Seize Your Joy!

Thanksgiving is now over and if you didn’t get a chance to do something nice for someone else, you still have time before 2007 ends.  One of the best gifts you can give someone is kindness. 

If you haven’t done so already, why not pick 5 people, charities, etc. to offer your kindness to.  This is not about monetary contributions (you may offer these too if you wish); rather this is about sharing a God-given gift you have with someone else.

It doesn’t matter what your gift(s) is (cooking, writing, etc.).  You can offer your gift to a special person and/or charity that will really appreciate your kindness.  This act of kindness will also be a great creative outlet for you during a very busy and often stressful time of the year.

Not sure which of your gifts to offer?  Why not pick 1 to 3 (more may be a bit much) that may benefit charities that touch your heart, have impacted your family, or are active in your community. 

This is the time of year to really reach out and help others.  Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Start with your local phonebook or even go online and pick a few people/charities. 
• Call them up and see what help they need.  Many charities are under staffed so you may need to call more than once.
• If one of your gifts is what they’re looking for, offer it up (have a few ideas in mind before you call).  For example maybe you love to do creative writing and your local hospital could use someone to write letters to sick children from “Santa”.
• Be sure you deliver.  Don’t offer your gifts if you don’t think you will be able to follow through.  This is worse than not offering at all.

If you’re looking for a way to give back and a way to do something you love during this busy time of the year, offering your gifts may be perfect for you. 

If you know of a charity you’d like my other readers to consider, drop me a line and I’ll be sure to include them in another blog post.

Have you ever tried journaling?  Maybe you tried and it didn’t go so well.  Maybe you think there really is no benefit for you because you don’t enjoy writing.  Maybe you just don’t know what to write.

Whatever reason journaling has not taken off for you, I’d like to help you get started with journaling.  Journaling offers many benefits including: clearing negativity out of your mind, working through a difficult problem, and just organizing your thoughts.

I’ve found journaling is very helpful in documenting progress I’ve made in areas in my life as well as something to look forward to each day.  I journal my thoughts, concerns, and even Biblical scriptures that really hit home.  To get started try these 5 steps:

1. Buy or even make a nice but inexpensive notepad.  I prefer unlined paper because I can write as much or as little as I like.  Make sure this notepad is only for your journaling and not for “to do lists”, the kids to color in, etc.

2. Pick a really comfortable ink pen or pencil you’ll look forward to writing with each day.  This pen/pencil should only be used for your journal writing.

3. Select a time of day when you’ll be alone and uninterrupted.  This time of day should be the same each day; I usually try before I get out of bed or before I go to bed.

4. Close your eyes and think of an emotional event or situation.  If you want you can pick an event that was joyful or maybe one you’d like to reprocess and work through again.

5. Write down the event, the emotions the event caused, and then how the event came to be.  You may even want to go as far as to write how you can do things differently the next time or how you plan to continue to do things the same.

The first couple of times it may seem a bit uncomfortable to relive parts of your day.  However it gets easier as you get in the habit of writing.  Once you get in the habit of journaling you’ll find you can’t wait to write each day.  It will get a lot easier.

 If you currently journal, let me know why and what led you to start.  If you don’t currently journal, consider starting.  Feel free to email me with any questions you have about starting this fun de-stress technique.

When was the last time you tried something new just for you?  With the hustle and bustle of the holidays this is the perfect time to take a bit of “Me Time”.  For me, I’ll be experimenting (adding new ingredients) with an old home spa treatment (body wrap) I haven’t done in a while…

Years ago I had my first traveling job.  I practically lived out of a suitcase and when I returned home I needed to really de-stress.  Unfortunately being rather frugal going to the spa was out for me.  So I decided to use my creative juices and try something new.

I made a mixture of honey, Epsom salt, sparkling apple cider, and chocolate.  I purchased a few packs of plastic wrap and some painting brushes from the dollar store. I spread the mixture over my entire body and then wrapped myself in the plastic wrap.

Now I have to admit the first time it was far from perfect.  I failed to go to the bathroom before I wrapped myself.  I did not add the right amounts of liquids to the mixture so the walk from my bathroom to my bedroom was quite slippery.  The most important thing I forgot to do:  make sure my sisters were not going to come home early from running their errands.  To this day I can’t live this down!

However, after trying this a few times I finally got it right.  Not to mention doing this once I lived by myself helped.  So why am I telling you about such an embarrassing experience, because the results were so worth it.  It feels so good to try something new even if it does not go exactly right the first time.

Once I was done with my spa treatment, I was so relaxed and not to mention how soft my skin was.  More than anything it was fun to do something just for me.  So get out there and try something new and fun just for you.  It doesn’t have to be as dangerous or comical as my initial spa treatment but the experience will be so worth it!

If you’d like the actual recipe for my initial body wrap, email me and I’ll send it to you.

With the holidays just around the corner I wanted to offer you a fun alternative to the regular holiday greeting card.  How about sending your friends and family “Joy Notes”?  What’s a Joy Note, you ask. 

Well a Joy Note can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a letter.  In them, you express why you’re Joyful the recipient is in your life.  This goes beyond the “Happy Holidays, Holiday Greetings, etc.” most people are used to receiving from friends and family each year. 

In your Joy Notes you can include pictures, a poem you wrote, etc.  Something that will really put a smile on the recipient’s face.  Joy Notes are often much more special than box cards because they are more creative and show your unique touch. 

Consider sending Joy Notes this year.  I’m sure you’ll have fun decorating and writing a real message to each of your recipients.  Even more, I know your recipients will enjoy receiving your Joy Note.   

Send me an email and let me know what you plan to include in your Joy Notes this year (i.e., poems, pictures, etc).

We’ve put the November events on the schedule.  I’m sure you’ll notice there is not one workshop listed.  Well that was a decision I made to due to the holiday season. 

I decided to let November & December be a time of relaxation, rest, and fun.  Of course that means in January we’ll kick it up again.  By then you’ll need these workshops to help you de-stress from your holiday rush.  So get ready for that! 

I’d like to invite you to take a look at our events page.  Pick one that looks like something you might like to try and either sign up or send me a message.  If you have no clue which one to try, drop me a line and I’ll help you figure it out.