As I stepped into 2021, I reflected back on 2020 and my closet. It occurred to me I was wearing yoga pants almost every day since our office building closed due to COVID. I’ve been working from home fulltime for nearly a year now, and my yoga pants were starting to fade and lose their shape.

I summoned the courage to visit my closet and find something different to wear. There were so many clothes I haven’t worn in the past year, I nearly forgot about most of them. I gingerly slipped into my favorite pair of jeans. One leg… two legs… uh-oh! They didn’t fit! That’s when it hit me, of all the time I spent at home working in 2020 I’d lost a bit of my self-care routine. I was waking up, taking a shower, and slipping on the most comfortable set of clothes I could find. By summer, I was rotating the same 3 sets of outfits on a consistent basis.

I was fortunate to meet up with some friends on different occasions near the end of 2020, and found three of them looked like completely different people. Not only had they lost a significant amount of weight, they also carried a new found happiness on their faces. These friends do not run in the same circles, and did not do it together. They summoned the will power to make it happen on their own, and they were glowing with health and beauty.

I found myself feeling excitement for the new found happiness my friends were displaying in their faces and bodies. In fact, it inspired me to wake up and shift more focus on myself. I realized by working from home I lost a little bit of me.

First, I cleaned out my spare “storage” room to make way for a home office. I needed to separate myself from working at the kitchen table. My exercise tracker was barely above 1000 steps some days, and the refrigerator was too close to my laptop. With a bit of spring cleaning, the home office transition gave me a fresh perspective.

Next, I signed up for a wellness program. I spent a weekend researching recipes and drawing up a shopping list full of fresh ingredients. I was ready to make to shift, but I still felt I needed some sort of accountability beyond using a food tracking app.

I got the idea to reach out to some friends and family to share my intentions. Perhaps one of them would respond and keep me accountable. What initially felt like a good idea quickly turned into a turmoil of emotions. I felt disappointed, embarrassed and scared. Disappointed in myself for gaining weight, embarrassed that I could not fit in my jeans, and scared that I will not live up to my intentions in front of my friends and family. Hesitantly, I typed up my intentions and goal. I held my breath, closed my eyes and hit the “post” button. I did it! I posted it on social media for all to see. There was no going back.

I was certain, almost hopeful, people would ignore my social media post. It was a boring post. Who cares about my personal challenge to cook and eat healthy meals in order to lose the COVID weight. Yet, I was overwhelmingly surprised at the response I received. I received comments cheering “Way to go!”, “So proud of you”, “You inspire me”. The next week I hesitantly posted again, providing a status of my struggles and successes. The support and tips I received were amazing.

Although it isn’t easy sticking to a wellness plan, I feel so motivated to keep going. Friends and family are asking me to share more. I realize people really do want success for each other. I’m having fun swapping recipes and cooking healthy, colorful food. I’m grateful for the support, love, and delicious food I’ve experienced over the past month. Most of all, I’m thankful for embracing my courage and vulnerability.

The accountability has paid off. I’m down 10 pounds, and I am proud of myself again. Best of all, I fit in my jeans again.

What are you willing to embrace in yourself today?  Are you ready to try on those jeans?

Valentine’s Day is all about love and showing love to each other. This Valentine’s Day, we want to focus on self-care for women. Women will always mother, something, even if she is really tired. We are the ones who step up and support, act as caregivers, and lookout for everyone else. Instead of looking out for others this holiday, let’s focus on ourselves. When we take care of ourselves, we come back better and stronger for everyone else.

Once you’ve decided it’s time to start nurturing yourself and your body, be sure to plan some time for YOU. Schedule a block of time on your calendar where you won’t be interrupted, and try a few of the following self-care strategies.

