Paint Yourself Orange!

Just as established products and brands need updating to stay alive and vibrant, your periodically need to refresh and reinvent yourself. You can change your packaging with a new haircut and a new glasses, say, or you can reinvent yourself beyond packaging by changing careers, partners, and perhaps even some deep philosophical approaches to life.

What do people think of when they think of you as a brand? If you don’t stand out with a clear identity, you are lost in a sea of indistinguishable peers. If you have business ambitions, you don’t want to be a commodity, something perceived as commonly available, unspecialized and easily exchangeable with another product of the same type. … You need to be known for your unique qualities, and that means being recognized.

It's time to paint yourself orange!

excerpted from my favorite book:

Women, Work and The Art of Savoir-Faire

by Mireille Guiliano.

Contentment.

Learning to be content requires that you stop any “when and then” thinking –
“When I am ___________, then I’ll be happy.”
“When I have ___________, then I’ll be happy.”
(You fill in the blanks)

The reason we fall into this trap is that we may actually be content for a little while but it won’t last. But, more than likely, someone else or something else will come along and drain the contentment from our lives.

Happiness isn’t getting what you want. Happiness is being happy with what you have. Look at all the things that have been given to you.

Unfortunately, we often focus on what we don’t have and forget the many wonderful things we do have, not only material blessings, but far more important things, such as family and friends.

A key to contentment is recognizing that you have the choice to be happy right now with the many things that have been given to you. What are you waiting on to make you happy?

One Last Piece of Advice:

So many people have no clue of what they want.

They don't think independently, merely following what everyone else is doing.

I admire people with a sense of independence, who stand firm on their beliefs.

Calculated "authenticity" is inauthentic.

Trying to appear authentic is role playing, the opposite of true authenticity.

Since culture determines what's currently "cool", you can't be cool and counter-culture. You must choose side.

Trying to be cool tells everyone you are a follower.

The same principle applies in fashion:

You don't wear what other people are wearing.

You create your own style and set the trend.

Style is actually a state of mind.

You're so confident about what you're wearing that others start doubting themselves.

Making Up for Bad Health Habit

Bad Habit: Poor Posture
Misaligned posture can lead to back, knee, hip and neck issues as well as collapsed arches and a host of other problems. If you’ve had poor posture most of your life, you probably think there’s nothing you can do to improve it. Not true! You can make changes instantly, transform yourself and don't have to wait to see results.

This easy exercise to turn back years of bad posture habits: “Stand with your heels almost touching a wall. Roll your shoulder blades back and drop them down until they touch the wall. Slightly lower your chin and pull the base of your head against the wall, lengthening the back of your neck. Hold this position for 15 seconds, breathe, rest and repeat. If you cannot touch the wall, then your goal is to work up to it slowly.”

Stretching Your Mind:

Too often, many of our problems arise from acting before thinking. We confuse activity with productivity. We think, “I’m so busy, I must be accomplishing something!” In reality, we may just be spinning our wheels. Like sitting in a rocking chair, you can expend a lot of energy and create a lot of motion, but you still aren’t going anywhere.

Progress and productivity always require thought!

A wise man is cautious and avoids danger.

A fool plunges ahead with great confidence.

A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t and even brags about it!

Deeper Friendship:

When we're full of fear and anxiety, we don't get close to each other. We back off from each other. We're afraid of being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, or used. All of these fears cause us to disconnect in life.

We're afraid, so we hide. We hide our true selves. We don't let people know what we're really like. We don't let them see the inside of us. Why? Because if we let people know what we're like and they don't like it, we're up a creek without a paddle. Tough luck. Why am I afraid to tell you who I am? Because if I tell you who I am, and you don't like me, I'm in for it. I have no alternative. So we wear masks and we pretend.

Fear does three terrible things to relationships:

1. Fear makes us defensive.
We're afraid to reveal ourselves. We defend ourselves. When people point out our weaknesses, we retaliate and defend ourselves.

2. Fear keeps us distant.
We don't let people get close to us. We want to withdraw, pull back. We want to hide our emotions. We don't want to be open and honest. We become defensive and distant.

3. Fear makes us demanding.
Whenever we're insecure, and the more insecure we are, the more we try to control. So we try to have the last word in a relationship. We try to dominate, control. It's always a symptom of fear and insecurity.

Get your confidence and courage to take the first step in connecting with someone, to go into a deeper intimacy. When you're more courageous in your relationships; you love people, you enjoy being with them.

Green Day!

Kermit the Frog once said that it wasn't easy being green. But going green doesn't have to be such a serious affair; a green palette spells fun because it's bright and cheerful yet soothing to the eyes. After all, it's Mother Nature's favorite hue, too.

The most effective way to save the planet is by doing our bit and we can start at home. No need to go monstrous in your efforts and whack your entire savings into a solar power system. But what if it's as simple as saving water? Or surely you can try driving less and taking public transport instead. Or what about next time you go grocery shopping buy locally grown and manufactured products that weren't transported great distances.

