Category: Inspiration Corner

Livin’ La Vida Loca

Posted on by Dawn

Living the crazy life – do you feel like that some days? I know I do!

I’m into self improvement and learning more about myself, and I do so while writing the odd book and running two businesses with several spin offs. I’m busy but I love it! However, my oldest son pointed out that people my age are often looking to slow down and take things easier. It made me stop and think for a bit…

Not everybody has a desire to make a mark on this world or to share from their lives in order to help others, but that’s kind of been my thing for the past decade. So I don’t think I’m about to slow down, not just yet. There are still more books and blog posts to write, businesses to build and more importantly, people’s lives to touch in a meaningful way. Whether that happens via a book, blog post, a business dealing, or over coffee – that’s my my goal. Why? Because out of the trials of my own life, I’ve learned that life is precious and so worth living; but you won’t believe that until you believe in yourself. So where I can, if I can, I like to leave people feeling seen, feeling uplifted and maybe even inspired to dream and do what they love.

I guess the meme below says it all…

Sitting with Your Feelings

Sitting with Your Feelings

Posted on by Dawn

Life is busy for many of us. I , for one, have been working 50 hours+ per week for almost two months because my side businesses are really taking off. I love the work, but when you’re so busy, things like self-care slide off your radar because there’s so little time to devote to it. Has anyone ever been guilty of that? *raises hand* One thing that we ought to do but sometimes don’t make time for is sitting with our feelings.

What do I mean? Let’s say something transpired that offended you, saddened you or made you angry. Often, our reaction to such things when life is busy is to suck it up and go on. The result? Those feelings are bottled up and leak out here and there as impatience and snippiness, usually unleashed upon those who didn’t deserve to be treated in such a way. Maybe you’re like me and these feelings come to the surface in the night and make it hard to go back to sleep. The solution is pretty easy, though.

Take the time to sit with your feelings. Remember the incident that caused them. If it made you sad, go ahead and feel the sadness and even release some tears. One almost always feels better after a good cry. If you were made to be angry, go ahead and give vent to the frustration, either as furiously writing in your journal or even yelling into a pillow (not necessary if you live alone and the windows are shut). If you were offended, search yourself as to why what was said touched a nerve. Sometimes we are offended with good cause. Sometimes it is a misunderstanding and if you never examine those feelings, that misunderstanding might never be rectified.

Some feelings are uncomfortable and may even hurt and we are all guilty of trying not to feel them sometimes because, you know, they’re unpleasant. But what is even more unpleasant is stuffing them down and being somewhat on edge without really knowing it.

There is much we can all learn about self-care, and sitting with our feelings is one lesson that can help clear your mind, help you process those feelings and move on from a place of sadness or anger to a better frame of mind!

The Cost of Being Kind

The Cost of Being Kind

Posted on by Dawn

They say that it costs nothing to be kind. It certainly doesn’t cost any money. But it does require mindfulness, being in the present. I noticed recently that I had not been as openly kind as I would like to be, and that was mainly because of wandering through my day totally preoccupied with other thoughts. I’ve tried to practice kindness for many years so it’s something I do almost automatically. However, when you are cruising through your day totally on autopilot and aren’t paying much attention to what’s going on around you, you might not notice when you’ve been inattentive to others or unintentionally dismissive. How often have we done that at home and possibly made our family members feel unseen? Or perhaps made a co-worker feel uncomfortable?

We’ve all done it. Practicing mindfulness requires, well, practice! But it’s worth it for better relationships and to help quiet some of the brain chatter that can disrupt our day.

Kindness doesn’t cost anything but your presence in the moment.