Dear Followers and Fellow Bloggers,
It's great to be back here after--gulp!--over a year! So much has happened--and, more importantly, I'm working on so much more happening in the next little while! But that's another blog for another day . . .
On this day I'm returning to blogging with the intent of making this a part of the way I want to spend my time--meaning that I'm committing myself to working on my business, my networking, and my inspirations. The latter are many and multifaceted, but without sitting down to think about them, write about them and share them, I can so easily plod along through the week and find myself feeling aimless and devoid of real creative impulses. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way, either. So often these days I hear the phrase "Where has the time gone?" echoing through my workplace, in restaurants with my friends, in meeting acquaintances by chance on the subway. Well, I think we all know the answer to this question but are too scared to find the words to answer it. Our time has been taken from us by work, family, friends, sickness, worry, vacations, breakups . . . well, I think we all get it. Only each one of us can truly enumerate for ourselves just how and where our own personal, precious time has been spent--and only each one of us can make a judgment call on whether these expenditures were worth it. Unfortunately, time is a hefty purchase that has a no-refund, no-exchange policy!
Starting today, I'm giving myself time to get back to writing about what matters to me--and hopefully some of what I write will matter to you, too!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Powerful Ways to Live in the Moment!
Hi Everyone!
When I opened up Twitter today, one of the first posts I read was from a very famous personality, declaring that today she was going to begin "living in the moment." I thought about how often so many of us like to use that phrase and swear that we are actually going to do just that--but stuff happens. Work happens. Family happens. Life happens. Where did "the moment" get to?
Since setting out to live "on my terms" in 2011, I have been practising some simple yet often overlooked ways to really be able to "live in the moment." Here are a few of my favourites:
*Stretch/move/dance every morning for 15-20 minutes to music you really like and that "grounds" you. For me, that means largely instrumental, New Age/Celtic-inspired pieces with few lyrics to dwell on. Move with intent--notice how your shoulders, back, legs, feet, arms and hands feel as you move. I often find myself wanting to stay in this "moment" much longer than 20 minutes!
*Prepare food lovingly for yourself. Prepare a special breakfast one day of the week--skip the dry cereal. A yogurt/banana (or your favourite fruit) smoothie is tasty and luxurious. Today I made a banana/yogurt/soy milk/chocolate almond milk/matcha smoothie in less than 5 minutes--and ate a homemade banana bran muffin with it. I thought about how much I enjoy good food and all the love that goes into making it--I guarantee that doesn't happen when I've wolfed down Special K!
*Set apart time for you and your favourite author. Anticipate the half hour you've dedicated to reading that new book, and don't let yourself be pulled away by twitters or emails. In fact, once you do settle into that book (and couch) and start reading, you won't want to get up!
All of the above sound so easy to do, but they are also the first activities to fall away when we get caught up in everything beyond "the moment." Today, give yourself at least one of these moments and notice how wonderful you--and the rest of your day--feels!
Now--time to share! What are some of your favourite ways to live "in the moment"? Let's hear them!
Have a fabulous day!
When I opened up Twitter today, one of the first posts I read was from a very famous personality, declaring that today she was going to begin "living in the moment." I thought about how often so many of us like to use that phrase and swear that we are actually going to do just that--but stuff happens. Work happens. Family happens. Life happens. Where did "the moment" get to?
Since setting out to live "on my terms" in 2011, I have been practising some simple yet often overlooked ways to really be able to "live in the moment." Here are a few of my favourites:
*Stretch/move/dance every morning for 15-20 minutes to music you really like and that "grounds" you. For me, that means largely instrumental, New Age/Celtic-inspired pieces with few lyrics to dwell on. Move with intent--notice how your shoulders, back, legs, feet, arms and hands feel as you move. I often find myself wanting to stay in this "moment" much longer than 20 minutes!
*Prepare food lovingly for yourself. Prepare a special breakfast one day of the week--skip the dry cereal. A yogurt/banana (or your favourite fruit) smoothie is tasty and luxurious. Today I made a banana/yogurt/soy milk/chocolate almond milk/matcha smoothie in less than 5 minutes--and ate a homemade banana bran muffin with it. I thought about how much I enjoy good food and all the love that goes into making it--I guarantee that doesn't happen when I've wolfed down Special K!
*Set apart time for you and your favourite author. Anticipate the half hour you've dedicated to reading that new book, and don't let yourself be pulled away by twitters or emails. In fact, once you do settle into that book (and couch) and start reading, you won't want to get up!