The point is all about balance. You do what you can, when you can. If the thought of going green is overwhelming and you don't know where to start, then you may be going about it the wrong way. It's all about the small things that each of us do in our daily lives that counts.

LOVE never fails.

There are times when we all think,

"I'm going under for the last time! I'm about to sink!"

No matter how deep you are, LOVE is there;

it can pull you out of the deepest waters.

No matter what problem you have, LOVE is deeper than your problem.

You may be in deep despair, deep trouble, under deep stress.

Yet, LOVE is deeper still.

Drop into the arms of LOVE.

Let LOVE catch and support you when you have nowhere else to go.

Freedom:

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint:
Do anything I want to do;
Say anything I want to say,
without anybody telling me 'Yes' or 'No.'

Like the song "My Way":
Everybody got burned by me, but I did it my way!
I had my freedom!
Is it really true?

I recently discover that real freedom is
freedom from fears:

Where you're truly free from worry,
because you've done your best today
and you believe tomorrow holds hopeful future.

Where you're truly free from bitterness,
because you've accepted all the pains hurting your heart
and forgiven all those responsible

Where you're free to quit pretending,
because you're free to be yourself...

Is It Time to Take a Nap?

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just go take a nap. That's because when you're physically down, it's hard to be emotionally and spiritually up. Simple logic?

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all."
It's amazing how much better things look when you're rested. If you're discouraged right now, it might not mean you have to make a change; it may simply be that you need some rest.

Farmers know that soil needs rest, so they rotate their crops and systematically leave a portion of their land fallow. They do this because land that has rested produces a greater harvest.

A good night's sleep makes a big difference. And even a quick nap can help you see things clearly.

Breakthrough:

Be daring,

Be different,
Be impractical,

Be anything that will assert integrity of purpose
and imaginative vision
against the play-it-safers,
the creatures of the commonplace,
the slaves of the ordinary.

-Cecil Beaton

I found the following entry on arianna belle site awhile back and like to re-read it every so often. I find it inspiring and motivating. Read on.

Mediocrity can be defined by: if someone was to ask you “how are you?” you would reply “fine”. Mediocrity is doing an “ok job”, having a relationship that “works”, being just a “little” overweight, having a job that “pays the bills” etc.. Mediocrity is putting up with things the way they are with no firm plan to change the situation by a specific date. Mediocrity is following a predetermined and unfulfilling path. Most people live in a state of mediocrity. Mediocrity is as close to the bottom as it is the top.

Greatness is demanding the best of everything and doing what is required to get it. Greatness is demanding friends who demand the best. Demanding the best wife or husband and the best job and the best pay. Demanding the company you work for makes the best product and is uncompromising in its promise to the customer. Greatness is demanding the best out of one’s self.

Greatness means taking ownership of your life and operating out of what is possible not from a place of fear. Greatness is having faith that the world will unfold as you design it to be...

MEDIOCRITY
* Living a “FINE” life
* Just going with the motions of life – not “living” life
* Status Quo
* Following a predetermined path
* Following a “leader”
* Stagnant
* A vocabulary full of “I wish and I hope”, excuses and blame
* Worrying about what others think
* Not taking control of ones life
* Continually trying to look good
* Not loving every moment life
* Unhealthy Mind = Unhealthy Body

GREATNESS

* Leading a “great” life on a daily basis
* Creating your own path in this world
* Being a “leader”
* Unique individual
* Do not live your life concerned about how you look or what others think
* Live a life full of endless possibilities
* Open to failing and making mistakes
* Learning and new experiences
* Knowledge
* Continually moving forward
* Confident, strong and courageous
* Personal Responsibility – full ownership of one’s life
* Making a difference – being a contribution

Choose to be GREAT…
Choose to bring greatness into your life...
Choose to partake in “elevating the world from a place of mediocrity to a place of greatness!”

Resisting Discouragement:

Don’t get tired of doing what is good.

Don’t get discouraged and give up,
The realization of our dreams might be just around the corner.

There are many things that work to keep us from completing our vision of life (read: life-time dream). At some juncture of life, we can be put off of our life missions; obstacles and hurdles may allure us to simply quit altogether.

Do you ever get tired of chasing your dreams?
Do you feel exhausted with doing what’s right? I think we all do.
Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.

When we’re discouraged, we become ineffective.
When we’re discouraged, we work against our own faith.
When I’m discouraged, I’m saying, “It can’t be done.”
That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know I have the capacity to do it and I can do it!”

Ask yourself these questions:
• How do I handle failure?
• When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy?
• When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated?
• When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining?
• Do I finish what I start?
• How would I rate on persistence?

If you’re discouraged, don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.

When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn’t hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.

And that’s true of life, too. Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece.

The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination.
Great people don’t know how to quit.

Stop! Just for a moment...

I'm feeling somehow fatigue...
The fact is it takes energy to live life -running daily mundane errands, deal with everyday's problem, maintaining relationships, keeping your faith to reach your dreams. Honestly, the race of life could be a little tough sometimes.

What do you do when you run out of energy?
This is what I do and it works, one way or another... When I'm feeling uneasy, perhaps low on energy; I try to be still and get quiet. When doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, I quiet myself in order to afford myself renewed hope and cheer.

