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BEST Yourself!!

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I just wanted to share an inspiring ad with you today. If you have seen it—watch it again! If you haven’t seen it–enjoy!!

Cheers to a better day…TODAY!!

I think we can all strive to live this motto…BEST YOURSELF!! Make a difference in the world, make your mark, become better every day and be your BEST!!

BEST YOURSELF:

Here are a few ideas to help you move toward finding your BEST…

Step out of your comfort and try something new.  Go online & try something new from a youtube video. Make a movie, learn to do design, make a beaded necklace, learn to play the guitar, speak a foreign language, etc. There is sooo much to learn & the internet is an amazing resource.

Wear something bold…my daughter put on a shirt this morning that was black and white zebra stripes with a sequin shrug, followed by hot pink pants. She looked at me, put out her hands like claws and said, “I am fierce.” I smiled & was so proud of her!! She was stepping out & not caring what anyone else thought & that was a huge step for her because usually she cares too much about what others think. You go girl!!

Get Creative. Try the daily creativity activity. Do something–anything that is creative each day. Write, draw, journal, take a picture, search for creative ideas, etc.

Get out of yourself. Do something nice for someone else, Serve, Write a kind note, Give encouragement, volunteer, etc.

Do something for you. You cannot be your best self while giving EVERYTHING to everyone else. Do something that will energize you or light you up…exercise, do yoga, meditate, get a massage, buy yourself a new music album, get a facial, take a nap, go on a walk, buy yourself a bouquet of flowers, etc.

Be kind…to others AND especially yourself. Don’t allow negative mind chatter and negative self-talk continue. Begin to take control of the things you are saying and thinking to yourself. You would be amazed at the cruel things you believe about yourself & it is because you continue to allow your mind to run wild with cruelty & not kindness. Begin to envision your mind like a television station with one show that has kind, loving people telling you nice things & another with mean, grumpy people sharing rude remarks. Who do you want to watch?? hopefully, the nice station, so when the rude station is trying to catch your attention make it a conscious decision to switch the channels & fill your mind with kind words rather than negative ones.

Surround yourself with great people. Put yourself in the arms of people who lift and build you. Who love and care about you unconditionally.

Remember this…You are the one and only YOU. You are AMAZING. You have gifts only YOU can offer the world. Be true to you.

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get GRATEFUL!

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ImageYesterday was a great reminder of the little things that pass us by and we forget to get grateful for them. I was a parent on one of my daughter’s field trips to a local storytelling festival. Imagine hundreds of children crammed on five buses on a very hot, sunshine day. We arrived at the festival and were escorted to a large tent. We sat and  listened to story after story, while every two minutes I would have one of my ten kids whisper to me “I am thirsty.”  I was in a sea of kids in every direction, no sign of water & no way to keep order, so all I could do is smile & whisper back, “I know, me too.” 

It was over an hour, but relief finally came when we were able to leave the tent. We seemingly ran from shade tree to shade tree on our way back to the buses when one kid noticed a drinking fountain. There was instantly a line of fifty plus kids. One by one they drank from the needed fountain. There seemed to be a small trickle of water, so the whining began, “There’s not enough water, its just a trickle.”  I stepped to the fountain and looked at the children, “a little trickle is better than nothing.” I smiled at the line of kids, “Some water is better than nothing, right.” They were all in agreement.

It was one of those teaching moments where we were all reminded of the importance of little things.  So, I sat down and thought of other funny moments where my gratitude was abundant at such little, funny things.

