March Madness

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.  ~ Tony Robbins

Uh oh, you're thinking.  Surely you must know where I'm going with this quote, and if you think we need some drastic changes to make differences in our lives, you'd be right.

Damn, I hate it when you're always right.

In a day and a half, the beautiful month of March will be upon us.  I love March for many reasons...

My mom's birthday is in March.
Spring-like weather usually begins in March.
Hockey season ends, and that usually means that work becomes way quieter.
Lacrosse begins.


This year it's also going to be my own personal March Madness to kick my butt into gear and out of this funk.  I am going to create my own 30 Day Challenge for different areas of my life, because I've been wasting way too much time lately boo-hooing about life and not enough time doing.  Pick one and do along with me, won't you?

Mo's March Madness 30 Day Challenge

1.  Write 1000 words every. single. day.  I'm already 20K into my book, and figure this will actually take me near the end, and well, who can quit at the end?  Not me.

2.  30 Day Photo Challenge:  Now that we all have our fancy new apps, this will be a fun way to see our world.  This one is actually not even a challenge... just something fun to do everyday!

3.  Health:  On Friday I'll be walking into Court One and making a commitment to myself and my health.  Yes, I should've done it a month ago, but sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake.  Anyways, I will be participating in some sort of exercise Monday-Saturday with Sundays off for 30 Days.

Is this crazy?  Yes.

Do I need something so extreme or I'll die from boredom or self-loathing?  YES.

I am so sick and tired of complaining about myself and decided I just need a kick in the pants.

Of course I'll check in here to let you know how it's going, and I sincerely hope you decide to challenge yourself in some way.  It doesn't have to be big... just something that will get you outside your thoughts.


Happy Wednesday!

Bestest

True, you won't find this word in Websters, but it doesn't stop me from using it all the time.  Probably not as much as I should lately, but I'm working on that starting here.  Trying to see the best in any situation is a tough skill to learn, and once you do, it's even tougher to maintain.

Sadly, I can only relate it to a diet.

When I look back, I can clearly see that my moods, like my diet, are on some sort of crazy mood pendulum, swinging from really happy/positive to my-life-has-no-purpose.  Am I manic depressive?  Possibly, :) but I think I just lose focus of the big picture from time to time and slip into seeing only the bad around me.

When you take the time to just count your blessings, no matter how small, life really isn't so bad.  I know, I know, easier said than done.

So taking a cue from my favorite website, I'm going to copy one of their ideas and make a list of Best Evers.

1.  Best Song:  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.  Yes, it's corny, but it's true.  This was our wedding song, and to this day it will bring a smile to my face.  I will have to say that At Last by Etta James (I'm listening to it now) is a very close second.

2.  Best Book:  Really?  I have to pick just one?  Well most of you could probably guess that it would be the last Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows.  I have had an obsession with Harry since I started reading them ten years ago.  Close second will have to be Charlotte's Web.  There is still something about that story that literally made me want to live on a farm when I was little.  Love.

3.  Best Movie:  You've Got Mail.  If I ever win the lottery, I will reopen The Shop Around the Corner... and add a coffee shop with it.  Love, love love.

4.  Best Life Moment:  This is the hardest one because there are so many!
-I would have to say that the first time you hold your child is one of the most amazing moments God could ever give you.
-Walking down the aisle towards Toby who couldn't stand still because he was so nervous.
-Writing the last paragraph in my first book.  It was a moment when I realized how important it is not to give up on something you want to do.
-Being surrounded by friends, love, tears, and laughter on the night of my mom's funeral.  It was sad and beautiful at the same time.

5.  Best Advice:  Make all of your choices out of love, not fear.  Don't do anything because you're afraid of what will happen if you don't.  Yes, you need to be wise, but when you start living in fear, you really just stop living.

So that's it.  Start today to see the best in your life.... even if it's just the best cup of coffee you've ever had.  Starting small - baby steps - is sometimes the best way.

I hope you have the bestest day ever.

Bradley

I've always been a fan, but not really in love with Bradley Cooper like a lot of women are.


Sure, he's charming, funny, and well, those eyes are a little distracting too.  But he doesn't usually interview well... at least that's what I thought.

I happened to find these videos, yes- on youtube- and well, let's just say I sat and watched all four in one sitting.  I don't think I even got up.

And now I kinda get it.... all the hype.

I'll put them on here and hope you watch them.  I think if you watch the first one you'll be hooked like I was.

