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weekly inspiration: succulents & sunshine
March 21, 2018
Living, Inspiration
Kate Marie
weekly inspiration: succulents & sunshine
Kate Marie
March 21, 2018
Living, Inspiration

weekly inspiration: succulents & sunshine

Kate Marie
March 21, 2018
Living, Inspiration
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Succulents and sunshine to add a little warmth and happiness to your week. 

Newer Postthoughts on becoming: regain a sense childhood curiosity, imagination, and love for make believe
Older Postweekly inspiration: neutral meditation

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{YOU ARE NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE} ⠀ You feel stuck. You don’t know how to get where you are going. Or don’t know where to go in the first place. ⠀ But what you do know, is that wherever you are heading - you definitely aren’t there yet. Anyone with me? 🙋🏼‍♀️ ⠀ ⠀ But here is the thing… ⠀ When we are only focused on NOT being where we want to be - we are resisting the present moment. ⠀ ⠀ This causes us to get stuck in the same thought patterns. The same reality. On a never ending hamster wheel. Never moving THROUGH the present, to get where we want to be. ⠀ ⠀ We get consumed by the stress and anxiety of not being where we want to be. This stress causes us to become immobile - unable to act. And if we can’t take action, we are preventing ourselves from moving at all. ⠀ So how do we get out of this sticky spot? ⠀ ⠀ Shift our focus to the present. ⠀ ⠀ Worry has its purpose. It evolved to help us avoid danger. But in today’s modern world, this wonderful and useful emotion of worry, tends to get overused, and out of hand - running a muck in our bodies and minds. ⠀ ⠀ But we have the power to release the worry about tomorrow - and instead focus on today. ⠀ ⠀ What we do today is the only thing that will get us to where we want to be. We can visualize our perfect future to gain direction - but any additional worrying about what might be is just a waste of time and energy. ⠀ Instead, choose to start each day with intention. Intention to focus on the present. And to focus on the one or two things you can do today, that will keep you moving forward. ⠀ ⠀ You may have an idea of where you are headed, but there is no use in trying to plan out every step along the way. Life throws us curve balls, and we course correct as we go. ⠀ ⠀ So instead - begin to find just a few intentional actions to take daily. These small steps will break you free from being stuck - and will get you moving again. ⠀ Keep loving where you are. ⠀ Keep making the most of where you are. ⠀ Take small, intentional action daily to move yourself forward. ⠀ ⠀ You don’t have to have it all figured out right now - your path will unfold as long as you keep pressing on with passion and intent - one step at a time.
{find some S P A C E for YOU today} ⠀ ⠀ Because we could all use a little more #selflove and #selfcare
Today I wrote my eulogy. ⠀ {on the blog} ⠀ ⠀ Don’t worry. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. But recently I was posed with the question {what do you want your eulogy to read?} ⠀ This question came about from a discussion on fulfillment. {how do you feel fulfilled} ⠀ ⠀ Because fulfillment cannot be measured. even though we try… ⠀ We measure life's fulfillment by wealth, success, possessions. As if everyone can find a fulfilled life by checking off the boxes on the same simple to-do list. ⠀ ⠀ But fulfillment can only be found from within. And for many...they may not realize this until it is too late. ⠀ ⠀ When I first started thinking about this question - I found myself falling into the same trap. And my eulogy started out quite long. A lovely essay of all I was to live, accomplish, and change in our world. ⠀ ⠀ But I caught myself. Was that all my life was to amount to? A list of accomplishments, accolades, and successes? ⠀ So I started cutting out the things that didn't really matter. And my eulogy whittled down to one. simple. phrase. ⠀ ⠀ How can you encompass an entire life into one sentence? Don't I want more? ⠀ But I realized - that was the problem. We always want more. ⠀ And today, I choose to see that life is about so much less. ⠀ Because in the end, there will never be enough. ⠀ ⠀ Enough money. Enough success. Enough recognition. ⠀ ⠀ And above all else... Enough time. ⠀ ⠀ and in the time I have... however long that may be. I want to seek one simple thing... ⠀ ⠀ joy. ⠀ ⠀ and in every moment that I manage to find it... ⠀ I want to give it away to everyone around me ⠀ because at the end of my life...nothing else will matter ⠀ ⠀ except for those sometimes simple, sometimes complex sometimes quiet, sometimes loud sometimes calm, sometimes exuberant sometimes personal, sometimes shared ⠀ ⠀ sometimes moments of joy ⠀ ⠀ And because of that my eulogy will someday read… {check out the full post on the blog}
