September 13 is Positive Thinking Day

Happy Positive Thinking Day!

Today is the perfect day to start making positive thinking and a positive attitude part of your life everyday.

It's easy to get started.

Incorporate these simple ideas into your day.

Affirmations keep you positive - Start your day with "It's going to be a great day!"

Be Mindful - Stay in the present moment, always reminding yourself it's going to be a great day.

Track your gratitude - Keeping a journal of what you are grateful for will only enforce how good life is.

Stay Inspired - Read and Watch motivational and inspirational materials daily.

Surround yourself with positive people - They will help you stay focused and positive.

Be Kind - Taking care of yourself and others will keep you in a positive frame of mind.

Smile - Share your smile throughout your day, because a smile is contagious.

Super simple ideas for a positive out look on life.

What are you going to do for Positive Thinking Day?

Share Positive Thinking Day with your social network

Journal Your Plan

It's the end of September and Tomorrow is the beginning of the holiday season for selling. Have you reviewed your goals or plans lately?

Pull out your plans and start creating your to-do-list for getting sales.

I have been working on my to-do-list for a week and now I have my plan for my holiday season. I set a goal of 100 sales between now and the end of the year. It's going to require a lot of work, but now that I have a plan I feel better about making my goal.

Have you prepared your plan for the holiday season? Today is the day. Take out your journal and create your to-do-list for your best selling season ever.

Do you have a plan?

Vacation Journal

Next time your on vacation or even a day trip don't forget your journal. Try to take a few minutes everyday and jot down your thoughts of the the day, the places that you visited, inspiring things that you saw, and any new ideas.

Traveling is a great time to let your mind relax and open up to new ideas. All the new sites, sounds, and smells will inspire you.

Not into writing, then try a photo journal instead. Take lots of pictures of inspiring sites, and keep a small note book with the ideas that were inspired by the picture. When you get home you can organize them to have as a future reference.

Do you journal when you are on vacation?

Traits of a Successful Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur - en·tre·pre·neur

a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially 

a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

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Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur?

You have a business online selling your creations, it could be a full time venture, part-time, a hobby, or just for fun,  however you choose to run your business you are an entrepreneur!

If you have not fully embraced the fact that you are an entrepreneur, or your not ready to call yourself one, it's time to seriously consider yourself an entrepreneur!

Did you know there are ten traits that successful entrepreneurs share:

Risk taker - Being a risk taker means considering your options, knowing your business, and being ready to make changes quickly.

Has a business and personal vision - Envisioning your business from start to finish with a clear plan for how you want to succeed. This includes your personal life as well, because your vision is the foundation for your business.

Drive and determination - Having a dedication to your vision and self-motivation, will keep you working hard to grow your business.

Self-confident - People respond positively to people who are confident about what they want to achieve.

Flexible -You wear many hats as an entrepreneur, being able to change your plans, troubleshoot, and generate ideas efficiently, while produce the results you want.

Powerful communicator - Being able to listen carefully, be sensitive, and see things from your customers perspective, is key to being a powerful communicator.

Smart decision maker - An entrepreneur makes decisions and finds solutions by gathering information, and basing decisions on facts.

Action/results oriented - To be results oriented you must plan, prioritize, project, have follow through, and problem solve.

Multitasker - Be willing to do many different tasks, even those you don't like to keep your business running smoothly.

Optimistic attitude - High expectations equals success. Express gratitude for what you have rather then focusing on what you don't.

Do you have all these traits? Then you are ready for success.

If you are still struggling with the idea of being an entrepreneur or you don't practice all these traits, then it's time for some brainstorming.

Print out this worksheet to brainstorm your ideas.

Click here to print

Take some time to yourself with this worksheet and start writing. Once you have figured out the traits you need to work on and have some ideas for putting them into action, incorporate those action steps into your to-do-list and work on them everyday.

When you start thinking of yourself as an entrepreneur things will change in your business. You will work harder to achieve success, and turn your small business into a successful business.

Do you consider yourself and entrepreneur?

Interview with Timothy Adam editor of Handmadeology.com this Thursday!

Five Questions

Today I have five questions you can ask yourself when starting a new project or working on one of your big significant goals.