• Go for a brisk walk: Exercise can be just as good for your mind as it is for your body. Though you might not always feel like you have time to hit the gym or to engage in an intense workout, fortunately, a brisk walk can be an excellent self-care strategy.
• Engage your senses: A good way to relax and find a sense of inner peace is to engage your senses. Consider taking a hot bath, light a scented candle, listen to soothing sounds, or drink some herbal tea.
• Get a massage: This one can be especially nice. If your budget doesn’t allow for regular massages with a professional, see if you can trade with a friend or your spouse, or use an electronic massager.
• Take a bath: Get out the bubbles, oils and scented soaps, and soak until you’re wrinkled.
• Schedule social time [Covid friendly]: A big part of self-care is maintaining your social connections. Make an effort to carve out time to see friends and family.
• Deep-condition your hair: While you’re in the tub, put on a deep-conditioning treatment for your hair, and let it work as you relax.
• Deep-clean your pores: With a clay facial masque, you can draw impurities out of your skin and stress out of your system.
• Care for your feet: After you soak your feet to soften calloused skin, use a pumice stone to slough off dead skin. Finish with rich foot cream and perhaps nail polish.
• Nourish your skin: Rich, luxurious creams smell wonderful and feel smooth, especially if you exfoliate your skin in the tub before putting them on.
• Tend to your nails: Correct the beating your nails take from your busy life (especially for those of you who bite your nails) by filing and buffing.

Take care of you [and the Mother in you] this Valentine’s Day!!! It is all about the self-care! You deserve this!

 

A vision board is a visual medley of wishes, dreams and desires. When done with intention, it will bring things to fruition. However, it is much more than going through magazines and creating a pretty collage. There are mindsets to take into consideration before you begin.

The power of intention is something within all of us. It’s a choice to concentrate on a desire or dream, and see it come to life. With intention, you’re fueling a vision of your desires and dreams with energy. Imagine the concept of a wishing well. As you prepare to flip your coin into the well, you take a moment to concentrate and visualize on a wish. Even if this gesture lasts but a moment, your coin flip has set an intention of something you desire to happen.

Most of us keep a mental bucket list throughout our lifetimes. Although a bucket list is full of wonderful aspirations, it’s important to recognize a vision board is NOT a bucket list. A bucket list contains things you would love to receive or accomplish “sometime” in your life. A vision board contains “specific desires” you want to happen sooner than later.

It’s a good idea to begin your vision board creation with a few topics in mind. It’s important to select topics you desire only for yourself. While we all want the best for our loved ones, it’s up to them to manifest their own lives. Your vision board is about YOU, and you can fill your vision board with as many topics as you desire.

Topic ideas:

• • • Love/ Relationships/ Family
    • Livelihood/ Career
    • Travel/ Adventure
    • Creativity/ Art/ Writing
    • Health/ Fitness
    • Prosperity/ Abundance
    • Education/ Achievements

It’s okay to feel outside your comfort zone, and not know how things will manifest. Vision boarding is about trusting the “what” precedes the “how”. Let go of resistance, release doubt and visualize what you desire. You’re planting seeds at this moment, and all else will come in time.

To begin, you will need to gather a few items (listed below). Be sure to set yourself up in a location where you are comfortable and will feel free to be creative. If the atmosphere calls for it, play some music, burn a candle, or open a window.

Items needed:

• • • Creative space to spread out materials
    • Poster board
    • Images/Pictures (magazines, doodles, printed computer images, etc.)
    • Scissors
    • Glue stick

The goal is to assemble a collage of printed words, sayings, pictures, drawings, and/or symbols inspiring your dreams and desired outcomes. Browse through magazines, internet images or other resources you’re willing to cut up. Use your intuition to guide you in selecting images to utilize, then assemble the images to a poster board with a glue stick.

Suggested resources:

• • • Prior year calendar
    • Magazines
    • Junk Mail
    • Old greeting cards
    • Create your own drawing or doodle
    • Printed images from the internet
    • Print out or write your own sayings or phrases

Once you’ve completed your fabulous vision board, be sure to display it in a place you visit often (by your clothes closet, on your bathroom door, in your kitchen or office, etc.). A vision board should be revisited often to keep the intention moving. Lastly, yet most importantly, be sure to express gratitude for what you have and what you are manifesting.

 

All that is needed is Chicken Soup and during the holidays, it tastes even better!

Well, this is our last blog of the year. What a year! It’s the holidays and our lives have changed. It is a time to be thankful, grateful and ultimately, a time of giving. I think this year is even harder for most, on so many levels. We had COVID-19, businesses closing, people losing jobs, sheltering in place, isolation, kids attending school from home, and one wild election.

It is a time of year to reflect and look forward to what can be and what might be possible. I think about what I want to leave in 2020, and what will be my theme moving into 2021. We have hope with the new vaccine, and people have found new ways to connect with others. We sure have learned how to use video conferencing, and phone calls are the new black!  I personally, have been sending cards and notes to people all year. I love writing and it is just another way to connect in with people when we can’t be close.

