Getting things done . . . .

Happy Monday to you! I am happy to be home, and even happier to be slipping back into my daily routine.  I have a "to-do" list that may take me a few days to get through, and it reminds me of my friend who gets so much joy from the actual "checking off" of the list. As a matter of fact, we often laugh about it because we both realize that it seems silly to get so much satisfaction from doing that, but we know that it's all about the fulfillment of a completed task. To us it feels more like a "ta-da" list! Getting things done, and moving on...yep, always feels so good. A few tips.....be sure to prioritize and keep it short,  otherwise you will begin to feel overwhelmed and you may end up walking away from the entire list. Make it doable, and tackle one thing at a time. You can always add to your list once you've completed a few things. By the end of the week........ you get to enjoy the satisfaction of having it behind you, and the Ta-da!

Have a wonderful day! 

Cutting the Cord to Materialism . . . .

Note: this post from David Damron of The Minimalist Path.

Let's start with an exercise.....

Write your response to the up-coming question on a piece of paper in one sentence.

Here is your question:

If you had the opportunity to do one activity for one week without any worry about finances, cost, or other outside commitments, what would you love to do for this week?

So, what did you come up with? Was it travel around your favorite Hawaiian Island? Was it to spend a week at Disney World with your family and friends? Was it take that honeymoon you and your significant other missed out on? Or was it watch television while you munched on chips and salsa for eight hours a day, seven days straight? I doubt it was the last one. However, for some reason, the last response should be answered the most. At least by Americans. In 2008, we watched an average of 5.1 hours/day of television and that doesn't include the 3 hours/month average of internet video watching. For Americans, that is a total of 10.92 weeks/year watching television. If that figure doesn't shock you then I don't know what will. Once television became such a monumental part of our lives, we began being consumed by this sedentary form of life that co-existed with unhealthy and unfit lives. 

In many other parts of the world, being active is living. In Japan, Leo Babauta experienced the countering idea to the lives of western cultures. He found that many Japanese lives revolve around basic physical activities like walking and biking and there isn't a focus on exercise. Those that have not accepted the forms of materialism similar to the addiction in America and beyond live longer and are happier. Though this may be for many reasons, such as financial, I like to believe it is for the health and life reasons that many the world over choose the anti-materialism way.

Health is not the only factor in the fight against materialism. You do not need me to tell you about the financial situation the world is in. The abundance of commercials and other highly influential advertising through our modes of electronic communication have caused personal debt to become just as bloated as our waste lines. In American we spend 5.4% of our income entertaining ourselves. That's $2,700/annually that could be going towards savings, retirement and/or travel. How different would your mindset be if you had $2,700 set aside for a random, spontaneous week vacation? If you think that's a lot, we spend $1,881/annually just on apparel and services. Assuming we just cut those two totals in half, we would have an additional $2,290 to our name. 

The point of reducing our sedentary forms of entertainment is not just to save money and lose a few pounds. It is to save our lives! Just imagine how different your life would be if you spent one more hour with your family daily or a few more hours a week chasing your tour card on the PGA or training for a marathon. When we spend our time doing the things we love, it ends up being more valuable than any half hour sitcom can be.

Remember that question I asked you to answer earlier? Your response was only addressing one week. So, if you chose to spend your gifted week at the Great Barrier Reef finding Nemo, imagine what your life would be life if you took just half of that 10+ hours/week spent in front of the television and spent those additional 5 weeks exploring the entire Great Barrier Reef. Surely, your boss may not let you have that much vacation, but without that television being such a major priority, you could do many of the things you dream of doing, whatever they may be.

Being a minimalist and simplifying your life does not mean you need to eliminate all that you somewhat enjoy. I, to this day, like to watch a handful of hours of television per week. However, if you are able to reduce the quantity of time and money spent on that which you just like and apply both to that which you love, you may be able to live a longer, more pleasureful life.

