If you are feeling overwhelmed, YOU are not ALONE!

Woke up today feeling a little overwhelmed. I'll spare you the 'busy' details of my life - time has taught me that some days are like this. You wake up and the to-do list is ultra long and the horizon is filled with too much to be done (it seems).

I've learned that the best thing to do (for me), is to slow down! Even a half hour can do wonders!

Here's a few things I do:

I blog. I visit Etsy or Pinterest online. I read quotes. I listen to music. I bake something. I write a thank you note or touch base with a friend. I say a prayer and ask for clarity.

Mostly, I try to do a little nurturing of my soul before I jump back into the fast pace. The slowing down moments give me just the rejuvenation I need to be my best self and accomplish the to-dos ahead.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone. It's part of being alive! 

Give yourself permission to have a little 'time out' and before you know it, you'll be back in the day feeling ready to GO!

The colors that make us who we are ...

Have you ever bumped into something that just talked to your soul? Maybe it was a painting or a greeting card or a beautiful scene in nature... Have you ever really thought about why it mattered to you? The picture above is very calming to me. I feel the colors are a reflection of parts of me.

I have touches of blue, orange and green in my personality and a great deal of red (which to me stands for passion, energy and spunk) ... Perhaps that's why I like this picture so much? It serves as a reminder to like and appreciate all the colors of the 'personality rainbow' that make us who we are! Hooray for all the shades of black, yellow and pink that add to our diverse color palette.

The next time you bump into something that warms your spirit, pay attention - it's there for a reason! Cheers to the colors that make us who we are :)!!

Happy Friday night.

The 40 day journey …

The Lord can do amazing things in 40 days! In fact, we’ve seen evidence of Him transforming people in 40 days … Examples are: Noah, Moses, David and so on. I was reminded of these amazing miracles when I started reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I like the format of this book because he takes the 40 day transformation process and uses it for an outline for his book. Each chapter contains a bit of ‘transforming material’ and in the beginning the author, Rick, urges the reader to join him on a 40 day journey. And we (the readers) are instructed to read ONE chapter a day. So I’m on day NINE…
The chapter is called – What Makes God Smile?
(I'm sure I can think of a few things ... :))

If you want to join in on the journey – pick up a copy today and find out why YOU are on the earth and what your purpose is.

PS – This book turns your heart and actions to God and no matter your religion – you’ll gain deeper insights as to your relationship and purpose for being here.

For the record: this book has sold over 30 million worldwide.
Pretty good indication that people really do want to know what their purpose on earth is for!!

Below is one of my favorite quotes thus far –
“God made ants to be ants, and he made you to be you."
St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive!”
The Purpose Driven Life: what on Earth Am I Here For?
Rick Warren/ page 55.

Click on the link below for 7 free chapters of this book:
http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/samplechapters/index.aspx

Purpose Driven Life – website:
http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/

Eat a fortune cookie …

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.
The shortest distance between two people is a smile.

I’m in the habit of checking the news via the MSN homepage each morning and today one of the news pieces caught my eye. Which one? It’s the article about today being the most depressing day of the year. I’ve heard many people say that January is a depressing month for them. Reasons vary – the cold weather, gray days, holiday let-down, extra weight from all the turkey, ham and pumpkin pie… the list goes on.

I must admit there is usually a day or two in January that I feel a little ‘down’. Luckily, it’s not today. In fact, my ‘January blue day’ happened last week! What did I do to help combat the day? I ate a fortune cookie, I listened to music and I told myself it was OK to nurture my spirit. Sometimes we need that! We need a day to slow down, reflect and regroup.

Do you need a few ideas on nurturing your spirit? Good because I made a little collection of things that may help you with taking on cold, January days!

5 tips to help with the ‘blues’ –

Get some Chinese food. Order take out and make sure you get a few fortune cookies! (I bought an entire bag of fortune cookies. That way, if I happened to get a fortune cookie I didn’t like – I could simply choose another one). Who says you just need ONE?

Light a candle, eat some bell peppers and put on your favorite music.

Read a book that makes you feel good. Then call a friend and tell him/her about it.

Get outside and enjoy the fresh air. I highly recommend walking.

Buy yourself an indoor plant. (Mini/baby roses are my favorite). Plants do wonders for the soul.

Would you like to know a little history about fortune cookies? Check out the site below -
http://www.fortunecookie.demon.co.uk/fhistory.html

Remember to smile and feel free to share your fortune cookie message here… (How do you fight the blues?) Feel free to share that too ...

Fortune cookie message for the road: Your strength will grow stronger by being tried.