As someone who works in media and publishing, I literally get paid to be online. Immersed in the sea of toots, updates and hashtags, I marinate in bits, bytes and bon mots (and mal mots?) each day. It can be difficult for me to disengage my brain from the firehose of data that streams past me every day. However, I have found that it’s bad for my mental health to spend too much time in the digital realm. Since social…..
You’ve probably heard of the phrase, ‘the calm before the storm,’ but there’s a calm after the storm, too. There’s a lull in energy—a drop from the frenzy of the storm—followed by the slow, methodical sifting through the wreckage it caused. Going through the pieces that were broken and altered by the storm takes time. Deciding what to keep and what needs to be thrown away is an exercise in discernment. Once you’ve taken an inventory of what’s worth saving,…..
Pillow talk: this throw pillow cost $38. I know what you’re thinking: big whoop-dee-doo. You may have dropped thirty-eight bucks on a good port at dinner today. But when I was eking by on absolutely nothing as a nonprofit founder, my scarcity mindset thought that spending $38 for a silly pillow was a stupid and a frivolous expense. So I returned to Crate and Barrel multiple times, checking to see if it was still available, thinking to myself, “If it’s…..
The following blog post is an excerpt from my book, Circuit Train Your Brain, in honor of National Chocolate Day. Fernando Pessoa was on to something. Scientifically proven to elevate your mood, chocolate is a fantastic treat that boosts your brain power and may protect your heart health. I am not talking about milk chocolate or white chocolate (which, as any pedant—like me—can tell you, technically isn’t chocolate). While I will have a square of milk chocolate occasionally, the true…..
“How much longer will you go on letting your energy sleep? How much longer are you going to stay oblivious of the immensity of yourself?” — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh The significance of this quote and its meaning really hit me between the eyes when I first read it. There are a couple of societal programming factors that contribute to my specific reaction: First of all, I was raised to feel as if “tooting my own horn” was boastful. Delivering results,…..
Did you know: Happiness is a state of being that you can adjust, like a thermostat on your wall. Everyone is born with a pre-determined Happiness Set Point®. Some of us have a higher setting, while some of us are natural-born Eeyores. The good news is that you have the power to change yours, regardless of the external circumstances in your life. About four and a half years ago, I got my heart broken, but good. It took me three…..
Oh happy day—my feather lampshade arrived today! I spray-painted the base of a lamp I’ve had for over 10 years and updated the look with a gorgeous shade covered with multi-colored feathers. It sits in the direct path of my line of sight when I step into my apartment. Want to change your life? Add happiness to each day? Make sure that you are seeding your environment with things that make you smile. Every time I see this lampshade, I…..
If you’re reading this, chances are good you support individual creators, be they writers, painters, dancers, or musicians. You probably buy things on etsy, at indie bookstores, or try to buy local when you can. You understand the value of supporting independent business people and artisans. But you also probably have a household spending plan and there are usually more small and independent creators that you’d like to support than your dollars can support. Here, then are three easy ways…..