Try cutting your cord to materialism and start appreciating more of the things you don't just like, but love.

David Damron is the author of PROJECT M-31: Simplify Your Life in 31 Days, and chronicles his journey to a more simplified life at The Minimalist Path.

Photo via Anchor Division

Take the challenge . . . .

Can you sit for 2 minutes and do nothing? For those of you who have a bit of the Energizer Bunny in you, this can actually be pretty difficult. This simple video , Do Nothing for Two Minutes, challenges you to do just that -- do nothing -- and if you touch your mouse or keyboard during the countdown, you're greeted with a "Fail" message.  

Click here to begin.

Relax, and good luck.

"To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing 
in the world, 

the most difficult and the most intellectual."

-Oscar Wilde


Photo via Google Images

Delivering holiday smiles . . . .

Yesterday, a friend shared a story with me about how she had received an anonymous gift, and what that felt like for her. It was a complete surprise to her, and the more we talked about how it came about, the more we felt inclined to pass it on. We realized how simple it would be to keep it going by passing that feeling on to someone else, and agreed to pay it forward. Later that same day, I met with another friend, shared the story with her, and she too wanted to be a part of the challenge.  And so it begins. We plan on delivering holiday smiles anonymously. Pass it on! Make a promise to yourself that you'll give something away (anonymously or not) without expecting ANYTHING in return.

I promise, the ultimate rewards are the warm feelings that come from the act of giving!

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend !

Photo via Fossil

I can't stop smiling! . . . .

What a night!  I danced in my local Dancing With The Stars fund raiser event, and we accomplished exactly what we set out to do! We landed a spot in the top 3, which means we got to dance in the 2nd round! I am completely satisfied with that! It was definitely one of my top life highlights. I learned that I will never turn down an opportunity like that, even though it would be easy to let the fear of it all hold you back. Needless to say, we raised a record amount of money for a great cause and I couldn't be happier about that.

This morning I opened my email and received this 'note from The Universe'. I laughed out loud.

Every compliment, criticism, promotion, setback, good vibe, cough or really long line you have to wait in, Connie, is a gift that was meticulously designed to make possible your becoming more than who you were, and ultimately, happier than ever before, as we dance into forever.

How do you ever keep from celebrating, all the time, Connie,

or does this explain why you smile so much? 

-The Universe

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

Excitement bubbles . . . .

Tomorrow's the big day! I've been in rehearsals for 12 weeks for my local Dancing With The Stars fund raiser event, and it's been amazing. . . . tons of fun, huge smiles, lots of laughter, learning how to dance hip-hop, and especially how to add the attitude that goes with it! I've learned that you cannot be shy and dance hip-hop! When I first blogged about this event, I used a quote by Bernice Johnson Reagon that says, "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you. They're supposed to help you discover who you are."  Oh so true. No paralysis here! I have embraced this new experience with all my being, and reminded myself that this, too, is just one more journey that has helped me continue to live a no-regret life. When it's all said and done, I will have one more check mark on my bucket list, a lot of money will have been raised for a good cause, and I'll have memories that will bring a smile to my face for years to come.  

I wanted to share  post #527 from Neil over at 1000 Awesome Things, and what he has to say about the night before a big day.  I am relating at this moment. 

Accepting the challenge . . . .

My schedule is ramping up with a few new commitments that I'm very excited about. One of which is that I have begun dance rehearsals for my local Dancing with the Stars fund raiser event that will take place in November. I was nominated to dance, accepted the challenge, and hope to raise lots of money for this great charity. As I have said before, I have chosen to live a 'no regret' life and dancing in front of 1,200 people at this event is something I might have walked away from just a few years ago. Walking into the unknown is scary (I'm dancing hip-hop!), but I am psyched about doing something new and looking forward to the challenge. Bernice Johnson Reagon once said, "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you. They're supposed to help you discover who you are." Begin to look for your challenge and choose to make that discovery about yourself.

Photo via Google Images