Collective Consciousness; a Tech Revolution?

Let's start with a plain fact. It's 2015. The technology that is available right now (and at our finger tips) evokes something out of a science fiction novel and yet there generally seems to be a lack of wonderment in our global society. If we stop to consider that a person in poverty with a cellphone today has better communications technology then the US president did just 25 years ago, perhaps it might help us gain some perspective regarding the sheer speed of our technological advances. It's all happening right now!

So for a while I thought we as humans had come to a halt in evolution. Natural selection becoming a redundant principle. No longer should it apply in a society that nurture the ill, elderly and disabled, right? But I've just come to realise how wrong I was! In truth (inspired by the words of Jason Silva, Duncan Trussell and Joe Rogan) our minds are now evolving through the integration of technology. We now identify our technology as part of us. Our smart phones an extension of our hands that have given us a sixth sense of telepathy! I mean, we are literally transmitting our thoughts through time and space at the speed of light to people half way across the globe with the tips of our fingers. I still have a hard time grasping the fact that human minds created the revolutionary smart phone. The brightest of us our literally shaping our modern reality with these inventions,  so many of us already living much of our lives in online. In this 'dimension' (if you will) where we live our lives virtually, we can share thoughts and moments with a global community of people also living online. Now clearly it is easy to take advantage of this technology, getting lost in an online reality or an online persona of yourself that doesn't truthfully reflect your intentions. But beyond the linear land of social media there is a mass community of intellectuals and explorers alike, discussing and sharing alternative ideas about all aspects of life here on earth. And quite frankly it is revolutionary.

Technology has become part of our evolution and there is a whole nation of independent thinkers who are utilising the internet to expand our consciousness and break down 'standard' realities to unearth a much bigger picture.  I think the purpose of this post is to encourage more of us to get online and join this global conversation. What's actually happening right now? What can we do to make this world better. How can we inspire change? How can we become better people? How can we be happy and make others happy? How can we influence the culture to be more open minded to alternative ideas?  Too may people are taking the technology we have for granted when we can be using it to kickstart a revolution of ethical, openminded thinkers who's aim is to uncover, question, discover and explore! We can only evolve if we begin to use the tools we have created to learn more and act on those teachings.

I mean the access to global information we have today, juxtaposed to that as little as 20 years ago is actually phenomenal. The time has arrived that a person can now have total access to all available information/ideas on or about pretty much everything without having to continue in education. Think about it. Information is FREE..yet we pay so much for an 'education'? I mean, when our parents finished school they had but only a slither of independent or alternative work options that are now available to everyone.  Anybody has the opportunity to set up a free 'virtual' store online, or make money through blogging or writing for online publications. The internet has given us limitless options for freedom (to work for ourselves ect.) and yet so many of this generation are living off old passed down values that quite frankly are out of date!!! No offence to your mum and dad...times are just moving fast and not everybody can keep up. Our parents generation were raised along side an entirely different system and ours is jumping on the band-waggon for change in this tech revolution. Just imagine what our children's lives will be like. Most likely an entirely different reality from our own!                                                                                
                                                                                                                     
I hope this post triggered some of your curiosity on how you can be more resourceful online. I've also taken it upon myself to save you the hard work of browsing and compile a list of revolutionary spaces on the web to expand your consciousness and question your realities!

WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION!:

http://www.highexistence.com/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/PowerfulJRE

https://www.ted.com/

https://news.vice.com/

Mika x

I QUIT MY JOB

I could think of one main difference between spiritual and ego-driven people; it comes down to what you see when confronted with the night sky. 

I guess that most egotistic individuals scarcely notice the sky, let alone star gaze (and I say this having spent most of my life in an ego bubble). But what I've found is that, the further I seek to learn about spirituality, philosophy and consciousness, the further into our universe I see. When I look at the stars I now see infinity. I see past our world and my problems. I see the insignificance of man and all it's beauty. I am reminded that I am simply a flesh vehicle, navigating around this organic spaceship flying through infinity. And that is why I quit my job. 

