Let it go . . . .

Hello friends! I hope you are settling into the New Year, and approaching it with hope and optimism. You have new aspirations for yourself, right? A personal goal? Here's something you can do for yourself that will move you towards your own goals faster than any other motivator. Not only that, but it will free your mind and open your heart more than you can imagine. 

If you are holding on to hate, anger or resentment, it can prevent you from moving forward in your life. Freeing your mind from these ugly emotions will leave room in your heart and mind for you to embrace new possibilities. If you are cluttering your mind with hurtful feelings, it is you who is quite possibly sabotaging your own goals. It clouds the mind! Do it for YOU! When you hold on to hurtful feelings, it is you who suffers. Do not allow the offender to continue to have this hold on you any longer. Do it for your own well being. Holding on to resentment is destructive, and you have the power to stop the ongoing pain, anger or hurt. Let it go! It will do more for your mind, body & spirit than a year's worth of therapy! Forgiveness does not mean that you are wrong, or the other person is right. It simply means that you have made a decision to stop letting it eat away at your soul. Think of it as today's gift to yourself. 

You've earned it . . . .

Take a deep breath. It's been a crazy week and we all need to decompress. Don't let the stresses of the week overpower you. It's the weekend, and it's time to make room for relaxation. If your passion and joy went by the wayside this week due to stress, you owe it to yourself to bring the pleasures and energies that feed your soul, back into your life. Do it for your own well-being......for health's sake! Learning how to relax is so important! It brings a balance in our life that allows us to be more productive, and helps to keep burn out, stress-related illness and insomnia at bay. I mentioned in an earlier post about how it's so easy for us to fill our free time with errands and busy work, so the first thing we need to do is recognize that we need to make time to relax. It's not always necessary to fill our time busying ourselves with things that can wait! If you don't make the time, it won't happen. I promise, Monday will show up soon enough.  C'mon.....you've earned it.  Take a few minutes to regain that sense of peace that you so deserve. Slow down. Restore your body with healthy choices. Feed your soul with the things that matter most to you. Take a long walk. Listen to your favorite music. Pamper yourself. Take a long, hot bath. Lose yourself in a good book.  Smile, or better yet, laugh! S-t-r-e-t-c-h. Find your personal paradise, and enjoy.

"Sometimes the most important thing 

in a whole day

 is the rest we take between breaths."

-Etty Hillesum

Happy Friday my friends.

Have a wonderful (and relaxing) weekend!

xo

Be your own best friend . . . .

You may tell yourself that life is good enough, but if it could get a whole lot better, wouldn't you want to know that now rather than find it out later? I promise you that at this precise moment next year, if you choose, your life could be better  than it is right now. The choice to improve it is wholly and undeniably yours. When chores, routine existence, and just playing it safe become your only purpose in life, there is no doubt that personal growth becomes hampered. If your life isn't working the way you want it to, you have the option to change that. Do you wake up every morning to see how many chores and favors for others you can heap upon yourself? Please don't go through your days ignoring what matters to you. I'm challenging you to take the steps necessary to put yourself in the position of determining the course for your life. It's as simple as just being there for you; about being your own best friend.

"Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter."

-Martin Luter King, Jr.

Partially compiled from a Self Matters calendar

Happy Monday!

Make it a great day!

xo


Photo via Patterson Maker

I hope you all had a great week, full of new inspiration, great ideas, happy thoughts, accomplishments, sighs of relief, smiles, a cocktail or two, a couple of really good laughs, and a bit of sunshine; if you've taken 2 steps backward, I hope you had one giant leap forward; I hope you've received a compliment, but more importantly.... given one; taken several really deep breaths, had a good stretch, and that you're feeling stronger today than yesterday.  xo, Connie

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

It's tomorrow . . . .

I'm getting there . . . .

• Get back on track after a long holiday weekend.  √
• Find new inspiration.  
• Complete one random act of kindness......(anonymously).
• Eat healthy after a weekend of complete indulgence.  
• Say thank you - (out loud).  √
• Pay attention.  √
• Give one thing away.
• Nurture one friendship.  √
• Fix something.
• Laugh.  √
• Clear my inbox.  
• Enjoy the journey.  √

Have a wonderful day!  √

No prescription needed . . . .

Laughter really is the best medicine. It has been proven that laughing lowers blood pressure, boosts your immune system, and helps you relax, indicating better sleep habits. Some studies even suggest that it may prevent heart disease. CNN recently reported that the positive effects of laughter lasts for up to 45 minutes! Want to burn more calories? Laugh more!  It turns out that 10-15 minutes of laughter can burn 50 calories! It is certainly not reason enough to ditch the treadmill, but every little bit helps, and I can't think of a more fun way to fuel your system. But seriously, who really needs any of these reasons to laugh? It's just downright good for your soul, it feels good, and it's fun!.....(and personally, I secretly believe that a big belly laugh gets rid of all cooties! That's why they call it 'cleansing'..... right?)

I've always thought that a big laugh was a loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth!" 

- Quincy Jones

Photo taken myself


Happy Friday!
May you have a weekend full of laughter!

Joy ride . . . .

How are you treating the most important person in your life? I'm not referring to your significant other, parent or child, I'm referring to YOU! Many people sacrifice their own happiness for others, thinking they are being a good person. We are taught to put ourselves last, and as a consequence, we begin to feel unworthy, undeserving, and not important enough. Those feelings eventually lead to resentment. Are you treating yourself with love and respect? When we tend to our own joy, and do what makes us happy, we are a joy to be around! We become a shining example to our children, and every person in our life. It is our own responsibility. We have to tend to our own joy, before we can give joy away! When you are feeling joy, it becomes effortless to emit feelings of happiness. The more you emit, the more you receive. What a wonderful ride to be on!