{weekly inspiration} the perfect 👌 mix of hot cafe ☕️ drinks and lush greenery 🌿 to inspire you through the rest of your #wednesday
even among the chaos there is always space to find stillness. ⠀ {B E. S T I L L.} ⠀ ⠀ We all go through seasons where we can't seem to keep up with the pace that life is creating around us. {whether physically or mentally} ⠀ ⠀ Our first instinct is to push forward. ⠀ ⠀ To push through our current situation to break free to the other side. But we never really reach that other side - because there is always something else waiting for us. ⠀ ⠀ This forced reaction tends to just have us spinning our wheels until we are too exhausted to move on. ⠀ ⠀ When we run into these times of exhaustion the best thing we can do is to slow down and {B E. S T I L L.} ⠀ ⠀ If you need permission to find calm, this is just that. ⠀ ⠀ You have the right and your body and mind need time to recover in stillness. If we try to keep up with the constant pace of our world every day, we will all be doomed to utter and complete exhaustion. ⠀ ⠀ So today. I grant you all of the permission you need. To rest. To relax. To slow the pace of life. And to find a much needed STILLNESS. ⠀ #bestill
"And the truth is - I lost my gift of make believe. I had lost my imagination of possibility for my future." ⠀ ⠀ {on the blog} how do we regain a sense of childhood curiosity, imagination, and love for make believe in our adult lives? ⠀ ⠀ 01. Slow Down ⠀ As we get older, we start to process information faster and faster, and the general pace of our life picks up to unhealthy speeds. So our first ritual is simply to slow down. Find space in your day. ⠀ ⠀ 02. Try something NEW ⠀ try something new...and better yet, try something that scares you. ⠀ ⠀ 03. Learn something NEW ⠀ {make learning and trying new things a bigger priority than getting new stuff} ⠀ ⠀ 04. Get outside ⠀ ⠀ We need sunshine and fresh air to function, and to scare away mild depression. So start making it a priority to get outside every day. ⠀ ⠀ 05. Play Adult Make Believe ⠀ ⠀ Spend some time each day, or each week getting lost in some helpful thoughts of make believe. Take some time to visualize your goal and dreams. ⠀ One exercise I like to play is to think of "my best self" - that is to visualize what it would look like when I was the best version of myself. ⠀ ⠀ 06. Reframe boring situations ⠀ We all find ourselves in boring situations or doing mundane tasks throughout our day. But we have control over how we choose to see these activities. ⠀ So, how can we reframe some of these mundane situations? ⠀ ⠀ 07. Live in the Present ⠀ ⠀ When we were little, we spent very little time worry about the past or stressing about the future. It was all about the here and now. We had laser focus that is so hard to harness once we get older. ⠀ {stop trying to multi-task, it doesn't work - and focus {really focus} on every task throughout your day} ⠀ #imagination #neverstopexploring #neverstopdreaming
{on the blog} From the time you were little, you were pressed with the question - {what do you want to be when you grow up?} As if we all should know the answer to this lofty question from the time we are only in grade school. ⠀ ⠀ I can remember feeling the weight of this question from such a young age. At first it can be exciting as a child - you can do and be anything you want to - all things are possible. ⠀ ⠀ But as the years carried on, my concept of this question changed quiet drastically. {I can only do ONE thing for the rest of my life?