I recently listened to a Joe Rogan podcast titled "Floating in Infinity" where he rightly points out that on a daily basis we have a bigger view of infinity than we do of the ground we walk on, yet to most people, the fact that we're just tiny monkeys floating around infinite space on a giant rock is too difficult a concept to grasp, or perhaps just too overwhelming and so people accept that we just live in space, and they get on with their mundane self-centred lives never even bothering to look up. I want to shout at these people. Not a message of hate but more along the lines of "YOU'RE PART OF SOMETHING SO MUCH BIGGER HERE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THAT SHITTY JOB OR SHITTY BOYFRIEND. YOUR PROBLEMS AREN'T REAL PROBLEMS AND YOU HAVE NO REASON TO BE UPSET. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL JUST LOOK INTO NATURE AND BE AT PEACE!"...I don't know...something like that.

I guess it just dawned on me that I would rather take the longer route to my goals and be free and contented by blogging, than settle for the stable source of income, stuck in a job that failed to fulfil my itching need to spill my creativity and wanderlust out into the world! I feel that as a developed species we suffer with the problem of too frequently living in our own thoughts. I believe this makes it evermore difficult for people to  live in the present and actually appreciate the beauty and reality of the world we live in. The world is no longer real but just a half lived in dreary place, where we fail to see past our own social circle. I believe it is this state that provokes people to chase possessions and power (a means to give them purpose), feeding the ego and suppressing consciousness and oneness. This is the main reason why we are exploiting the planet and our resources. It is this sense of detachment from nature and our origins won over by the egotistic notion that 'I' is are centre of the universe and anything we don't see or that doesn't directly affect us doesn't exist or is simply irrelevent. Can anybody else see how fucked up this is??? SO, I refuse to let myself settle in to that robotic nature. Whenever I settle too far into routine I forget to be ALIVE. I forget that I am not the only sentient being that matters! Apparently it takes folding hundreds of napkins and polishing endless amounts of cutlery to have this epiphany. Enough is enough! 

People told me I couldn't work for myself. But here I am, 19, freelance, happy and OH SHIT yea, actually making money. So here's little old me tellin' you, you don't have to settle. Take a look at the stars tonight and fucking let it resonate that life is not about desk work or fancy cars. Work should not feel like work. So don't GIVE UP, please for the love of god don't give up on a chance to be happier! If you hate your job, find another, if you want to start a new, sell some shit, book a flight, have an adventure! This life is your incarnation and you get to do what you want with it. So make a promise to yourself right now to seek out and prioritise happiness (not just yours but others!). Increase your awareness of consciousness and earthly compassion so you can feel good in this existence.

P E R F E C T I O N I S M ; A MENTAL ILLNESS?

From a young age I was singled out as a perfectionist. My teachers would praise me on my above average intelligence. From primary school onwards I was placed into higher sets and as a result, began to measure my success on my competitive standing; how my grades ranked against others. I was impressionable, having not yet reached an age of independent thought and thus formed behavioural habits that distort how I view myself in ways outside of my intellect even now e.g self image.

This is one of the many issues with education I feel is corrupting creative, evolving minds. To rank all individuals of different abilities, different strengths, solely on the ability to take a test, not on the way in which the test was studied for, is inflicting all young people. To put it bluntly, half of young adults finishing school think they are idiots, and the other half are setting themselves up for a lifetime of fault finding and unworthiness at this strive for unattainable perfectionism..

Although the term 'perfectionism' is not often directly associated with mental health or even considered a disorder in itself, a recent epiphany has allowed me to reflect on my past and acknowledge many self depreciating habits that have formed due to this behavioural trend (ingrained in my schooling years). 

For one, In the past decade or so I developed a disorder known as Body Dysmorphia. (A real pain in the ass that one.) My perfectionism evolved to the stage where my physical appearance, specifically my weight/body shape became the sole indicator of my emotive state, and the 'perfectionist' that I am -or perhaps was- you can probably guess, I was almost never content. As my self image plummeted -mainly due to media propaganda in my early teens- my eating habits also took a turn for the worst and I developed unhealthy obsessions such as calorie counting, severe food restriction and purging after meals. (...I know this post is rough going at the moment folks, but try to stick with me..)

In only very recent times have I become a conscious enough thinker to acknowledge these feelings regarding my self image as irrational. And although the feelings still linger and affect my behaviour, I can now deal with my disorder in a much healthier way and can sometimes even override the emotive outcome of my disordered subconscious thought process, through internal analysis of those thoughts! Amazing what you can achieve with self awareness, discipline and conscious thinking! 