All of the above sound so easy to do, but they are also the first activities to fall away when we get caught up in everything beyond "the moment." Today, give yourself at least one of these moments and notice how wonderful you--and the rest of your day--feels!
Now--time to share! What are some of your favourite ways to live "in the moment"? Let's hear them!
Have a fabulous day!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Invitation to Communication!
Happy March, everyone!
Finally . . . the promise of spring! Well, the weather may not be much warmer yet, but I know my spirits automatically rise once I can flip (or click) a new calendar page!
My productivity level always undergoes a positive shift come March. Today I have posted my first piece on my new blog, Communication for Change. It is meant to be a partner blog to this one, focusing more specifically on the words and language that we can use to improve our overall image.
Please take a few minutes to read "Choose Your Words Carefully!" at http://communicationforchange.blogspot.com/2011/03/choose-your-words-carefully.html
I'd love to hear what you think-either here or there! Happy communicating!
Lauren
Finally . . . the promise of spring! Well, the weather may not be much warmer yet, but I know my spirits automatically rise once I can flip (or click) a new calendar page!
My productivity level always undergoes a positive shift come March. Today I have posted my first piece on my new blog, Communication for Change. It is meant to be a partner blog to this one, focusing more specifically on the words and language that we can use to improve our overall image.
Please take a few minutes to read "Choose Your Words Carefully!" at http://communicationforchange.blogspot.com/2011/03/choose-your-words-carefully.html
I'd love to hear what you think-either here or there! Happy communicating!
Lauren
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What's Your Personal Slogan for 2011?
Hello, Everyone!
It's been quite some time since I lasted posted--yet, although some months have gone by, the time since I last wrote to you seems very short. A combination of events kept me away--a serious ligament injury at the end of May, followed by a couple of months of recovery, a busy time wrapping up a literacy class, followed by a crazy period of starting up another group--and then, winter holidays and a brand new year with its challenges! I'm glad to be back and am excited to hear about YOUR challenges as well as share some of mine!
So, since we're already well into February and far, far away from the time when some of us may have been making those new year's resolutions (and, if statistics hold true, have broken them by now!), I'm not going to talk about 2011 resolutions or goals--and I won't ask you to declare yours, either! Actually, I never really made any this year--one, I rarely hold to them, and two, it just seems like such an outmoded thing to do. Every day brings me challenges and goals, so for me, it's more important to get up each day thinking about what fun (and havoc!) I can generate in the next 24 hours!
Although I didn't make any resolutions for 2011, I did decide to try one new thing: come up with a "slogan" to live and work by this year. I've always admired Eleanor Roosevelt's advice to do one thing every day that scares you. I try to follow that (and most days I do try something a little daunting--calling someone I've put off calling, writing that cheque I've been putting off), but this year I decided that I also wanted to live by my own "slogan." In coming up with this idea, I realized that this, in itself, was a scary undertaking: to create my own "life" slogan and then to actually live by it!
Well, Ms. Roosevelt would be proud of me, I think. I did indeed come up with my own slogan. I decided that it could be no more than three words, and that it must be something I truly believe in and am willing to commit to. So, here it is:
ON MY TERMS
You may be wondering what exactly I mean by that. This year, I've decided that I want to live, work and play on my terms. This does not mean that I won't live with, work with and play with others. It means that I've given myself permission to do what I need to do to accomplish my goals for play, work and life. That may mean that sometimes I will make decisions that, at first glance, may seem odd--like turning down a job or declining an invitation to dinner. However, when faced with such decisions, I ask this question: Is this experience what I truly need now? If the answer is yes, I'll go with that. But, if I find myself wavering and already making excuses for not wanting to do this, I will decline. In the past two months, I've been living by this slogan, asking myself the question, and feeling much more grounded--and happy.
So, you may now want to ask me, "What are some of the situations you've encountered that have forced you to act on your slogan? How does this really work?" I will tell you . . . but not just yet. First, I have a challenge for YOU. Come up with a three-word slogan that you want to live by this year and post it here. You don't have to tell us why--if you don't want to. You don't have to give us examples of how you use it--yet. Just come up with one, post it, and start living by it. The results will amaze you.
Stay tuned for more on how I'm using my slogan to live, work and play by!
