As the first month of the new year, under new leadership (ya Obama!) comes to a close, lets evaluate your resolution status. Dun dun dun…I totally caught you didn’t I? While there are about a million blog articles out there declaring the 10, 20, 50 plus ways to keep and maintain your perfectly crafted resolution, I’m not going to lie. Self motivation is an on going, day to day, minute by minute choice. Resolutions are a great way to initiate growth…as is any goal setting… but the quicksand for most is lack of perseverance, discipline, and the truck load of optimism needed to nourish the seed we’ll call your life.

Everybody wants to be a curvateous, hot pink rose! No?…well maybe you’d rather be a wise willow, or hell even a cactus. But the point is…no matter how we bloom it takes constant motivational upkeep. You alone have to pick yourself up (sometimes by the hair!) again and again. No one is going to hold your hand… so here are some ways I keep my fountain of inspiration flowing year round.

1.) Read wise words: I admit I’m a total sucker for inspiration quotes. There’s nothing like reading a quote that instantly makes your heart flip flop or touches your soul in all the right places. Once you find such a quote(s!) keep it near and dear. Plaster it across your desktop for your viewing pleasure at work or scrawl it on a post-it that slides right into your wallet/purse. Keep referring to all things that pump up your enthusiasm for life…whether it’s a quote, book, painting, or the sun setting. Just do it!

2.) Think positively and act accordingly: A total no brainer. We must be optimistic and hopeful. What you think is who you become… and no one actually WANTS to be the grinch. Just switch your internal personna to that of Richard Simmons and you’re golden! Okay maybe not, but speak to yourself with the utmost care and respect. The change starts in your own head, which then trickles into everything you touch…including your interactions with people! Positive energy is highly contagious and spreads like the plague. So start spreading the love..seriously. When you find yourself in the dumps go back to #1.

3.) Practice being: One of the best ways I have found to keep my buzz on life stable is to practice mindfulness. Awakening to the moment and all it has to offer clears the clouds of the past and future. No longer are you worried about the family feud you witnessed over the holidays, nor the ways in which you are going to scrap and save enough money for an enormous down payment in the bay area. You are enjoying the sun on your face and the air drawing life into your lungs. We must learn to wrap our brains around the idea that all we have is this moment. Everything else we create in our heads. So shape the reality you want to live. Continuously shake yourself into the present.

4.) Build and keep support:  Yes we are alone in life (refer to the intro paragraph). No one is going to make us do anything. We are floating in a vast sea of possibility and only you have the steering wheel. Whether you steer yourself into the 9-5 desk job port or stay aboard as a continent hopping musician, is up to you. But we do have SUPPORT from the 6 billion people around us! Open yourself up to the possibility of meeting all of them. Everyone has something different to offer so why not soak it all in? B-line away from corrosive souls that sap your spirit and align with those that inspire you.

For an added touch…here are some of my favorite quotes and books to kick start your motivational wheels… Read the rest of this entry »

Decisions…decisions. Life is all about the choices we make every day, hour, and moment. Armed with information we try to make the best choices for our well being. In my experience there are just too many damn options, which ultimately cloud any attempt to make epic judgement. We worry about the outcomes to such a mind numbing extent that we might never actually choose. So I’ve simplified, made the decision for you, and created some easy ways to swap new things into your life.

Start swapping and reap the benefits…

1.) Chair for fit ball.

2.) Cow milk for soy/almond milk.

3.) TV watching for time.

4.) Video games for reading.

5.) Soda for a huge glass of water.

6.) Dessert for a walk.

7.) Overtime for vacation.

8.) Plastic bag for canvas.

9.) Coffee for green tea.

10.) Driving for walking/riding.

11.) Night of getting wasted for a night on the dance floor.

12.) Negative thoughts for a mantra.

13.) Working one muscle group for whole body integration.

14.) Clouded thoughts for mindfulness.

15.) Late night programs for sleep.

16.) Traffic for nature.

17.) Shoes for bare feet.

18.) Slouching for movement.

19.) Smokes for more years.

20.) Frown for a smile.

Do you already make some of these swaps everyday? What other things have you swapped lately?

Over the last couple weeks I have been literally suction cupped to two fabulous new books. I am a huge reader and though I haven’t had the time recently, I had to make an exception for these mind blowing reads. Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, and Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, rocked my world and opened my eyes to the power of living life in the moment.

Mindfulness, or being present, is an idea I write about frequently because it’s the only way I have found to really experience and enjoy life. As much as I try to live mindfully, it’s challenging at times. I find myself swallowed in thoughts and overwhelmed a lot of the time. Thanks to these two books, I’m inspired, actually ecstatic, about incorporating more meditation and “living in the now” into my life.

In Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert chronicles her journey around the world in her desperate attempt to find herself and purpose in life. I was given this book as a gift for Christmas and just got around to reading it. Every woman should read this book! If you’re looking for inspiration this is the ticket. Gilbert is hilarious, witty, and above all spiritually insightful.

Eckhart Tollee, on the other hand, follows up his #1 New York Times Best Seller The Power of Now, with A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose. Oprah jumped on this wonderful book taking Tolle’s philosophy and audience to new heights. In A New Earth, Eckhart expands on his powerful ideas of living “in the now” to show “how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world.” After reading The Power of Now, I was eager to read Tolle’s latest and found it utterly awakening. This book will show and teach you how to successfully live mindfully!

I can’t recommend these books enough!

Here is a list of some of the best quick feng shui books I have come across. Let me know if you have any others that just have to make the list!

1. Fast Feng Shui: 9 Principles for Transforming Your Life By Energizing Your Home, by Stephanie Roberts. This book offers clear and concise information and easy to implement tips on feng shui. A great reference book for all things feng shui!
   “In the often complex world of feng shui, Fast Feng Shui is a breath of fresh air. It takes ancient concepts and makes them applicable to modern life in a way that is fun, valuable and fast.”- Denise Linn- author of Feng Shui for the Soul, Sacred Space, and Space Clearing.

2. 10-Minute Feng Shui: Easy Tips for Every Room, by Skye Alexander. For those of us who want quick tips with out all the explanation.

3. Sacred Space, by Denise Linn. While this isn’t a quick tip book, it’s a great read with amazing insight and information!
   “In this fascinating and unusual book, Denise Linn shows you how you can dramatically change your life by changing the environment in your home or office. She combines information from her own Native American heritage with material she has personally collected from native traditions around the world to bring you practical, easy-to-use exercises for balancing the physical, emotional and spiritual energies in your home.”-Editorial Review from Amazon.

   Let feng shui bring balance to your life and calm to your home!

Eric Franklin is brilliant! He is the author of four books related to movement, alignment and imagery. All which emphasize the importance of the mind+body connection. Within this book Franklin uses techniques from his own method (The Eric Franklin Method), which is used extensively by some of the best dance schools in the world, including Julliard School of Arts in New York and The Royal Ballet School in London. This book changed the way I think about movement. I had no idea how powerful the use of imagery was in all aspects of life until I came across this book! I recommend this book for dancers especially, but also for anyone who is interested in improving their workout with imagery.

Here is a blurp off the back:

“Conditioning for Dance improves your technique and performance in all dance forms by strenthening the body’s core while improving your coordination, balance, alignment and flexibility. The result is more lift without tension, deeper plies, higher jumps with less effort, tighter turns and improved extension and turn-out… featuring 170 imagery illustrations paired with 160 dance-specific exercisees to help you maximize body-mind conditioning.”