WHO ARE YOU...REALLY?

"To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. You must condition the mind, body and soul to understand that you are one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other. We make ourselves into who we want to be"— Carlos Castaneda



 This is something I try to live every day. It can be a struggle at times, but if you truly practice living out this quotation you will see how very true it is.

A few years ago I met someone who now mentors me in my career today. I remember the first time I spoke with him. He already knew about me (who I was and want I wanted to do with my life) but his job was to make me REALLY want it.

The first thing he asked me was: “ So who are you?” Confused I answered I’m Gia. “No, who are you?” Again, confused at what he wanted me to say, I remained silent. “How do people know you in this world? What do you do for a living – WHO ARE YOU?” I replied: “Ohhh, I work within Government.” Now it was his turn to look at me confused. “Is that who you are, Gia?”, he asked. “Is that what you want people to know/see when they hear your name or look at you?” “Is THAT what you were meant to do for the rest of your life, Gia?” “Who are you, really?”

I wasn’t exactly sure that the answer I was about to give was the correct one but it exploded out of me as if my heart just awakened for the sole purpose of answering this question. “I want to be a Writer” He smiled. “That’s right, you do, don’t you, Gia?” And I did. With every fibre of my being.

I don’t want to be doing what I was, but had to in order to survive-for the moment. But my mentor taught me that in order to truly attain the dream I wanted, I had to live it. Of course, I couldn’t quit my day job, because it paid the bills for now (barely does even that most days) so how was I going to do this? Then, he told me one final thing that I have never forgotten: “ You have to live with your dream in the present.
Therefore, if you have to STOP telling yourself and others that Gia is an “aspiring Writer” .

You have to stop saying that “someday I would like to be a published author” What you MUST do is begin telling others and yourself that you ARE a Writer. That you ARE an author. His lesson was simply that. If one believes whole-heartedly in themselves and the dreams/aspirations they have for their life, they MUST live in the present with them. So I conditioned my mind to understand that I AM a Writer…NOW. Not that I will be, but that I AM…NOW!

I didn’t exactly understand how that would bring me closer to my dream OR how it would help but I was willing to try it.

So whenever someone asked me what I do for a living, I simply replied: “I’m a Writer” Not someday plan to be. Not someday will be. I AM A WRITER..today! Soon my entire psychology about it all changed. Physiologically, I had learned to program my mind to become in sync with my soul and feel (whole-heartedly) that I was a Writer.

Then, some magic happened. I began my own blog page and then went on from there to create LIFE AFX. I began to receive emails from people who loved my work/my writing and started a fan base.

Then, I was given the opportunity to write for my Government newsletter and became published for different articles. Following that, I was given another opportunity at work to become a Writing Coordinator, working with the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Government program I am affiliated with. And so on.. It just seemed to snowball from there.

Who would have thought that from a simple “frame of mind” setting that all this (and more) would come from it? Certainly not I. I am forever grateful, that I have learned this lesson, for it has changed my life in more ways than I can count.

Hi Everyone! My name is Gia and I’m a singer/songwriter and author. I work with and collaborate with different artists, musicians, DJ’s and writers to create music and words for the world to see and hear. Within this life, I will forever be known as the woman who adored music and writing so much that I just had to bring my touch to it and share it with all of you. It is who I am…who I’ve always been. I AM all of these things and more, so thank you for allowing me to bring you all forms of my expressions!

LOVE & WORTH BY NUMBERS

I was on my way one night, grabbing an herbal tea from the local java hut near my place, when I overheard two teenage girls having a conversation in front of me. I didn’t pay much mind to them (as I was busy fooling around with my iPhone) until I heard this:

“I always make myself throw up after I eat nowadays cuz I don’t wanna get fat. Tony will dump me if I gain any weight”.

I swallowed hard but remained quiet. I looked up at her and I could swear I was starring right back at myself. That could have very well been me Twenty some odd years ago. Boy how things have NOT changed.

As women, we constantly and continuously judge our worth by what men (or people in general) see. At that age, we look at the men in our lives and think how perfect they are and how lucky we are to have them, rather than telling ourselves just how damn lucky they are to have US too!!! In all this time we haven’t really evolved from that point of perception and it scares me.

More than ever before, we've become a world that basis love or the self-worth of individuals by numbers.  An IQ score, a credit rating, a balance amount in your bank accounts, the K we make in year and the killer of them all - the numbers on a scale.  We are all what I like to call "Loved By Numbers" and I for one and sick of it.  How dare we continue to allow life to dictate who can be loved?  How can we continue to all life to portary who will be loved based on what they look like? When put like that it sounds kind of sickening, doesn't it?  Yet we ALL allow it to happen.  We are ALL guilty of it in some form or fashion. 

Love and worth by numbers.  It is the root of all addictions, suicides, bullying, anxiety and depression.  It all scares me.

