on trying something new...

Do you ever feel like there you have wanted to accomplish or at least try a new activity or two in your life? Somehing that maybe has been on your mind for ages, but for whatever reason, you just have not had the guts to try it. Maybe it is not guts, maybe it is drive, desire, or motivation. Whatever the case, perhaps there is something on your 'back burner' that needs to be brought up front, and cooked at a medium temperature!
I had the experience recently, and I decided to dive in. For a long period of time I have wanted to try yoga. For years, and years, and years I have heard people talk about yoga, and the positive effects yoga can have a on persons life, mood, health, temperment, etc. When the recent catalogue of classes, from the local park district, arrived on my doorstep, I decided it was time for me to sign up for Yoga 101! The classes began two weeks ago, and while I am only attending one evening a week...I LOVE IT! There are about 6 or 8 people in the class, ranging in age from 16 to 76, male and female. I was nervous during the first class; could I do this, would I be able to keep up with the others, was I too tall? too large? not flexible enough??? As I eased into the class I decided to just do my best, my baseline best, get the most from the class, and take it from there. At the end of the first class, I reflected, and decided I did pretty well. While I was not able to complete all of the poses, I did most of them, and I did them pretty well. Don't get me wrong, I know I have a ways to go, but now I am off and running. The bending, stretching, and next morning pain feels great! I know I am going good things for my body, and ironically enough, I don't seem to notice the aches and pains that I had a few weeks ago. I am really excited about the class, and I am also proud of myself for diving in, and seeing if yoga is something I enjoy. I kid you not, yoga has been on my 'list of things to do' for years. In retrospect, I am not sure why I waited so long to try it. I guess if I had to guess it had something to do with fear, general fear of the unknown, but now that I have conquered that, what is next??? Perhaps running a marathon???? HA...ok, well maybe running a 5k!

Today's activity: try something new

Today I encourage you to try something new in your. What has been on  your list, but avoided for years? What have you been dreaming about, but keep it at an arms length because maybe you fear that you cannot accomplish it? Is it an art class? An exercise class? A singing lesson? Your first journal entry? Whatever it is, there is not better time than the present to dive right in and try it out! Start small, and with anything in life, DO NOT HAVE ANY EXPECTATIONS! By keeping it real, and small, you are guaranteed to be pleasantly surprised when you find that you CAN do or accomplish the class, activity, or painting you have been dreaming about for years. A wise man once told me: "If you always do what you've always done, you are always going to get, what you've always gotten"! So there, try something new, and I am sure the return you get on your investment will be new as well! Enjoy!!!

on never too late...

Since I have a birthday approaching in a few weeks, I began to think about where I am in my life. My goals, my accomplishments, my setbacks, my dreams, my reality. I began to think about where I am today, as opposed, to where I thought I would be in my life. Now remember I dont want to live with any regrets, so I often ponder on the 'where I am-where I want to be' concept! Ive never wanted to be one of those people who 'peak' in high school, or at too young of an age anyway. After all, if I were to hit my highest potential at age 20, and I lived to age 85, I have 65 years of status quo! Let me tell you...I AM NOT STATUS QUO! So, yet another year is approaching, another day to celebrate my life! While I love my birthday, I have to keep my future on my radar, so I can be sure that my ship is pointing in the right direction! This year I will almost be in my mid-forties...notice the word ALMOST! HA!!! Sometimes I feel I should be so much further ahead of where I am today, but most times I feel I am right where I need to be. Over the past few days, I have been researching people who peaked or hit major success after age 50, and let me tell you...there are many! It excites me to know that people like Colonel Sanders and Ray Kroc did not become food legends until after age 50! Other noteworthy fifty year olds include Grandma Moses, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. But the name stuck out to me the most was Ronald Reagan, who was not elected into his first government office until he hit age 55! This information EXCITES me! This tells me that if I keep on keeping on, I too may hit my peak age when I am a little bit older, and a little bit wiser! Sure, I can imagine it is great to popular in high school, or to be a rock-star twenty year old, but I am living by that age old saying: Good things come to those who wait!

Today's activity: have you hit your peak???

Today I encourage you to look at your life; your accomplishments verses your goals. Have you hit the goals you set for yourself, or are they just a few steps away? Perhaps you strayed away from a goal you had set for yourself, but now have the time or desire to re-engage in your project. Whatever the case may be, I encourage you to look at where you are, and where you want to be, or where you thought you would be at this age in your life. Some of the most famous, and most loved people did not become famous until they were well into their lives! IT IS NEVER TOO LATE to pick up where you left off, or set a new goal for that matter. Be excited, be re-energized, be willing to take the risk! Age is just a number, merely just a number. Shoot for the moon, cause let's face it...even if you fall short, you will still land among the stars! xo

on purpose & happiness...

I recently read an interesting article about how one's purpose is directly linked to one's happiness. As a person who continuously strives for inner, personal, true happiness, this concept get my wheels turning. Could this be true? Could our inner happiness be linked to our purpose and vise versa? After thinking this through I did find some validity to this concept. I began to think about my work, my job. While often times my job drives me crazy, I love it. The craziness of the day; people yelling, people screaming, people laughing, people crying. Spreading joy, spreading color, sharing a smile. Healing a soul, touching a heart...all wonderful things. I took some time off around the recent holidays. I very much enjoy my time off, but by the third or fourth day, I was pretty much bored. My home was clean, my ducks were in a row, and I was well over daytime television. My daughter was out and about, busy with her friends and life. My family and friends were all working. So, I muddled on through my time off, and returned to work after several days off. When I returned to work, the craziest thing happened...I felt ALIVE! I felt awake! I felt needed! I felt that...I had a purpose! I felt HAPPY!!! I was zipping around the buildings, and crossing things off of my list like there was no tomorrow! I was greeting people, smiling, and making friends like never before! At then end of the day, I felt like I had made a difference, even if it was just a small difference, I felt as though I did good work! I was happy, my purpose filled my voids, and made my heart sing! Who would have ever thought that we needed a purpose to feel good?!?! I mean, I really does make sense. If we do good work, no matter what it is. If we make people happy, if we spread joy, we are ultimately fueling our own inner happiness!

Today's activity: link your happiness to your purpose

Today I encourage you to think about your inner happiness, or lack of it. In addition, I encourage you to think about your purpose, or lack of it. How do the two of them tie together in your world? How does one feed off of another? Does your daily work make you happy? Or are you naturally happy, therefore, you want to do good work. Or, on the flip side, perhaps something is missing, and you are not happy, or not feeling a strong sense of purpose. Think about that too. Today is the perfect day to get your wheels turning. Make some changes if necessary. What fuels you? What makes you soar? If you are lacking or not living your purpose, think about why you are not, and how you can add some purpose into your life, therefore, creating a world of joy! Life is what we make of it, so live your BEST life today!
Purpose + happiness = :-)