to coexist.

Perhaps, if we were a little more patient, more tolerant and a little more kind towards each other we could “happily” coexist.

So can we please appreciate our unique and beautiful differences and stop yelling at each other to be the same? It serves no purpose, because in the end, we can only bloom into who we’re meant to be.

Toni O’K ~ ❤️🌹