Daily Actions to Use Your Word of the Year

Each year for the past quite a few years I've chosen a word to work with for the 365 days of that year.  Some years have been more successful than others.  Most years I choose a word and then say 'oh shit, I guess I picked that word 360 days ago.  Yikes!' near the end of the year.  But some years I've been super intentional.  

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Words I've chosen before have been Focus, Explore, Forward, Mindful, & Authentic.  I think that Mindful (2017) and Authentic (2018) were the first words that I really, really worked with a significant portion of the year.  In 2017 I did the Ali Edwards One Little Word journal class which was very helpful to work with my word consistently.  In 2018 I created a Journaling Challenge to help myself find my word and connect with it in the beginning of the year.  I intended to repeat the challenge in 2019, changing the prompts a little for that year but I honestly can't remember if I completed it or not.  Unofficially I'm going to say my word for 2019 was GROWTH, better yet how about TRANSFORM.  I grew a whole damn human and grew myself too.  If the word of the year is about transformation, boy 2019 was a transformation.  I wasn't able to do this in 2020, but the prompts are perfect for anytime of the year!  

In this post though, I want to share with you four simple exercises to connect to your word.  You don't have to get elaborate or feel intimidated.  This is to help you take actions each day while only putting in the effort to create the actions once!  Here is how to connect with your word and work with it consistently all year.

Define it

First, define your word.  Put this at the front of your planner or on your mirror or on your fridge or in your car or at your desk.  Put the definition in multiple places.  Just be sure you put it where you'll see it everyday.  When you define your word you get close to what it actually, truly means.  This will help you to decide which aspect of the definition you want to apply to your life.  Maybe there is a meaning you didn't know existed.  Maybe the official definition is surprising to you.  When you define it you'll have a literal grasp of what the word means and then you can find out what it means to you.

Choose 3 areas to apply your word

Since you'll want to work with this word each day choose three areas of your life that you want to improve with your word.  Start with a broad area you want to improve like family or home, personal, work, or health.  Then narrow that down with three more (or fewer) focus areas for each section.  When it comes to creating your focus areas, ask yourself how your word of the year can be applied to your broad areas.  My broad sections this year are family, personal, and online.  Then I asked myself how I'd find HARMONY in these three ares.

• Harmony with my family means spending time together as a family of three, giving more, and nurturing our partnership.  
• Harmony in my personal life means focusing on my spirituality, moving more, and finding time for self-care.  
• Harmony for my online presence means prioritizing creating content for my blog, my Etsy shop, and my YouTube channel.

Create daily actions

After you've narrowed down the areas of your life you'd like to improve or focus on with your word, create a list of a daily action (or a few) you can take to apply the word to your life.  For example, to spend time with my family I can plan healthy meals, eat at the dinner table, and intentionally shut out technology (phones, computer, distractions, etc).  Once you create your daily actions you'll be more likely to take the steps to implement your word rather than just choose it and be done with it.  Creating these daily actions also gives you something that you can track.  Use a habit tracker in you planner or in your phone to remind you to take these actions daily.

Reflect monthly

Once you've outlined what you'll attempt to do each day to incorporate your word into your life, be sure to set aside time each month to reflect.  Maybe you keep a journal each day of how you implemented your actions.  You could even do a monthly or weekly habit tracker.  Take time when your planning the next month in your planner or calendar to ask yourself how you'll take these daily actions in the future.  Remember, everyday is a new day and don't think a missed day or a missed week is a failure.  Resolve to do better.  Outline how you will do better.  And then do better.  The only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday....and it's ok if you fall behind.  Just do the next thing!  Just keep going!

Bonus: Create a Vision Board

A bonus activity to connect to your word of the year is to create a vision board.  Choose your word and define it on your board.  Then create some branches off of that word with your three areas.  Under these areas clip pictures from magazines or your Pinterest boards that represent success in these areas.  Be sure to include some images of yourself succeeding at those areas too!  When you see yourself on your board you're more likely to identify with it!  In fact I have a whole post on creating a successful vision board right here.

Connecting with your word of the year can be a make or break type of deal.  Spoilers: if you don't feel like you connect with your word, go ahead and change it!  This whole thing is about growth so if you outgrow your word or if it isn't serving you, change it!  Doing the January Journaling Jump Start can help you to find a word that you can connect with by asking you questions about your current state.  But if that state changes...feel free to change your word.  It's your life to live!

I love breaking down my word in the these manageable chunks because I'm more likely to take action if I have an outlined action to take.  Saying to myself 'I'd like to find Harmony this year' doesn't really help me to find it.  It's about creating space for your word to occupy through daily actions and behaviors.

If you want some inspiration for a vision board or working with your word this year check out my Vision Planner video over on my YouTube channel.  You can also find a ton of Word of the Year posts on the blog especially this one on Mantras.  Mantras are my favorite way to work with words each year!  I shared on Instagram my mantra for my word Harmony, you can see it here.  Read more about my vision planner here.

