Tag Archives: Makearoo

Doing What Works: A quick and easy cure for The Mondays

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blog dww mondays crab

What’s your take on Mondays? Love ‘em or hate ‘em, or somewhere in between?

Do you have a kickass morning routine that nurtures you and sets you on course toward the life you want to lead, or do you roll out of bed in response mode, blerging and erging every step of the way? Or maybe you’re on auto-pilot, feeling just sort of “there,” or numb, or tuned out?

Here’s the deal: Like attracts like. So if you live to complain, the Universe is more than happy to oblige by giving you even more stuff to complain about and more people who enjoy complaining and ranting to join you. Or if you prefer a more scientific view of this deal, consider the idea that once something is on your mental radar, your brain will seek out similar things; it’s the “little red car” phenomenon; your pal gets a little red car and suddenly you notice them everywhere you go. The great news is that if you shift your attention to more positive pursuits, the Universe and your brain are more than happy to oblige in providing more of the same.

Here’s an idea for those of you who get a case of The Mondays each week: Start by thinking about what went really well over the weekend. Write about it in a journal or get a gratitude app like Happier and start your week listing all of the awesome in your life right now. Let the first thing you share on social media be something positive about where you are right now.

If gratitude feels hard for you–like a bitter pill to swallow or just another “to do” on an already massive list, remember that it doesn’t have to be complicated, just sincere:

  • Sunshine in June.
  • Popsicles.
  • Great coffee.
  • Sleeping in on weekends.

You don’t need a complicated “system” of gratitude to polish and perfect. This can be as simple as naming three things when you wake up each day, adding a few from the weekend on Monday to really bolster those positive thoughts to start your week.

Why does this matter? If you’re kicking off your week either cranky or numb, thinking about what’s great in your life and your world pulls you out of that mental state. And why does that matter? Well, if you want to change your life for the better, it helps if you’re choosing to step into your days with intention and positivity. I’ve found that it’s hard to achieve goals if I’m complaining all the time, or being self-critical/perfectionistic, or feeling worried or sad. Gratitude plucks me out of that headspace and drops me off somewhere way better, and that sets the tone for the whole rest of my day, which impacts the choices I make, how I work, why I grow my business, and more.

Yes, really, just from feeling grateful for what is. Try this and let me know what you think — especially those of you feeling either really “meh” or super-”grr” on Mondays. Have a great week, weirdos!

Friday Dose of Awesome: A Life Well-Lived

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A Life Well Lived | Jim Whittaker & 50 Years of Everest from eric becker on Vimeo.

I found this lovely short video via Adventure Journal, one of my favorite blogs. AJ was founded by Steve Casimiro, a photojournalist who worked for the now-defunct National Geographic Adventure magazine, which lives on today as a blog (oh, how I miss that mag, though).

If you read Makearoo for any amount of time, you’ll know that my love for nature and exploring the outdoors knows no bounds. My outdoorsy biases aside, I’ve noticed a surprising amount of overlap between pursuing physical activities, communing with nature, and successful creative endeavors (or any other Big Dreams).

Watch this and tell me if you see any links, too.

from The Makearoo Dispatch: Barnstalking

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barn stalking

Before I share my weird story about a woman and the barn she loves, would you mind taking a brief survey to help me create more awesome Makearoo events?

Here’s the link.

Thanks!

(HUGE Makearoo thanks to Camp Makearoo alum Chris for suggesting I use Google Survey for stuff like this. Love it!)

Anyway, I’m in love with a barn.

Why?

Well, I think it’s pretty. I’ve been driving past it for years and saying to myself, “Wouldn’t it be cool to own that and turn it into a work/retreat space?”

After Camp Makearoo this year, I started seriously imagining what it would be like to buy and restore that barn to become Makearoo HQ, with plenty of space to host awesome retreats and workshops.

Recently my husband also cooked up a scheme to buy an old Airstream trailer and make it into a little studio for me on our property. It required zero sales or marketing effort on his part in order for me to go all-in. Our 100+-year-old garage (aka Squirrel Domain) is beyond repair, right down to the foundation. We’ve wanted to host a Garageapalooza tear-down party for a while to prepare to re-do the foundation and then build a new garage. Meanwhile, that concrete pad would be a sweet spot for an Airstream trailer. And I could take my office on the road–how cool is that?