It's been quite some time since I lasted posted--yet, although some months have gone by, the time since I last wrote to you seems very short. A combination of events kept me away--a serious ligament injury at the end of May, followed by a couple of months of recovery, a busy time wrapping up a literacy class, followed by a crazy period of starting up another group--and then, winter holidays and a brand new year with its challenges! I'm glad to be back and am excited to hear about YOUR challenges as well as share some of mine!
So, since we're already well into February and far, far away from the time when some of us may have been making those new year's resolutions (and, if statistics hold true, have broken them by now!), I'm not going to talk about 2011 resolutions or goals--and I won't ask you to declare yours, either! Actually, I never really made any this year--one, I rarely hold to them, and two, it just seems like such an outmoded thing to do. Every day brings me challenges and goals, so for me, it's more important to get up each day thinking about what fun (and havoc!) I can generate in the next 24 hours!
Although I didn't make any resolutions for 2011, I did decide to try one new thing: come up with a "slogan" to live and work by this year. I've always admired Eleanor Roosevelt's advice to do one thing every day that scares you. I try to follow that (and most days I do try something a little daunting--calling someone I've put off calling, writing that cheque I've been putting off), but this year I decided that I also wanted to live by my own "slogan." In coming up with this idea, I realized that this, in itself, was a scary undertaking: to create my own "life" slogan and then to actually live by it!
Well, Ms. Roosevelt would be proud of me, I think. I did indeed come up with my own slogan. I decided that it could be no more than three words, and that it must be something I truly believe in and am willing to commit to. So, here it is:
ON MY TERMS
You may be wondering what exactly I mean by that. This year, I've decided that I want to live, work and play on my terms. This does not mean that I won't live with, work with and play with others. It means that I've given myself permission to do what I need to do to accomplish my goals for play, work and life. That may mean that sometimes I will make decisions that, at first glance, may seem odd--like turning down a job or declining an invitation to dinner. However, when faced with such decisions, I ask this question: Is this experience what I truly need now? If the answer is yes, I'll go with that. But, if I find myself wavering and already making excuses for not wanting to do this, I will decline. In the past two months, I've been living by this slogan, asking myself the question, and feeling much more grounded--and happy.
So, you may now want to ask me, "What are some of the situations you've encountered that have forced you to act on your slogan? How does this really work?" I will tell you . . . but not just yet. First, I have a challenge for YOU. Come up with a three-word slogan that you want to live by this year and post it here. You don't have to tell us why--if you don't want to. You don't have to give us examples of how you use it--yet. Just come up with one, post it, and start living by it. The results will amaze you.
Stay tuned for more on how I'm using my slogan to live, work and play by!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Summer . . . and Romance . . . in the Air . . .
Hello, dear readers!
If you're in Toronto this Victoria Day weekend, you will understand the title of this post. It is absolutely glorious outside! It is true that Saturday was a little on the gloomy/wet side, but Sunday has certainly made up for it! Everything and everyone--flowers, birds, dogs, people--is dancing for joy and wanting to share it!
To illustrate, I'd like to share a wonderful moment with you. Today Allan and I went to a lovely brunch, browsed (and, in my case, bought!) at a garage sale, and then decided we just couldn't spend any time indoors this afternoon. We ended up on the banks of the Humber River, by the Old Mill. I spread out the car blanket and spent a glorious hour immersed in a new book (courtesy of the garage sale), while Allan wandered and shot pictures. When he rejoined me, we decided to head home to make a light dinner and play Scrabble. He was still busy with his tripod and I was hastily snatching up the rest of the chapter I was on when a woman who was strolling by stopped, looked at us, and asked us if we would like her to take our picture. Allan thanked her and told her he didn't have the right lens in for portraits, and she smiled and said, " I just thought I'd ask because you two look so romantic!" She wished us a great afternoon, and I just couldn't stop smiling. What a lovely thing to say! I kept wondering what she saw through her own lens--a reflection of something in her own mind, perhaps? Where was she going, or who was she going to? Ah, summer . . . and love!!!!!!
Have you ever had a moment that just made you stop and smile at the loveliness of some days? Please write and share!
If you're in Toronto this Victoria Day weekend, you will understand the title of this post. It is absolutely glorious outside! It is true that Saturday was a little on the gloomy/wet side, but Sunday has certainly made up for it! Everything and everyone--flowers, birds, dogs, people--is dancing for joy and wanting to share it!