These questions are to help you find clarity, give you some direction, and inspire you to get started. 

There are no right or wrong answer, your answers are personal to just you. 

Grab your journal, some art supplies, a pen and pencil, and find a quite place to yourself to answer these five questions:

~ What do you really want to accomplish?

~ What's your plan?

~ What would be the fastest most direct way to accomplish your plan?

~ What are three major obstacles standing in your way, and what can you do to overcome them?

~ Are you on the right path to get there?

I also created a printable document with the five questions.  This document will give you space to work through each question, doodles to color and help relax your mind , and space to add your own. 

printable link

You don't have to answer them all at once, or in this order. Do what is comfortable for you. Once you have your answers, they should help guide you towards creating your plan and getting started on accomplishing your goal. 

How do you prepare when starting a new project?

Mood Boosting Strategies

One of my personal goals for the new year is to have a more positive attitude.

On my quest to be a more positive thinker I ran across these 5 simple mood boosting strategies.

Appreciate the little things - each night before bed write down three positive things that happened to you during your day. This is a great way to focus on what's going on right now and savor it.

Find someone to share your achievements - it can be family, a friend , or even your blog community. The support you receive will reinforce all the positive things that are happening in your life.

Know your hot buttons - if you avoid all the things in your life that cause you unpleasant challenges, and concentrate on ways to get past it quickly, each day will only get better as you work to avoid these problems.

Get moving - if you take a few minutes when your at the bottom of your energy cycle, get up and move (take a walk, dance, or stretch) it will refresh your brain and push away that tired feeling.

Cheer on those around you - when someone has a good thing happen to them be really happy for them, and cheer them on. It will boost your mood and make you feel great about yourself as well.

All five of these mood boosting strategies are easy to incorporate into your life and will  help you to be happy now! 

What do you do when your mood needs a boost?

Journal Prompt - Explore What You Want from Your Journal

I always thought that I did not journal very well. I only did it sporadically, I found it difficult to figure out what to write, and my journal never looked like I wanted it to look.

I realized I was trying to fit into the mold of what I thought keeping a journal should be, not taking into consideration what I needed from keeping a journal.

Once I let go of the idea of what a journal should be and asked myself:  What do you want from your journal? When I discovered the answer the experience of keeping a journal became an important part of my daily life.

I currently keep a business journal. It is a binder with plain and lined paper, pocket folders, dividers, my to-do-list, and a calendar. I spend a lot of my time thinking about my business, and my journal is my place to get all the stuff out of my head and on paper.

I have always been one of those practical people, which I think is what made keeping a journal sometimes difficult.  I would rather make business plans, create lists of ideas, and plan out my week. Writing it all out everyday gives me peace of mind, just what a journal should do.

So have you asked yourself: What do you want from your journal? It may make your keeping a journal and using is regularly a whole lot easier.

What kind of journal do you like to keep?

Journal Prompt - Your Business

During the summer, when business is a little slower, is the best time to prepare for the busy fall/holiday season.

Taking your extra time to build up inventory, plan your advertising and marketing plan, and work on your branding, will make a difference when it starts to get busy.

Get started on that process by spending a little time with your journal.

Use this as a journal prompt: Why are you in business.

This is a good place to start your planning process.  Take your time, if it's easier make lists about your business, draw pictures of what you want your business to be like, cut out words and pictures from magazines and create a collage.  

Knowing why you are in business helps with the decisions you make with your business.

Do you have big plans for the fall/holiday season?

Motivation Monday

When you complete a goal or challenge you feel great. Success is energizing and a confidence booster, and the more you achieve the more you want success.

A great way to stay connected to your goals is to write down your successes.

Stay inspired and motivated by keeping a success journal.

♦ Use a nice journal that inspires you.

♦ Plan a few minutes before you go to sleep to write in your journal - when your done you can drift off to sleep in a positive mood. You may even awake with a solution to a problem.

♦ Don't sensor - write down everything, even the little things. Include thing in your business as well as your personal life. 

Keeping this kind of journal will be a daily reminder of your success, and give your the momentum to keep going strong.

What have you succeeded at recently that has motivated you?

