Day 215: Tap into your creative spirit!

Really fun prints by Elise Joy

Studies show that people who engage in regular creative pursuits have richer and more full lives and are better able to handle stress and  turmoil.

Many people are under the assumption that they "don't have a creative bone in their body". Do you cook? Creative. Do you doodle? Creative. Do you make anything at all? Creative. Sing? Dance? Play guitar? Creative. Do you appreciate the creative skills of others? Guess what?  You are creative.

Anyone who knows me (at all, really) knows how important being in touch with that part of myself is to me. It is what drives me daily. If I didn't indulge in making things, sharing ideas, and enriching my world, I wouldn't be me.

Are you really being you?

A good friend and I have just launched a 365 day creativity project: Artfully Accomplished 365 to help to bolster our processes and be more active artists. We would love you to join our creative community and share and inspire others.

   “It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life” ~ Barthold Georg Niebuhr

P.O.P. Day 213: A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

You know how sometimes you give your dog a big, juicy bone and they just gnaw on it for days? I think my brain is doing a great best dog impersonation.

Print by Sandra Burgos of The Wallaroo

Sometimes, our minds just get a hold on something and worry it into a bigger deal than it is. It may not have been anything to worry about at all. We can embroider things until they no longer even resemble the original.

I struggle with this concept. It sometimes keeps me up at night. And it annoys me. I am (generally) a rational woman and I know better.

I am attempting to let go a little more, let life unfold around me, and stop being such a worrywart. Not sure how that will play out in the the long run, but fear has no place in my driver's seat.

P.O.P. Day 212: A Numbers Game

Print by Rebecca Peragine of Fresh Words Market

While I can recognize the beauty of others, I find that I have a skewed sense of myself sometimes. I will proclaim from the rooftops that I am funny, witty and generally awesome. Sometimes, too much (I mean, really, NO one is THAT awesome). But I will take very little pride or acknowledgment of any physical attributes (other than the big goofy grin).

In the coming months, I am going to try to embrace all the work that I have done and the physical improvements that I have made. My muscles are bigger and more toned, the jiggly bits are s-l-o-w-l-y getting smaller. Other people appreciate them, why shouldn't I?

Take time to love yourself and all that you are. You might not be able to see the great things in yourself that others can. Dust off your self-perception mirror and appreciate all you see. I'll be right there with you.

P.O.P. Day 209: two wrongs CAN make a right

Original painting by Nathan Pyle of NayArts

We are all human and would like to think that all the choices that we make are the right ones. Guess what? Not going to happen.

Even something that seems like the right choice at the time ends up being the worst possible option. The house that looks great from the outside ends up having massive internal  damage. Same for the cute guy or girl...A dress that looks wonderful on all your friends does nothing for you. The ice cream binge that seemed like such a good idea makes you sick.

But because we are human, we also can learn from our mistakes: find a better house, a much better guy, a more flattering outfit. We have to be willing to make those errors though and not give up in our quest for something better. I am saying to have unrealistic expectations, only to know when something isn't right. If I hadn't made those mistakes, I wouldn't be so satisfied with my life right now. Realizing that my choices were not the right ones was difficult, but it has made knowing when the decisions are right so much sweeter.



P.O.P. Day 208: Soothing the Savage

"Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." ~William Congreve

Everyone needs to have something in  their life which can lift them up no matter what. It may be a book, a food, a song, a pet, a TV show...the list is endless. What it is doesn't matter as much as having it. For me, I suppose it would be music (and my kids of course, but they aren't around in the summertime.)

I have recently realized how important music is to my life. I enjoy having a soundtrack. And a theme song. My changes regularly to suit my mood, my current circumstances, my newest "favorite song".

Print by ButtercupInk

Different parts of my life have different soundtracks and themes: my running life, my work life, my romance, my chill out time, my getting my joy on. Some songs cross those lines and inhabit various lists, some are regulated to one purpose. Some songs are musical versions of my motivational wasteland, some just push me to work harder. But rarely is there a time that the appropriate song does not lift me up and brighten my day.

What is it in your life that always brings you joy? A favorite song, a great book, a sappy mantra?



P.O.P. Day 207: It's your choice.

I LOVE the prints from HappyTownUSA

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. ~Wayne Dyer

I will never try to make you smilely if you are truly sad. Honest. But being miserable takes so much energy. More than just letting a good mood take over. We all know that it takes more muscles to frown.

Buuuuut...the important thing is that you have the choice. Be sad. Be happy. Be both. Be neither. No one has the right to dictate your mood, your feelings, or how you react to things.

I personally choose to be happy and surround myself with people who are for the most part happy. That was my choice. I am glad that i made it.



P.O.P. Day 206: Life is indeed good.

Hey! Guess what? Life doesn't suck. Sure, some situations really do suck. But life isn't just that one situation or instance. Life, overall, is better when happy. I am not talking about blissed-out, hippy dippy, "everybody loves everybody" kind of great. Or faux happiness that is adopted just to seem "normal." I am more interested in contentment.

The dictionary defines content as: satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

That is what I am striving for. My ol' buddy, the Bard puts it more poetically:

"My crown is in my heart, not on my head, Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen: My crown is called content: A crown it is, that seldom kings enjoy." ~William Shakespeare

At this moment in my life, I am content. I appreciate what I have earned and what I have been given. I don't mourn the loss of things that I do not possess. Smiles come more easily, laughter is more sincere, friendships are more cherished, small things become bigger.

I still have worries, both real and imagined. I still struggle sometimes with being mindful and present in the moment. Contentment, though, has a way of making all those struggles more manageable.

I hope that you are content in your life. If there is anything that I can do to assist in that state, please let me know. What helps you to achieve contentment?