Feel Happy

No Fear

Be Happy

8 Must Read Posts For Motivation and Inspiration

Last week I shared my struggles with you about my business and how things are not going as well as I planned.

Well I made a little effort this week and worked on my social media sties, as well as starting a promotion featuring an item of the week.

The investment of my time has paid off a little. The views in my shop have really picked up (but no sales), and I also created and sent out my newsletter for August. You can check it out here. I am trying to make this a regular thing for my Etsy shop, and so far I am not doing so bad this year.

I am still lacking in motivation and feeling a little uninspired. I know once I get back in my groove, things will be a little easier.

In the Monday Motivation post JoJo from Tahoma Beadworks & Photography, Leann from Pasque Flower Ponderings, T from Poppy Place PDX, Reshma from Masala Mango Mantra, also expressed how they were feeling unmotivated and uninspired, so I thought I would share some of the posts I have been reading to help me get out of my funk.

Sometimes it helps to read a little something everyday to stay positive and motivated. 

Here are 8 blog posts to check out each day over the next week, for some inspiration to keep moving forward.

~ Ready, Set, Grow: 3 Tweaks to Get Out of the Rut

~ 20 Habits That Will Make You Highly Successful

~ 25 Ways to Wake up and Feel Positive for the Day

~ 3 Steps to Stop Procrastinating and Start Working on Your Dream Project

~ 22 Ways to Get You Out of Your Funk

~ 7 Ways to Clear Your Mind of Negative Thoughts

~ When Doubt Get in the Way of Productivity

~ 10 Things People with Passion do Differently

What are other ideas you use to stay motivated and inspired?

Want a Stress Free Weekend - Make a List

Want to have a stress 

free weekend? 

Make a list of everything you need to do for the next week. Include everything you can think of, even the little things. Once you have your list complete hang it up in your work area and then forget about the list till Monday.

Having all those pesky business issues off your mind and on your list, will make it easier to let go and have a stress free weekend. 

Knowing you have your list ready to review on Monday, you can enjoy all the fun activities you are going to do all weekend long.

When Monday rolls around, pull out your list and start creating your to-do list for the week.

Enjoy your Weekend!

Your Dream Business

When you close your eyes what does your dream business look like?

I always thought I wanted my business to be big with employees and I need to do is run things, but when I close my eyes these days I see myself creating my inventory and running my business with just a couple of people.

I will never be a big company or make tons of money, but now my goal is to make enough money to enjoy life and the creative process.

When was the last time you closed your eyes to visualize what your dream business looks like. 

Has the vision of your business changed?

Success requires dreaming, planning, and a lot of hard work. Visualizing your dream business will guide you to setting your goals, making plans, and deciding how much time and money to invest your business.

July is a great time to regroup. If you need to start over or add a few new ideas, then today is the day to make sure you are living your dream business.

Stress Free Friday - 7 Ways to Reduce Stress

Our days are filled with family activities, running our business, dealing with things at home, and a variety of chores, and it's easy to get stress out. Reducing stress is important for your mind, body and spirit.

Fridays are perfect for enjoying stress free activities!

Here are a few suggestion to help you relax and recharge:

Take a nap - Sometimes just finding a quite place to close your eyes is all you need to recharge.

Listen to music - Even when you are working this is a great way to clear your mind.

Lay outside and watch the sky - Perfect if you just want to relax and do nothing and enjoy the warm weather

Light some candles - Choose lavender or vanilla two very relaxing scents.

Enjoy some chocolate - You can never go wrong eating a wonderful piece of decedent chocolate.

Get together with friends - Make sure it's not at your house, you don't want the stress of having to clean.

Look through old photo albums - This is a great way to get a good laugh and go down memory lane.

These are just a few ideas to help you reduce stress. Here is a list of 52 relaxing and stress free ideas.

What is your favorite way to de-stress?

Make Everyday A Perfect Day

Want to get your day off to a good start?

Creating a habit of introspection as you rise in the morning will give you insight into the day you want to create.

