Truth and Change

 Posted by on March 4, 2012  Create, Thrive  2 Responses »
Mar 042012
 

 

Hi there! It’s been quite a while since I last updated this blog. My blog hiatus wasn’t intentional or planned, it’s just how things happened naturally. For the past several months I have been struggling with my current blog content and have been tossing around new ideas as to what to do with this blog.

I’ve never been one to discuss in detail my every day life and post pictures of every single purchase that I make or every single thing I do or eat during the day/week, but unfortunately that is how most lifestyle blogs operate these days. And to be honest, I’m just not into that type of thing. (That’s not to say that I won’t ever post photos, recipes, and whatnot from time to time, but that will not be the entire make up of my blog.) I am also not very interested in holding blog giveaways because they take up so much of my time – time that should be spent on my creative endeavors. That said, there will be changes made around here that will take my blog in a new direction.

I briefly mentioned at the beginning of the year that this would be happening. So in keeping to that, and in order to remain true to my creativity and my journey, I have begun making some changes here already. So far I’ve changed my blog header design to incorporate more of my current interests, changed my  blog slogan to “Creative, Healthy, & Blissful Living,” added Google+ so  you can follow me there, removed 4 ads that were on my right sidebar, added a Creative Everyday 2012 badge since I’ve begun participating this month, and have stopped doing giveaways for the time being. I’m thinking about other changes such as deleting/adding categories and modifying my sidebar some more. I’m considering a few more – possibly bigger- changes but haven’t made any real decisions on that yet.

What brought this on? Well, to be completely honest, I’m actually becoming more, and more true to my self and giving myself permission to follow my authentic artistic callings and genuine creative nature. That may sound a bit “out there” for some to grasp, but there isn’t any other way for me to put it. So, I’m finally succumbing to that desire which has been placed on my heart my entire life, and as I follow my heart and pursue my artistic goals, this blog will become an extension of that.

In what ways are you changing to become more true to yourself this year?

Welcome to 2012

 Posted by on January 3, 2012  Thrive  6 Responses »
Jan 032012
 

 

Source: flickr.com via Barbara on Pinterest

 

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful time ringing in the new year! I spent New Year’s Eve with my husband and my new family (in-laws). I love the holidays, and was so happy when I got the chance to implement a new family tradition of hosting a NYE Dinner Party at our home. I decorated, cooked, and baked and counted down the hours until the family arrived. We enjoyed a delicious dinner that was both festive and fun! We watched movies, played video games, and had a heartfelt champagne toast at midnight. I honestly can’t wait to host it again next year – bigger and better!

While 2011 was a very good year for me, I’ve opted to not post my reflections on this blog and to actually just meditate on the year in the privacy of my own thoughts. As with any year, and any day for that matter, it had its moments of ups and downs many of which I am very grateful for. And I as prepare for much of the same in the wonderful year to come, I am very excited about where this new year will take me.

Several years ago I dropped the habit of making new year’s resolutions and instead adopted the lovely idea of simply making 1-5 goals and working very hard to accomplish them. So with that being said, I have a few creative projects that I started in 2011 that I will see through in the next month or so and many other random ideas that I would love to bring to fruition this year. How is this any different than making resolutions? Well, first, goals are not sweeping declarations and proclamations such as “I will not curse in the new year!” and “I will lose 50 lbs and get into a purple polka dot bikini!” My goals are reasonable such as launching my new website and painting more often. See?

So in line with those ideas, I’ve also decided to switch up Simply Harmony a bit to reflect more of my passions – my art and writing – and to use it to document more of my creative journey as a writer & artist. I’ve already started to make some small changes here and there, and I plan to make several more and update the design in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

Speaking of changes, I’ve also made a few regarding how I spend my time on the internet. The fact is that blogging, Facebooking, and Tweeting are very time consuming! The more time I spent online doing all of those things, the less time I had for my “real life” and goals. So in October, I shut down my personal Facebook page, because to be frank it was a waste of my time and not helping me at all with my personal and professional goals. (I still have the blog fan page.) I’ve also started to get annoyed with my Twitter feed towards the end of the year so I decided that this year I will clean up my feed so it is a true reflection of my interests and not some random person that I followed back out of courtesy. And the last change is how much time I plan to spend online this year, and to be honest, I plan to scale it way back!

So as I busy myself with my new centered way of living – painting and writing my heart out – I will continue to make the time to share the things that inspire me and all of the fabulous ways that I’ve found to live my life in a chic, healthy, and blissful way.

Cheers to 2012!

Checkin’ In On Those New Year’s Goals

 Posted by on May 27, 2011  Thrive  2 Responses »
May 272011
 

This past week I realized that we are halfway through 2011, and it made me think about those few lofty goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. My main goal was to commit to writing more this year. Considering all of the life changes -my beach wedding/elopement, relocating across the country, and a 2nd wedding with family and friends - I’m very pleased with my progress. Another one of my goals was to begin writing my novel, and though I haven’t begun yet, I definitely plan to tackle that goal the second half of this year. Other goals include strengthen my faith and working out regularly. Though I am pleased with my overall progress, I know I can do much, much better. Luckily I have 6 more months to get it right!

How are you doing with your goals? Are you right on track with them and haven’t strayed a bit? Have you completely abandoned them? Or have you just been sidetracked by life?

Goals are hard to keep because they often require you to make changes in your life. Whether they are simple adjustments to your day-to-day activities or a major overhaul in how you approach life altogether, changes can make reaching your goals seem difficult or even impossible. If you are one of those people who’s goals seem like Mt. Everest, you may want to ponder the following questions.

  • Are your goals unrealistic?
  • Did you set way too many goals?
  • Does your schedule allow for you to work on your goals?
  • Did you give up way too soon?
  • What is that you really want to accomplish this year?
  • Did you truly commit yourself to making it happen?
  • Did you forget your goals?

When you think about it, January was nearly six months ago. A lot can happen in those months that could change your perspective and your goals. Take some time and reflect on the past six months and reevaluate the goals that you set for yourself. You may find that you don’t want to pursue one or two of them, or you may want to just scrap your entire list and start over.

Whatever the case may be, do something. Get started now. June 1st is merely days away and the rest of year is going to pass by without our permission. Why not kick-off the rest of year with a fresh outlook and new positive energy to complete your goals?

Think about all of the things that you can do in six months:

So, what have you already accomplished this year? Where are you with your current goals? Are you going to set new goals or stick with your old ones?