What is your word of 2020?  How did you discover it?

xoxo, Moe 

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Five Family Goals to Set for 2020

It is hard to believe that the newest decade will begin in just a few short days.  We've ended this last decade with a bang - I paid off both my student loans and my car, we got married, we got pregnant, we had the baby, we paid cash for a car, we moved to a suburb of Detroit, and I became an accidental stay at home mom (hopefully its just temporary!).  Typing that out, it seems like we jammed a lot into the last two years but honestly our family really formed over the last decade:

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I bought a 1997 Buick Regal in 2010 and started my last year of college.  I graduated college in 2011.  I moved in with  my BFF and started my first job.  I got another job.  My BFF got married. Zach and I met in 2011 (this post is about when we met but half of the pictures are missing!).  After being together for a short 4 months Zach left the military, moved back to Michigan, found a job and house.....and then I moved up there in August of 2012. I talk about my life over that last year in this post.  We stayed in the apartment above the garage at his parent's house for about a month-ish until we moved into the house.  We remodeled the house.  I got a job. We remodeled the house again. I bought a new car.  Zach got a new job & went to Korea. We said we'd try that job for a year since it involved a lot of travel.....Zach kept that job for about 6 years. We lost our dog. We got a new dog. I went to Korea. We drank too much in Japan.  We traveled the world.  We decided to settle down.  We went to Korea one last time with my BFF.  We planned a wedding.  I paid off my student loans.  We got married.  We got pregnant.  I paid off my car. We had the baby.  We paid cash for a bigger vehicle. We packed up the house we built this life in.  We moved to a suburb of Detroit.  And now we're patiently waiting to start the next decade.

That was the last decade in a nutshell and it was a ridiculous ride.  I'm a vastly different person than I was a decade ago and I'm doing (and planning) vastly different things.  While long term goals involve things like finding a new job, there are a few goals I want to set for 2020.  I hope they inspire you, too.

Give More  

Before I knew I'd have such a hard time breastfeeding I'd hoped to be able to donate breast milk.  Since having a hard time breastfeeding I've decided to focus on donating to organizations that support maternal mental health.  I hope to donate clothes, toys, etc to a second hand shop here supported by an organization that serves survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.  I hope to start an annual birthday tradition to give to organizations we care about.  I hope to pass this to Marcus as well - in honor of his first birthday we'll donate toys, money, or time to an organization we care about.  Then eventually I hope he'll choose an organization to support.  One of my biggest personal mantras (I'd guess you'd call it) is when you have, give.  It is the reason why I tip well.  It is the reason why I'm patient.  It is the way I try to live my life.

Start a College Fund

We actually just got the info in the mail from our financial adviser on starting a college fund.  Getting and paying on my student loans has really inspired me to start a fund to alleviate some of the burden of higher education.  Zach decided to join the military to pay for his schooling and that has been a blessing financially for us while he pursues his master's courses.  Seeing where the price of higher education is heading - like it's really scary - make me what to prepare him as best he can.  The best part of this fund is that it can go towards trade training as well!

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Eat Dinner at the Table

Marcus is going to be moving into solid foods here shortly so I want to make it a priority to eat at the table.  (We just put together this high chair and I can't wait to use it - he's getting so big!) Previously, Zach and I would eat where ever.  It was just us and it didn't really matter so we ate dinner in the living room off of the coffee table, ate breakfast in the bed, ate lunch at our desks if we were crafting and gaming.  I can say we probably ate around our table maybe a dozen times the 7 years we were in our first house.  We both grew up eating around the table and its important to us to build up a family relationship.  I also want to start some dinner time conversations so we all can be creative and share what we care about.

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  This is one of my newest mantras for 2020.  We aren't in the financial situation we'd like to be...but we prepared for where we are.  Zach had been looking for a new job since our wedding because we knew we'd be 'settling down'.  It just so happened that right after I pushed out Marcus he got a call for the job that had us move.  The possibility of our lives being uprooted in more ways than one was very real to us so we started to prepare.  I realize that saving, budgeting, etc is a privilege that a lot of people don't have and in our situation we are still able to give...which circles back to the first goal to give and trickles down to the next two.  With gratitude comes abundance.  I posted this quote on my Instagram in August 2018 and I hope to continue to live by this as we move into 2020.

Use Technology with Intention

I've been zoning out to the TV and Instagram for a while now.  Staying at home all day is lonely especially with a child that can't talk yet!  I know when he starts talking he's not gonna be quiet!  But things like Instagram have been a distraction rather than a productivity tool.  There's time I'm spending zoning out to Catfish during nap time that I could dedicate to my online endeavors - the blog or YouTube or Facebook - and to finding a job. Job hunting is discouraging!  I never thought I'd want to stay home with my kid but these past few months have been eye opening.  Using technology intentionally should be a way to refocus on finding the job I really love.

Over the course of this blog I've struggled a lot with goals.  I'd set them and then forget them.  I'd set too grand an expectation.  Eventually I started with something I called Four Simple Goals where I set out to get a few things done each month.  Then I set up a Vision Planner and started doing a word for each year and I think I've developed quite a good way of making my own progress.

I hope to be able to blend these goals with my word of the year for 2020: Harmony.  There's a lot that is new so I've got to find Harmony with it all!