Finding a bathroom after a long day hiking.   Finding a bathroom when you need one (period). Smile. Smile. Finding a pen at the bottom of my purse when I had an inspired thought to write down.   Having one egg left when my daughter only wanted an egg on toast for breakfast.   Enjoying the last bit of milk with cereal.   Grabbing a bottle of purel after high-fiving 30 grade schoolers.   Having the ability to enjoy On-Demand when we missed an episode of America’s Got Talent.   Having the right amount of shampoo left in the bottle for one more wash.   Rolling into the gas station on empty.   Getting a warning ticket from a police officer.   One more pair of underwear when everything else is dirty & needs to be washed.  Finding money in a coat pocket in the middle of summer.   Making it in time for the previews of a movie.  Enjoying the last cookie in the package. Finding a piece of gum in your purse when you really need one. Reading the last page of a 500 page book.  Getting free podcasts.  Getting a lightning deal on Amazon & not being put on the waiting list.   Winning a Budweiser Snowboard when you don’t drink or snow board.  Smile. Smile. Having just enough chocolate chips for a batch of cookies…  So many little things to think about. Hope it puts a smile on your face.

So here is something for you to do…Do this…think of moments where you were relieved, satisfied with so little, happy to have a little bit of something to get you grateful.

ImageOne last funny thing…last night we were walking to a concert venue when we noticed this car in the middle of the center lane of the parking lot. We thought “that is a crazy place to park because no one can get through.”  We parked our car and then walked by the parked car sitting inches away from a very expensive convertible corvette.  My husband’s mouth dropped and he said, “Woah, I bet that car rolled down and luckily stopped before hitting this Corvette.” We both stood their in amazement at the possibility. My husband looked in the car window and sure enough the car was in neutral and had rolled, barely missing a very expensive wreck.  I only hope the owners of the rolled car see what almost happened and are very grateful for the amazing miracle of them not tragically hitting the expensive car.  A great moment to get GRATEFUL!! 

-Have an amazing day!!  Heather

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CREATE

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Image“We are the makers of music and the dreamers of dreams.”  -Willy Wonka

I was laughing at my whirl of ideas that I have collected on my phone, so I began this week to tackle my whims of creativity & take it a day at a time.

I like the idea of creating something or finding a piece of creativity in the every day, so I am taking on the challenge. I am striving to create, work on an idea, take a picture, try something new, learn more about a creative venture, finish books, write a musical….the ideas are endless, but NOTHING will be done if I don’t take it a little step at a time.

I just watched a great ted talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love. She talks in this conference about how she gets through the conversations that everyone asks—how are you going to top this book? She has a great twist on your elusive creative genius. This talk may not be for everyone, but I definitely could relate in understanding the ideas and gifts that seem to come to you in your dreams or the early hours of the morning & always wondering what to do with them or how to bring them to fruition. 

Here is the link to the conference: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

SHOULD YOU BE AFRAID TO DO THE WORK THAT YOU WERE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO? Great question taken from this Ted Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert

This statement reiterates in my mind that ideas come to us for a reason. Do we do every little spark that swirls in our imagination? Do we follow even one? Do we write and when the fog comes or the ideas dwindle, do we stop writing? Do we get inspired by a song & envision an amazing musical but not attempt to write it because you don’t have the first clue of how to create a production? Do you not begin a blog because you are afraid you wont know what to write? Do you put your camera down because everyone else is taking pictures? Do you not begin when a spark of genius lands within your heart?

That little spark was entrusted to you, a gift that has followed your souls desires & is trying to help you break free from the limitations you are putting on yourself. It is only yours for a time, so nurture it, learn from it, grow it & give it wings to help you fulfill the endless possibilities. 

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”  -Pablo Picasso

Create. Find something to bring out your creative genius.  Sketch a flower, write a poem, listen to a new piece of music, look at magazines for interesting patterns and fonts, take a picture on your phone, notice the details of a feather & create an image, create sounds from drumming, whistle, dance…listen to what calls your heart to play.

Happy creating   -Heather

You must always be intoxicated!

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ImageYou must always be intoxicated!

