Archive for ‘Uncategorized’

March 21st, 2012

One Way to Feel Better Fast

Sorry I’ve been posting so late these days! Truthfully, it’s because I’m still on Hawaii time. Last week I was visiting family and trying my best to soak up the sunshine (even though it rained most of the time we were there). But while I was on vacation, I did have a chance to get some writing done.

Here’s one piece that I published recently for Beliefnet Health that will help prevent a downward slide into depression. A tip we should all avoid if we want to improve not downgrade our mood. Please share it if you like it.

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February 14th, 2012

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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I was going to skip this post. Mostly because I already wrote one here and here, and I’m trying my darnedest to reduce my workload and learn to savor more. Plus, Valentine’s Day is such a commercial holiday. All that pressure to get the most thoughtful gift or the most expensive one is exhausting and unnecessary. Not to mention what it does to people who are single.

{This just in. Imagine this as a news ticker running horizontally below this post. I did a Twitter scan and realize I’m not the only one who’s not thrilled about V-day. The people I’m following either hate it, avoid it or spending time doing more fun things (running, etc.)}

It’s not that I don’t enjoy presents or celebrating special occasions, but I just don’t appreciate the pressure that comes with it. I think it affected me more being single than it means something to me being married. It’s just a reminder that society thinks you’re not complete enough if you don’t have a romantic partner to share chocolates and wine with.

It’s like Deepak Chopra said:

“If love is universal, no one can be left out.”

So today while you’re going about your day, take time to remake the holiday.

Yes I feel lucky and fortunate and blessed that I have someone I love to share my life with. But I also believe that special someone could be a life-long friend, family member, pet or even yourself.

For today, my husband and I are going to have a vegetarian lunch at a Buddhist church and probably spend the night having dinner and watching TV (like what we normally do). And somewhere in-between I’m going to indulge in something nice with the person I’ve neglected too often-myself. I hope you’ll join me in doing the same.

Happy Valentine’s!

 

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December 20th, 2011

Letting Go of the Happy Ending

{Unplanned shot taken at a truck stop somewhere in Arizona.}

There’s a deep inherent desire in all of us to believe that every aspect of our lives should come with a perfect, happy ending. Maybe it’s been drilled in us from watching too many romantic movies and reading too many fairy tale happy endings. Although it gives me a twinkling satisfied feeling when I leave the theater, I know it does nothing for my sense of true happiness in the real world.

That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in magic and miracles and possibility.

Quite contrary.

But I believe that when we give up hope for perfection, we get something better than we expected.

I’ve wasted too much time holding onto relationships that weren’t good for me, projects that didn’t fit and opportunities that were more of a hassle than beneficial. Although I can’t get that time back, I can back my future my changing my present.

In the end, we all need to let go of control and let in faith.

Maybe your career isn’t perfect. Your home would never be on the Nate Berkus show’s ”House Proud” segment. Your family is more Osbournes than the Brady Bunch. And your relationship? Not the fairy tale ending you dreamed it would be.

But when we base our lives on an imaginary, unrealistic picture, we not only sell ourselves short. We sell our lives short.

It’s almost Christmas and New Year’s is right around the corner. It’s a great time to start recognizing the real gifts and magic out there now. Instead of trying to force an unrealistic vision, why not celebrate the freedom of life itself?

I realized that whenever I’m caught up in the end result, I’m missing the big picture and all the possibilities that come with that.

The best gift I can give myself is learning to be grateful for this moment and this moment only. In order to so, I must let go of the vision I have that a life lived perfectly is a life well-lived. This means that I must let go of the perfect day and even a perfect moment. This means that I must give up on having everything I want to accepting a life lived the best way I can. It’s an exchange that may feel like a sacrifice. But in the end, I know it’s one gift I won’t want to give back.

What will you let go of in 2011?

 

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November 21st, 2011

A Collage of Gratitude

I don’t think you could do enough posts on gratitude. Really.

Without gratitude, I could easily slink away into the cracks and crevices of an imperfect life without ever noticing the beautiful already perfect world around me.

Without gratitude, my mind might try to “Re-Mind” me of ways I’m not living up to the person next door.