If you'd like to learn more about my goal journey, click through some of the links above.  And if you'd like to discover how 2019 treated you and how you'd like to enter 2020 check out the past two years of January Journaling Jump Start.  Even though one was for 2017 into 2018 and the other for 2018 into 2019 you can totally do them for 2020!  Who knows...maybe I'll have a set of prompts for 2020, I just haven't had the time!

What are your personal and family goals for 2020?  How do you plan to take action on them?

xoxo, Moe

2019 January Journaling Jump Start

Well, here we are again.  Another year over & a new on just begun.  Last year I did my own little journal prompt exercise to discover my word of the year.  It's not that other prompts & challenges out there were bad...it was just that I was bad at them.  Sometimes I need something that fits me instead of me trying to fit in.

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I will say, over the years there's been quite a few things I don't fit into and I've learned to blaze my own trail rather than try to follow along.  And so the January Journaling Jump Start was born!

Last year was my first year coming up with the prompts and this year I changed just a few of them to align more with what I'm looking to discover.  So here we go.

What is the January Journaling Jump Start?

This is a four week journaling prompt exercise to help you reflect on 2018, plan for 2019, research who you want to be, and outline your next action steps.  Each week has a theme - reflect, plan, research, outline - and 7 prompts to help you connect with each theme.  You can take just a few moments to jot down the answer or get creative in your journal to do a little bit of self care.

This month long activity will help you discover the perfect word to live by in 2019.  Your word should be personal & it should be something you can incorporate into your everyday life over the next year.  It's all about focusing on how you want to feel in the new year not necessarily a physical thing you want to gain.  It's about making space for a new you so that you can become the person you'd like to be.

How Can I Get Started?

First download the prompts in the link below.  You'll find a set of journaling cards featuring the prompts as well as a link for a planner template download.  There are a TON of ways to do this though - use your current journal, create a mini album, make a dedicated travelers notebook, start a listing journal, add it into your vision planner - just get to it!  

The best part is that you can be creative in the way that really connects with you!  And hey, if these prompts don't connect with you create your own challenge and share it with us in the Five Sixteenths | Live Creative group over on Facebook!

DOWNLOAD THE 2019 JANUARY JUMP START HERE

If you want to check out last year's journal prompts (they are very similar so you can totally use those journal cards too), click here.  The journal cards for this year's prompts work perfectly with the December Patreon Printable of the Month, too.  If you're down to join in on an ever growing library of printables, join the Printable of the Month Club for only $3 a month!  Click here to join.

Happy 2019 my friends!

What is your word for 2019?  Have you chosen a word for your year before?

xoxo, Moe

How to Ease the Transition to Cruelty Free

One of my personal goals this year is to make the transition to cruelty free & eco friendly products in my everyday routine.  I plan to switch beauty, skin care, & cleaning products this year.  Making this transition was inspired by a huge realization when I chose my word of the year - Authentic.  Last year while working with the word mindful I discovered a lot about myself and this year I want to work towards implementing certain beliefs into my everyday life.

Moving towards a better awareness of where the items I use in my everyday life come from is something that will help me lead a more authentic life.  When you know better, you do better.  I want to throw a disclaimer out in this post too - I don't plan to go vegan or vegetarian.  While that's a little off of this current topic, it does have to do with the theme of cruelty free.  I plan to be more cognizant of where I source meat from, eating less meat, and going more organic.  Perhaps that is a blog post for another day...but now on to tips for making a cruelty free transition

Decide where you're making changes

The first place is to decide where you're making the changes at in your life.  I'm not here to judge so if you're just choosing one area, like your make up collection, that is a great place to start.  Decide the area and commit to it.  I am going to out there and say that most people are materialistic people...we collect things, we buy new things, and we buy fast things.  Think of fast fashion....or even that app Wish.  You're purchasing something super cheap & therefore you can purchase more of it.  We collect a lot of things (I have a huge make up collection, scrapbook collection, wardrobe, and a back stash of different body sprays and perfumes).  Decide where you're going to make the changes and resolve to cut back your buying.  Get rid of what you're not using - if it's unopened and a friend or family member may like it I encourage passing it on.  If you're sister likes a certain blush and you feel comfortable passing on something that's slightly used....go for that.  I'm not encouraging bad hygiene here but I'm not condoning waste.

Don't get rid of everything all in one go

One, this is going to save you money.  Two, it's going to save your sanity.  First, do a general declutter of the area you plan to transition.  I personally need to go through my large make up collection and get rid of the things I'm just plain not using.  I know that sometimes things like make up can be expensive.  I have a NARS palette that I love but I won't be purchasing anything more from that brand.  Who knows perhaps down the line I'll decide to get rid of it.

But don't just go throwing everything out.  You'll end up with nothing to clean the counters with, nothing to wash your body with, and nothing to do your make up with!  You'll regret having to go out and restocking everything all in one go.  Do your spring cleaning and resolve to buy something better when it is time.

Outline what products you already have

While you're going through a stash of things you already have look up the brands you're using to see if they are cruelty free.  Set aside those products, if you plan to keep using them, as your go to products.  But don't just keep things to keep them.  If you're going through your declutter and find a cruelty free product that you're not really going to use...go ahead and donate it, pass it a long, etc.  In doing this you'll have a beginner list to go through if you need to repurchase something in the short term.