Honestly growing up in Utah I would have heard this statement & immediately thought about beer parties, lots of drinking …BUT, I was just reading through some beloved quotes and came across this thought…

“You must always be intoxicated. That sums it all up: it’s the only question. In order not to feel the horrible burden of Time which breaks your back and bends you down to earth, you must be unremittingly intoxicated.  But on what? Wine, poetry, virtue, as you please. But never be sober. And if it should chance that sometimes, on the steps of a palace, on the green grass of a ditch, in the bleak solitude of your room, you wake up and you intoxication has already diminished or disappeared, ask the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, the clock, ask everything that flees, everything that groans, everything that rolls, everything that sings, everything that speaks, ask them what time it is and the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, the clock, will reply: It’s time to be intoxicated!!   If you do not wish to be one of the tortured slaves of Time, never be sober: never ever be sober! Use wine, poetry, or virtue, as you please.”  -Charles-Pierre Baudelaire

 

What fills you with intoxication? What fills you with a sense of being lit up? What stirs your soul and makes you full of wonder? There are so many things in this life that make you stop and think. There are so many things that we are given to make our day a little better, a little brighter. Are you filled with moments of pure happiness, a true sense of deep intoxication for the life you are living?  What makes your heart sing?? What are you doing & what are you not doing to give you that thrill of existence.

There was another quote that made me stop, it made my heart ache for the many moments I take for granted…A full moon, noticing the way water flows, enjoying the mystery of the ocean, hugging my daughter more, being healthy & strong, being able to see, reminiscing, laughing, loving…there are so many things we pass by, so many things that will help increase the deep intoxication for life that we miss. The following quote made me strive to notice things a little more.

“…because we don’t know [when we will die], we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that’s so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”  -Paul Bowles

 

So, today, I make a wish that we will all strive for intoxication!! Something that makes you smile, something that will make your eyes well up in gratitude, something that will move you to see things a little differently. Notice the big and little things held within your life, the moments of grace, the moments of joy, the moments that lead to the well of intoxication, with a knowing that this well will not always be there, so it must be cherished, enjoyed slowly and savored with every moment.

Cheers to life!!  Best wishes to you.  -Heather

Change. Grow. Fly.

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ImageI watched many mothers this morning taking picture after picture of every moment of the first day of school this morning. I watched a mother well up in tears, while another was getting every possible shot of her children by the school bell, by the principal, in line waiting with the other 20 students, all worried about their first day.  It was mostly lots of faces of nervous children, while their mothers were trying to snap and hold on to any piece of their little child that they could.

It was definitely a lot of emotions that swirled around. My husband and I were interviewing all the kids in our daughters class, trying to erase the worries, trying to help unify them in any thought that they were all in the same boat…nervous!!! We enjoyed every moment, knowing that within our little girls heart–she was terrified. She began her morning in tears, butterflies whirled in her stomach & she was quiet, oh so quiet. She was filled with tiny worries, where do I go, how do I find my way??  All I could do is reassure her that we would walk her through it. We would be there every step of the way.

It is funny how life goes…it is a constant learning game–we are always trying to figure out where we fit, we are always trying to find out where we belong, we are always trying to find the road we belong on.  Life is a constant whirl of unknown—from when we are young & experiencing our first day in elementary school to trying to identify a passion, seeking the right job, moving to a new city, meeting new people…it is always changing, but with change comes strength, comes a different feeling from the old, the comfortable.

I love the thought, “If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.”    While we were walking our daughter Kate to school this morning, she began to hold her tummy in nervousness. I explained her tummy pains were like little nervous butterflies fluttering about & all she needs to do is let them fly & the worries will go away.

Change is inevitable, so we must take the day, embrace the differences & see everything in a different perspective.

Don’t be afraid to FLY.Image

HAPPY 40

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Image40 wishes…done one at a time…HAPPY 40

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS BIRTHDAY!!

I am turning 40 this year & wanted to do something that would be memorable. I didn’t want a bunch of fan fare, gifts galore, black balloons or a big party….I thought and thought…and I thought I would like to do 40 random acts of kindness!! Then I thought it would be more fun to have those I love and care about join in and help me do 40 things for other people. So for my birthday this year (August 10th) or between now & then–I would love everyone– young and old –to pledge one (or more if you would like) RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS . And if you want (you dont have to) I would LOVE to hear about them!! Send me an email about how your experience went or take a pic, send a post comment, etc–that would be an AWESOME GIFT!