By summarising my own experiences growing with this prescribed personality trait, I hope to inspire insight as I share with you the actions I believe must be taken in future; We need to nurture our children -and all younger generations to come- with new, positive ideals, that praise our imperfect individual selves. We need to stop telling children what they are good at but start praising them for their efforts instead. We need to stop feeding children one ideal of beauty and instead teach them to acknowledge kindness as beauty. Let's put an end to the idolisation of celebrities ranked on appearance! 

We need to recognise that inspiring perfectionism in young humans is cruel. We should not just classify a child with that shitty word and all it's connotations and then encourage their unknowing desire to be forever unfulfilled with self criticism! We need to become better advocates for self love not only for the children of tomorrow but the people of today. 

For those of you who read this post as self proclaimed 'perfectionists' like myself, know that with conscious thinking and practice, you can become more self accepting and forgiving of your imperfections. I'm still working on this, but if you feel like a post on overcoming perfectionism might be useful, do let ya gal know. I'll try my best to give a little insight.

And just remember folk, that the word 'perfect' is but only an idea of an ideal, and I for one feel warmly that in nature, the term miraculous is the only fitting word of description. 

So yes, you are miraculous, now go make yourself a cup of tea.

Mika x

T E D

This post requires little text, all I'm hoping is that you take the time to watch these, it might just change your life! 

Mika x

F. O. S. T.

It's easy, perhaps even logical to fear the unknown. We humans are creatures of habit. We are conditioned by nature to feel safest surrounded by what we know, in our familiar environments. However, isn't it always the case that what we truly desire, what will genuinely challenge us to become stronger, better and wiser versions of ourselves lies just outside our comfort zones?

It is my belief, that routine and these comfort zones we construct, are what truthfully cripple us in living a most fulfilled life. We have all experienced a life of routine, perhaps never even straying from the path set out for us by society. So with that I ask you to recall a period of your life -perhaps this even applies to the present- when you simply did not notice the faces of the people you passed on your way to work. When was the last time you looked up at the night sky just to stare at the stars? Is there a period of your life that you genuinely can't remember because every day was only a slight variation from the last? These thoughts used to terrify me. Not only was I living a life detached from what made it so beautiful and fascinating, but I had given up before I had even started seeking something MORE. My biggest fear was the thought that when I came to the end of my life, I would look back at only a blur of mechanical movements. Just shifting through the years, only to recall short holidays, or some lone incidents I may have stumbled in to. 

I made the decision to OVERRIDE my future. To make my own destiny and seek an existence that leads me on a constant path of discovery and awe because the TRUTH is, we forget too much of our lives!  The time spent filling the void between the next holiday, the next weekend whatever it is, it's not living.

So this is why travel is so important. It's a chance for us to create memories spent seeking a truer existence! Resist the tug of conformity in order to truly fulfil that desire and curiosity once so wild and pressing when you were a child! I mean, why is it that we seem to lose this desire to explore as we grow older? Is it really because of societies constant pressure to follow a set path? It's time to un-teach yourself that of which the older generations have concluded. You don't have to give up living in order to find security and 'success'. Is not the real success but being happy?

So lets talk about the fears and rationalities of those fears that come with solo travel. Firstly, you might be wondering, "But wouldn't it be preferable if possible to not travel alone?". Absolutely not! Here's why;

Solo travel is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself. Speaking from the perspective of someone who has suffered with anxiety amongst other mental health issues, I can tell you honestly and confidently that it would be the most positive, self assuring thing you will ever do. Overcoming anxiety is something that has changed my present life to the point where I feel like a completely different person! It made me realise that I was capable of enduring much more than I gave myself credit for. It was the first time I'd been truly self-reliant. With no home comforts or family around for me to lean on, I had to dig deep and deal with my problems in different ways, which often meant tackling the situation head on. It was either find away around the problem or be stuck at a stand still. Anxiety suddenly became an irrelevant issue, for once I knew what I was capable of, I only began pushing myself further!

