Get one thing done today. That's it. Make sure you get one thing done today. When you add that up in a year, that's 365 things you got done!
When you wake up in the morning and think about all that needs to get done, you might feel like staying in bed. You can feel overwhelmed even before you start your day. Some people stay in bed and give up already. Some get up and start the day cranky. Some get up and fiddle around not really being effective. And some get up and go at it, collapsing at the end of the day feeling exhausted and not having enjoyed the day at all..
If you really think about it, the things we think we "have" to do, aren't as important as we think. Not enough to waste a day. We may feel productive by getting it done, but at what expense?
Why not look at your day as if you are going to enjoy it as best as you can and in the process get one thing done. Just one thing. If you end up feeling energized by it and want to do more, then that's fine. But you just have one thing on your "to do" list. That way you want to get out of bed. And you start out the day on a good note and full of energy. You haven't depleted your energy with your thinking.
That one thing may be cleaning a room or a closet, paying bills, or organizing tax papers. Some days, when you are feeling tired, that may be going to work and that's it. Some days, that may be taking care of your kids making sure you are nice to them and that they are still alive at the end of the day. We try to fit too much into a day some times, get cranky, and wonder why we are tired.
The weekends should be for fun, not to catch up on everything. We waste the whole weekend and then Monday comes and we are out of steam already.
Action
Obviously, the action today is: "Get one thing done today". Today, mine was to write a blog. I have been meaning to write for a week, but had too many things on my "to do" list. Three days ago, my friend reminded me of this idea of the "one thing". Since then, I have gotten three things done that have been weighing on my mind. I enjoyed doing that one thing and then enjoyed the rest of the day full of energy. So take it from me: do one thing today.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Following Your Dreams
Following your dreams is very important to your health. It's not selfish. It's following your heart's desires. It's listening to what's inside you. And that's good for you, those you love, and the world in general. It brings happiness and good energy to the world.
There is a saying: "Don't die with your music still inside you." We were all put on earth with a song in us. That song means a gift, a passion, a dream, or whatever you call it. We were meant to let it out. It doesn't matter if you become famous or not. It doesn't matter if you make money from it or not. It doesn't have to reach a lot of people. It just needs to be released from you, one way or another.
I have had a dream of writing a book for years. I knew it wasn't time to do it yet, but I always thought I would and hoped I would. Well, I finally did! I have been working on it for over a year. I finally submitted it to a self-publishing company to put it all together. It doesn't matter if it is a best-seller. It doesn't matter if only one person reads it. It only matters that I did it. I let my song out. I will not die with it inside.
I encourage everyone to do the same. Holding a dream inside and not following it holds in a great energy that needs to be expressed. It causes not only tension in the body, but a sadness of something not being birthed. Don't die with your song in you.
Action
Listen to what's inside you that's itching to get out. Feel what it feels like inside at the thought of it coming true. You can feel the excitement, nervousness, and happiness it would bring, don't you? Then listen to God, or your higher power or center, of what steps to take to get there. It may take time and have to be done step by step, but once it happens, there is no greater feeling. Follow your dreams!
(And now that my time is freed up again because the book is out of my hands, I'm excited to get back to blogging again. Sorry for the lapse in writing.)
There is a saying: "Don't die with your music still inside you." We were all put on earth with a song in us. That song means a gift, a passion, a dream, or whatever you call it. We were meant to let it out. It doesn't matter if you become famous or not. It doesn't matter if you make money from it or not. It doesn't have to reach a lot of people. It just needs to be released from you, one way or another.
I have had a dream of writing a book for years. I knew it wasn't time to do it yet, but I always thought I would and hoped I would. Well, I finally did! I have been working on it for over a year. I finally submitted it to a self-publishing company to put it all together. It doesn't matter if it is a best-seller. It doesn't matter if only one person reads it. It only matters that I did it. I let my song out. I will not die with it inside.
I encourage everyone to do the same. Holding a dream inside and not following it holds in a great energy that needs to be expressed. It causes not only tension in the body, but a sadness of something not being birthed. Don't die with your song in you.
Action
Listen to what's inside you that's itching to get out. Feel what it feels like inside at the thought of it coming true. You can feel the excitement, nervousness, and happiness it would bring, don't you? Then listen to God, or your higher power or center, of what steps to take to get there. It may take time and have to be done step by step, but once it happens, there is no greater feeling. Follow your dreams!