 

Here are some ideas to get you thinking…Ideas to Inspire you…and those you love… Write a love note to someone you love . Put change in a vending machine. Listen to someone who needs to talk—just listen . Do something nice for someone who is ill or needs a helpful hand (wash their dishes,cook a meal, do their laundry, take them some soup) . Buy a meal for a homeless person . When shopping let someone go ahead of you in the checkout line . Compliment a stranger . Give a book you have already read to someone who may enjoy it (leave a note inside) . Read to a child. Smile . Pick up litter at a local park or pond. Hand bottles of water out to people on a bike path . Offer a couple of hours of free babysitting to someone who needs a break . Make and give carepacks to the homeless . Give the gifts of your talent to a senior center (play the piano, sing a song, do a magic trick) . Help someone whose car has broken down (give them a ride, fix their tire) . Help someone with yard work . Make blankets for the homeless . Mentor a child . Pay the tab for someone in the restaurant you are at . Return a shopping cart . Thank your local police or fire dept. with goodies . Write a letter to someone who made a difference in your life . Visit a local animal shelter . Pick up groceries for a neighbor . Leave a nice tip . Return grocery carts . Take doughnuts to the police department . Say hello or good morning to everyone you see . Send someone a ecard . Transport someone who can’t drive .Take coworkers a special treat & share something you appreciate about them . Send or give flowers . Thank your mail carrier, stylist, teacher, principal, parent, bus driver, janitor, etc . Praise someone who needs it . donate a bag of clothes to a shelter . Take a bag of dog food to an animal shelter . Leave happy notes “to have a HAPPY day” on car windshields . Leave quarters at a laundromat . Bring in your neighbor’s garbage can…

Get out and hug, love, share, give any random act of KINDNESS and LOVE.

Cheers!! Spread the LOVE.

Follow your HEART

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ImageLife is a funny thing…you wake up, follow your habits and patterns of a usual day, go through the motions of the to do’s, go to work, have other people tell you what to do, sign your kids up for things you are not even sure they truly want to do, but you do because they will fall behind in the game of life, you rush through every meal you eat, you unwind to your favorite television shows and then begin the process all over again…UNTIL…your life gets shaken up by something that shifts your patterns, makes you look deeper, stops you in your usual tracks, carries you away on a personal challenge and is some type of personal life wake-up call. 

This is when you truly begin to swirl, to look in a multitude of directions for your life, something that makes you finally stop and once again LISTEN TO YOUR HEART!  When we were kids we did things that sang to our hearts, we would paint for the pure enjoyment, we would dig in the dirt and not care if we got dirty, we imagined, we played, we explored, we did things that followed our hearts desires. THEN, we begin to grow up—the stuff of responsibility, the reality of home mortgages, kids college tuition, the REAL job, we begin to forget to listen to our hearts desires, we begin to do things out of necessity, not desire. Dreams begin to dwindle, life begins to go faster because of the routine. 

BUT, Thank GOD for LIFE’s Little INTERVENTIONs—the things that I lovingly call “FAITH BUSTERS”–moments in your life that give you opportunities to BUST OUT, to JUMP, to step away from the edge of the mundane, to try your spirit, to expand your growth, to help you build a little more FAITH.  

My little family is in the middle of one right this minute! We have been working on figuring out our current job jump, my husband has been interviewing non-stop & the whirl has been steady. I looked at my husband & said, “we need to get out of here, we need to step away, take a breather, have a fresh outlook.” We decided to PLAN a spontaneous trip to Disney World—a place across the country, a place we have never been, a place that will allow our imaginations to be free, a place of pure enjoyment, to step away from worry, to place our LIFE PLANS back in God’s hands.  

My sister texted me yesterday—“So I hear Florida is in the works?” I smiled to myself,  replied, “Absolutely! Yes. We are all about PLANNING a spontaneous trip until God finishes helping us PLAN our life!!”   

This morning while driving to the bank, I said to my husband, “This trip is a Faith Buster—we are going with full faith that he will be working on opening the right doors, putting in place the right people, the right situation for our family.”  I truly believe this. He works in mysterious ways, so this trip is part of following our hearts, doing something that will bring our family closer while creating memories that will last forever. 