Do your research

To find a sustainable way to keep your resolution of going cruelty free, do your research.  I usually check multiple sites in addition to the brands site.  Believe me, brands can often twist words on their own sites and the words 'cruelty free' don't appear to be very regulated....so any one can use them.  You may find that some websites will say they are cruelty free but may test on animals where it is 'required by law'.  I've found a big red flag is that if a brand is sold in China it isn't cruelty free as China requires animal testing.  I am not going to link any websites here in this post because I haven't found one I 100% follow.  This is all about finding something that aligns with you so my recommendation may not fit in with what you're looking for.  Just cross check a few sites, do your own google searches, etc.  It may also be helpful to find a friend who either is eco friendly/cruelty free or reps a brand that aligns with what you're looking for.  I'll be working with my cousin Leslie (who always seems to jump into things before & pave the way!) to discover more about the brand Pure Haven.  I'll also be working more closely to understand where I can incorporate doTERRA's essential oils into my routine.  

Make a plan

When it comes to my skincare routine and my cleaning supplies there are quite a few things I need.  I know I'll need make up wipes (#lazydays), moisturizer, face wash, spot treatment, face masks, scrubs, etc.  For cleaning I'll need cleaning wipes, toilet cleaner, window/mirror cleaner, dish soap, dish washer stuff, etc.  Once you start laying it all out it can be overwhelming.  But it can help you make a plan for what you'll need to consider replacing.  This can help you do your research!  If you have a list, then you have a plan, then you'll have something to go off of when your dish soap needs replacing.  

Starting something new can be nerve wracking, intimidating, and confusing.  But once you make a resolve, taking it step by step can make it easier.  If you'd like to learn more about going cruelty free and about the Pure Haven brand I'll be hosting an online party with Leslie on January 23rd.

You can join the party here.  If you'd like to join in on a community that supports living a creative and fulfilling life please join the Five Sixteenths | Live Creatively group!

What is one of your goals this year?  What area of your life are you working on?

xoxo, Moe

January Journaling Jump Start // Find your 2018 Word of the Year

Something I've been doing for quite a few years now is choosing a word to work into my life for a year.  Some years I choose it and then forget it, some years it ends up being more prominent.  Last year was the first year I did Ali Edwards One Little Word and that really changed my relationship with my word.  Truth be told I only completed 1/3 of the prompts but that was enough to help me live mindfully in 2017.

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This project helped me incorporate my word into my everyday life.  It allowed me to work long enough with it that Mindful naturally became an important thought for me each day!  This year, my word for 2018 came to me rather early.  I chose Authentic because, during my mindful journey, I began to develop beliefs and to see my current beliefs evolve & change.  I realized that in some ways I was deceiving myself by believing one thing but taking no action towards it in my life.  In fact, the 7 of Swords showed up rather early in 2017 and that is what inspired me to choose the word Authentic.  I especially love the 7 of Swords in the After Tarot because it shows self deception!  You think you're getting away with something....but you're gonna get tripped up!

I do hope to do a blog post on my word, but this post is not that post!  Today I want to share with you a journaling activity through January that can help you to discover your word of the year and take action towards it.

What is January Journaling Jump Start?

JJJS is a 4 week, 28 day long prompt a day journaling project designed to help you find your word of the year.  This doesn't have to be done in January either.  Any time is a great time to change it up and get focused!

Like I mentioned earlier, your word for the year should be something you actively incorporate into your life.  2017 was the first year I did that and it was great!  But finding ways to do so...or even finding a word that resonates with you can be hard.  The way I find my words is through a little bit of mental reflection on who I am and where I want to be.  I focus on how I want to feel in the coming year.  Personally, I don't focus on something physically I can gain - a new house, a new car, a new waistline....etc.  Focusing on how we want to feel is the best way, I think, to make sure we can shift our thinking and in turn achieve our goals.  So this journaling activity is designed to help you reflect, plan, research, and then set actionable goals in three areas of your life!

The first week is about reflection.  What was 2017 for you?  What do you want 2018 to be for you?  What did you start?  What did you finish?  It is about bringing together your accomplishments from last year and pushing your successes into the next.

The second week is about planning.  Where do you want to see improvement this year?  What inspired you last year?  What do you want to embrace in 2018?  What do you want to release?  Discover the best you that you can be in 2018 and make a plan to get there.

The third week is about inspiration & research.  Find quotes that inspire you & words you'd like to use to describe yourself.  Pinterest is a great way to find amazing quotes.  I start a board full of quotes that inspire me as I try to decide on my word.  At the end of this week you can look at your quotes & start to see a pattern.  What word can sum up these quotes?

In the last week, begin to outline how you'll incorporate the word you've discovered in the three improvement areas you chose the second week!  Finally begin to make weekly action steps so that you can incorporate your word into your daily life.

How can I get started?

While this is not a group challenge with a community behind it - honestly, I've never really felt those accountability groups helped me...they always made me feel less than for not doing things on time or in a certain way - I encourage you to download the journaling cards & the weekly planner layout below.

