Mar 21, 2011
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And the more you pay it forward, the more entries you will have!
Read on for details… 🙂
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Spend it any way you like – get a few handmade journals for yourself, give them as gifts, get a few ebooks, or have us send a gift certificate to your loved one. It’s up to you!
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Spend it any way you like – get a couple of handmade journals for yourself, give them as gifts, get a few ebooks, or have us send a gift certificate to your loved one. It’s up to you!
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Check out our
Soulful Journals & leave a comment telling us which is your favorite and why! =&11=&
Mar 20, 2011
I woke up this morning thinking about the many unfinished projects I needed to do, emails I wanted to send, and the seemingly endless pile of papers that needed to be filed.
Not always the best way to wake up. I immediately felt tired and overwhelmed.
But then I remembered a wonderful cd that I listened to several years ago that talked about how we store energy in our bodies. It was called
Energy Anatomy by Caroline Myss.
While it was an amazingly insightful series that I enjoyed listening to, the part that still sticks with me today and that I still use in my daily life is thinking about our bodies as circuit boards and everything we have to do and all of the thoughts we have are plugs. We only have a certain amount of circuits – and just imagine how many circuits you have plugged in when you are feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed out.
When I start to feel this way, I first take a look at where my circuits are plugged in.
I take a moment to write down every plugged-in circuit I can think of – everything that is draining my energy.
Do I have emails to send that are weighing on me?
How about papers that are piling up?
Projects needing to be finished?
A house that needs to be cleaned?
Expense sheets to enter in?
Orders to make?
Friends to call and connect with?
Old thoughts and thoughts patterns creeping back in?
Hurts from the past still affecting me in the present?
The list can go on and on – we are all so busy and we all have so many circuits plugged in to so many things.
First simply become aware of these circuits.
Next visualize unplugging them.
See your body increasing with energy and vitality with each circuit unplugged.
Sundays are perfect days to clearing your circuits – are at least starting to.
You can start by clearing a chunk of time to sit down and batch as many circuits as you can into time chunks.
Send all of the emails in one chunk.
Clean the house in one chunk.
File the papers in one chunk.
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Mar 19, 2011
We watched a wonderful movie last night – one that came highly recommended.
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It was beautifully done. I love how they wove Dr. Dyer’s teachings with everyday situations and normal people who are struggling in various ways. He teaches about moving away from the ego and moving toward our higher selves.
He talks about how in the morning of our lives we are concerned with ambition and competition (the ego) and how we make the shift in the afternoon of our lives toward serving others, finding meaning in life, and being our best selves.
I would definitely recommend this movie – it’s so universal. We are all on our own journey going through life in our own way. And yet, we are all connected, and we all can benefit by going within and getting to know our higher self.
It’s all about letting go and surrendering to the possibility of what’s to come.
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Wayne W. Dyer, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned
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Mar 18, 2011
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Your mind starts whirling with questions:
Did you deserve such a nice compliment?
Would you seem too full of yourself if you agreed?
Should you simply look away and say a quick thank you and then change the subject?
Now imagine how you feel when you give someone a compliment. They did something very well, and you want to let them know that you recognized it. So you tell them, and they immediately deflect it or dismiss it or ignore it. How does this make you feel? I bet it hits you right in your gut and makes you sad. It probably feels like you gave them a gift that they immediately sent back. And you’ll think twice before you compliment them again.
And this is how your loved ones feel when they compliment you.
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This is a hard lesson and might not come easily to some of us – me included.
After receiving some recent press for our business, we’ve had the completely foreign experience of being recognized several times in our daily lives. It’s something that I hadn’t prepared for and takes some getting used to. Seeing yourself through the eyes of others is a great lesson – being told that we have inspired them is wonderful to hear, especially if we can learn to own it instead of deflect it. This is what it’s all about for us. We love helping people, and we are thrilled that our books are doing just that.
So I’ll continue to work on being able to fully receive the love that you all are giving us.
And the next time someone asks me to sign their book, I promise I won’t get all flustered. I will simply thank them and sign it.
And hopefully you can do the same in your own life. The next time someone gives you a compliment, simply accept it, smile, and say “thank you.”
Mar 17, 2011
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You all have truly embraced this space of positivity, and I am forever grateful!
I was so touched to have received the Stylish Blogger Award from two wonderful people, so this post is about them and also about the wonderful blogs that I am passing it along to.
In keeping with the tradition of this wonderful award, I get to share 7 random facts about me and then pass the award along to some other deserving bloggers!
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Mar 16, 2011
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude!
Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project.
Okay – now for today’s post:
One of the best things about starting a gratitude practice is you quickly realize just how much there is to be grateful for. You can practice gratitude everywhere – and anywhere you look you’ll see something that you’re thankful for. These are great things!
For today let’s narrow it down to just three things that we are grateful for:
the biggest, the littlest, and one thing in between.