Without gratitude, I might slide into a permanent attitude of unfairness and “poor me syndrome.”

Without gratitude, I would perceive everything through a dark narrow lens where the shadows are always on my side.

And with Thanksgiving coming up, I can’t afford to do that. I don’t have an unlimited amount of days to use up. So I choose to be grateful instead.

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I decided to create a collage of all the wonderful things in this world that I have to be grateful for. This one requires no text. My posts are text heavy as it is.

I hope you enjoy it and that it inspires you to create your own collage of gratitude. If you do decide to make one, leave a link in the comments. I’d love to see them.

 

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September 20th, 2011

When Your Best Is Not Enough

I was suffering from “not enough-itis” just last week. In case you’ve never heard of it, here’s my own definition.

Not Enough-Itis: An insidious disease that can damage your health, your relationships and your self-worth. It’s what happens when you compare yourself with others and in comparison, nothing you do is enough.

I’m not even a parent so I can’t imagine how much worse the disease gets when you have kids too. Fetchingly, Sarah Jessica Parker’s new movie I Don’t Know How She Does It is out in theaters as a preview to that life. I haven’t watched it yet. But I get the premise. The pressure for mothers trying to juggle everything perfectly, but never successfully.

Sadly, this is where we’re at as a society these days.

We’re moving away from “just enough” to “gotta do it all.”

I’ve never been one to embrace a fad, but this one somehow wormed its way into my psyche. That’s what happens when you spend too much time online and watching TV. Everyone else’s life looks perfect and yours always seems to be slipping through the cracks.

I’m pretty honest about my faults and my imperfections. Call it the gift that being an awkward teenager gave to me or growing up as a rebel where pretending to be perfect was the ideal. But who am I kidding? Isn’t this the life we all live these days?

As for me, I healed this insatiable disease by taking a much-needed break away, faraway from looming deadlines and impossible to fill pressures. I escaped into a little Snow White and the Seven Dwarves cottage in a not just inspiring, but awe-inspiring forest all the way in Mendocino.

I fell in love. I remembered who I was separate from what I did. I remembered to breathe. I remembered what it felt like to have a “home,” a real place where you can softly land after a stressful day.

My body felt healthy. I suddenly felt like I had been holding my breath for far too long. Nature felt like it was embracing me and it wouldn’t let me fall.

My inspiration returned.

My writing flowed.

If I could wrap up that place in a snow globe, I would. I’d take it out and shake it and feel the fresh air blowing my hair in my face and the healing sound of complete silence.

It reminded me that not enough-itis was the fairy tale. Not this place. This place was the truth. This is what I needed to take me out of the “I can’t tweet/blog/Facebook/comment on every single person’s inspiring blog” to save my life. But that’s okay. All I needed was to do what I was doing. Focus like a dog zooms in on his bone, with mindful attention and purpose. And never mind the distractions, the people doing this or that, the distance still not traveled.

It will be there tomorrow. But today. Today is for living and dreaming…

For more photos, check out my Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheInspiringBee

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August 4th, 2011

Design Duo YoungHouseLove

Here’s the 411 on blogging as a career from my favorite blogging duo John & Sherry Petersik immensely talented creators of home improvement DIY site Young House Love.”

Blogging as a Career

Dream of working at home in your pajamas one day while writing about topics you’re passionate about? Then working as a professional blogger may be your dream come true.

Anyone can be a blogger, but the difference between blogging as a career and doing it as a hobby is whether you get paid. In the past, people who blogged did so for fun and used it as an online journal to share photos and updates to their friends and family. Today, however there are bloggers who write about everything from weddings to home décor and make a good living doing it full-time. With patience, hard work, and great writing and marketing skills, you could be the next Julie Powell of Julie and Julia.

Blogging wasn’t around when Sherry of Young House Love was a kid. Instead what she fancied was design. She dreamed of growing up to be a fine artist one day. And though Sherry didn’t set out to blog full-time, her passion for writing and creativity helped give her the skills she would need to eventually become a full-time professional blogger.

“The funny thing is that although I’m a blogger, many aspects of my job are still creative and visual since I focus on home improvement and interior design. I love that I get to work with color, proportion and design on a daily basis- even if I’m not whipping out oil-paints and canvases.”