If you're down for something like a mini album, go ahead and do that!  Use the journaling cards in any pocket albums you do or do what I'm doing - working in my new vision planner.  I am currently using a Happy Planner size pages for my vision planner (about 7 x 9 inches) this year.  I assembled some printed graph paper on Mini Happy Planner discs and put it in Websters Pages Composition planner cover.  I also threw in some of the happy planner pocket pages because that's how I like to do my OLW stuff too.  Doing a journaling activity like this, I think, is best done on planner pages so that you have them all together.  Print out the weekly planner pages, date them, and get your word jump started!  

DOWNLOAD THE JANUARY JUMP START HERE!

You don't have to follow this up with another Word of the Year project, but I'd highly suggest it.  I plan on doing One Little Word again this year even if I only complete 3 months worth of prompts!  I do hope you are able to find a word this year that will help you.  Make sure to follow along on Instagram as I share with you how I've filled out the January Journaling Jump Start prompts!  Join the Five Sixteenths | Live Creatively group for more journaling inspiration.

What word did you choose?  How do you incorporate it into your daily life?

xoxo, Moe

My Mindful Morning Routine

Mornings for me have become the time of day I nurture my relationship with myself.  I spend time in my sacred place, I meditate, and I get to know me.  Working with my word of the year - mindful - I've realized that it is up to me to see the good or the bad in everything.  I started meditating in the morning - hell, I started meditating in general - to get a hold on my emotions.  With living my life and the stress of my job, it started to seem as if things were just happening to me - emotions, feelings, my reactions.  If stress hit me all I could do was breakdown and cry.  It kept coming in waves.  As soon as I'd catch my breath another exhausting emotion would overtake me.  I would beat myself up for these perceived emotional failures for days on end until after some turn of events my load would lighten.  I'd have one good day.  Then it would happen again, another storm to force myself through.  Mindfulness has helped me realize that by letting go of the things I can not control, I can regain control of myself.

One of my quotes this year is to live less out of habit and more out of intent.  I want to be the one choosing to feel a certain way when a certain thing happens.  I want to gain more control over my emotions and thus having more control over how I live my life.  Making mindfulness a habit & a state to enter when needed is my goal.  The only way to develop a habit or a skill is to implement it and practice it.  Since I knew that I wanted to center myself before work in order to react appropriately to shit happening, mornings became the perfect time to implement this self-care, mindfulness routine.  Here's a look into my mornings:

Wake up early

Each day I try to wake up around 5:30 am.  Some days are later than others, but I've realized once I overcome that hurdle of actually pushing myself out of bed this early rising makes me prepared for the day.  Not just because I'm spending time with myself but because I'm awake, alert, and mentally ready to get shit going.  Waking up early means I'm not rushing around trying to fit too much in.  I need to get better about not hitting that snooze button though - I'm working on it.

Do tasks with intention

When I wake up I immediately go into the bathroom.  I brush my teeth & wash my face.  Doing things with intention means I'm focused on these tasks.  I am aware of the toothbrush in my hand, how the bristles feel against my gums, the minty fresh taste of the toothpaste.  I also try to move with rhythm.  I find this helps me to be aware.  My time spent in the bathroom is one even tempered movement with concentration on each action.  

After I leave the bathroom, I quickly flip on the coffee maker then slide out of the door to take Sweetie out for the morning.  This is the best part because I get to really greet the day.  Doing tasks with intention is about refocusing your mind.  Mindfulness is about being aware and every task is a chance to focus your mind on that task and stop the jibber-jabber from your brain.  So focusing on that first breath of air out in the open, feeling the chill on my skin, feeling Sweetie gently tug as we trod across the grass, then asphalt to reach our front lawn.

Meditate

After we come in and I pour a bowl of food for Sweetie, I head downstairs to my altar.  I've mentioned my altar before and it is simply the place I go to meditate.  It is a scared me space.  It is not an altar to any deity or god, it is an altar to the person I'd like to be.  Here I light my candles with intention, I light incense or diffuse essential oils (my three current favorite blends here), I clear my head again, and I do my daily tarot one, two, or three card pull.

After I pull my cards and interpret them, I will often pull an affirmation card to either inspire me for the day or to use as a mantra for meditation.  I sit on my pillow in front of my sacred space, clear my mind and focus on the mantra.  If I don't use the affirmation card as a mantra I simply clear my mind and focus on my breath.  For me, focusing on my breath means I imagine sitting by a giant lake in the woods.  When I inhale the water is still.  When I exhale ripples form across the still water.  It is this that helps me keep an even mind.  If my mind wanders, I simply imagine this lake again to bring the focus back to my breath.  Meditation isn't necessarily about escape it is about learning to move into this stillness with ease.  If I have about 10 minutes to spare I listen to this 10 Minute Chakra Meditation and focus on each of my chakras as the music progresses.

Get ready for the day

Once I have finished this, I round up Sweetie and we head back upstairs.  I brew my coffee, gather my lunch things, and head back to the bedroom.  It is now that I sort of rejoin normal life.  YouTube usually plays in the background while I sip my coffee and browse social media.  At about 6:20 am, if I'm a good sport, I get dressed for the day, kiss Sweetie good bye and then head out to the car.  On a good day I'm out of my driveway by 6:30 am, leaving enough time to get to work.  