Journal Prompt - Make Lists

You want to journal. You grab a cup of tea and your favorite journal, you find a quite spot to relax. You settle in to start writing and you just don't know where to start.

This can happen from time to time.  

Instead of just writing, create lists.

I write lists every night, about my business, books I want to read, my to do list, people I need to contact, even personal lists for me and my family. It has changed my journal process and now I enjoy keeping a journal.

Starting a list journal is simple, here are a few prompts to get you started: 

- what you did that day 

- ideas of things you want to do 

- places you want to visit 

- people you want or need to see 

- your favorite music 

- books you want to read  

You can get more personal and make lists of how you are feeling, what makes you mad or happy, things that make you feel good, as well as lists for your family. 

All your lists will be personal to you, and a great way to clear your mind.  This is a perfect way to get all the information our of your head and down on paper, with out the hassle of all the filler words. Adding pictures and doodles can personalize your lists and make them more fun.

Once your lists are complete you can review them anytime for ideas, or personal fulfillment.  

Feeling in a slump pull out your list of all the things that make you happy and try an idea that will make you smile.

Want more ideas for making lists check out author Lisa Nola for her variety of book on making lists. 

What kind of lists do you keep?

Create a Word Toolbox

With so many words to choose from it can sometimes be challenging to find the right words to say what you want to say.

To make your writing experience easier, creating a list of words and phrases will inspire you to write more often.

Now your word toolbox does not refer to the words we carry around in our heads all the time. Instead it's a list of those words and phrases that are not as common or don't automatically come to mind when you are writing.

This is a project you can start today and keep adding to for years to come. Use a small or medium notebook just for your word list, and keep it handy.  You want to find it quickly when you are ready to write.

Start gathering word and phrases that make you smile, scare you, jump out at you, sound interesting, make you think, sound beautiful, invite images of action and stillness. These are just a few ideas to get you started.

Try these ideas for finding words for your word toolbox

Open a book to a random page and write down words. Let your eyes jump from word to word, find words that stand out for you.

Buy an old dictionary

Visit your library and look at a variety of books from different sections.

Use magazines 

Start today with a list of 25 words. 

Do your work with a word list?

Journal Prompt - Feel More Positive

Much of our mood depends on what we pay attention to. We tend to focus on the negative things happening in our day which increases our anxiety and may cause depression.

Today's journal prompt is all about changing that outlook. Every evening for a week write down three things that went well for you that day.

The key is to become aware of and reflect on positive events. Acknowledging these positive experiences will raise your mood, give you less anxiety, and get you out of the mind set that nothing ever goes right.

Try if for a week, and then two, and then a month.  The more you do it the more you can improve your well being.


What do you do to stay positive?

Journal Prompt - A Collection of Sounds

Everyday we hear things all around us.  Sometimes simple sounds, sometimes sounds that startle us, either way since they are everyday sounds we don't think about them much.

Today take some time and create a collection of sounds. You can write a list or draw pictures of the all the sounds you hear.

Decide if you want to sit inside or outside, and how long you will need to create your collection. There are no rules, this can be done in five minutes or all afternoon.

This prompt is about using your senses as a source of inspiration.  It will become a great reference to refer back to in the future, showing what things inspired you and giving you a fresh perspective for the future.  

What sounds inspire you?

Garden Journal

Do you like gardening?

Consider recording the happenings of your flower, vegetable or container garden. Even if you are not a gardener, keeping notes of the changing plants outside is one way to attune yourself to the natural world around you.

A garden journal is kept to record your daily memories, successes or failures of tending or creating your garden. You can collect leaves, petals or seeds, take photos of your favorites, add in sketches, drawings, or painting of the items in your garden.  Also consider adding in seed packets, diagrams of your garden layout, or illustrations of plants.

Their are so many options.  Do what feels best to you.  You want this to be a fun process and something you can refer to year after year.

Even if you live in an urban environment where gardening is a challenge you can still keep this type of journal. You can grow plants in your home, or go to a park and chronicle their garden.

If keeping a gardening journal is not for you, then grab your journal/sketchbook and take a few minutes to write and enjoy some quite time in a beautiful garden.

What types of things do you like to journal about?