I have had many friends, family and colleagues who have either been sick with COVID-19 or passed away. Many people have been ill with pneumonia and other infections as well. Even when I am tired at the end of the day, I call people or video conference to stay connected and support them! Ultimately, people want to be heard and listened to. It is a human basic need and I would say, this is what I do most days with my clients and those closest to me. I help them get through this mess we are in, and provide space for them to focus on the positive while looking for the gifts in all the loss and grief.

One of my dear friends came down with COVID-19 recently, and he was stuck in his house for more than 17 days. I made some chicken soup from scratch and decided I needed to make a home delivery along with a bag of groceries. I placed it on his stoop along with a Christmas card. It was a small but simple act, and the soup was made with love. He felt as though the soup was what he needed. I then, took bags of candy and gave them to random people – UPS drivers, Starbucks staff, florist delivery, etc. They were so appreciative to be thought of. It is the simple, small acts of kindness that make a difference. People want to be seen as well as being heard. Another, basic need that all humans seek.

We have hope with the new year and we have choices on how we choose to show up. What do you want for 2021? Happiness is a choice. You cannot control what happens, but you can choose how you react to it. Choose to be happy. Have hope and make some chicken soup!

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” -Buddha

I’m grateful for a lot of things but there is one thing in particular that I’m grateful for, my auntie. If you have been lucky enough to meet her or even exchange a message with her, you know she is a powerful woman who sets goals and exceeds them.  I’ve missed her a lot during this pandemic, turns out that when you can’t see someone for a while you really do start to be a lot more grateful for them. The last time I saw my aunt was in July and it’s been way too long! Thankfully I can call and message her. Which I have been doing a lot more of now. I’m grateful for my auntie because she is always thinking of everyone so much so that she rarely ever has time for herself.

About a year ago or a little more, she fractured her hip. When I heard the news me and my family were on vacation and I was sad that we couldn’t be there for her, but when we got back, I was happy to know that my auntie had family and friends by her side. I didn’t like seeing my aunt in pain, but on the bright side, I got to Swiffer her floors. My auntie has adopted rescue dogs even before I was born. The one she has right now is named Maddy. I’m grateful for my auntie because she has so much care and compassion for everyone including animals.

I’m grateful for my auntie because of many reasons but I don’t think I could list all of them or this would definitely be more than just three paragraphs. But the biggest reason why I’m grateful for my auntie is that she gives unconditional love, compassion, and of course, gratitude. My aunt is one amazing person, and her friends are too! If you are wondering who my auntie is, well you already have read some of her writing. My auntie is the co-author of the Thank-Forward gratitude action kit and the other co-author is Julie Shields, I’m not sure if I’ve met her but I’m thankful for her as well, and I’m happy my auntie has such a great friend and co-author.  I think that about sums up why I’m grateful for my auntie.   -NK

Guest blog by SJ

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and my two teenage children were home together. With a daughter in college, it was a treat for all of us to be in one place at the same time. It also made for a great opportunity to go out for breakfast and spend some quality time together. We arrived at a local restaurant and were seated pretty quickly. However, as we were seated, we were told the service was slow that day due to a shortage of staff. Grateful for the honest communication, we made sure to spend our time talking and catching up while we waited. As we enjoyed our time together, we noticed the table next to us get increasingly impatient and angry. We heard their waitress (who was not waiting on our table) tell them their food would be out in 5 minutes. Shortly after, the waitress fulfilled her promise and came out with that table’s food.

Suddenly, the people seated at the table got up and walked out. They did not touch their food, and we learned they also left without paying. My kids, especially my 15 year old son, were shocked. My son couldn’t believe these people would just leave without paying. He felt really bad for their waitress, but knew it was out of his control.

The same waitress helped our waiter carry out our food. My son, still in astonishment over what he witnessed, was eager to make things better. As the waitress helped pass out our plates, he opened his wallet and gave her a gift of a tip.

She was surprised and excited. He hoped that would help make her day better. He didn’t say much, but the look of comfort on his face spoke louder than words. He performed an act of kindness that brought some joy to a bad situation. I could not be more proud of the gentleman my son is becoming!