(And now that my time is freed up again because the book is out of my hands, I'm excited to get back to blogging again. Sorry for the lapse in writing.)
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Spice Things Up
Now that it's February, especially here in the north east area, we can use some spicing up. I find I can start feeling bored or tired staying indoors most of the time. It's a great time to make some changes to freshen things up.
I love change! I don't need to move far away, sell my house, or make major life or relationship changes to freshen things up. Sometimes it can be small changes. For instance, I like rearranging furniture in a room. As kids, my sister and I would either change around our rooms or swap rooms for something new. It was so much fun and the next few weeks, we would love to hang out in our rooms. Even when I was 9 months pregnant, I remember sliding furniture around in the living room in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep.
As you can see, I just changed how my blogsite looks. It needed a little freshening. We can always change things back if we don't like it. I also played around with my website look. I can get tired of things easily.
I like change so much, I have had to start painting rooms in my house a neutral color and using color in the pillows, curtains, and other accessories because my husband was tired of me repainting rooms. I also have a neutral color house and shutters. I just change the color of the front door on occasion. It has already been 3 different colors in the last 10 years. And I'm ready to change it again. I also plant different color flowers each spring in the front yard to freshen things up. I've also painted my office a neutral color of a silvery-grey and have deep red accents. Those accents may change as spring comes along.
Sometimes I like to change up my hair, makeup, clothes, etc. I also like to go get my car washed and get a new car freshener. These may all be small changes, but I feel refreshed and happier when I do them.
Happiness is one of the most important things we can do for our health. So if these little changes can make me happy, then great; it doesn't cost much or take much effort.
Action
Do something to spice things up. It doesn't take much, but you may find you get a little hooked and want to make more changes. It gets addicting. Have fun!
I love change! I don't need to move far away, sell my house, or make major life or relationship changes to freshen things up. Sometimes it can be small changes. For instance, I like rearranging furniture in a room. As kids, my sister and I would either change around our rooms or swap rooms for something new. It was so much fun and the next few weeks, we would love to hang out in our rooms. Even when I was 9 months pregnant, I remember sliding furniture around in the living room in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep.
As you can see, I just changed how my blogsite looks. It needed a little freshening. We can always change things back if we don't like it. I also played around with my website look. I can get tired of things easily.
I like change so much, I have had to start painting rooms in my house a neutral color and using color in the pillows, curtains, and other accessories because my husband was tired of me repainting rooms. I also have a neutral color house and shutters. I just change the color of the front door on occasion. It has already been 3 different colors in the last 10 years. And I'm ready to change it again. I also plant different color flowers each spring in the front yard to freshen things up. I've also painted my office a neutral color of a silvery-grey and have deep red accents. Those accents may change as spring comes along.
Sometimes I like to change up my hair, makeup, clothes, etc. I also like to go get my car washed and get a new car freshener. These may all be small changes, but I feel refreshed and happier when I do them.
Happiness is one of the most important things we can do for our health. So if these little changes can make me happy, then great; it doesn't cost much or take much effort.
Action
Do something to spice things up. It doesn't take much, but you may find you get a little hooked and want to make more changes. It gets addicting. Have fun!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
In with the New Year!
Happy New Year!
Doesn't it make you feel hopeful for something fresh and new? That's what's great about the new year.
This is the time to close out the old and make space for the new. First we need to wrap up the old year. We can keep all the good memories, successes, and lessons learned from the old. We can recap on good feelings, good relationships, and good change we saw in ourselves and the world around us.
Next, we can and need to let go of the negative stuff. It will weigh us down mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Forget the disappointments, the failures, the losses, and the traumas. I know that sounds hard to do, but we will carry it in our bodies if we don't.
You may have lost someone close to you. Allow yourself to grieve and then move on knowing that they are in a much better place free from the worries, sadness, and hurts of life. Their spirits are freely floating around and they are watching over us. Some people may not believe that, but I have seen time and time again how clients of mine have felt their loved one's presence and signs of them around. Remember the good things about them and let go of the sadness. They would want you to. They want to see you happy. They share that happiness with you. They don't want you to be sad.