As for “my” barn, I’m not sure how or when it will happen, and I’m good with that (this is where we all pause to reflect upon how profound the old song “Hold on Loosely” actually was). More than the ultimate outcome, I’m interested in what the barn represents: A rustic, welcoming space that’s all my own and that I’ll develop with a specific purpose (creating connections!) and unique vibe (colorful and weird!).

I have pictures of a beautifully restored barn-turned-living space up in my office, along with a few Airstream images (which I put there before my husband hatched his idea). Every day before I start work, I look at these pictures and ask myself, “What’s my barn for today?” (In other words, “What steps can I take to move my life in this direction–beloved space that’s uniquely mine in which to create connection?”)

What are you deeply dreaming about, even if it feels insanely out of reach? A cottage on the beach? Slap a photo up and look at it often, then ask yourself, “What’s my cottage today?”

Do you want to be self-employed, even if it feels completely impossible right now? Write up a detailed description of what your business will do, right down to how awesomely cool your office will be and what action figures will sit on your desk. Read that sucker every day. Create a Pinterest board or tack some photos of people doing what you’d like to do somewhere you can see it daily.

Whatever you envision, use it as a pilot light to infuse your everyday goals with passion and direction. Light up your sky with your deepest dreams for yourself, but instead of relegating those dreams to a “someday” file, live even just a little bit–even if just in the lush forest of your imagination–as if you have what you want right now. Your subconscious will get the message, and the great unknown power of the Universe will, too.

If you decide to try this, let me know how it goes after a few days or weeks and Email me or post your response on the blog.

 

“You can always do more than you think you can”

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Teton Trail

“The thing about 10 miles or 50 miles or a hundred miles is, it’s all difficult. I always feel tired after ten miles and I can’t imagine how I’ll go on, but I resolve to go another ten, and then another. And then I keep going until I eventually hit a hundred, and I discover it’s not even that bad. Of course there are continuing highs and lows, but it’s rewarding to get through all of them and emerge on the other side of what had been an unfathomable journey, just a day earlier. I think the life lesson is that you can always do more than you think you can. There’s always something left.”

–from Jill Outside, writing here about far more than endurance racing

Doing What Works: My daily journal

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A day in the life of my journal

This summer I’ve adopted a morning routine that leaves me feeling energized, refreshed, and ready to start my day. As part of that routine, I’ve started a daily journaling habit that I’m enjoying immensely AND also finding useful.

Loosely borrowed from the weekly journal in Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map, I simplified the areas I wanted to cover daily and added my own touches that make sense to me.

I write the date at the top, plus my Core Desired Feelings — also from The Desire Map, which shares how to set goals based on how you most want to FEEL in your life; it’s pretty powerful stuff and I’ve gained a lot from re-orienting my thinking from “should” to “WANT.”

Sometimes I write a theme for my day (lately mine is “Be intimate. Be daring. Be of service.”). Some days, I just express gratitude for my peaceful, intentional mornings and the day ahead.

Then I list the three things I’d most like to accomplish that day in my work, home/family life, and just for myself. You can add categories (spirituality, relationships, a specific project that’s on the front burner) as you’d like, you can choose just one or four “to do” items, or whatever number speaks to you. I know I’ll shake this up from time to time, maybe only focusing on one thing in each area, or adding more during a busy work time or whatever. I love the loose format of this because my purpose here isn’t perfection or even really achievement but rather intention and focus.

Instead of just saying “to do,” I use language like “3 things that will light up my work today” or “3 ways I will have fun with my family.” Makes it feel less like drudgery and more like the engaging fun I wish for in my work and life.

If I come across an inspiring or hilarious quote or snippet of conversation, I’ll add that to my daily journal after my to-do items.

Then at day’s end, I check off which tasks I completed, give myself a pass for anything unfinished, and then do some gratitude journaling before I go to sleep. I cannot stress the power of gratitude enough, people. I keep going back to what Brene Brown said in a recent two-part interview with Oprah Winfrey on Super Soul Sunday. Brown shared that in twelve years of research about shame and its converse–living what she calls a “wholehearted” life–every single person she’d interviewed who regularly experiences joy also regularly practices gratitude. Even if you don’t adopt a single thing I’m writing about here today, if you start expressing gratitude regularly (silently as you do the dishes, in writing in a Word document, nightly as you pray, in a special journal just for gratitude, recorded on audio/video), you will begin to feel the benefits almost immediately every single time and you will also experience cumulative effects as you go forward.