} ⠀ The weight of choosing just one thing was limiting to me. ⠀ As a child I lived off of make believe and creativity. ⠀ ⠀ One day I was a famous artist painting beautiful works or art on used restaurant napkins or scraps of wood I found in the garage. ⠀ ⠀ The next I was a great mountain climber, scaling the walls of my backyard jungle gym with bungee cords and rope. ⠀ ⠀ But as the years dragged on, one by one, my dreams seemed to fade away. If I could only have one, what was the point of spending time imagining the rest? ⠀ ⠀ For many years I tried sticking to one thing to only ever come up short - feeling a little bit less year after year - wondering what was missing. ⠀ ⠀ And the truth is - I lost my gift of make believe. I had lost my imagination of possibility for my future. I had gotten stagnant and bored in my one thing. ⠀ This happens to the best of us. We lose sight of our childhood gift for creativity and possibility as we age. And for many of us, we get stuck. Stagnant. Bored. From the pursuit of only one thing. ⠀ ⠀ We get the job. The house. The family. And then…. ⠀ we stop living. ⠀ ⠀ We stop dreaming of possibilities. We stop learning new things. We stop using our creativity. We label play and make-believe as childish and settle into our adult lives with contempt and worry. ⠀ ⠀ But the truth is that we don’t have to live that way. We can choose to live a life of possibility, a life of adventure, a life of creativity, a life of never ending learning. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Because you are not yet the person you are to become. And if you are one of the lucky ones, you never will be. #neverstopexploring
#inspiration {Succulents and sunshine to add a little warmth and happiness to your week ☺️}
In honor of #internationalhappinessday .... #choosehappiness ⠀ ⠀ Do you know there are actually 10 positive emotions? ⠀ ⠀ We have greater control over what emotions we feel than we realize. Even when we are overwhelmed by a negative emotion - fear, anxiety, hate, worry - the initial emotion fades after about 90 seconds. Leaving us with a choice...to continue feeling the negative emotion through overthinking and overanalyzing - or to instead replace it with a more positive feeling. ⠀ ⠀ And happiness is about so much more than the jumping for joy, LOL, big yellow smily face imagery we associate with it. There are actually 10 positive emotions that have been identified by positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson. ⠀ ⠀ Joy ⠀ Gratitude ⠀ Serenity ⠀ Interest ⠀ Hope ⠀ Pride ⠀ Amusement ⠀ Inspiration ⠀ Awe ⠀ Love ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ When you are looking to move to emotional higher ground, you have a spectrum of emotions to reach for. Even if it is a small boost of hope - or just a few seconds of cultivated awe. ⠀ ⠀ We all have the capacity to reach for greater #happiness in our lives.
I was reminded of this quote recently. “Becoming is better than being.” ⠀ ⠀ Having studied art in college - I was always driven by process. Usually much more invigorated by the act of creating, than by the end product. ⠀ ⠀ But as I transitioned into my professional and personal adult life, this love of process seemed to fade. Instead it was replaced by a need to produce. Results, income, praise. ⠀ ⠀ Things felt more like the means to an end - a ceaseless hamster wheel moving us ever so slowly in a forward direction. ⠀ ⠀ It took me a while to realize I had lost my love of process. ⠀ ⠀ We have heard before that even in goal setting - we often times reap more benefit and satisfaction from the pursuit of a goal, than from reaching the goal itself. Even to the point of feeling empty or lost once a goal is reached. ⠀ ⠀ Yet we still put continuous pressure on ourselves to keep pushing forward towards the next goal. The next raise. The next thing. ⠀ ⠀ And we forget to savor the beauty of the in-between. ⠀ ⠀ That beautiful phase of process where we are becoming that which we wish to be. ⠀ ⠀ In the recent weeks, I seem to be falling further and further behind on my to-do list and my goals. And that has caused a heaviness. A feeling of less than. A feeling of incomplete. ⠀ ⠀ As I start a new week, I am looking to instead find the beauty, the grace, and the excitement in the process once again. ⠀ ⠀ We will never actually be where we are going. Because once we accomplish one goal - once we reached one destination - we are already on to the next. ⠀ ⠀ If we are constantly waiting to feel complete from finishing our next big goal - we will all be waiting a long time. ⠀ ⠀ Instead, find the quiet peace within the process. Knowing that each day we are inching closer and closer to where we are meant to be. ⠀ #mondaymotivation
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Ritual Happiness
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