To illustrate, I'd like to share a wonderful moment with you. Today Allan and I went to a lovely brunch, browsed (and, in my case, bought!) at a garage sale, and then decided we just couldn't spend any time indoors this afternoon. We ended up on the banks of the Humber River, by the Old Mill. I spread out the car blanket and spent a glorious hour immersed in a new book (courtesy of the garage sale), while Allan wandered and shot pictures. When he rejoined me, we decided to head home to make a light dinner and play Scrabble. He was still busy with his tripod and I was hastily snatching up the rest of the chapter I was on when a woman who was strolling by stopped, looked at us, and asked us if we would like her to take our picture. Allan thanked her and told her he didn't have the right lens in for portraits, and she smiled and said, " I just thought I'd ask because you two look so romantic!" She wished us a great afternoon, and I just couldn't stop smiling. What a lovely thing to say! I kept wondering what she saw through her own lens--a reflection of something in her own mind, perhaps? Where was she going, or who was she going to? Ah, summer . . . and love!!!!!!
Have you ever had a moment that just made you stop and smile at the loveliness of some days? Please write and share!
Monday, May 3, 2010
A Day of Dance, A Day of Joy!
Hello, dear readers!
It's been too, too long since I last sat down to talk to you. April was a busy month for me--some new clients, a trip to Quebec City with my hubby, Allan, and some starts on spring cleaning--and I can't yet say "ends" because I still have so much to do at home!
I'm also taking care to "spring clean" myself to get ready for a busy and active summer--which, for me, means lots of biking, walking and dancing! So, new short haircut, lighter foods, plenty of liquids, and as much movement as possible!
Some of you may know that I am head over heels in love with a form of joyful movement called Nia. You can learn more about this amazing form of exercise by visiting my teacher's website:
http://www.jennhicks.ca/ Jenn is a passionate and inspiring teacher who makes me want to learn more and more every time I dance with her!
Some of you may also know that this past Saturday I had the pleasure of performing with Jenn at International Dance Day at Yonge-Dundas Square. Those 20 minutes onstage were exhilarating and reminded me that 1) I have always had, and will always have, a passion for showing people what I love and 2) everyone has dance in them. We were men and women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds, dancing our spirits crazy that day! For those of you who weren't able to attend, I've posted a link to some of our most powerful pics, taken by my very talented husband, Allan! Here's the link: www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=430029&id=813005153&l=19d07031fd
What gives you joy? What makes you want to dance? Tell us! Or, if you're looking for something new, check out Nia classes near you! Jenn's website will give you tons of valuable info about Nia. I'll keep you posted on Nia news as well! Happy walking, dancing, cycling . . . and moving!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Inspire Yourself, Help Others--Lynn's Story
A Very Good Evening to My Dear Readers!
After a very fun and challenging week working with both my language and image clients, I had to sit down tonight to share a very inspiring story with you. Some of you know that I spend a good part of my day teaching at a literacy program. One of my colleagues, Lynn Manwar, has recently told us that she is embarking on an adventure that likely is not on most of our personal bucket lists--she's climbing to the base camp of Mt. Everest this fall to raise money for Joints in Motion, a marvellous organization dedicated to improving the lives of those of us (moi included) who suffer from some form of the debilitating disease known as arthritis. I'm helping Lynn by spreading her story and donating jewellery to her fundraising garage sale--stay tuned for more details! However, I want YOU to read her personal story and then help her in any way you can--donate so that she can make the trip, spread her story, ask her how you can help. Lynn is an incredibly brave woman with a great story and spirit to share. I challenge YOU to move mountains for her! Good night to all and sweet dreams of Lynn climbing that mountain! Read Lynn's story at http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/lynnmanwar.aspx --and thank you!
After a very fun and challenging week working with both my language and image clients, I had to sit down tonight to share a very inspiring story with you. Some of you know that I spend a good part of my day teaching at a literacy program. One of my colleagues, Lynn Manwar, has recently told us that she is embarking on an adventure that likely is not on most of our personal bucket lists--she's climbing to the base camp of Mt. Everest this fall to raise money for Joints in Motion, a marvellous organization dedicated to improving the lives of those of us (moi included) who suffer from some form of the debilitating disease known as arthritis. I'm helping Lynn by spreading her story and donating jewellery to her fundraising garage sale--stay tuned for more details! However, I want YOU to read her personal story and then help her in any way you can--donate so that she can make the trip, spread her story, ask her how you can help. Lynn is an incredibly brave woman with a great story and spirit to share. I challenge YOU to move mountains for her! Good night to all and sweet dreams of Lynn climbing that mountain! Read Lynn's story at http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/lynnmanwar.aspx --and thank you!
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