Start by asking yourself these three questions before you get out of bed:

What will I accomplish today that will make me successful?

What incredible memories do I want to create today?

What three things can I focus on today to move me in the direction of my dream life?

Let the energy of the question guide you to having a successful day.


Not a morning person, then incorporate these three evening questions into your night time routine to inspire your morning planning. 

Overall, what worked for me today and what did not?

In what ways could I better spend my time tomorrow?

What will I apply more earnestly tomorrow no matter what?

These questions will give you an understanding of yourself and your working reality. 

Whether you do the morning or evening questions, asking yourself these questions will give you insight into your true self, helping you discover what you want and need for success in your business and personal life.

Try asking your question everyday for a week, if it feels right go another week, and then another, until it is a habit and a useful part of your planning and success.

Do you do any type of introspection during your day?

You Can't Control Everything - So Stop Worrying

If your like most people you probably spend more time worrying than you should. We worry about our family, business, deadlines, budgets, our home, health, safety, even the weather.

Some things we can control, and some we cannot. The key to a positive attitude in life is to know the difference.

Did you know that 92% of the things people worry about are beyond their control.

The things that you worry about that you can control like your business, deadlines, or your budget you can take steps to make the changes necessary to get better results. Same goes with your home and your health, there are always things you can do for a better way of life.

Things we worry about that are beyond our control like the weather, government, world issues, to name a few, are things that we generally cannot control. Worrying about these types of things just causes stress that can effect your overall attitude an even health.

Here is an easy way to help you stop worrying:

Start by making a list of the things you worry about. Then divide your list in two categories:

Concerns you can do something about
Concerns beyond your control

Next to the items you can do something about include action steps to resolve them quickly. Then make a commitment to attack everything on your list that is within your control. Then be intentional about not worrying about them any longer.

Do this every time you feel anxious about something or you have a long list of things that you are worried about. The more you do this exercise the easier it will become to not worry about those things you can't control and take action on the the things you can.

What do you worry about they is beyond your control?

7 Things Successful People Do Each Night

What you do before going to bed impacts your mood and how you feel the following day. It also determines how well and how much sleep you get.

Your mental health as well as your physical health play an important part in how you feel when your are working and how much actual work you get done. Not getting enough sleep can really effect how you feel the next day.

These 7 simple ideas are for relaxing your mind and your body, and preparing you for the next day.

Read
This is a good time to catch up on your business reading, check out your favorite blogs, and to get inspired by reading inspirational stories. If you really want to unwind then reading fiction or other topics you are interested in, will give your mind a break from work.

Reflect on your day
Journaling is a great way to track your progress, to get you motivated, and clear your mind of all the unnecessary work clutter. Try writing down 3 positive things that happened during the day, and thing your are appreciative of.

Make your to-do list
This is the best way to clear your mind for a good night sleep. Listing all the things you need and want to get done the next day will put your mind at ease knowing that you have a plan for the next day.

Disconnect from work
Right before bed is not a good time to check your email or messages. Let all that wait till you start your work the next day. Not dwelling on work related items before bed will making getting the rest you need easier.

Meditate
Take 10 minutes to relax your body and quite your mind this will put you in a positive frame of mind and help you sleep better.

Lie down on a positive note
Don't let the negative situation of the day keep replaying in your head. Remind yourself of the positive things you listed in your journal and celebrate the successes you had in your day.

Picture a positive tomorrow
Picture yourself having a great day, achieving all the things on your to-do list, everything working out as planned, and a positive day all around. This will not only give you good dreams, you will wake up in a positive frame of mind.

Reading, making my to-do list, and meditating are my favorite things to do before bed. I am working on keeping a journal and disconnecting from my work, but they are both a work in progress.

Being in a positive frame of mind before I go to sleep really does help with waking up in a ready to have a great day. 

Give these ideas a try. Having a great night sleep makes for a productive day!

Which of these ideas do you find challenging?

