4 Reasons Why It's vitally important To Honor Your Me Time To Recharge Now
So, it's Sunday afternoon and I have the house to myself for a few hours. I was eager to relax, read, get a little writing done or meditate. I wasn't too sure yet which one, but I was sure that whatever it was it had to help me get back to center and get ready for a new week; I needed to recharge. Then it happened...the dreaded ringing phone, as it blares from the other room I start to feel a little bit of unease creeping into my mellow moment. My first instinct was to ignore it, but curiosity beckoned me to the other room to check the missed call. Had it been from one of my sisters I may have flopped on the bed and chatted and laughed for a little bit. Goofing off and laughing is still me time and so, that would have been just fine for a few moments. However, the call was from a good friend but this good friend also likes to talk about work and business so it's a bit of a working relationship and I knew that this was not the type of call that would be honoring my Me Time so I could recharge now. Just the thought of it at the moment started to make me feel tired. What I need for these calls is usually enthusiasm and creativity and today what I needed was to chill out and do something to recharge so I had that type of good stuff to add to the world. That meant saying no, no to picking it up, no to calling back today; Not even in an hour or two. I, like many of you often wrestle with these type of obligations, the mental guilt trip my type A self battles with all the time. Showing up and being present for people is always important, but the truth is, the first person we all need to show up for first and foremost is ourselves. I have also been working hard to make Sunday a no work day unless it is a creative endeavor that will serve me. I am working to protect Sunday to keep it as the day of rest and reflection as it should be. My Sunday can be your Monday, whatever day it is for you make it matter.
1. RECHARGE- When you honor your me time to you allow yourself to recharge your batteries. This can lower your stress levels and add a deeper level of calm to your life. You can read a book or take a nap, how you do it doesn't matter as long as you do it.
2. REFLECT- When you honor your me time to recharge now you allow some quiet space to reflect. Reflection can come through meditation, exercise or spending time on a hobby or cause that fills you up. When you have time to reflect you are able to see and feel where you are at and what is working and what is not. It allows openness to thought and ideas that is difficult to access in the everyday of go, go, go.
3. RESPECT- When you honor your me time to recharge now you practice acts of love and respect toward yourself. Being kind to yourself is priority one and can help you learn to surround yourself with people that respect you too.
4. RENEW- When you honor your me time and take the time to RECHARGE, REFLECT & RESPECT yourself, you are allowing time for your body and mind to experience renewal. We all need mental and physical rest, without it we will not be able to operate joyfully at the levels that we desire.
It's not easy to To Honor Your Me Time so you can recharge now, but if you listen to your intuition and start to be mindful of honoring time for yourself (and actually put it in to practice) the dividends will be well worth the adjustment.
4 Ways that saying yes can add awesome things to your life
We are all overwhelmed with so much that we often forget to say yes to some things that come our way that could really add value and joy to our life. We are faced with... will you take out the trash? Yes, will you go to the store? Yes. You get the picture. I am not talking about the daily tasks in life; I think we are often nervous to say yes to new things because we feel it is one more obligation on top of the mountains of obligations we already face. This is not the yes to more tasks we feel we must do out of obligation. This is where we need to make some adjustments in our mind, the yes I am speaking of is the yes to you, the yes to new experiences and adventures. There are plenty of reasons for No in that category but that is for a later article. I am also not sending you down the slippery slope that Jim Carrey took in Yes Man, when he said yes to everything and just about lost his mind. So, in no particular order here are 4 Ways that saying yes can add awesome things to your life.
1. New Experiences
Saying yes to an invitation to try something new can give us a vital new experience in life. If you have a friend or family member that does something you have never tried like salsa dancing or golf and they invite you say YES. It doesn't mean that this will become your new passion but you will have the opportunity to have a new experience. The new experience can add rich dimension and color to your life.
2. New Opportunities
Saying yes can put you smack in the middle of a new opportunity that you may have never connected with elsewhere. When you find yourself in a new environment, around new ideas and people you often come in to contact with an new opportunity. The opportunity could come in the form of a new job a new friend or a new skill learned. Maybe you went to play golf after saying YES and when you got there you began talking to someone that was looking for the expertise you had to offer. This type of thing happens all the time. Saying yes can help you be in the right place at the right time.
