Step out from the shadows

The time has come for you to emerge from the shadows.  To stand tall in who you are.  To actively go after your dreams. You were not brought here to act small. Live out loud.  Take up space. Allow yourself the opportunity to be seen and heard by sharing your voice with compassion. Choose grace.  Be curious and open your heart to what is possible. Make plans for the future but do not hold onto them to tightly. Allow  the unknown to unfold before you and unearth the joy it unleashes. Choose to reach out your hand. Be kind to others. Smile often. Know that the good you put out will come back to you and not allow you to stand know the shadows for to long. 

Yes, the time has come for you to shine. Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready to celebrate. Because today is your day. Create it with brilliance and radiate boldly. 

it's time to write your next chapter

We made it.  Through another winter.  Where the darkness crept in but we kept the light burning.  Things slowed down.  The cold air kept us inside.  We hunkered down and hibernated.  Choosing to curl under blankets rather than take off on an adventure.  We were gentle with ourselves.  Easing into the days and quietly settling into the dark nights.  

But we are ready to bloom again.  To step into the sunshine and breathe deeply into what is possible.  It is time to create our own new beginning.  It is time to bring movement and adventure back to our daily lives.  It is time to get outside and run freely.  The spark of creativity is ready to be ignited.  

And so we begin.  On the first day of Spring with hope in our hearts.  We look forward to days filled with light and dream up new adventures to take.  We know the energy that the sun infuses into us and we are ready to blaze a new path forward.  

Time passes quickly.  We must make the most of our moments and write our own incredible stories.  For we are the creators of our life.  We choose where we are going and what we will do when we get there.  Don't waste a single second more.  Begin today to create the most epic story, ever.    

What story are you writing?  What one thing can you do to begin to create the story of your dreams?  

Writing Prompt:  The next chapter of my story is going to include ... 

showing up

As I lay on my yoga mat before class begins the quietness envelopes me. This space is my sacred home. Where I can show up exactly as I am. I do not need to say a word to anyone.  I can quietly walk in, lay down on my mat and be right where I am. There are moments during my practice that I close my eyes and sink deeper into the movement.  I do not worry about what the person next to me is doing, I move the rhythm of my own breathing.  My mat is my sacred space. 

One of my most favorite things about yoga is there is no judgement.  You can show up and simply choose to lay on your mat and breathe, and that is ok.  You move your body the way it moves.  You can as far as you want, as far as you can go.  There is no expectation to look like anyone else.  Your practice is yours alone and it is called a practice for a reason. 

I choose to show up on my mat.  There are days my body doesn't want to move.  Moments when the pose feels to hard or my mind just isn't in the game.  But then their are those magical days when all the stars are are aligned and I move with grace and ease. Stepping into the room I never know how I will adjust and settle in.  But one thing I know for certain is that I must show up.  

I try to transfer this feeling of just showing up into my every day life. Just being as I am with no expectations.  It is not alway any easy thing to do.  But when I lose my way I remind myself to slow down and just breathe.  

making the most of mornings

It is early in the morning.  The sun has not yet risen and I quietly get out of bed not wanting to wake him.  The morning is my sacred time.  A chance to enter into the day gently, on my own terms.   I savor the quiet, the darkness, the peace before the world wakes up.

I have not always been a morning person.  I used to hit the snooze button more times than I can even remember.  I would then roll out of bed in a hurry and rush to work, eating breakfast at my desk.  My mind not yet ready to begin.  A sudden jolt into the day leaving me feeling off and out of sorts. 

Once I began to carve out time in the morning my entire day shifted.  I give myself a chance to begin where I am and enter into the day slowly and with ease.  Some days I go to a yoga class or just do five moves in my living room.  I am looking forward to the warmer weather returning so I will be motivated to lace up my sneakers and head out for a run.  I meditate and sometimes write in my journal.  When I arrive at work my mind is calm.  I feel refreshed and ready to take on the day.  

I did not think switching up my morning routine could change my life, but it has.  What I do in the morning sets the tone for the rest of my day.  On the days that I don't wake up early I can feel it in my body and my mind.  It has taken work to push myself out of bed, especially on those cold winter mornings but carving out this time just for me is soul tending and a big part of my self care routine.   

What way can you tend to your soul?  What time can you carve out in your day for a little bit of self care?  

keep stepping forward

Some days you feel like you have been knocked down
Struggling to get back up
An enormous weight crushing your heart and shattering your every move
You can't tell up from down
And you wish you would have just stayed in bed
We all have had these days
It could be just one thing that knocks you to your knees
Or many tiny little ones
It becomes a struggle to take that next step forward
But you must
Because you do not know what is on the other side
A new opportunity
Another chance
That ray of sunshine that will brighten everything
Yes, of course I know it could just be something else to knock you down
But you must keep moving forward
Because eventually you will get through
You will come out on the other side
One way or the other
Lean on others when you need support
Reach out
Ask for help
Remember, you aren't in this alone
Keep stepping forward

snail mail sunday

When is the last time you took a moment to sit down and write someone a letter?  Yes, with a pen and paper.  Has it been so long that you cannot even remember? The Love Notes Postcard Project sparks my creativity throughout the year but even in between rounds I find it is important to  send out little bits of snail mail love.

There does not need to be a special occasion to send out a card or letter.  And you do not need any fancy type of paper.  I am sure around your home right now you have something you could write on, and something you could write with.  

Sundays have become turned into my day to take time to write out some snail mail love.  It feels good to intentionally write to someone.  To think of them as the words spill onto the page and to know that they will be surprised when the letter arrives.  

Aren't sure what to say?  How about starting with one of these prompts:

• I remember the first day we met.  You were ____ and I was ____.  
• My most favorite memory of us together is ....
• Top three things I love about you are ...

Go ahead and send someone a letter.  I guarantee you will make their day.