In high school, Sherry took English classes for extra credit and in college she studied advertising design eventually graduating with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Her goal was to be a copywriter, writing ads for magazines and television commercials. It was there that she got good at grammar and writing creatively and persuasively-things that would help her significantly as a blogger.

Sherry got a job after college as an advertising copywriter in New York. At the time, her and her husband John both worked full-time and blogged part-time as a hobby.

After several posts on their kitchen remodel to friends and family, their blog gained popularity. Soon they were being mentioned on websites, magazines and newspapers. John and Sherry realized the potential to transform their hobby into a full-time gig.

After four years of working full-time, Sherry decided to leave her job so that she could devote her energy and focus to the blog. Since then, their blog has received 30,000 visitors!

Sherry says she was surprised by all the attention their blog has gotten and never imagined that she would be able to do this as a full-time job.

One of the perks has been the letters and emails she receives from those who love their work and are from all over the world including India and Africa. She also loves the flexibility that comes from being your own boss. At the same time, it is hard work!

“Since I’m my own boss I can write about whatever I think is important and I can pretty much make my own hours. But the most challenging part of my job is actually the same thing: the flexibility. You have to be structured and motivated to get things done on time to keep your blog going.“

Loving to write is a definite plus for those wanting to blog for living. Sherry also says, “determination, a great work-ethic, and a passion for writing and sharing will definitely help you become a great blogger.”

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June 30th, 2011

Nurturing Your Soul

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You know that most of the time bloggers write what they know about right? Or they blog about what they are going through.

So when I say, “nurture your soul,” I’m confessing that I’ve been known to neglect this vital nugget of truth.

And I’ve done it more than once. In fact, you could say that I’m a quarterly soul neglector.

Why Neglecting Your Soul is Just Plain Nuts

But the bad thing about that is neglecting turns to drain and drain turns to depletion. If I’m being honest, it sometimes turns to drama too. {Might as well get all my D’s in there.}

And what happens is a lot of unnecessary negativity, a severe decrease in productivity and a blow to your soul.

Not a good thing all around.

So why do we do it?

Trying to Catch a Rainbow

Imagine a rainbow. Think about that rainbow as the 10 pounds you want to lose or the job you really, really want. Now imagine that juicy goal right in front of you. It’s almost in your grasp. You just need to…Get. A. Little. Bit. Closer. You can almost reach it. But then like that rainbow it goes a little bit further. So you chase it again. And again.

It’s like a treadmill. You end up running yourself silly and getting nowhere.

Frustrating isn’t it?

But for some (me included!), there is a part of you that thinks if I only work a little harder, do just a bit more, I’ll get there. I’ll touch that rainbow. I’ll finally get to my goals.

And you will.

Just not without learning to nurture yourself first.

I have to keep learning this lesson over and over.

Thankfully, I have a chronic illness that reminds me when I’ve gone overboard. In fact, my health has been going down lately and I know why.

When I started getting well, I got sucked into that obsessive accomplish mode and I forgot about taking care of myself. I stepped up my exercise routine. I began taking new assignments left and right. I was feeling good so I let my creative spirit die. I just didn’t have the time to read for fun, paint or be crafty.

That’s why I’m blogging about this now.

In the last month or so I’ve felt as depleted as a dried up sponge. Hard, crunchy and abrasive. In order for me to get back to a place of inspiration, I need to refuel my soul. Painting for me was like water to that sponge and I soaked it up like there was no tomorrow.

A few nights ago, I heard a strong inner voice say to me, “Paint.” And it grew louder and louder. I was exhausted, but I did what I could to begin the process of painting.

It felt good. My fingers were no longer in that scrunched up typing mode and I wasn’t anxious about the next thing on my list. It was in the moment, oh how I need this right now, gift to my soul.

What happened was that I honored myself.

I can bet those of you who read this are a bunch of ambitious folk. You see everyone else’s fame and you want a piece of it too.

But you need to remember that the journey is long. And in order to keep going you need to stop, take a rest, and take care of your needs.

Feed your soul with love, fun, and rest and you will get there eventually.

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