I’ll end with the following details:

Why hand-written when there are so many apps and life hacks and types of goal-setting software? I like writing by hand. I love my colorful gel pens, which I keep with my earbuds in that cool pencil case pictured above (a gift from my spectacularly awesome friend Lindsay). It’s fun, and it works. ‘Nuff said.

I list items I feel that I most need to focus on that day. It’s not a comprehensive, detailed list of all of the shit I do every day. That level of detail both exhausts and overwhelms me, and I simply don’t find listing every little thing useful.

I keep time-sensitive stuff (coaching calls, appointments, meetings, some reminders) on my Google calendar.

I also usually have a rough list of stuff I’d like to accomplish that week or month; again, the goal of this daily journaling I’ve shared above isn’t to capture EVERYTHING but rather to hone my attention according to my current priorities + long-term goals.

I also keep a list of my Top 10 goals for the near future. Again, I don’t like to plan in too great of detail. It doesn’t suit my brain and I think that planning more loosely allows me to be open to the inevitable, erm, seasoning that reality adds to even our best-laid plans. This flexibility and flow helps me bend and not break.

I skip journaling on Sundays, though I still practice gratitude daily, even if I don’t write it down.

That’s about it. What do you think of all this? Do you set goals for each day or week? What works for you? What isn’t working? Reply in comments or shoot me an email.

Note: That Desire Map link above is an affiliate link, which means I receive a portion of any purchases made from clicking over from here. I only endorse products I believe in, whether or not I benefit from my relationship with their creators, and I always disclose affiliate relationships.

 

from The Makearoo Dispatch: Begin

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My unofficial theme song is “Slow Turning” by John Hiatt, who’s tied with Tom Waits as my favorite singer-songwriter. The chorus is what always got me: it’s just a slow turning from the inside out; a slow learning but you learn to sway. It’s about discovering that life is a process and how we (hopefully) gain a deeper understanding of that as we grow up.

But these lines from the song struck me recently:

You think you’ve come so far
In this one horse town
Then she’s laughin’ that crazy laugh
‘Cause you haven’t left the parking lot

While I’ve always taken that moment as a hilarious “laughing with, not at” slice of life that Hiatt is a master at capturing, sometimes my work and life feel like I haven’t left the parking lot. And I’ll hear my internal critic cackling at me from the back seat. Again. Then she’ll ask if she can ride shotgun. “Not just now,” I’ll say.

We all get stuck sometimes, I know. As a recovering perfectionist who became an expert procrastinator, I “think I’ve come so far” in my journey into joyful creative living, but I still fall into the trap of waiting for the perfect moment/conditions/windfall in order to get cranking. Meanwhile, I’m just circling around, waiting for the GPS to tell me which way to turn so I can get on the road to my next destination.

But here’s the thing: I have to begin somewhere. I can’t wait around for someone or something else to tell me where to go; that starts with me.

Well, actually I can wait around, but then I’ll be either lead a life that someone else wants for me or simply weather whatever storms life sends my way. I ditched that passive way of being in the rear view a while back. So when it looms in my field of vision again, I know just what to do: I hit the accelerator.

This week’s questions for you: Are you circling a parking lot somewhere in your life? What conditions or permission are you waiting on? What would happen if you just drove somewhere and discovered where it led, mishaps and unexpected roadside fruit stands or llamas and all? (Can I drag a metaphor around the block or what?)

Email me or post your answers in comments, and speaking of llamas, read on about a new Makearoo offering!

loveyourselfsilly

In the spirit of beginning, I’m developing an e-course called Love Yourself Silly: A Makearoo e-course on why loving yourself leads to loving your life (and other great stuff). Or, you know, “Love Yourself Silly” for short.

Why self-love? (Ahem: Not that self-love; I mean regarding yourself as your own best friend and treating yourself accordingly.) Because loving yourself is the hub to the wheel of everything else potentially marvelous in your life. We’ll spend a few weeks learning how to get to know, like, and love yourself and also understand why this matters so much. Permission to be wobbly and unsure of all of this is hereby granted, and creative exercises and silliness will definitely be part of the content.

Interested in a sneak peek and updates as launch approaches later this month? Click here and check the little box at the bottom of your Dispatch subscription profile to sign up for an exclusive, brief-but-pithy email series with more detailed scoop on the course. If you’re not a subscriber, use that link to sign up and don’t forget check the little box at the bottom to also get those e-course emails.

Questions? Suggestions? Email me!

