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Category: Inspiration

Your daily dose

Choose wisely:

  • water
  • tea
  • coffee
  • sunshine
  • yoga
  • walks
  • ocean
  • mountains
  • fields
  • flowers
  • cloud watching
  • star gazing
  • sunset savoring
  • sunrise chasing
  • writing
  • journaling
  • weightlifting
  • running
  • cycling
  • multivitamins
  • movie theaters
  • bookstores
  • libraries
  • laughter
  • family
  • friends
  • dogs
  • cats
  • horses
  • lunch dates
  • coffee dates
  • phone calls
  • handwritten letters
  • Skype sessions
  • farmers markets
  • newspapers
  • cooking
  • cleaning
  • gratitude
  • Netflix
  • wine
  • chocolate
  • naps
  • painting
  • drawing
  • building
  • dreaming
  • planning
  • driving
  • singing
  • listening
  • talking
  • giving
  • receiving
  • surprises
  • candles
  • love notes
  • playlists
  • music
  • Podcasts
  • quiet
  • reflection
  • meditation
  • prayer

Take as needed.

Be the observer

What do you see?

Opportunity or obstacle?

Loneliness or space to create?

Connection or obligation?

Necessity or investment?

Inconvenience or growth?

Pain or lesson?

Those who are against you or those who push you to do better?

The difference between success and defeat is often a matter of perspective. Track your thoughts. Record the way you see the world. It may be time for a change.

Where’s your focus?

When setting big goals, most people tend to focus on the future: The changes they hope to see and the results they want to bring about.

Yet those who find the most success know that while it is imperative to have a clear understanding of desired impact and outcome, it is equally important to reflect on the past.

What has worked, and what hasn’t? What already exists and how can that be improved?

Reflection also helps identify progress, a necessary element to encourage a chosen path or the perspective needed to make refining adjustments.

Before setting goals for the year to come, make time to consider what has worked for you — and what hasn’t. Goals are great, but they have a higher chance of coming to fruition when based in thoughtful research and careful consideration.

The perfect gift

Before worrying about what to give a friend or loved one, first consider your intention. Do you want to provide laughter or joy, comfort, or maybe a moment of calm?

The art of gift-giving is less about the gift itself and more about your motivation. When your heart is in the right place, the perfect present will follow.

Whether a kind word, a listening ear, a gift wrapped in homemade paper, or a voucher for a date night, your gift matters for two main reasons:

1.) You are taking time to show another that you care

2.) You have the opportunity to momentarily change someone’s world

Lead with love and stay grounded in kindness, and your thoughtfulness will be received with gratitude.

The what matters less than the why.

How to create your future

Last weekend my team and I organized the first free outdoor film festival in Pokhara, Nepal. From crowdfunding to logistical planning, we spent months outlining how the event would run. Through hard work, grit, and perseverance, we turned what was once a dream into reality: Over 400 attendees enjoyed films in three different locations throughout the city. Popcorn, prizes, and toys were distributed. People who had never stepped foot in a movie theater were inspired by Rocky, Titanic, and Pocahontas. The smiles were priceless. And it was all set beneath starlight skies.

Plenty of times along the way we could have given up. When we first launched our crowdfunding campaign, I spent several days riddled at home with anxiety, wondering how and if we were really able to pull this off. We could have let frustration win when we were sent to yet another government office for another stamp or another signature. We could have shrugged our shoulders and moved on to another idea when we were questioned, “What is this? Who watches movies outside?” or asked about the motive of our program. We could have quit when we were laughed at.

But we didn’t. Even when we knew people were watching us, hoping we’d fail, we kept going.

And that, my friends, is how you create your future. You keep going.

When the naysayers doubt your dreams, even when you doubt your own abilities, keep going.

Your future is ready for you to create it.

Give thanks

The ability to show and express gratitude is one of the greatest gifts we can give to another. Gratitude is a powerful tool, one that can shift perspectives and brighten a dreary worldview in an instant.
A dear friend in Nepal once told me, “It is always possible to look up and see who is above you. People driving cars. The airplanes. My father said we have to also look down. There is someone wanting what you have.”
Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite celebrations for that reason: The gift of reflection, of simple joys, of quiet thanks shared with friends and loved ones.
To search for blessings during the toughest moments requires diligence and responsibility but also practice. Today’s a great day to start.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Want to have meaningful conversations at your Thanksgiving dinner table but not sure where to begin? Check out Seth Godin’s Thanksgiving Reader.