Showing posts with label Think Simple Now. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Think Simple Now. Show all posts
Small Celebrations
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Guest Post on ThinkSimpleNow & Some More Lessons
Monday, January 23, 2012
Today, I have the great pleasure to be featured on ThinkSimpleNow, a website that I have repeatedly recommended during the course of writing this blog. Check out my post on The Power of Rituals over at their website and, if you're interested in taking a few other leaves from my book, check out this collection of my top advice articles:
12 True Things
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Today? A round-up of wisdom, some clichéd and others not, that bears repeating.*
The world will not end should you decide not to engage with it.
"Be different from one another, and love our differences with big, open hearts." - Sally McGraw from Already Pretty
The memories you make are all you get to keep.
"Most of us have an invisible inner terrible someone who says all sorts of nutty stuff that has no basis in truth." - Sugar via The Rumpus
Loving yourself is not an option - rather, it is the denial of an essential truth.
"Saying I have to suggests that we do not have a choice, and that we are not in control of our lives... For starters, you don’t have to do anything! You know that. The world will not come to an end if you don’t do something (in most cases)." - Vanessa Paxton via ThinkSimpleNow
Take care of your emotions as if they were a bath: too hot and they burn you, too cold and they make you shiver. Let them drain out when it's time and build up when you need them. Don't leave the water unchanged for too long.
"You have permission to: not ever feel the need for permission." - Danelle LaPorte on White Hot Truth
Revision to the Golden Rule: Don't treat others the way you want to be treated - ask them how they want to be treated and honor that decision.
"…What matters is the work: the string of words propelled by God becoming a poem, the weave of colour and graphite scrawled upon a sheet that magnifies His motion. To achieve within the work a perfect balance of faith and execution. From this state of mind becomes a light, life-charged." - Patti Smith via Nextness
Love the challenge. Love the process. Don't settle for less.
*If you're counting the picture, we have 12 True Things. Good eye! Here's a bonus:
You will become what you manifest.
(via My Modern Met)
"Be different from one another, and love our differences with big, open hearts." - Sally McGraw from Already Pretty
The memories you make are all you get to keep.
"Most of us have an invisible inner terrible someone who says all sorts of nutty stuff that has no basis in truth." - Sugar via The Rumpus
Loving yourself is not an option - rather, it is the denial of an essential truth.
"Saying I have to suggests that we do not have a choice, and that we are not in control of our lives... For starters, you don’t have to do anything! You know that. The world will not come to an end if you don’t do something (in most cases)." - Vanessa Paxton via ThinkSimpleNow
Take care of your emotions as if they were a bath: too hot and they burn you, too cold and they make you shiver. Let them drain out when it's time and build up when you need them. Don't leave the water unchanged for too long.
"You have permission to: not ever feel the need for permission." - Danelle LaPorte on White Hot Truth
Revision to the Golden Rule: Don't treat others the way you want to be treated - ask them how they want to be treated and honor that decision.
"…What matters is the work: the string of words propelled by God becoming a poem, the weave of colour and graphite scrawled upon a sheet that magnifies His motion. To achieve within the work a perfect balance of faith and execution. From this state of mind becomes a light, life-charged." - Patti Smith via Nextness
Love the challenge. Love the process. Don't settle for less.
*If you're counting the picture, we have 12 True Things. Good eye! Here's a bonus:
You will become what you manifest.
Caught My Eye: Think Simple Now
Friday, April 1, 2011
I have mentioned before that Think Simple Now is a great website for making you feel better and learn about how to deal with complex situations, but just in case you haven't checked it out, I encourage you to! Here is a round up of my favorite articles:
Living in the Moment
Monday, March 28, 2011
I realized quite a bit late that most of my posts from last week were food-related, which was not necessarily a bad thing, but a little repetitive! So, this week I am going to avoid food and talk about something completely different.
I have had one problem for pretty much my entire teenage and adult life: not living in the moment.