And when you write these down – take some time to really feel your gratitude and appreciation. If you have the time and are able to, write an entire page on each one. Write about why you are grateful and how this affects your life in a positive way.
Focusing on just three of the millions of things in our lives that we are grateful for will help you to really appreciate them even more, which will lead to even more gratitude.
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Speaking of gratitude, we have a new Soulful Journal that we are excited to introduce!
The Gratitude Book: 50 Prompts to Keep the Grateful Feelings Flowing
Here is the description:
Feeling and expressing gratitude on a regular basis can lead to a happier, healthier life.
In this book, we give you 50 prompts that encourage you to express your gratitude.
Sample gratitude prompts:
Who is one family member you’re especially grateful for? Write about them, including one special memory that embodies what about them you love and appreciate.
What is one aspect of your daily life that you don’t always take time to appreciate, but that you’re actually very grateful for?
What is one experience from your childhood that you’re especially grateful for? Write about how it felt at the time and, in retrospect, how it’s affected More
Mar 15, 2011
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do your best.
But what happens when wanting to do your best keeps you from living your best life?
Have you ever had a project that you wanted to start – you had really great ideas – and great hopes of what the finished project would look like – and then you started thinking about how this is going to be the best project that you’ve ever worked on – no one will have ever seen such a project before – and your mind starts swirling with all of this pressure that you’ve just put on yourself to make it such a great project – and you immediately get overwhelmed and just need to step back from it – just for a little bit – and then months go by and you remember that you had a great idea for a project that you never started
(and definitely didn’t complete)?
Sound at all familiar?
Perfectionism can be really amazing – it can push you forward and keep your standards very high. It can make sure you’re living your life to your best potential.
But… it can also be a saboteur in your life. It can keep you from finishing projects, which can do a real number on your self esteem.
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Mar 14, 2011
This is a fun exercise and a great self-esteem boost!
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Easy, right?
Hopefully!
But… sometimes we can be really hard on ourselves. Many of us are quick to praise other people and forget to praise ourselves. If we had to come up with 50 words to describe our loved ones, we could easily do this – and probably come up with many more! The powerful part of this exercise comes in when we turn that love back to ourselves.
If you are able to, it might be helpful to create a special space for yourself before you begin to write. Light a candle – carve out some “you” time. Sit in a comfortable chair. Take some deep breaths to center yourself and get into a positive, loving space. Think about your gifts and strengths. And then write.
If your inner critic appears while you are writing – just take notice of it. You don’t have to give it power. Recenter yourself and start again. Write down only positive, loving words.
If you are having a hard time with this exercise, think about what words your loved ones would use to describe you (only positive words, though!).
Once you have your list, remember to go back to it from time to time. Add to it! Hang it up where you’ll see it often! And let the words sink in.
Feel how powerful they are.
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Mar 13, 2011
Have you ever had a moment where you wanted to change in some way, but you didn’t because it seemed too crazy, too out of the box, too “not you”?
The labels we give ourselves are really powerful.
They can define us – and this can be empowering or stifling depending on where the label came from (our higher self or our comfort zone). If your higher self created the label, then you know it’s something great that you either currently embody or you can strive for. If you create labels for yourself from a point of low self esteem, comfort, or because you think you should – then they can hinder your growth and box you in to a life of comfort and stagnation.
I recently took a look at what labels I give myself – both professionally and personally.
I have been designing, writing, and making journals for over six years. Our business completely supports us, and I am comfortable calling myself an entrepreneur, a designer, and a creative spirit. But for some reason I had some blocks with calling myself a writer and an artist. For me, these words were powerful and I had to step back and think if I could truly embody these labels.
It’s so funny to realize this – the power of words is so strong!
I AM a writer and I AM an artist.
I can choose to create these labels for myself and fully embrace them.
Look at your own life.
What labels do you use to define yourself?
What labels do others use to define you?
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Mar 12, 2011
Many years ago, Dan and I were shopping at our favorite thrift store and came across a game that looked really interesting. I believe that things come into our lives when we are ready to receive them, and this was just what we needed then. We were at a crossroads – we were both teaching and felt that we had gotten off our path somehow. We were in a period of transition and transformation – what should our next move be? When we saw this game for $1.99 (brand new), we knew it was ours.
It’s called
The Transformation Game, and it’s an amazing tool for looking within and figuring out where you are stuck in different areas of your life. Before you begin, you think about a question or thought that you want to focus on. You then play on different levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – and each level has insights, setbacks, angel cards, pain, and service. How long you are on the level depends on whether you have any blocks there with regard to your playing focus.
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Sometimes life is filled with blessings, insights, and a heart-felt sense of connection with people around us. Other times we stumble through a series of setbacks, accumulating pain, even falling into depression; and nothing we try seems to help us get out of it. Sometimes someone unexpectedly appreciates us or offers to serve us – or we reach out to help another. Sometimes miracles happen, pain is lifted, new directions open up, More
