Creativity!

I am focused on a life with no regrets.

Yesterday, I encouraged you to start making two different list and complete them over the next 72 hours.  You have 48 hours left, and it occurred to me that it may be a little difficult for you to just create a list from scratch.  After all, if it was easy to make the lists you would already have them created wouldn't you?

So, the only way to be as successful as possible is to BE CREATIVE!

Below are 29 ways to do that, but let's focus on three of them that will help you with your lists:

#2. Carry a notebook everywhere- if you keep your list close to you at all times and jot down new thoughts and ideas you have, the lists will grow at a rate you didn't think possible.
#18. Count your blessings- when you acknowledge where you've come from, you can focus on where you're going.  That can also create new ideas.  If you are grateful that you have a job, would you be fulfilled helping others find one too or taking a class to help you move forward at the job you have?
#25. Stop trying to be someone else's perfect- No one is going to create or finish your list for you, so make sure everything on it is something that resonates with you- not a significant other, family member or friend.  As Dr. Seuss said, "Today you are You, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is Youer than You.'

Keep going on those lists and look at these 29 ways to stay creative.  You never know what might spark a new idea!

What helps you to be creative when you get in a rut or need to come up with solutions to a problem?

Monday Mornings

I don't like Mondays.

Not because of work or because it's the start of a new week.  No, I do not like Mondays because it marks the end of last week.

As I sit here staring at the end of another Sunday (i.e. the END of last week), it hit me that my concern is not the end of the week or the start of another. It's regret.

Yep, I regret not having started or completed something that I really wanted to do.

The last 3 years of my life have been full of change.  The weeks that I hated the most were the weeks that I felt nothing got accomplished.  The only way to get myself out of a slump was to make lists.

I know it sounds a little simplistic, but DO NOT knock my list making skills.  I have lists on what to put on my lists; lists of chores; lists for work; lists for things my kids need to do; lists of things I need to do for my kids...  The list (pun intended) is endless.  The real silver lining that occurred when I started making all of those lists was seeing all of the items crossed off that I got done.

See, lists are really not about what you still have to do. They are about what you've already done.  Accomplishments are powerful.  Something as simple as getting your closet organized can morph into an Organization business.  You never know what is just around the corner until you make a list to get started.

Within the next 72 hours, sit down and create two lists:
1.  What things need to be accomplished this month?
2.  If you had no limitations, what things do you want to say you did?  This can be something small like choose a paint color for your bathroom or BIG like a safari in Africa.  This, my friends is your Bucket List.  We will revisit this later.

Please share anything inspirational with us.  Remember, this is your list.  No one is judging, so make it magical so you have no regrets!

Assumptions

Let's tackle the nasty business of assumptions.  You know the old saying about the word: "When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me."

While there's some truth in that, the moody truth is- assumptions can be a form of emotional abuse.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Although the word assumption is actually a noun, most people grammatically use it as a verb.
The two most common definitions of the word are:
   1. a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
   2. the action of taking or beginning to take power or responsibility.

Notice that the first definition makes the word a "thing" and the second definition is a verb. If you allow a word in the English language that is this confused to become a large part of your life, you too can become confused.

Say it with me, "I will refrain from making any assumptions today".  

Be careful, it's a lot harder than it looks.  What you are actually saying is, "I will not create any situations today that set myself or others up to fail."  Anyone placed in a position to live or interact with others from a place of inauthenticity is actively living an abusive lifestyle.  

Be true to yourself.  Make sure that your decisions, thoughts, actions and moods are a function of how you view the world.  Not how someone else does.  

What do you and/or others naturally make assumptions about?  Share them with us.

I have an announcement.

Your mood is about to get a lot more fabulous! 

Just saying that out loud should have brought a smile to your face. If it didn't, stop reading right now. (Depending on your vices, you need lots of wine, lots of chocolate or both. Repeat as many times as you need to until that statement brings you joy)

Back to the announcement- at days when things, people and places aren't going in the direction I would like, I have to redirect myself. I hear over and over again that you CHOOSE happiness. After the emotional roller coaster rides I have been on lately, I have decided to CHOOSE too.

 I chose to get OFF of the emotional roller coaster and ride my (very) tame, (very) colorful bicycle- thank you very much! At times, my bike still needs training wheels and other times I feel strong enough to ride down steep hills with no brakes. The key phrase in all of this is "I feel strong enough". Once you CHOOSE happiness, other choices are automatically made for you.

You believe in yourself a little bit more. You stand a little taller. And you smile a little more.

Positivity is the first step towards making happiness happen :) For all of you that need a little push (or a swift kick in the tail), please recite the following pledge with me.  Please let me know how reciting the Positivity Pledge is working for you- I'd love to see if it makes a difference in your life.

MoodScaping 101

Hi!
   You don't know me yet, but I'll grow on you.  I just published a book about my moods and realized that the moods I have every day set the tone for every facet of my life.  As I examined my moods, I learned more about who I was as a woman, mother, daughter, friend and Child of God. We will go on many journeys together- growing, laughing and moodscaping!