It scares me because I have a one-year old niece, Emily (whom I love and adore more than life itself) and I would NEVER want her to feel (even for one second) how I, this girl or the millions of others have. It would kill me. I honestly believe that if I EVER heard one individual (a family member/friend or stranger) make a derogatory comment to her about her weight/appearance (or otherwise) in my presence; they would see a side of me that seldom people do-I assure you! That kind of thing will NEVER be tolerated by me.

There was a time not too long ago when I didn’t think I was worth much as a Lady or as a human being.  I was a very confident and happy child who turned into a rebellious, angry teenager who couldn’t see just how incredible, wonderful or amazing she was and would never have believed it even if you told her. Sad is really the word for what it was. Instead of keeping negative comments away from me, I took what others said as “my known worth of myself and what I had to offer”.  What most individuals don’t understand is that words run deep.  Deeper than blood at times and hit harder than any punch ever could.  It took years of being a grown up to get that confidence and self-worth back. There are still days that I get caught up in challenging situations and forget. The scary part of it all (when that happens) is that in the blink of an eye I can bring all that negativity back to my once again.  Words are powerful.  You can forgive them but once they are spoken, hurtful words will NEVER and can NEVER be forgotten-especially to a child/young adult.

I see so many "ME's" out there in so many young women and I just want to cry out to them "It's going to get better. You'll truly be ok someday. That what doesn’t kill you will certainly make you stronger". Then I thought, how many more there could be roaming around feeling the same way. So I decided to post a reminder for myself and all women, here today:

WE should never play by anyone's rules, because we make our own. Create your futures, don't just succumb to what others believe we should be. YOU ARE AMAZING AS YOU ARE! Stronger than you know. More beautiful than you think. Worthier than you believe. More loved than you can ever imagine. Passionate about making a difference. Fiery when protecting those you love. Learning. Growing. Not alone. Warm. Giving. Generous. Quirky. Sexy. Funny. Smart. Flawed. Whole. Scared. Brave and so much more. So, Be Strong. Be Confident. Most importantly always BE YOU!!!”

 "To all young women out there today who struggle with just trying to be enough so that you will be loved by a man:  Always know that the love and respect that you have for yourself will always be LOUDER than anything.  Always, ALWAYS trust in that" 

WELCOME TO LIFE AFX ... THE WEBSITE



www.lifeafx.com

I wanted to take the opportunity to properly introduce my new website to the world, but most importantly to all of you-my dearest fans.


I know that this is long overdue and that many of you have awaited it’s arrival for some time. I am so honoured and grateful for all your emails with suggestions and input on the site. They were all well received. I truly mean it when I say that LIFE AFX would have never flourished without any of you. Thank you for taking in this silly girls words and made them significant in your life. I cannot tell you how much you all mean to me.

So, essentially the site will be in focus and cause to nurture my writing further, of course. However, it will also be to begin the Promotion of different artists that I will be working with, in order to get their careers started or furthering them within the industry. Being a struggling/starving artist myself, I know how hard it is to get your name/work out there. To make it known to the world. To follow your dreams and your passions. So my big focus will be bringing the world articles and bios to help promote artists/clients that I believe have that X-Factor; and bring Public Relations to a whole other level for them. You may even see some of my own music here someday. One never knows what the future can hold!!

As well as my own blog writing and artist promos, I still wanted to keep a fun/fresh vibe to the page, so I have decided to keep the “LIFE AFX Horoscope and Dating 101 pages” going.

The Horoscope will be PERSONALLY written by “yours truly” each month, and it will be my very own take on your sign and what I believe will be in store for you each month. A little light and funny reading in a world where all is taken WAY too seriously. So I really hope you all enjoy it.

Being that I’m currently in the dating scene, I thought it would be fun to take you on some of my journeys, as well as the journeys of others. This page will display dating stories, frequently asked dating questions, polls, dating rants, pictures and advice for men on what Ladies really want from them. Yes, that’s right! You may just find out how the “caramel filling gets into the caramilk chocolate bar” sort of speak…LOL! BUT.. you will have to keep logging on to find out. So if you’re currently in the dating world (like me), recently been rescued from the scene or are happily married with children – there will always be something in this section to make you go: “Hmmm..”

Now I have one more surprise left to tell you about, but I will keep that little secret to myself a little while longer. What I will say, is that there will be a special “Toronto Celebrity” who will be joining the LIFE AFX family in the near future with their very own page on my site. Trust me, you won’t wanna miss it!

So, needless to say I am extremely excited to see where this journey will take me and how it will unfold. For now, I’m enjoying the ride!

I truly hope you all enjoy the site. Please feel free to write me anytime at: gia@lifeafx.com

For artists interested in Promotions, Public Relations or collaborations please contact:  info@lifeafx.com

For individuals or organizations interested in hiring LIFE AFX for writing opportunities please contact:  info@lifeafx.com

Your emails are always welcome.

PEACE

http://www.lifeafx.com/