Now that you know what you need to do for a good night sleep that will help you be successful for the next day, check out what you can do in the morning to keep you motivated.
7 Ways Successful People Start Each Day

7 Ways Successful People Start Each Day

When you start your day with a can-do attitude you will have a more productive day and the energy to keep moving forward. 

The ideas I am sharing with you today are simple ways to start your day, and will help you achieve the can-do attitude you need to succeed. These ideas are very basic, but if you add them to your morning routine you will see a positive effect in how you feel and the work you do.

Move your body
When you get out of bed stretch your entire body, to get the blood flowing and take slow deep breaths to clear your mind. If you have the time add in a few exercises to loosen up your muscles and joints.

Inspire your mind
Before starting your workday is a great time to review your goals. Having them fresh in your mind when you start your day can inspire your best work as you go through your day.

Ignore email and messages
I know this is a hard one, but by if you wait till you are ready to start your workday to check your messages it will leave your mind free to reflect on your goals and thing you want to accomplish.

Fuel Your body
Breakfast defines how you feel for the day, so choose what you decide to eat wisely. Fruit, veggies, and lean protein will sustain you for hours. This is not a meal to be skipped, you do your best work when you have the fuel you need.

Feed your mind
While you are dressing, eating breakfast, or if you have a commute, these are good times to listen to motivational audio and inspirational music. Listening to the news or talk radio will only add stress to your day.

Be Cheerful
When you are upbeat and enthusiastic and share those positive feeling, it will inspire everyone around you to do the same. 

Do an important project first
Start your workday by deciding what is your most important project and do that first. By doing this you create momentum that will keep you energized all day.

I have incorporated all these ideas into my morning, and I found that it was not as difficult as I thought it might be. The hardest part for myself was not looking at email and messages, but it has been a few weeks now and I'm now fine with waiting till I'm ready to work.

Try to incorporate some or all of these ideas into your morning and see how you feel about your work and your goals over the next few weeks. 

Which of the 7 ideas do you think would be challenging for your morning?

Sit in the Sun

I hope it is warming up, and things are starting to bloom in your part of the world!

It has finally started to warm up here in Chicagoland and I am excited to be able to go out for my daily break in the sun. No matter how warm it is, I always take time to sit in the sun.

I am not talking about sunbathing, but finding a few minutes out of your busy day to enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face. 

Sitting in the sun not only feels good, it's good for you. 
It can boost your mood
Give you energy
Relieve aches and pains
Helps you think more clearly
Makes you more productive
Increase your concentration

Add a few minutes of relaxing in the sun to your day, and don't forget the sunscreen.

Do you enjoy sitting in the sun?

Relaxed, Rejuvenated, and Ready to Work

It was wonderful to get away for a week. Florida was beautiful, the weather was warm, and I did a whole lot of relaxing!

I spent most of the days laying by the pool

Taking walks and enjoying the scenery 

Stopping to smell the flowers

Chased the colorful geckos

Watched the alligators 

and all the cool birds.

It was nice to have some time to rejuvenate my mind, body, and spirit, and have some family time!

We did come back to snow in Chicagoland, and it was really cold after spending a week in 80+ weather, but it was nice to be back home and in my own bed.

Now it is time to get back to work and get my business back on track. 

I hope you are having a great month, and it is warm and sunny in your hometown.

How are you enjoying your Spring?

An Unconventional Idea to Boost Your Creativity

There are so many ideas for giving your creativity a boost, and I have covered many ideas here on Everyday Inspired.

Here is one idea that is not talked about a lot, but will not only help you creatively but also physically.

Listen to your body

It's so easy to override the messages our body send us, like when we are hungry, when we need a break from the computer screen, or need to get some fresh air, but what if we listened to those messages and took the necessary breaks to be more relaxed.

Our body knows best. Listening to its cues will guide us to having a more relaxed mind, therefore being more creative.

Do you listen to your body for cues to take breaks?

Attitude Makes a Difference

Your attitude effects every part of your business, relationships, health, self-image, and life.