We also need to forgive others, for our sake. We carry them around energetically with us if we don't. It's okay to be mad for awhile, but then you have to let them go for your health. Forgiving them doesn't mean you have to stay in relationship with them. Either distance yourself in some way, move on or vow to not allow them to walk all over you. Teach them to treat you differently.
The great thing about a new year is that we can release whatever happened this past year and leave it in the past. Once we release the past and close out 2013, we can then move on to 2014.
How do you want next year to turn out? What do you hope for? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to experience?
Before you start writing a list of things to do for a new year's resolution, start with a vision. Have the picture in mind. How do you want to see yourself? How do you want to see your life? Keep it broad. What feelings do you want to feel? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to see yourself getting up every morning happy and ready for the day hopeful that it will be great? Do you want to see yourself smiling and laid back enjoying life? Start with the snapshot.
Then make the vision more specific in what you see around you. Do you envision a new location, a new career, a new relationship? Maybe you already have this and you just envision it being better. Maybe there is a bigger plan in mind and you see it starting to take shape this year. Change can take time. As long as you are moving forward in ways you want, don't worry how long it takes. I think life is a journey and that there is a bigger plan for our lives. We just need to stay in tune with it.
Once you have a better focus on what you want, break it down into small, manageable pieces. Don't start with a scary to-do list that requires lots of motivation, which of course dies out quickly. Think about what you can do this week to work toward your vision. Then each day, wake up and assess what can be done today.
Action
Recap:
1. Close out 2013. What was good? What do you want to let go of?
2. Form a broad vision of you and life in 2014.
3. Funnel it down into a more focused vision.
4. Organize it into weekly goals.
5. Each day, meditate on what you can do today.
Doesn't it make you feel hopeful for something fresh and new? That's what's great about the new year.
This is the time to close out the old and make space for the new. First we need to wrap up the old year. We can keep all the good memories, successes, and lessons learned from the old. We can recap on good feelings, good relationships, and good change we saw in ourselves and the world around us.
Next, we can and need to let go of the negative stuff. It will weigh us down mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Forget the disappointments, the failures, the losses, and the traumas. I know that sounds hard to do, but we will carry it in our bodies if we don't.
You may have lost someone close to you. Allow yourself to grieve and then move on knowing that they are in a much better place free from the worries, sadness, and hurts of life. Their spirits are freely floating around and they are watching over us. Some people may not believe that, but I have seen time and time again how clients of mine have felt their loved one's presence and signs of them around. Remember the good things about them and let go of the sadness. They would want you to. They want to see you happy. They share that happiness with you. They don't want you to be sad.
We also need to forgive others, for our sake. We carry them around energetically with us if we don't. It's okay to be mad for awhile, but then you have to let them go for your health. Forgiving them doesn't mean you have to stay in relationship with them. Either distance yourself in some way, move on or vow to not allow them to walk all over you. Teach them to treat you differently.
The great thing about a new year is that we can release whatever happened this past year and leave it in the past. Once we release the past and close out 2013, we can then move on to 2014.
How do you want next year to turn out? What do you hope for? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to experience?
Before you start writing a list of things to do for a new year's resolution, start with a vision. Have the picture in mind. How do you want to see yourself? How do you want to see your life? Keep it broad. What feelings do you want to feel? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to see yourself getting up every morning happy and ready for the day hopeful that it will be great? Do you want to see yourself smiling and laid back enjoying life? Start with the snapshot.
Then make the vision more specific in what you see around you. Do you envision a new location, a new career, a new relationship? Maybe you already have this and you just envision it being better. Maybe there is a bigger plan in mind and you see it starting to take shape this year. Change can take time. As long as you are moving forward in ways you want, don't worry how long it takes. I think life is a journey and that there is a bigger plan for our lives. We just need to stay in tune with it.
Once you have a better focus on what you want, break it down into small, manageable pieces. Don't start with a scary to-do list that requires lots of motivation, which of course dies out quickly. Think about what you can do this week to work toward your vision. Then each day, wake up and assess what can be done today.
Action
Recap:
1. Close out 2013. What was good? What do you want to let go of?
2. Form a broad vision of you and life in 2014.
3. Funnel it down into a more focused vision.
4. Organize it into weekly goals.
5. Each day, meditate on what you can do today.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Savor Your Victories
This week's blog is a guest blog. Let me know what you think.