If what you're worried about is being alone, I can tell you now, that will be the least of your problems. Making friends on the road is as easy as "hi!". In the 3 months I travelled around South East Asia, not once did I feel alone. I would even make friends whilst sitting in the airport waiting for my gate to open. It's not hard to spot someone who's backpacking, and given that 90% of the travellers I met were going it alone, everyone is in the same boat and is just as grateful for your companionship as you are for theirs. 

You reach new levels of companionship on the road. Spending 24/7 with people means relationships grow quickly. After a week with one person you feel like you've been friends for life. I even remain in contact with some people I spent less than a day with. One crazy night can bond people for life! 

The next issue people are often faced with is the old urban legends! Horror stories of muggings, cons, illness! Let's tackle this now; you might get mugged, you might get sick, you just could trip over your own feet and die! But you forget that you're also liable to these possibilities every day in your home country and yet it doesn't stop you leaving the house! Granted the possibility of these things happening abroad does increase the drama factor, but rest assured as long as your travelling you will be surrounded by fellow backpackers and locals who will just about bend over backwards to help you, because like anywhere in the world, there is good and there is evil. Keep your wits about you and you will survive!

If it helps, compare your fear to the rewards; day dream the 'what if's' or actually set out and see those incredible places, taste the food, submerge in culture and lose your insecurities with the help of like minded people!

I'm hoping some of what I've touched on is enough in itself to inspire you to take a leap of faith! But if you're still lacking the courage, you can always ease yourself in with a tour to build up your confidence. People never tell you how easy it will be, but theres a whole world of possibility out there and you're lucky enough to have it in your grasp!  

If you don't want to be subjected to living in a 'zombified state', be bold enough to decondition your thinking and begin the search for your own reality. Wake up and realise there is no map for how to live your life! Let's continue to follow this urge to find purpose and retain our desire to explore and understand. It is either this or stay oppressed by fear of the unknown, to not live but instead slowly die? Let's encourage each other to stay curious! Let us be brave and reckless! Because after all, the word reality is just that, a word.

Happy travels,

Mika.

W I L D D A Z E

Recently I have had this overwhelming feeling that my ideals, my morality, no longer coincide with the projection I am feeding the world through my blog and YouTube.

I can only describe my wanting to make this change as a personal evolution of ethics and a shift in what I actually want to get out of this life. In other words, I'm growing up, and I want to take this blog with me. I have made the decision to shift away from fashion and beauty, and instead make a real contribution to the world. Dream big right? Wild Daze is my new project. I want this blog to be a candid representation of my life. An outlet for my thoughts on real questions, a place for me to share my adventures and inspiration. A place that harnesses all the good and bad in my life and tries to make some sense of it all. I want to post about travel, food, philosophy and maybe drop some personal style in there along the way. 

I don't have much of a plan for this life but one thing I certainly have decided is that I'm not going to attempt to become every other UK youtuber or blogger in order to succeed. I see a formulaic structure to the way one succeeds on youtube and as a result these beautiful girls with identical personalities are churning out the same videos week in and week out and frankly I can't stand by it any longer. I do want to clarify right here and now that I still respect and admire all bloggers and youtubers for pursuing their passions and unleashing their creativity on the world but I believe my purpose here is to stay true to my differences and create something that reflects my ethos without being another cog in the machine. 

Although I remain forever flattered and humbled by the amenities that come with being a 'fashion blogger',  I do not wish to be adorned or praised for my narcissism any longer! Nor do I want to give people this false perception that my eccentric personal style is the only/most important aspect of my being. I am still happy to work with brands I believe in for any personal style segments on my blog or youtube but I no longer want to to dictate how my blog is run. 

Personal style will forever remain as a segment on my YouTube and blog (and I shall continue to document it on my instagram) because it's always been one of the sweeter forms of self expression for myself and one that I still take much gratification from. However I am going to cut down on the amount of work I do in fashion, as I don't think it's right for me to still enjoy all these perks when I can't help shake the feeling I don't share the same values as the people I'm working with. I want to spread more positivity on subjects that exclude external beauty and materialism. Hopefully I too will start to become more of the change I want to see.

What else is to come? At this point it is unclear! But Mika Francis is now a lifestyle blogger! Let it be known! 

I hope you decide to follow my adventure. I love you all.

P.s look out for the relaunch and re-branding of my channel happening in the next month. If you are reading this you'll know in advance what is coming!

Mika x