Challenge Accepted! Here Are 5 (Quirky) Things about Me...

I've recently joined Steemit and I'm already extremely pleased with what I see here.

To me, it looks like Steemit brings the best out of people. People are caring, supportive, generous. They are genuinely interested to get to know each other, support each other's journeys and raise the collective consciousness.

So I readily accepted @abigail-dantes's challenge to share five things about me, hoping to meet more people with similar interests and vibe.

1. The greatest leap of faith I've taken in my life so far was dropping out of a law degree to pursue an alternative lifestyle.

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I was 20 years old, an industrious law student with high chances of success.

I had worked my ass off during high school in my home country (Romania) to get admitted into a prestigious law university in London, U.K.

(Dreaming of working at the Royal Courts of Justice, London...)

But life had other plans in store for me...

I experienced what some call an "awakening".

I realized that my thoughts create my reality...

... that I wasn't a victim of my condition or my circumstances...

... that it stood in my power to leave behind that which didn't reflect who I truly was and embrace that which did...

I learnt that the society we live in doesn't have our best interests at heart, that MATRIX wasn't a sci-fi movie, but a DOCUMENTARY!!!

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That radically changed my perception about the validity of my studies.

Was I studying to become an enforcer of a system that manipulates, controls and instils fear in its citizens?

NO WAY. Not anymore. I had to make a CHANGE.

So I took the leap of faith and followed my heart into the unknown.

Luckily enough, I had been introduced into the world of alternative therapies and healing (Emotional Freedom Technique and Matrix Reimprinting).

Everything I had been studying in my spiritual books and videos suddenly began to make sense!

With the aid of those techniques I could transform my dysfunctional beliefs, heal my childhood wounds and find inner peace!

So I dropped out of uni and started training to become an EFT practitioner myself.

I couldn't tell my family about the sudden change, until one year later...

I'm going to continue the story in my #DiaryOfAFreeSpirit pages that are coming very, very soon on my Steemit blog... Stay tuned!

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2. I am choosing celibacy for the first 6 months of 2018, after being in an open relationship for two years and a short-lived monogamous one.

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Since I was 16, I've been constantly in and out of relationships... Jumping from one to another, as I fall so easily in love!

The longest period without having a boyfriend in between was maybe 2-3 months?

I even got involved in a three-way relationship, but it took me three months to realize I was kinda losing myself inside it...

Relationships have been the cradle inside which I have learnt so much about myself. From facing my deepest shadows to experiencing my most heavenly elation, I've grown exponentially with every lover who raised a mirror to see myself better...

When I love, I give my all... When I love, I merge with my beloved to the point of even forgetting who I am...

That may sound sublimely poetical. Practically speaking, though, I developed a tendency to neglect my own stuff while being so deeply immersed in the learning curve of a relationship.

2018, though, I make a different choice. I decided to really walk my talk of SELF-LOVE and be in a committed relationship with myself and my soul's purpose.

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(Extending a hand to myself... photo taken by my dear friend David Weeden)

I even turned down an invitation to be with a sweetheart of mine in Australia... because I know it's so important for me to mature and grow in my own way now.

And I have a lot of things to do... like engaging on Steemit! Offering high-quality content, inspiration and positive vibes to the world through this incredible platform. Wish me luck!

3. I have been writing diaries since I was 12.

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The practice of journaling has been and continues to be my most intimate, cathartic and healing act.

I was a very introvert teen. I used to think that nobody would understand me and the intensity of my inner life, so I found solace and refuge in my diaries, which I carry with me wherever I move.

Nowadays I write my morning pages, a practice inspired by Julia Cameron in the book "The Artist's Way".

My morning pages open a space for a free-flow stream of consciousness about absolutely everything and anything - whatever comes through, is allowed to express.

No judgment, no holding back, no adjustments - my mind and heart unite in one voice that sings a different song every morning. It's fascinating. It's pure. It's expansive.

Journaling helps me become a better person, by bringing awareness and unconditional loving presence to all my struggles and joys expressed in written form.

4. My name, Bristena, comes from a legend about the Daco-Roman fights, 2000 years ago in the territory of current Romania.

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According to the legend, Bristena was a warrior girl who helped liberate her father, the commander of the Dacian army, from Roman imprisonment (that happened when the Romans were trying to conquer the area and expand their empire).

But she didn't do it herself - she was aided by magical forces: a witch and some other elements which I cannot recall because I haven't read the story in a long time. (By the way, the original version is nowhere to be found on the internet so I need to find the book)

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Another interesting thing is that my mother read the legend when she was 14 and decided that her future daughter was going to be named after the heroine.

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During her pregnancy, my mom prayed that her baby would be born a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. And her prayers were answered!

My name is quite rare, and most people find it hard to pronounce it at first. I got used to this, and I quite enjoy the diversity of ways my name can be tweaked into.

The short version is simply Bris, so feel free to call me like that if you want!

5. My grandad is a well-known poet and journalist in my home-country, Romania. He instilled in me my passion for writing, nature and travels.

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He has written 14 books and is the chief-editor of a cultural magazine in our home-town, Galati, since the year 2000.

He is actually my first spiritual mentor. I have a beautiful relationship with him.

I feel an enormous amount of trust from him, which has given me roots to feel deeply grounded and wings to fly.

When I was a kid, he used to take me to short trips in the local nature at our countryside, show me the stars on the night sky, tell me stories of his childhood and teach me important life lessons.

Now he is getting older, but his spirit is forever young.

Last year, as we were sitting in the garden, he said to me: "When I die, do not come to my burial if you are in foreign lands. I will never die. I will live forever, through these trees that I planted and through these books that I've written, which will belong to you as my spiritual legacy."

Tears instantly welled up in my eyes, and I was deeply and irrevocably in love with spirit, expressing itself through this crazy old grandad...

Thank you, grandad, for being such an inspiration and source of strength.

That's all folks!! I hope you enjoyed finding out some cool things about me!

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I nominate @stephenparato to tell us 5 things about himself as well!

If you liked my post, upvote&resteem! I'm a newbie here, and that would be very helpful... :)

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Here are my recent articles on Steemit: Introducing... Diary of A Free Spirit, Enough Self-Sabotage! From Inner Conflict to Inner Peace, With a Little More Awareness Each Breath and Why Meditating is (Slowly but Surely) Changing My Life for the Better

In the meantime...

Be You, Be Wild, Be Free!

Bristena,
#DiaryOfAFreeSpirit