I continue to practice mindfulness through out the day - changing the paper in the copier with intent, taking a few minutes to center myself, diffusing calming essential oils through my jewelry, and recognizing when emotion gets the best of me and moving through it.  Over all, working mindfulness and meditation into my morning routine has helped me overcome disappointment I've had in myself.  And when I do get emotional, I try not to let it bother me.  I try not to see it as weakness.  I embrace it as a moment that will pass.  

The biggest thing I've learned from the word Mindful is that mindfulness is a habit that replaces self-destruction (thank you Pinterest!).  Before I embraced this sense of self-acceptance, self-alignment, and self-forgiveness I was wearing myself down by blaming myself for not having control...of myself.  I can tell you right now that I didn't know mindfulness was the thing I needed in my life and I didn't know mindful would be so powerful for me when I picked as my word of the year for 2017.  I have since come to realize that these storms that I would have to exhaust myself to push through were mere rain clouds.  In one of my most recent full moon readings I pulled the Tower for what I should release.  I read that as I should release the drama - not every rain cloud is a hurricane.

Since I think I suck at summing up the importance of mindfulness in this post, please check out my Pinterest board filled with mindful quotes, mindfulness guides, and mindfulness habits.  The only way you'l get it (like the only way I got it) was to have the right quote speak to you at the right time.

If you feel slightly overwhelmed in your day to day life, perhaps a journey toward mindfulness is for you.  However, this practice is not the end all to self care.  I encourage you to seek help, if needed.  Please do not use the internet to self diagnose...not everything can be solved with even breath.  I do hope that you can find peace with your emotions and align yourself with your highest being.

Do you practice mindfulness?  Do you have a morning routine or ritual to prepare you for the day?

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // Printable Positive Affirmation Cards

I've been working hard this year on being more mindful.  Part of that is meditating and releasing negative energy I always seem to have around myself.  I'm always down on myself, stressed, moving too fast - part of being mindful is being aware of and living in the present.  I've tried to adopt things that can allow me to be more positive and let things go. 

this post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.

A few weeks ago I shared how I made a few Mantra Vision Boards for my Vision Planner.  This week I thought I needed something more positive to go along with my morning meditations....something that I could pull from to remind me that I am enough.  I'm already using Tarot Cards (my current favorite deck is this one and my new obsession is this one) to tap into some positivity and be aware of what energies I should expect through my day.  A positivity card would allow me to focus on a degree of my muchness as the Mad Hatter would say.  Enter a DIY.

Shop Supplies on Amazon!

supplies // printable affirmation PDF files, laminator, printer, printer paper, laminating sheets, paper trimmer

Begin by printing the 6 PDFs on the front of your chosen paper.  I chose regular weight printer paper as I often do when I am going to laminate something like this.  Following your printer's instructions for double sided printing, print the constellation image on the back of each page.  This will give you something that resembles a true deck of cards.

Laminate the pages using 3 mil laminating sheets and trim to size.  Each card measures 3 inches by 3 inches.  I specifically made this project with out using my cutting machines because I wanted it to be something accessible to all.  It is super quick to make these and trim by hand.  Sometimes that's all you really, really need in life!

There are more than 30 of these cards so you can pull one a day for a month.  You can also use the Mantra Vision Board DIY to make your own affirmation cards.  Choose your own quotes and your own affirmations to make this a personal experience.  Make a set of 52 to choose one each week or make a set of 31+ to pull one a day each month.  If you're really ambitious make 365!

I have added this deck to my personal altar.  A place I come for solitude, meditation, and some quality me time.  My altar isn't an altar to any deity or god, it is an altar to the person I want to become.  It is an altar to my best self!

I hope these affirmation cards give you some positive vibes through the days and weeks you use them.  Please let me know if you make them!

How do you stay positive?  How to do you get rid of negativity?

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // Digitize your Handwriting with your iPhone

Hand lettering has become all the rage recently.  I've seen it all over instagram, in my facebook groups, and it is huge in the planner community.  There are even fonts designed to mimic this gorgeous calligraphy.  If you've been practicing your handwriting I've got a great tutorial for you today.  How great would it be to have your own handwriting as beautiful digital image to work with? 

Today I'll show you how to digitize your handwriting to create a beautiful PNG overlay to work with when you're creating Instagram photos, photos for your memory keeping, or general inspiration for you.

supplies // iPhone, Superimpose app, iScanner app, Negative Me app, PicsArt app, brush marker, white paper, decent lighting.

First practice writing out the word or phrase you want to digitize.  I used my One Little Word for the year which is Mindful.  I did not have a black brush tip marker so I used dark purple.  It is best to use black or a color as dark as possible for this tutorial.  If not, you risk not creating a black and white image.  You can make a black and white copy of your phrase if needed, the follow the steps below.

Next, open the iScanner app.  Find a room in your home with bright light that will cast few shadows.  You may have to step outside for this, you may have to focus a lamp on your space, but be sure not to cast a shadow over the phrase to be digitized.