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."
- Margaret Thatcher
Former British Prime Minister
No doubt life can, at times, make us question everything and everyone. There are days when crawling back under the covers seems the only logical course of action. There are those times when we do our very best to be our very best, yet we fall short. In such circumstances, we very often choose to blame and reproach ourselves for just not being good enough, or smart enough, or elegant, or wise, or quick, or strong, or competent. We mistakenly internalize all that goes wrong and assume complete responsibility for it. We chastise ourselves for not being able to do simple things such as...oh I don't know...say, divine the future, or predict another person's reactions or actions. We then use precious energy to ruminate over what could, should, or would have been done if we hadn't been so incompetent. We expect perfection from ourselves, but fail to honor even good faith efforts.
We forget that our own actions are the only ones we can control. We forget that life is not lived in a vacuum. We forget to extend the kindness we show others to ourselves. We forget that our challenges may persist so that we might step-up our game; so that we can learn and grow. We may find ourselves engaged in a 'battle' that finds us completely ill-equipped to win; some situation or circumstance that is totally new to us. Sometimes we choose to venture into new territory, sometimes we are thrust into it. Either way, we must remember that every bit of strength or cleverness required resides within us already. It just needs to be summoned.
Maybe we can handle things brilliantly the first time around. But maybe not. The only thing that will truly defeat us is if we lose faith in ourselves. When fear and self-doubt start creeping in, we start to slide just as surely as if we were on a muddy mountainside. We grasp and panic and struggle...and lose hope and motivation. Our only defense is the simple realization that perfection is an illusion, it is tenacity and courage that win the day.
Today's action: Take a minute to think not of things you wish you'd done differently, or handled "better," but of 3 examples of times when you persevered and overcame whatever it was that needed fixing or managing. Try to ruminate over a few victories rather than defeats.
Give yourself a pat on the back, literally (yes, it can be done, I do it all the time), for things you've accomplished, be they seemingly tiny things that no one else might know, or great big public achievements. Savor those moments. And know that you are far more than the sum of your parts.
Susan Dowgiala
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."
- Margaret Thatcher
Former British Prime Minister
No doubt life can, at times, make us question everything and everyone. There are days when crawling back under the covers seems the only logical course of action. There are those times when we do our very best to be our very best, yet we fall short. In such circumstances, we very often choose to blame and reproach ourselves for just not being good enough, or smart enough, or elegant, or wise, or quick, or strong, or competent. We mistakenly internalize all that goes wrong and assume complete responsibility for it. We chastise ourselves for not being able to do simple things such as...oh I don't know...say, divine the future, or predict another person's reactions or actions. We then use precious energy to ruminate over what could, should, or would have been done if we hadn't been so incompetent. We expect perfection from ourselves, but fail to honor even good faith efforts.
We forget that our own actions are the only ones we can control. We forget that life is not lived in a vacuum. We forget to extend the kindness we show others to ourselves. We forget that our challenges may persist so that we might step-up our game; so that we can learn and grow. We may find ourselves engaged in a 'battle' that finds us completely ill-equipped to win; some situation or circumstance that is totally new to us. Sometimes we choose to venture into new territory, sometimes we are thrust into it. Either way, we must remember that every bit of strength or cleverness required resides within us already. It just needs to be summoned.
Maybe we can handle things brilliantly the first time around. But maybe not. The only thing that will truly defeat us is if we lose faith in ourselves. When fear and self-doubt start creeping in, we start to slide just as surely as if we were on a muddy mountainside. We grasp and panic and struggle...and lose hope and motivation. Our only defense is the simple realization that perfection is an illusion, it is tenacity and courage that win the day.
Today's action: Take a minute to think not of things you wish you'd done differently, or handled "better," but of 3 examples of times when you persevered and overcame whatever it was that needed fixing or managing. Try to ruminate over a few victories rather than defeats.
Give yourself a pat on the back, literally (yes, it can be done, I do it all the time), for things you've accomplished, be they seemingly tiny things that no one else might know, or great big public achievements. Savor those moments. And know that you are far more than the sum of your parts.
Susan Dowgiala
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