Journal Prompt - Being Outside

I love this time of year.  Watching the trees and flowers come into bloom, the smell of grass that has been mowed for the first time, the sound of the birds, and the warmer weather.  I love to be outside (before the mosquitoes are out in full force) and enjoy a quite afternoon.

This is the perfect time to write and draw in my journal/sketchbook and reflect on the beauty around me everyday.

Take out your journal/sketchbook and spend a few minutes outside just enjoying to sounds, sites, and smells, around you.  Then write or draw about what you enjoy most about being outside.

This is a great time of year to open up and get your creative juices flowing.  Let your journal/sketchbook guide you to new discoveries outside.


What is your favorite thing about being outside?

Journal Prompt - Eavesdrop on a conversation

I have a creative friend who writes, does mixed media, paints, and teaches, and is always creating or thinking of creating.  

She was telling me one day that while she was sitting in a coffee shop with her journal, she would start jotting down sentences from people's conversations.

It was interesting to hear these sentences not knowing what the conversation was about.  She had taken these bits of conversation and used them in poetry she had written. These bits of the conversations made her poems insightful and very expressive.

Take your journal to a location where there are lots of people.  Jot down sentences, figures of speech, or words you hear.  If you would prefer do quick sketches of the things happening around you.  Either way you will have this info for future inspiration. 

I know for me just hearing a word or seeing something is all I need to be inspired, this exercise is the same way. Just hearing a few random conversations, can be a great way to generate new ideas.

Heard any good conversations lately?

Must Have Tools

If you were on a deserted island and you had to choose only five creative tools, what five tools would you need?

As a jewelry artist it was really challenging to come up with a list of 5 tools.

After some thought I came up with:
Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Side cutter
Wire
Chain

I realized after I came up with my list that I would prefer items that would give me the option to work on paper instead.

So here is the list of items I would like to have with me all the time. 
Sketchbook
Pencil 
Glue stick
Water color paints
Black pens

With these items I could write, draw, and collage, which would be more fulfilling for my artistic desires.

These five tools (in travel size) are perfect to bring along with me everyday.  If I am stuck somewhere waiting, I will have something that will help pass the time and let me be creative.

Your turn, what 5 must have tools would you want on a deserted island?

Non-Traditional Journaling

Do you sometimes find keeping a journal challenging? Changing up how you journal and what you journal about is a great way to enjoy the process again.

Instead of using a book or a note book, why not try journaling on 3 x 5 or 4 x6 note cards.  They are inexpensive, you can buy them in different colors or multi color packs, even with lines or without.

Carry around a thin stack of cards for a week use one everyday to jot down notes, make small collages, do quick sketches, or just for ideas you may have.  At the end of the week you can sort the cards into themes, create a to do list, bind them together or file them away.

Why not try this for a month instead and see what happens.  At the end of the month you will have a whole stack of cards with ides, mini pieces of art, or even projects you can start.

Note cards are also great for creating a travel kit, instead of bring a big book along all you will need is a pack of cards.  You could work on a new card everyday and come home with a trip full of memories.

Using the cards might be a nice break from keeping a traditional journal, what other non traditional journal ideas can you share with us?

Journal Prompt - Spring Plans

Spring is about opening windows, fresh air, bright sunshine, and spring showers.  It's also the perfect time for thinking about renewal, starting fresh, and making new plans.

Take a few minutes this week and start creating lists.

♦ All the things you love about spring
♦ What you want to accomplish this Spring
♦ Places you want to visit
♦ Things you want to create

Lists are easy for creating a plan.  When you are done you will have an outline of a basic plan for an inspiring and creative Spring season.

What kind of list will you be creating this Spring?

Journal Prompt - Almost No Writing Required

This week instead of writing or drawing in your journal consider adding one memento per day.  Add things like ticket stubs,receipts, newspaper clippings, tags from new clothes, photographs, a note from a friend or family.


Travel Art Journal Inside bye lara**

Tape the item to a journal page and add a little text as a reminder about what made that item worth keeping.

When you add items to your journal entries you are adding depth and complexity, as well as new meaning about your daily life.

When you look back over your entries in years to come, those items will spark memories, and maybe a boost of inspiration.


What special things have you added to one of your journal entries?