3. New People
Saying yes to a last minute request added some awesome to my life. I volunteer with a great Tech Organization in Los Angeles called GirlsInTech. They provide mentorship and outreach to girls to get them excited about careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.) One evening I got a last minute email asking if I was available to help at an event they were doing the following evening. Since I happened to have a free evening I said YES. When I was there, I met a great group of people, the event was at the Getty House which is the Los Angeles Mayors mansion. I also had the opportunity to meet the Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti. Do you see the power of YES now?
4. New Way of Seeing The World
Saying yes to a volunteer opportunity helped me see the homeless population in a very new and real way. There is an awesome organization called the Giving Spirit, a small group of people that wanted to make a difference by providing essential survival items to the population of the Los Angeles homeless. During the holiday season, my little sister, cousin and I decided to make a day of helping distribute these bags throughout pockets of Los Angeles. We saw tent communities, young people without family on the street, & smart educated hopeful people that were down on their luck. Yes, I have seen homeless people before but I had never seen them through the lense I did on that day. I saw our humanity in a deeper richer way. Saying yes gave me such an experience that I would have never gotten without it.
So, go out in the world, soak it in, eat it up. There is so much wonder out there, Say YES my friends because I can guarantee you, your life will never be the same if you do.
Four Reasons Ice Cream Cones are Better Than Popsicles
Four Reasons Ice Cream Cones are Better Than Popsicles
1. If ice cream melts down your arm it will stick, which allows you time to lick it off. Popsicles just drip all over and stain your arm.
WINNER- ICE CREAM CONES
2. A edible cone is better that a stick, DUH! Have you ever tried to eat a popsicle stick? not delicious at all.
WINNER- ICE CREAM CONES
3.Ice Cream can hold, chocolate chips, bubble gum balls, and secret treasures. Popsicles can only hold a stick (see section #2.)
WINNER- ICE CREAM CONES
4. Ice Cream has cream in it, popsicles have flavored water or juice. Cream is better, you wouldd't put juice in your coffee now would you?
WINNER- ICE CREAM CONES
The winner by a landslide is: Ice Cream Cones 4 Popsicles 0
Ode To America On The Fourth Of July
On Independence Day this is my ode to the Nation that I adore. America you remain, still the gleaming beacon of hope to me and people the world over. You are not without soil, tears or pain and nothing beautiful enduring or strong is ever without those things.
Despite our differences, we have a magical tapestry of colors, sounds and spirits that speak to me. I love you, because we are a young country and as such, much like a young child full of falling, skinned knees and mistakes you still find time to celebrate and remain full of playfulness hope and wonder. You let me be anything I choose at any given moment. You let the dreamer and doer find each other in the perfect space of harmony and invention. You believe in sweat and you believe in reward. You ask no fee for entrance other than optimism and drive. You can pick up from a life of quiet desperation at any moment of your choosing and be anything you choose. You are a charitable lover of people, and you remind the weary that they have hope. You stand tall with a back of steel and when others count you out you do it all over again, shaking away the dust, picking up your friends and believing this dream we have will all be well again.
Five ways to bring more creative inspiration into your life
I don't need to tell you how hectic life can get, and how tired and uninspired we can become at times. We are often burning the candle at both ends and when we do, it can really sap our creativity and negatively impact how we experience and see our world. The following short list are five ways to help you bring more creative inspiration into your life. These are five very simple things that I do that really help get me dialed back in to what matters most. The best part is they cost almost nothing and can be implemented whenever you need a little spark to help ad some creative inspiration back into your life. Each one of these five ways requires of you to disconnect from social media and find presence in the world around you. In no particular order here are your Five ways to bring more creative inspiration into your life.