Cheers to FAITH BUSTING moments!! Cheers to following your HEART!!

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Life List It!

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The more my creativity gets me, the more ideas that seem to swirl around in my head, the more time I spend dreaming, makes me need to write all the ideas down. Life is like that…a dream, an action, a talent, an idea, a passion, a friend who inspires, a child’s imagination & the stories they tell, a song that sings to your soul, a trip of a lifetime that makes you yearn for more…Life is like that…a mix of a thousand beautiful things.

So, today, after a whirlwind of creating within my mind—I figured I would put a few more personal ideas together that will make my life a little more directed, a bunch of possibilities that will have a place to fly within my mind & bring a little peace to my heart.  

So, today is to PERSONAL BUCKET LISTS:  those ideas, thoughts, dreams, hopes, pursuits that will guide you, that will inspire you from one to another…

WHAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST: Things you want to do before you kick the bucket! Countries, places or locations you have always wanted to visit.  Some of your biggest dreams or desires. Things you want to try or learn. People you would like to meet. Things that will help you live your life to the fullest!!! Here you go!!

Here is a giant list of ideas borrowed from others lists, thought up from my dreams, realized on a grander scale—enjoy the possibilities:  Inspire someone with my ART, See the monarch butterfly migration, Walk the countryside of Italy, French kiss in France, See the Northern Lights, Blow a kiss to a panda bear & send them some love, Ride an elephant, Wear a variety of costumes (masquerade mask, a biker jacket, a boa, my hair braided), Learn the hula & do it on a beach in Hawaii, Learn where my relatives are from, Go hot air ballooning, Go on a road trip, Sleep in a truck bed under the stars, Buy a jeep, Stay in an ice hotel, Go to the top of the eiffel tower, Ride a horse on the beach, Change someone’s life (through my writing or my creativity), Go to the galapagos islands, Get a puppy as a present, Go paddle boarding, Grow old with the person I love, Build a giant blanket fort, See lightning bugs, Lay in a hammock somewhere wonderful, Watch fireworks from a plane, Write a letter to myself & open it ten years later, Go paragliding, Try gelato, Attach a lock to a love bridge, Let go of a floating lantern, Have a day of crepes (sweet & savory), Kiss under mistletoe, Go on a cruise, Kiss in the rain, Go on a road trip to Canada, Create a secret family recipe, Kiss a dolphin or swim with one, Dance at the base of a waterfall, Travel to Fiji, Read 100 books in one year, Take nature pictures like Andy Goldsworthy, Learn something new (how to dry, how to write a musical, how to take a photo, how to paint, how to play an instrument, etc), Send a message in a bottle (even if it is to someone I love), Have a romantic picnic, See a cirque show in Las Vegas, Watch the ball drop on New Years Eve in NY, Write a book, Create a musical, Make a daisy chain, Go to Hollywood, Climb a mountain, Learn a foreign language (French), Go on a cruise, Go outside every day, Keep a gratitude journal, Enjoy a bonfire, Smile more, Achieve my ideal weight, Learn more about aromatherapy, Learn how to truly bake something amazing, Start my own business, Go to Paris with my daughter, Swim like a mermaid, Go rollerblading, Go to Disneyworld, Create a children’s book, Create products for children, Visit as many Disney parks as possible, Stay overnight in a treehouse, walk along a forest bridge, Make a wish in a wishing well, Give a homeless person a gift, Go on a carriage ride, Visit Lake Louise, Go to Yellowstone, Pull a good prank on someone, Ride on a scooter, Buy a convertible, Live somewhere warm, Be a great Mom, Be a great inspiration to my child, Be a wonderful wife, Live my best!!

Well, I hope this list will inspire wonderful ideas and directions for you on a personal level.

Honda CRV has a fun marketing campaign—the Leap List—here is a link to some of the fun leaps other people have made!  http://automobiles.honda.com/leap-list/dashboard/

Cheers to the future!! -Heather

So many beautiful things to see and do…Image