Doing What Works: Crafting a kickass morning routine

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blog morning routine 06.03.13

With our summer break in full swing here, I’m yearning for a morning routine that goes beyond “sit bolt upright when my alarm goes off, herd kids toward breakfast and school, then gulp coffee and read email and check social media . . . for a while.” Hurry up and wait and then hurry up again as coaching calls and other must-do’s for the day come marching in. Right now the kid-herding part is down to a minimum, but I really wanted to put a little more intention, fun, and light into my mornings. Last winter I woke a few minutes early to start each day with ten minutes of meditation, but I’d fallen away from that routine and could really feel that lack of connection.

Last week, I purchased a ‘microcourse’ from a site I’m digging on — Be More with Less — called How to Create a Meaningful Morning Routine. (This isn’t an affiliate link; I just think Courtney’s voice and work are awesome and love sharing great resources I find.)

I was excited about the idea of an affordable, achievable step in the right direction in my life. I think e-courses are great, but sometimes I don’t want to commit to something for six months or even six weeks. Because I’m already engrossed in a coaching training program that will take up the better part of this year, I was excited to try something of interest to me on a smaller scale. I was also curious about the format of a microcourse and how I might integrate such a fun teaching tool into my offerings here.

Was it worth $9.95? Yep! It’s a great idea, the information is segmented into easy action steps, and the material (which is yours to keep) is both thoughtful and useful.

I think my favorite aspect of this microcourse was the notion that morning routines can change with the seasons or our own needs — an early morning walk is less feasible for me during the school year in winter when it’s still dark and icy outside, but I can always adapt and shift what I do during those months without feeling like a failure. I’m not a fan of rigid adherence to anything anyway (even though my recovering perfectionist brain always wants to go there first!), so it was nice to see that gentle reminder to plan ahead but also to go with the flow.

And here’s my .02 on morning routines: Fold stuff into it that you’re genuinely excited or at least curious about. The more “wanna” and less “have to,” the greater joy and results you’ll see. That’s not to say there won’t be a learning curve or effort involved, but I always advocate leading with joy first and seeing where that leads, and building on those successes and good energies from there.

Starting my summer morning routine also led me to come up with a new way of journaling each day that I’m pretty jonesed about. I’ll share more about that in another blog entry.

You tell me:

  • Do you have a satisfying/nurturing/energizing morning routine? What’s it look like?
  • If you don’t yet have a morning routine and would like to develop one, describe a typical morning and also your ideal morning. 
  • Would you purchase a microcourse on a topic of interest to you? Why/Why not?

Either reply in comments or email me. Have a great week, weirdos!

from The Makearoo Dispatch: Calm

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Dispatch Calm

It’s been a weird week–in a good way. Usually before a big event or trip (and Camp Makearoo–which is this weekend!–involves both for me), I’m a cranky and stressed-out mess.

This time? I’m . . . calm.

Usually I’m fretting over getting sick (an old anxiety pattern of mine that I’m slowly but steadily releasing) and taking on oh, about 40,002 extra tasks I really don’t need to be doing (like washing all of the bedding in the entire house so we can come home to clean sheets–a great idea, but not always something I have time for). I’m always crabby and stressed out, and usually crying is involved. And apologies for being so cranky. Normally, I’m over-preparing and over-providing — MOAR PRINTOUTS AND SHINY THINGS FOR MY RETREAT! I MUST REHEARSE THE PERFECT SPEECH, WITH HILARIOUS SLIDE SHOW SIGHT GAGS! BELLS AND WHISTLES! I MUST DAZZLE EVERYONE WITH MY BRILLIANCE OR THEY WON’T BE DAZZLED BY MY BRILLIANCE AND THEY’LL GO HOME FEELING RIPPED OFF AND WON’T LIKE ME AT ALL OR EVER WANT TO WORK WITH ME AND THEY’LL PROBABLY THINK I SMELL, TOO!

Nope. Not this time.

I’m listening to what my guests are saying (and showing) that they want and need and preparing to work within their framework. I’m outlining what I want to say and offer the people coming to Camp Makearoo. I’m taking extra care of my health since chronic allergies have created a recurring ear infection that I have to address. I’m slowing down, resting, drinking tea, breathing, and just trusting that it will all work out. That’s what the Post-It above my computer monitor says: “I can handle whatever comes.” Knowing that, the old need to worry and stress and manage and TAKE CONTROL and MAKE PEOPLE LIKE ME BY BEING PERFECT is falling away more readily than even I could have imagined. So now as the usual last-minute stuff starts happening — emergencies and last-minute cancellations and mix-ups; I’m calm and centered and accepting each occurrence as it comes and moving on. I’m also fortunate to have lots of help; my mom is on dinner duty all week, my mother-in-law is taking my kids to and from school, and my husband will be helping with behind-the-scenes stuff during Camp Makearoo. Tribe.