I really wish I had gotten to see Silver Linings Playbook now.... sigh.

Happy Saturday!

faith

Today isn't about advice, complaining, or even hating work (which, for the record, I still kinda do).

No.  Today is about the fact that it started out horrible... not what I was expecting, and somehow, someway, it all turned out okay.  

And tonight I just wanted to remind you to have FAITH that no matter how bad it all seems, there is  something bigger going on for us to learn from.

We just don't know it yet.

Sometimes we just have to stop resisting and give in to whatever the hell is going on.

I will leave you with two things:

1.  My favorite board on Pinterest.  It literally makes things okay sometimes.

2.  This Video that should make you giggle, especially after today.

If all else fails, try playing Jack Johnson on Pandora and bake some brownies.

No judging....

Stay warm my friends.

clarity.

Every now and again, I have a moment of clarity when the noise and clutter of my usual thoughts are quiet enough for my creative thoughts to bubble up to the top.  One thing I have learned over the years is that I'm an artist at heart, and my job, what I get paid to do, tends to have a drowning affect over my creativity.  I get bogged down with business details and stuck in my thinking.

And I hate that.

Like... a lot.

So, when it gets to be a week or two that I haven't written, it's usually because the first week (or last one) of learn to skate is lurking.  Or it's month end.  Or website issues are making me crazy.

Well, you get the picture.

When work is pressing down on my shoulders, my favorite thing to do is ... drumroll, please.... Pinning.  Yes, I love to pin.  I love to find people far more creative than me with far more time on their hands, posting projects from their well-maintained websites.

Bitches.

But I do love their work, and it does get me out of my head to dream a little and at least wish for something better.  For instance, a couple weeks ago I found a pin that boasted tricks for taking quality pictures with your iPhone.  She claimed she doesn't even use her big, expensive camera any longer because her pictures with her phone turned out just as good.

Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.  Check it out here if you don't believe me.
Then download the apps.
Then start taking pictures.

Soon you'll start thinking that you actually are a photographer.

Keep in mind, I'm not really a photographer.  I just like to pretend.  And I'm sure someone somewhere will scoff at these, but I really like them.  

Never mind these were taken with an iPhone.
Never mind these were 'edited' with an app.
Never mind these were taken from a moving car on the way to St. Johns.

I just like the fact that instead of burying my nose in a book, which is what I love about road trips, I stopped and looked around.  I became aware of the world around me for a change.

And it was really, really pretty.

Short story long:  The part of me that really wants to be a photographer instead of a skating director actually gets to play the part more often now.  And I didn't have to spend $599 on a new camera.

Not sure there was really a point here.  A pin, maybe, but not a point.

I hope you like the pictures, and hope you find yourself looking around your world and taking more pictures of your own.

Have a happy Tuesday.

Go GREEN!

karma

Why do we always give karma such a bad rap?

Karma kicked my ass today.

That's usually what we think of when we hear the word karma.  We believe that when bad things happen to us, it's karma for something we did to someone else.  Why are we always so quick to believe the bad in us and our lives, and yet we so easily dismiss the good things we do?  I'd like to believe that when good things happen, karma is working for us and letting us know we're making the world a better place.

Take, for instance, my #makesomeonesday Lenten goal I made to myself.  I have to believe that putting out all that good is going to come back to me at some point.  Now that's not why I'm doing it, but hey if it's going to come back to me, then all I have to say is bring it on.  At this point in my life I could use all the help I can get.

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. ~Wayne Dyer

This was waiting for me when I got to the office today :)

Ok, so I will often get awesome gifts like this for most holidays and/or skating events.  Sometimes alcohol is involved, sometimes jewelry is involved, and chocolate is a always a given.  Today a journal was included, and how in the world she knew I had been looking for the perfect one lately is beyond me.  

I'll just call it Jenny, Karma, and accept the gifts with a grateful heart.  

So go out there and get some karma working for you.  

Make someone's day.

#makesomeonesday

It's really no secret, although most of us forget it from time to time.

When you take the time to make someone's day, your day instantly becomes better.  The trick is to make it your choice to help others, and not something that's an obligation or expected.

Today, for the first time in years, I bought some Valentines for a few people who I know will love them.  I giggled through the store, and had completely forgotten how fun it is to send cards in the mail.

An actual card with a stamp and return address.

Genius.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and don't forget to spread the love tomorrow!