Sunday, January 29, 2012

Artist Date



This weekend I had the luxury of spending a few hours prettying up my 2012 Planner Pad and creating some inspiring vision cards for the year. Give me a few free hours, a stack of magazines, and a glue stick and I'm one happy girl!



a peak at my Vision Cards



front of my Planner Pad

I love how this turned out! It is so simple (especially compared to what I created last year) and I feel it really speaks to what I'm craving this year.




back of my Planner Pad

Please excuse the glare! It's from the clear contact paper I use to cover my collage. The quote on the back says, "Sometimes we just have to go with the flow, get out of our own way, and heed the well-intended whispers of our stalwart hearts."

What do you use to manage your time and to-do's? Have you added a dash of flair to it? Please share in the comments - I love hearing from you!


Saturday, January 28, 2012

2012 Word of the Year





I love the practice of choosing a word or phrase for the year. It helps me focus on my overall intention for the year and provides me with a guide post to refer back to as I choose where to focus my time and energy.


This year I struggled to settle on a word, unsure of exactly what I wanted 2012 to embody.


As I often do when grappling with a decision, I spent many hours writing in my journal and exploring what I want for this year.


First I thought my word might be shine. This year I want to step even more fully into my true self. In my work and in my life. I want to do so confidently and without apology. I definitely do want to shine this year but that's not all I want. And shine wasn't giving me the YES feeling that I want from my word of the year.


So I asked myself (a la Eat, Pray, Love), "What do I really, really, really, really, really want this year?"


More than anything I want to feel calm and relaxed. I want to go with flow. I want to feel like I'm present for all the moments of my life. I want to feel like I'm living my life on purpose not just being dragged along for the ride.


This brought me to two new words - play and plan, but that didn't feel right either. Mellow came to mind. The embodiment of ease. No word or words was feeling right and I was becoming frustrated. January was coming to an end - I needed to figure this out!


It dawned on me that my quest for the perfect word to describe what I wanted for 2012 was leaving me feeling the opposite of what I hoped for this year! So I sat back, took a few deep breaths, and decided to let go and trust that my word for 2012 would find me.


Eventually it came to me and, as I knew it would, it immediately felt like the right word for me.


My word of the year for 2012 is.............

LIGHT!

It encompasses the feeling I want to embody this year - carefree, joyful, relaxed - and my intention for business and life - to shine brightly.


What's your word of the year?


(Also, how fabulous is this for keeping your word of the year close?)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

January Dreams


I know I am super late with posting my January Dreams but here they are...

  • Host fabulous mini-retreat at the studio
  • Incorporate new morning and evening routine to bookend my day in mindfulness (inspired by Kimberly Wilson's Traquilologie)
  • Teach, encourage, + inspire during Dare to Live Your Dreams Online Circle
  • Indulge in a massage + facial + pedicure
  • Go on a date with my husband
  • Take 2 yoga classes
  • Go on an Artist Date
  • Finish Year in Review blog posts
  • Ask for help with a referral to work with on my new website (!)
  • Pen financial goals for 2012

Yearly Goal Reflection (Year in Review: Part Three)


file folder I created at recent mini-retreat - "learn to hear what your inner voice is telling you and your whole world changes"


My 2011 goals that I listed last January:

Attend Professional Development conference in Psychology: DONE

Publish Yoga for Living Wellness CD (and have a party when I finally do - lol): Nope. Why do I have such a block when it comes to this project!

Complete a first draft of Living Wellness book: Nope. Um, can we say overly ambitious goal?

Clean out the basement: Nope.

Read all of Martha Beck's books (I'm probably 25% there already): Nope.

Continue to cultivate daily meditation practice: Sort of is probably a generous appraisal.

Draft plan for new website & purchase domain name: DONE

Rent newly renovated office suite to fabulous, like-minded health & wellness professionals: One down, two to go.

Explore mixed media art: Nope.

Attend additional yoga training: DONE

Enjoy 12 weeks of maternity leave: DONE + 5 additional weeks

Research starting a non-profit: Bought a few books but that was as far as it went.

Host a retreat at Tree of Life Yoga Studio: Not this year.

Begin publishing podcasts & vidcasts: Nope.

Write more content on blog: DONE

Daily physical activity: At times...

Participate in 2 courses through Goddess Leonie's Goddess Circle: Define participate.....

Save 40% of my income each month until baby is born: DONE

Donate monthly to my favorite charities: This went well the first half of the year, but faltered after that.

Continue to make self-care a priority after baby is born while also understanding it may look a lot different than it does now: I've done well with maintaining my monthly pedicure and massage appointments, but I'm definitely needing to work on ways to have more "me time" on a daily/weekly basis.

Monthly dates with all the important people in my life (hubby, daughter, friends, and family): This has gone pretty well!


other side of file folder - "uncovering answers to your deepest questions"


2012 Dreams:

  • Try a green smoothie
  • Make kale chips
  • Take a Zumba class
  • Study Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
  • Design and lead yoga group for women affected by violence
  • Work with fabulous, tech savvy web designer to create new biz website
  • Create new business cards and brochures to better reflect the whole of my business
  • Regular dates with my art journal & yoga mat
  • Publish that darn yoga CD – even if I have to pay someone to do it for me!
  • Morning and evening rituals to bookend my day in mindfulness
  • Host 3 retreats at the studio
  • Take a minimum of 6 weeks vacation
  • Be present at home and at work. Single task like a champion.