At first, I did not identify this as the root of my problem. I would get depressed easily in my youth and believe that it was because of all the problems that were weighing down on me from the outside. And, although there were some times when that was truly the case, most of the time I suspect that my bigger problem was the fact that I was dwelling on something that was either in the unchanging past or the unknowable future.
Have you ever had the experience of playing back an embarrassing memory over and over again and cringing each time you do it? I did that on repeat for so long that I started to believe that I was the most awkward middle school or high school student in existence. And sometimes I still get hung up on the little peculiarities that happen in my daily life, the ones that stand out as not-quite-right or just plain ridiculous. The major difference, however, between my middle/high school self and my current one is that I no longer let those feelings overtake my life.
I have always heard the phrase that life is too important to be taken so seriously; but, for many of us, the serious mode is the only way we know how to operate. The better way to approach it, at least for me, is to start living in the moment. Feel whatever you are feeling right this minute, this second, and don't let seriousness bleed into the other dimensions. That past and future will never be fully under your control. It's better to embrace the facts and not, as I have, allow the feelings of being less-than-perfect in the past affect your current life.
This philosophy, of course, is easier said than done. So here are some ways that I have found useful to start living in the moment:
1. Yoga. This is how I learned about living in the moment in the first place. When going to a yoga studio that focuses not just on your body, but you as a holistic being, they guide you through meditation and other important calming ways to live inside your body right at that moment. Doing yoga regularly builds up this discipline, and definitely helps take the edge off those past experiences and worries about the future.
2. Breathing exercises and mantras. Sometimes it can sound a little "out there" to have a personal mantra, but I think it should be treated more as a way to remind yourself to check in. I like to take them not from a prescribed list, but from articles and other inspirational writing, such as these pieces on Think Simple Now or from poetry on DeviantArt. When you recite a mantra in your head, take a moment to breathe and release any tension that you might feel when thinking about past or future events.
3. Taking a self-care moment. I find that when the worry or self-judgment gets too great, I have to really force myself to do this one. Often, I have to have someone remind me, in a loud voice, to calm down! It is much easier to take that advice when I step out of whatever the work is that I am doing to re-evaluate and do something for myself. Making tea is definitely a go-to for me, but you should find your own way of going about bringing your focus back into your body.
Please leave any suggestions you might have about living in the moment in the comments!
Check out some other lessons I've learned.
I have had one problem for pretty much my entire teenage and adult life: not living in the moment.
At first, I did not identify this as the root of my problem. I would get depressed easily in my youth and believe that it was because of all the problems that were weighing down on me from the outside. And, although there were some times when that was truly the case, most of the time I suspect that my bigger problem was the fact that I was dwelling on something that was either in the unchanging past or the unknowable future.
Have you ever had the experience of playing back an embarrassing memory over and over again and cringing each time you do it? I did that on repeat for so long that I started to believe that I was the most awkward middle school or high school student in existence. And sometimes I still get hung up on the little peculiarities that happen in my daily life, the ones that stand out as not-quite-right or just plain ridiculous. The major difference, however, between my middle/high school self and my current one is that I no longer let those feelings overtake my life.
I have always heard the phrase that life is too important to be taken so seriously; but, for many of us, the serious mode is the only way we know how to operate. The better way to approach it, at least for me, is to start living in the moment. Feel whatever you are feeling right this minute, this second, and don't let seriousness bleed into the other dimensions. That past and future will never be fully under your control. It's better to embrace the facts and not, as I have, allow the feelings of being less-than-perfect in the past affect your current life.
This philosophy, of course, is easier said than done. So here are some ways that I have found useful to start living in the moment:
1. Yoga. This is how I learned about living in the moment in the first place. When going to a yoga studio that focuses not just on your body, but you as a holistic being, they guide you through meditation and other important calming ways to live inside your body right at that moment. Doing yoga regularly builds up this discipline, and definitely helps take the edge off those past experiences and worries about the future.
