Some Things I Know

HOLD THINGS LIGHTLY

We can easily be caught up in our goals, ambitions, and expectations of how things will unfold, but if we focus too far ahead, we can miss what’s right in front of us. Hold things lightly, experiment, pick things up and put things down, and change course if something is no longer for you.

NO MISTAKES, NO FAILURES…ALL FEEDBACK

 Remember the fig tree.

If caught in indecision, make the decision that puts you more in the world. Know that every choice you've made is the best you could have made with the information you had at the time. 

EACH MOMENT DESCRIBES WHO YOU ARE AND OFFERS YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE IF THAT IS WHO YOU WANT TO BE.

 "You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose."  - arnold bennett

So, if you've spent hours (or even years) worrying instead of taking action, … turn over a new leaf. 

To quote my dear friend, Doug,  

"After you run a red light, do you run EVERY red light on your way home?"

Your next move is always a vote for or against the person you want to become.

INSPECT THE RULES YOU CREATED FOR YOURSELF…CRITICALLY AND OFTEN 

Be curious with yourself…Question, reflect and reassess your own beliefs, limits, boundaries + measures.

This is tough stuff and so worth it.

If you need help with this, JUST HIT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL 

WHEN YOU CAN'T FIND THE THING YOU WANT, CREATE IT 

Be it the career you want or the social life you crave, often, the surest way to attain something is to create it. 

Don’t wait for someone to hand you an opportunity—throw the dinner party you want to be invited to or create the work you want to be hired for.

TO BE INTERESTING, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE INTERESTED

We are not defined by singular things, such as a job title, project, or relationship, but by the person we are: curious, thoughtful, and interested.

MAGIC AND OPPORTUNITIES FLOW THROUGH PEOPLE 

We attract people into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Always for a growing and learning experience.

 Meet everyone with a smile, knowing that everyone who comes into our lives offers us something important to aid us in our journey.

PRODUCTIVITY DOES NOT EQUAL WORTH 

There's nothing inherently wrong with being productive; we all need to get things done. However, when we associate productivity with our self-worth, we never quite measure up. 

The antidote is to bring a creative lens to each day by embracing our own way of doing things, whether it be in our work, parenting style, or creative pursuits, even if it looks counterintuitive to somebody else.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "BALANCE"

Rather than striving for balance—which is elusive because nothing in life remains still—we can strive to master the “ art of balancing “ and allow for the waves.

I dig HARMONY over balance any day. 

“IT'S ALL HAPPENING” - penny lane

We might tell ourselves that life will be better when we get that promotion, move into that neighborhood, achieve that goal—when we finally arrive.  

There is no future point when our life will begin. 

It is happening now, before we are ready, in the small steps and in the figuring out.

WE UNLOCK OUR GREATNESS BY DOING THE HARD THINGS

just keep reading that over and over 

WE DO NOT FIND MOTIVATION - WE CULTIVATE IT 

We are more likely to do the thing if we start out with enjoyment, fascination, or delight.

 Even for difficult things, we can find a way to enjoy it.

We can make it easier, make it smaller, make it fun.

THINGS CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANT

Sometimes overnight, sometimes in a moment, sometimes through a chance encounter, things in our life can change. 

Granted, there will be times we are blindsided by the unexpected, 

yet it is equally true that unthinkably good things can happen.

Sometimes that very thought is what makes such change possible.

x ali