1. Stop and explore something new just for the heck of it.
You know those signs you pass by on the way to work or in and around your town that indicate a point of interest? They often appear on the side a highway or in front of a place you may have driven by a million times before but have never taken the time to stop. My challenge to you is to STOP, take that exit, follow that sign and pull in to that park or monument. Most of the time these place don't even cost a penny to visit and I am not saying you need to stop for the day, you might just want to scope it out, read an information sign, learn something new and maybe even come back to explore in greater detail later. I recently was on a long bike ride with a friend and we passed one of these signs on the side of the road. I suggested that we pull in and check it out and what we found was a beautiful surprise. We found a ranch that had been there since the 1920's complete with old barns, Orange Orchards, lush tress, full rose bushes and spectacular grounds. The place was Orcutt Ranch in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles and my friend and I learned that it was home to a Mr. Orcutt that happened to be one of the Oil Pioneers in California and the discoverer of dinosaur fossils in the La Brea Tar Pits. That was something neither of us knew anything about prior and it only cost us a short detour from our ride and added and extra bit of fun to the entire day.
2. Go Fly A kite... Literally
Be honest, when was the last time you remember flying a kite? When is the last time you experienced the thrill of watching YOUR kite as it catches air and begins to sail up into the heavens. There is something so freeing and fun about the entire kite flying experience that even if it comes crashing back down to Earth you are eager and determined to grab that kite and get it flying again. I believe everyone should own a kite. It connects us to a simple and pure joy of wonder and imagination. It reminds us that if this piece of paper (or plastic) and sticks can soar then most certainly so can we. GO FLY A KITE.
3. Play With Kids Like A Kid
Chances are if you don't have your own children you have family members or friends that do. As adults we often sit on the sidelines and watch the kids run around and play with glee. What kids often want is for us to join in the play and be engaged with them. Most kids love it if we get up off of our chairs and chase them around and goof off. Children have an imagination and creative nature that many of us tuck away as we get older and are consumed with the responsibilities of life. Children can teach us a great deal about reconnecting with that free and happy nature that we so desperately need in our daily life. To laugh for the sake of laughing and engage in the make believe can be a great boon of inspiration for us and it delights the kids in the process. Be silly, be open, be fun and go play.
4. Make something
I know what you may be thinking, I am not good with my hands, I am not creative and I don't even know where I would begin with this request. The truth is, we all have a bit of Picasso in us all and it doesn't take great skill to reap the benefits of the simple pleasure and feeling of satisfaction you can get from making something. The internet is a great inspiration for simple but fun projects so is your local arts and crafts store where you can wander the isles for inspiration. Arts & craft stores are piled high with kits to make everything from birdhouses to picture frames to you name it. Michael's Arts & Crafts even has a section on their website called "Get Inspired" http://www.michaels.com/find-a-project/general-crafts-and-hobbies/815811949 with fun projects you can do at home and most of them are very reasonable. Working with your hands is a great way to relax your mind, slow things down and enjoy the process of learning something new. If you have time to surf the web and post and like content on Facebook you have the time to unplug and go make something. Now that all of your roadblocks have been removed go make something, your creative mind will thank you.
5. Plant Something
You don't need to be a green thumb to go to your local home improvement center and find something to plant. You can add some flowers to a garden or find a small container and plant some herbs. Most stores carry plants that are already growing and just need to be repotted to a more suitable container. This exercise is more about getting your hands dirty and cultivating something beautiful green and living in your life. Just like making something, it gives you time to step away from all the noise around us. We can reconnect with nature and focus on the magic and beauty that feed our bodies and our senses. During the Summer one of my favorite things to plant is a tomato plant, with a little TLC and watering you can get a plant full of these beautiful red globes and being able to pick your own tomatoes is truly delightful. The leaves of the plant and the fruit it bears smell like a tomato should and the taste blows away anything you will find in a traditional grocery store. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn something new and have something magical to bring to the table. I promise you, your hamburgers and salads will not taste the same. The plant will more than pay for itself and your friends and family will be excited to enjoy your homegrown tomatoes or be inspired by the color you just added to your life with new flowers. So go plant something!
So there you have it, Five ways to bring more creative inspiration into your life and in doing one or more of these activities you just may bring some creative inspiration into someone else's life too, now imagine that.