2. Breathing exercises and mantras. Sometimes it can sound a little "out there" to have a personal mantra, but I think it should be treated more as a way to remind yourself to check in. I like to take them not from a prescribed list, but from articles and other inspirational writing, such as these pieces on Think Simple Now or from poetry on DeviantArt. When you recite a mantra in your head, take a moment to breathe and release any tension that you might feel when thinking about past or future events.
3. Taking a self-care moment. I find that when the worry or self-judgment gets too great, I have to really force myself to do this one. Often, I have to have someone remind me, in a loud voice, to calm down! It is much easier to take that advice when I step out of whatever the work is that I am doing to re-evaluate and do something for myself. Making tea is definitely a go-to for me, but you should find your own way of going about bringing your focus back into your body.
Please leave any suggestions you might have about living in the moment in the comments!
Check out some other lessons I've learned.
Friday Feature: Think Simple Now
Friday, December 3, 2010
Yesterday, I took a day away from blogging because I was endlessly stressed. So, this morning, when I was thinking about the piece I wanted to feature today, I thought of one that always makes me feel better: Think Simple Now.
Think Simple Now is the blog of Tina Su, who writes a lot about feeling better, confidence, and de-stressing your life. There are also some really great and funky posts about how to read faster and productivity, so if you check through the site, you can see why I love it so much.
I am always sort of a silent blog reader - reader, but not commenter - and I think that this site really provided me what it's clarion call is: Creativity, Clarity & Happiness. When I am seeking some personal love and healing, I would check out any of the Think Simple Now blog posts below.
Read my media-seeking follow-up series: Caught My Eye.
Think Simple Now is the blog of Tina Su, who writes a lot about feeling better, confidence, and de-stressing your life. There are also some really great and funky posts about how to read faster and productivity, so if you check through the site, you can see why I love it so much.
I am always sort of a silent blog reader - reader, but not commenter - and I think that this site really provided me what it's clarion call is: Creativity, Clarity & Happiness. When I am seeking some personal love and healing, I would check out any of the Think Simple Now blog posts below.
Read my media-seeking follow-up series: Caught My Eye.
Considerable Thought
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Think Simple Now has got to be one of my favorite sites right now. I read a lot of their articles just to peruse the different ideas for feeling better, having better self-image, and creating a better environment.
Alongside TUTs Adventurer's Club and Gala Darling, they need to be given their props for teaching me many things to better myself. Check it out!
Aside from that, I have little to say but love yourself, make your own decisions, and take breaks! (Because heaven knows that's what I did today!)
I am grateful for...
The sweet look on my boyfriend's face when he's asleep. Most anyone asleep is really cute, but especially if it's someone you care about.
Check out some more posts featuring my photography.
I'm Back...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
That was so cliche that I just might kick myself. Seriously.
But, other than my lack of creative entrances, I have realized that the pent-up feeling that I have been noticing recently? Yeah, it's a result of not writing/blogging for a while. And hence, I have (unceremoniously and completely crazily) returned.
As much as all that introspection has done me good, I think that I just need a place to relegate it that's not my own head. When I can come out and say all those ideas that I want, it's just a big sigh of relief. But, before I get into the new mind-storm, here are two articles that I think are fundamentally awesome and I totally want to reference all the time now:
A Guide to Happiness via Self Forgiveness
I'm Sorry, I Don't Know, I Can't...
They are both from the wellness site Think Simple Now, and that place has just a grand wealth of great articles. Anyway, after a particularly emotionally-wracking day, I think it was perfect just to recuperate by realizing that there are some simple things that can make you feel better instead of wallowing around in it. At the end of my post, I'm going to take one of the suggestions from the first article and post one item that I am grateful for.
You know what, I don't think I'm going to recap the past whiles. I just don't want to focus on the past and I want to breathe in some of those things that I've just not been doing (under the pretext of being sick, tired, bored, and/or lonely). So, I will just enjoy my slow return. Here it goes!
I am grateful for...
The ability to walk outside into a hailstorm... in spring.
Check out some more posts featuring my photography.
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