But many of us have trouble getting quiet. It's as if we are afraid of silence; it makes us very uncomfortable. The moment we get in the car, the radio or CD player goes on. The moment we get home, the TV goes on, the musics are played loudly.

Yet, in a sense, sometimes it is well to turn off the world. If you want to lower your stress, it's as simple as this: Shut up. Be silent. Stop talking and start listening to the universe.

A while ago, after a long hard day; instead of crowding my mind with TV shows or DVDs, I went out to the backyard, sit down, just be quiet, lay my head back down and looking at the sky, the stars. Tranquility is what I got, I started rethinking about my life, reconsidering my priorities, cherishing all that I'm having, smiling at the thoughts of people who truly love me; tuning in and focusing to "life" again.

It's wonderful to get alone for five minutes a day and be completely silent. Learn to take little mini-breaks during the day. When you feel your blood pressure rising, stop. I'm not suggesting thirty minutes of meditation. I'm talking about fifteen or twenty seconds. Just little mini-breaks to stop and be quiet.

Here's an easy formula I use: Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually. Get quiet once a day, take one day a week to rest, and always take some sort of vacation at least once a year.

Don't sweat the small stuff:

It's amazing how minor frustrations along the day can add up to one big, bad attitude by the time it reaches noon and evening. Frustrations come in three varieties:

1. Interruptions: Unexpected visitors or phone calls when you have a deadline to meet or something important requires your attention. Our best plans are often interrupted.
2. Inconveniences: While interruptions are usually from people, inconveniences are usually situations involving things: applications or appliances break down, traffic jams up, or you can't find what you need when you need it.
3. Irritations: Long delays, unreliable people, playing telephone tag, catching a cold, obnoxious clients, etc.

But the truth is you can't eliminate these. No doubt you'll face all three varieties this week, but you can keep them from stressing you out.

What's the secret to managing frustrations?

Don't resist it, but don't overreact or blow up.

Don't resent it; don't internalize you anger.

Don't resign to it; don't have a pity-party. Instead, reduce it. Treat it as insignificant. Put the frustration into proper perspective. It's just a minor setback, a part of living, no big deal! It's certainly not worth a heart attack.

Follow these rules for stress management:

• RULE #1: Don't sweat the small stuff.
• RULE #2: Realize it's all small stuff!

Just a lil' reminder to having a great day. Simple things, but we tend to forget the basic principles in everyday life. Have a nice day, all!

Pictures via Anja Rubik

But you promised,

I had an appointment with a friend this morning. She showed up late and I got very pissed off, having to re-schedule the rest of the day's time table. How annoying! But then again I realized how as often I've done the same thing to other people. Honestly, let's take a minute to think: Have you ever...

• Promised to deliver something by a set date and later regretted it?
• Volunteered for a job you had no idea would take so long?
• Agreed to a deal that looked great but wasn't?
• Accepted an invitation you wish you hadn't?

Eventually, we all learn by experience a basic law of life: It's always easier to get in than get out!

There are three common commitment traps:
1. The Money Trap:
It's always easier to get into debt than out of debt!
It's always easier to borrow than to pay it back.
2. The Partnership Trap:
It's always easier to get into a relationship, than to get out of one!
3. The Time Trap:
It's always easier to fill your schedule than to fulfill it!
You can get so many irons in the fire that you put out the fire!

The solution: Remember -don't make rash vows.
In other words, choose your commitments carefully; think before you speak; under-promise and over-deliver. With this, you'll build a reputation as a person of your word.

The Main Thing:

July has arrived and unpacked before June even has the chance to make her elegant exit. It kind of scares me to realize how time elapses...

I roused to the first day of July with the fret that I had taken to bed with. It was still there, like a toothache. I have always been tarrying myself off-bed everyday; plunging into series of errands or just calling up friends to hang out. My periods of reflection has always been brief and infrequent.

But this morning, I felt weighted. I spent a little more time in silence, contemplating on my journey to date since the first day of 2009. Recollecting my achievements and downfalls, I started with a smile but faded gradually as I reached the more recent occurrences. I've been losing myself a bit lately.

When matters got all jumbled-up, it helps to entangle it all and keep only the main thing. "The Main Thing is to Keep The Main Thing". The question follows soon-after. What's the main thing in my life?

INTEGRITY
All the way through life, simply be true to yourself. In everything you do, just be you, the best of you. It's enough. You cannot live your life looking from someone else's point of view...

CREATIVITY
Be creative in every aspect of your life. Explore every interest, every talent. Apply them all abundantly, generously. Life is about coloring your white paper and others; on the other way around letting people do the same. At the end of the day, you'll be surprise to find what a wonderful painting you have on your piece of paper...

PRODUCTIVITY
Do everything you have to do, do everything you want to do and do everything you're afraid to do. Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone. When you are at the last day of your living on earth, reminiscing your journey; make sure you feel satisfied to have been alive and have been living it to its fullest.

Stepping into July's threshold, I'm holding these three main things close to my breast.

Picture via {this is glamorous}