Where is this newfound calm coming from? I think that’s a whole other newsletter, but essentially I think the word “practice” fits best. I’ve been working on myself and my coaching practice for a while now and applying what I learn and what I teach, and this is allowing some old patterns to fall away. It seems easy because it’s all happening at once this time, but last month before my race and tweetup events in April, I was that same old hot mess but with a difference: I knew, deep down, that I didn’t need to be that way any more. It was more of a habit than the security blanket and protective armor that it once was.

As I researched yoga poses to help with sinus and ear pressure, I kept seeing the words “relax,” “relaxation” and “rest” and I’ve decided to take that approach to healing–taking medication, slowing down my workouts for a few days, doing restful yoga poses in the evening, trusting that my body will heal, and making a great night’s sleep a priority. For years I’ve tried to “power through” my allergies, to tough it out because I don’t like the way the medicines make me feel (even Claritin makes me sleepy!), but this year, I need to take meds in order to help my body heal; my usual all-or-nothing thinking isn’t helping me here. Or anywhere.

Twice this week, I met turtles — one was massive and probably older than me, which was humbling and awe-inspiring. The other was a feisty young ‘un who fled at my excited approach and he or she learned that, sadly, turtles can’t climb trees to escape enthusiastic humans. I like paying attention to patterns in my life– when a song keeps coming on or I see the same animal or color or phrase at odd moments. Of course, as a wise friend on the Makearoo Facebook page pointed out, Turtle is a sign to slow down. I’m listening, dudes! Though I’m still looking forward to making those slide show sight gags. Just not this week.

Have a fantastic week, my awesome friends. I look forward to seeing some of you this weekend! If you’re not signed up yet, there’s still time.

from The Makearoo Dispatch: Journey

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Ready to run!

On April 20th, I participated in a race I’d been training for since February – a 10-mile run along Chicago’s lakefront.

I’m not a seasoned runner and I can’t even really tell you why I took on this challenge, except that once I heard about this race, I kept thinking about doing it. I just felt strongly pulled to try it. I had no idea if I could run at all, let alone some or even half of this distance, and I figured it was time I tried.

I listened to my desire and acted upon it.

I figured out a way to train that made sense for my level of fitness and pre-existing injuries (once-broken ankle/tib/fib + cranky knees). I found a training program for a half marathon and scaled it down to 10 miles. I downloaded a ‘Couch to 5K’ app to see how much I could run and I followed that program.

I followed my training schedule without questioning it; I just showed up and did it. No internal negotiation, no skipped workouts except for one sick day. No perfectionism, either; I just showed up over and over and over, and I really enjoyed it.

I hired a personal trainer for help with strength training.

I created a playlist that brought me joy and motivated me while training.

I went to my local running store and got new shoes a few weeks before the race because it was time.

I talked to friends who run for advice and encouragement.

On the morning of the race, I was nervous for all of the usual reasons. But when I saw there was snow on the grass and ice on the pavement, I literally started crying. I broke my leg badly by slipping on ice almost twelve years ago, so ice still scares me (though I still go walking and hiking in winter). I decided to run beside the trail on the grass until the sun came out. Quitting and going back to my hotel were not even on my menu of options.

The race itself was very different than I’d expected; it was tougher both physically and emotionally than I’d anticipated. I’d done a 10-mile distance during training and while it was hard, I felt confident the whole time. But during the race, I felt alone much of the time. I let doubt creep in, convinced that I was dead last and that somehow that mattered more than the achievement I was attempting. At times I felt like I was completely outclassed and had no business being there.

So of course, I talked to myself, both in my head and aloud (“Just get to Mile 8, Toni; that’s all you need to worry about right now.”)

Because I am slow (and totally okay with that, by the way), I had plenty of time to let my mind wander along the course, which was gorgeous and traveled along Chicago’s Lakefront and through green parkways along the lake. I realized that running a race is a lot like running a business, especially the early stages.

—

Eighteen or so months ago, I designed a business that made sense for my abilities (bringing people together, helping them see their inner light, and having fun while doing it all), desires (earn a great living working for myself), and current living situation (in a small town with three kids, a husband, and two other adult relatives).