Use the iScanner app to photograph the word or phrase. Once the image is processed, align the blue rectangle around the phrase to digitize.  When prompted, choose chose the filter that creates the most solid fill to the letters.  I find the right most filter on the bottom row gives the most solid fill.  If needed, choose a shade from the menu at the top to achieve the darkest fill.  Click the check mark and you'll be prompted to save the image to the app.  From the next page select the arrow in the bottom left and save the image to the camera roll.

I find the best way to use this overlay is as a white overlay over a photo.  To create the text in white, open the Negative Me app (you may be prompted that the app will slow down your phone, it is a pretty old app that has not been updated!).  Choose the photo saved from the iScanner app.  This app will invert the colors - black to white, etc.  Tap the save button in the upper right hand corner - an ad will pop up but simply tap No to save the image to the camera roll.

To use the overlay, open a photo in the PicsArt app.  This app requires a sign in and to create a profile but you can set your photos to private.  From the bottom menu choose Add Photo.  Chose the image of the phrase where the text is white from the camera roll.  Position the phrase over the photo, scaling and rotating to your preference.  From the menu at the bottom choose Blend.  Chose the Lighten blend mode to create the overlay.  Tap Apply, move the slider next to only me so that it is pink, tap Save and Share.  This will set your photo to private, share to your profile, and save to the camera roll.

I plan on making quite a few of these not only to use on Instagram but to use in my Vision Planner to focus on my word for the year.  You could also use the overlay created here along with this PicMonkey tutorial to add glitter to your handwriting!

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel to be notified when I upload the video about my Vision Planner!

How do you use your handwriting in your craft projects?  

xoxo, Moe

Why it is OK to just, Not

Does the title of this blog post make sense?  There's been something on my mind recently .... and it's that i'm just Not.  I'm just Not doing anything.  I'm being lazy, I'm falling out of my routines, I'm just Not.  I'm just Not feeling like myself.

(if you want to not use this in your own journal, planner or scrapbook you can download a 3x4 image here and a white PNG overlay here.)

I want to say that it is ok to just Not.  The only thing pushing you is you and maybe you need a break from it all.  It gets exhausting working towards goals and sometimes you get caught up in the getting there that the journey gets annoying, defeating, or lost.  

I think that is where I am right now.

My word of the year for 2017 is Mindful.  And I want to be more aware of my journey....not just reaching the destination.

So it is is ok to just, Not at certain times.  Just stop.  Stop working, stop striving, stop pushing and evaluate where you are.  Where are you in your journey?  Are you spinning wheels?  Are you stuck and not moving forward?  Enjoy where you are now before pushing yourself forward.  Sometimes it takes a little bit of reflection and intention to get start to move forward again.

In 2016 I focused on the word forward.  I just wanted to move confidently in the direction of my dreams (pretty sure I saw that quote on Pinterest) but I think as we got closer and closer to 2017 I stalled out.  That was evidenced by the lack of YouTube videos and blog posts.  I wasn't focused, I wasn't aware, I didn't have intent.

That is what mindful for me in 2017 is - awareness and intent.  To be comfortable where I am and to move forward with intention.

So, if you need to know...sometimes it is ok to just, Not.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

xoxo, Moe

ps. for the month of January not only am I working on the One Little Word prompt from Ali Edwards I'm also doing January Reset from Allie Scraps in planner form.  I'm going to be sharing more on the blog and in a YouTube video shortly!

Feeling Stagnant

I think around this time every year I get to feeling a little bit stagnant.  I get to feeling like I don't know what to share, I don't know what to blog about, I just feel a little less inspired.  I don't know if it is the changing weather or what...but sometimes I feel like I need to just take a break. 

So, I'm just writing this to say you may find fewer posts than normal on the blog in the near future.  Do not be alarmed!  I will come back to blogging.  I always do!  I have a few posts scheduled up and a few ideas I hope to see to fruition.....but there's just going to be a lot of silence here.  So be sure to check me out on Instagram and Snapchat (both are @fivesixteenths) and my YouTube channel.

While I'm gone though, this is probably what I'm doing

Failing at a lot of projects

Whenever I feel less inspired, I always just make things.  I make random things - things I'll never use, things that suck, things that don't work out.  This helps me get out the creative energy I feel I have building up but can't execute.  It clears way for more focused creativity.

Thinking

I'll be thinking a lot about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.  This will lead me back to why I started blogging in the first place and it may lead me to a new change in the blog.  I might come back with brand new ideas or I might come back with a brand new perspective.  My main concern now is to make sure that I am offering diverse content that I'm proud of.  I don't want to continually offer the same type of content over and over - there are a few different things I'm interested it....so I need to find that balance and brainstorm new content regarding the things I love.

Mainly I'll be trying to move Forward.  My word of the year really comes into play here.  I feel like I've been moving in that forward motion but I'm feeling myself slow up.  So I just need to take a second, sit back, and see where I need to go next.  There are a few things I need to do to get me back on track.  I've got a ton of ideas in my head but they are being blocked by the energy to create and the inability to follow through.  So I'll probably be taking some time to get my head back on straight.