Would you be surprised to know that there are more then two kinds of attitudes, besides positive and negative. There are actually many different type of attitude, such as confident or insecure, cheerful or depressed, peaceful or destructive, appreciative or ungrateful are just a few examples.

All of these attitudes are reflected through the tone of your voice, expression on your face, body language, and how you relate to and treat others.

You attitude affects how people see you and in most cases deciding whether they are going to like you or even want to do business with you. 

I have done many art shows that were slow and everyone complained. When you have all that negativity around you it makes it challenging to have a good show. I try not to get sucked in to the negativity at shows, and most of the time I have pretty good shows.

Customers can feel the negativity at shows and then they don't want to look or even buy. Negative comments are felt by your customers as well. That's why I stopped hanging out in the forums. A lot of the time it was very negative, making it challenging to to be excited about having an online shop.

One thing that I vowed to myself this year is to respond to the question "how are you?" with good or great and smile. I figured even on the days I don't have a good attitude it will help me get in a better mood. So far it has worked. I have not had that many days where I feel negative, and most of the time I actually feel good.

Having a positive attitude is a choice, and completely within your control. Making good positive choices will make a big difference in how you feel about your work, health, relationships, and life.

Dose your attitude effect your work?

Movie Time

Need a little alone time?

Take a couple of hours and go to a movie you really want to see, the one you know your significant other won't want to check out.

When I have the time I love to spend an afternoon with myself, visiting a book store, having lunch, and checking out a new movie.

If you don't want to leave the house no problem, make yourself some lunch, pop in your favorite DVD, and sit back and relax for a couple of hours.

I'm showing my age, but here are a few of my favorites :)

Think of how nice it will be to just get lost in the visuals and the dialogue of a really good movie during the afternoon.

How do you like to spend time with yourself?

Flowers for Every Room

This time of year we could all use an unexpected pop of color in our homes. Here in the midwest we have had snow on the ground for months and some little bursts of color sound wonderful.

source

How about getting a bunch of flowers and making small bouquet to put in all the rooms you are in frequently. Think of how nice it would be to have flower next to your bed or in the bathroom.

Not only will the flowers look pretty, they will lift your spirits during this long crazy winter. Flowers are the perfect thing to add a sweet scent to the air, and put a smile on your face regardless of the weather outside. 

When was the last time you have flowers in your home?

Do Something Special For Yourself

Last month I had a big birthday, I turned 50. As a treat to myself I did a spa day with a facial, a manicure, and a hot stone massage. It was wonderful, and I felt so good at the end of the day.

I enjoyed my massage so much that I added getting a massage on my master goal list list for this year, so I can get one every quarter. Now I have a plan on how I can work getting a massage into my budget.

When was the last time you enjoyed a relaxing massage? 

Having a massage is a wonderful way to de-stress and relax, and worth every penny it cost to get one.  What do you have to do so you can budget in a relaxing massage? You may just have to sell three more piece a month, or work it into your budget.

Making time to get a massage will help you get more work done. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to work a little harder to achieve your goals.

Read For Relaxation

When life starts to get a little crazy, it's important to find time for yourself. Try taking 30 minutes out of your day to relax and enjoy reading a book.

We spend so much time on our computers, pads, and phones, I think people have forgotten all about how it feels to read a book.

I love books, as I have told you before, I am a big fan of the library and the bookstore. Some of my best dates have ended at the bookstore over a cup of tea and a stack of books.

I have a ritual of reading each night before I go to bed. It's my time to just sit and enjoy some peace and quite at the end of my day.

If you take a little time each day for reading you will find that you are more relaxed as you move to your next project. 

If its hard to get some reading in everyday, on your next rainy or snowy weekend pullout one of your favorite books and indulge in an afternoon of lounging and reading.

How often do you get to enjoy reading a good book?

Make A Gift - Give A Gift

As artists we often create gifts for family and friends. Today create something for someone you don't know and donate it to a favorite charitable organization.

Making a donation not only feels good, it's also has an impact on your physical and mental health. So give often!

Why not share your creative gifts with someone in need this holiday season.