I came up with a name, hired a designer to develop a website, and started spreading the word to family and friends about my new career.

I started showing up regularly, publishing my newsletter weekly, learning about marketing and coaching, and contacting people who might be interested in what I have to offer.

I hired a coach to help me develop Makearoo and now I’m working with a coach to help me be the best possible coach I can be.

I regularly absorb written and audio materials that motivate me.

I hire professionals like web and graphic designers to support the Makearoo mission.

I look to friends who are also growing kickass businesses for advice and encouragement.

During the course of developing Makearoo, I have had more than one moment of sheer terror where something that I’d pegged as a ‘dealbreaker’ appeared in my path. I haven’t let scary stuff stop me yet! I just do the equivalent of running on the grass at the start of my race; I figure out a way around the thing that is scaring me so I can keep going, because my overarching goals for Makearoo are bigger than any immediate fears that might come up along the way.

Many, many times I’ve felt both alone and outclassed as a coach and business owner. Comparing yourself to anyone else makes this easy to do. The solution is simple: Knock that shit off! I realized after a while that I was comparing myself to people who have been running their businesses for years. Of course their launches look differently and net different results; they’ve been at it for much longer, cultivating trust and creating relationships and planning for growth. I know, “Who do you think you are?” kept popping up when I first started Makearoo. It still rears its butt-ugly head from time to time now. It’s totally normal, and I see my clients, friends, and family struggle with this same deal when they stretch beyond their boundaries. Knowing that it’s normal and there are ways around those feelings is such a huge comfort. There was a line from an old episode of Doctor Who we watched recently (a David Tennant episode) where someone asked, derisively, “So, you think you’re clever, do ya?” and he responded, in all seriousness, “Yes, I do.” There’s a reason people are crazy for that show and that character; we all want to shine on like crazy diamonds just like The Doctor.

I made it to the finish line of my race, and just before that, my husband ran up to get some photos of me and my friend Nicole came and ran the last few yards with me. And then my sons ran up and crossed the finish line with me–a moment I will mark as one of the happiest of my entire life. A merry band of intrepid friends who woke early on a Saturday and braved the April-in-Chicago weather was there, too. The gratitude I feel for that support won’t fit into mere words. But I will say that in that race, my own perseverance carried me from start to finish, and so was knowing that my tribe was there for me–and in Makearoo, the same things hold true. My sons are watching me grow a business that suits my talents, temperament, goals, and our lives and precious time together. My husband and friends are watching and cheering me on, too. And I’m doing the same for all of them in their own endeavors — sometimes as a coach, sometimes as a friend who knows the value of that support. Either way, while we might feel alone in our journeys, we seldom truly are. There’s some stuff we have to go through alone; my kids couldn’t train for me, for instance. But the chances to celebrate, to share, to connect during each little victory? I wouldn’t trade those for the world.

You guys know I’m gonna connect this to Camp Makearoo now, right? Read below for info on attending a Day Camp on Saturday, May 11th. Dig in and find what you’re hungry to run from start to finish for and to start finding your tribe who will not only “get” the journey you’re on, but will cheer you along the way!

from The Makearoo Dispatch: Soul

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Dispatch Soul

Last weekend was the very first Makearoo Goals with Soul workshop at my gym, HigherGround Fitness here in Woodstock, Illinois. What a fantastic group of people! HigherGround is such a positive, “can-do” environment, which made it the perfect venue for this gathering.

We talked about setting goals based on what we are totally crazy about–I’m talking truly, madly, and deeply in love with. Another clue that you’re onto an awesome goal for yourself is to pay attention to the stuff you’re probably already doing with ease and joy in your spare time but maybe aren’t giving yourself permission to pursue more deeply. After that, we got started creating vision boards that represented our soulful goals.

I love teaching and meeting new people, but even more, I loved watching everyone light up as they connected to what they want to see blossom in their lives. There was this moment about midway through where I noticed the whole room went quiet and realized it was because we were all in the zone, focused on creating our vision boards.

I think Pinterest is awesome and great fun, but there’s something about creating something with your hands that adds another level of “Oomph!” to our creative spirits. And it makes for a really fun afternoon!

That’s all for this week, as I leave tomorrow for the 10th Chicago(ish) Tweetup (we used to meet twice a year) and a 10-mile race along Chicago’s Lakefront this weekend. I’ll write about that experience and what led me there next week, after the post-race massage I wisely scheduled for Monday morning (also at HigherGround Fitness!).