If you want to read more on my word of the year, click here.  Please hop on over to my other social channels to follow me there in case I don't  have much to say here in the next few weeks.  I'll be back though.

xoxo, Moe

Word of 2016 // FORWARD

On every single international flight I take, there are two movies I'm guaranteed to watch - the Incredibles and 500 Days of Summer.  The fact that these two movies are both about moving forward went over my head until just recently when I was researching a quote to go with my word of the year.   I never look back darling, it distracts from the now.  That is the quote I've chosen to go with my word for the year FORWARD.

Last year my word was EXPLORE and the quote I chose to go with that word was An artist is an explorer.  (read last year's post here, and 2014's post here)  I chose that phrase and that word because I'd thought I'd lost track of what it meant to be an artist.  I feel like I should have that title as I did complete a Fine Arts degree but I haven't created anything that I thought could be labeled as art in ages.  When I found that quote, I knew that it was time for me to explore what art could be.  When you Google what is art a definition is returned and the first half of that definition is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.  Art can be problem solving, art can be creating something, art can be the care it takes to create something so everyday that it is essentially forgotten.  Art is design, art is feeling, art is creativity.  Art is anything - as long as you are understanding the process.

Art isn't happenstance - it is a process, it is dedication, it is repeated results.  Art is experimentation and science.  Art is creative problem solving.  Art is looking at something in a different way and thus solving a problem differently.  Art is creative thinking.

Art can be in the boardroom, in the garage, in a design program.  Art is creative problem solving.

EXPLORE also taught me that I am not prepared to head in the direction of the creative goals I laid out for 2015.  But that doesn't mean I wasn't creative.  I jumped more into the planning community and love the creativity I've seen there.  Designing stickers and inserts really gets my creative juices flowing in to productivity - and I love that.

EXPLORE taught me that I really like planner videos and I like filming planner videos.  EXPLORE also taught me how to take control of my life by exploring different planning styles.  I've finally found planner peace and it took a lot of exploring and a lot of planning to get me here.

EXPLORE taught me about traavel.  Zach and I explored Seoul, South Korea while he was there for work.  EXPLORE taught me about traveling by myself and traveling in a totally foreign country.  EXPLORE also taught me that Michigan is beautiful and about the settlements at Mackinaw.

All of that is what EXPLORE taught me last year.

So what will FORWARD bring for me this year?  No clue!  I don't have it figured out but I want to keep momentum going.  I want to move in the direction I'm being pushed and I just want to keep making, keep creating, and keep problem solving.  I love the challenge. 

I don't have anything too lofty to set this year because I've learned that you can plan life out, but life will happen.  I just want to be aware and to move FORWARD.  I don't want to look back.

FORWARD doesn't have much to do with career goals this year - though I would love to drop everything and be able to travel with Zach.  But I can't figure out how that would work financially yet (plus I've got a pup that I promised a home and I'm not about to give that up).

FORWARD motion.  FORWARD.  Just keep going.

I never look back darling, it distracts from the now.

What is your word for the year?  Any special goals?

xoxo, Moe

Two Things I'll do for Myself This Year

It the time of year where all the blog post surface of 10 Things to Focus on This Year, 5 Ways to make 2016 the Best Year Yet, and the like.  This post may be one of those kinds of posts.  But this post is mostly for me, and only a little bit for you.

I have resolved to do two things this year.  These resolutions aren't things where there is a clear end result...and I think that's perfectly fine.  The thing that will be measurable though, is how I feel in the end.  

I've resolved to give more compliments and apologize for myself less.

Complement Others More

Compliments are great.  I like to give them and I like to receive them.  This year I want to change the way I give compliments and in turn give more of them.  I don't know about you, but usually a compliment I receive or give is something a long the lines of 'I like your sweatshirt'.  This year, I want to give more compliments that focus less on how I feel and focus more on building the other person up.  It shouldn't matter if I like the sweatshirt - what should matter is that the sweatshirt looks good on you.  I want to give more compliments that focus less on how I feel and more on how I see you feeling (does that make sense?).  I want to acknowledge that the other person should be the focus of the compliment and I should leave the word 'I' out of it.  

That shirt looks great on you.     Your hair color/style is beautiful.

That lip color is awesome on you.     Those shoes are really stylish.

Apologize Less

Apologizing for myself less goes hand in hand with this.  I will not downplay myself when I am given a compliment.  I also won't apologize for certain characteristics about me - I'm loud, I laugh a lot, I take things seriously, and I see the problem from many sides.  I'm often told to be quiet, that things aren't that funny, that I really should just chill out, and that I'm causing problems by bringing up various points.  (I really like to hash out things so that anything that can go wrong is already planned for...believe me, I'm pretty sure that is helpful.)  Zach has never told me I'm too loud.....and I love that. I've been told my whole life that I talk too loud.  That is one comment that bugs the heck out of me.  I will not apologize for the things about myself that have been that way for 28 years.  I will also stop belittling myself when something positive is said to me, about me.  I will not downplay the compliment by taking jabs at myself.  I will stop apologizing for being awesome and for having a few quirks!

These are just two of a few things I've resolved to do this year.  My word of the year is Forward and I just want to keep growing.  I still need to do a reflection post on my word of 2015 which was Explore and I still need to find a little quote to go with my current word.  Those posts are in the works but I just haven't formed words for them yet!

What are some small things you're doing for yourself this year?

xoxo, Moe