Lori Lynn Smith | Live your Passions

9 Ways to Balance yourself during the Holidays

The Passion Diva — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:31:17 +0000

While the holidays have the power to bring some of the most joyful times in your life, they can also be the cause of a great deal of stress. The stress can stem from many different situations such as family disagreements, scheduling conflicts, and money issues.

I simple love the holidays! Right from Canadian Thanksgiving to Valentines Day! But this year has definitely started out stressful, a big project that peaked at the beginning of November AND moving 500 miles North at the end of November, just three days ago… YIKES!!!

Everyone has “stuff” right, things that need to be dealt with, stuff that really we have no choice having in our lives. So no matter what situation your stress is coming from, it’s important to take a step back from the stress to hold onto your sanity.

Try following some or all of the following tips:

Get Your Shopping Done Early. When you get your shopping out of the way early, you can save yourself stress on a number of levels. You won’t be battling other shoppers during peak shopping times. You won’t have to worry about making split second decisions on gifts. You’ll also have the time to craft a budget to help make your money stretch to the best of your ability.
Take Time to Yourself. We often take the time to think of others during the holidays. While that’s very important to maintain, you can’t forget about yourself in the process. Remember to schedule “me” time and concentrate on winding down. In order to take good care of others, you first have to take care of your own health and well being.
Keep a Cool Head. While it may not be a problem with every family, sometimes the togetherness causes conflicts and clashing. Before you enter a family holiday event, tell yourself that you’ll take the high road. You don’t want an argument to ruin your chance at fun during the holidays.
Keep Up Your Exercise Routine. Sometimes the thrill of the holiday season can disrupt your daily routines. While a little break from exercise might not make a big difference in your physique, it might make a difference when it comes to your stress level. Try to keep up some form of exercise, as it will provide you with a release from stress.
Watch your Diet. It’s not fair to yourself to completely avoid indulging around the holidays, but at the same time you should always remain in control. Watch what you’re putting into your body, because large amounts of certain foods can definitely affect how you feel. The two big ones to watch are caffeine and sweets.
Buy Yourself a Present. While you’ve been budgeting money for everyone else, there’s no reason why you can’t buy yourself a little something. After all, you’re sure to be getting something that you want. You can even schedule yourself a massage, which is an excellent way to maintain a healthy stress level.
Get Enough Rest. The excitement definitely kicks in during the holidays. Sometimes you’ll lose sleep because of stress, and sometimes you’ll lose sleep because of excitement. Either way, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by concentrating on relaxation and getting to bed at a good hour. If you start a pattern of getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night, you could be setting yourself up for stress without even really knowing it.
Learn to Delegate. If you come to the realization that you’ve been put in charge of too many things, don’t pile on the stress – instead, delegate the tasks. Be wise enough to know when you need some help and ask for it. You can even get the kids involved with certain preparations.
Be Flexible. Of course you have an image in your head of how you’d like certain holiday events to play out. You also know that things don’t always go according to plan. Realize that certain things will not be perfect, and you won’t feel so much stress if things do go wrong. Go with the flow and have back up plans if necessary.

As always there are some thing that fit you and some things that don’t, pick the ones the feel great to you and do them. If you need even MORE awesome ideas, check out 100 Ways to Live a More Balanced Life by Anastasiya Goers of http://balanceinme.com/

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Create a Financial Cushion with an Emergency Fund

The Passion Diva — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:31:54 +0000

We all know about saving for a rainy day, but in today’s economy it seems like every day is a rainy day. Creating an emergency fund can dry up those rainy days and give us peace of mind for the future. Don’t walk around without your financial cushion.

What is an emergency fund? It is a sum of money that is set aside for the “what ifs” in life. Any one of us can have a misfortune befall us. Natural disasters put people in financial binds all the time. Accidents, job loss, death, divorce, and other situations can set us back quickly. Unless you are independently wealthy, your finances will take a hit.

Be prepared for the worst with an emergency fund. It does require sacrifice on our part to set up the fund. No one just has money lying around to put in a savings account so we have to create the opportunities.

The basis of the fund is to have at least three to six months of income set aside for those rainy days. If you and a spouse work then both incomes are included. But, for some, that is a large dollar amount. Let’s start with something a bit easier.

It can take a while to save that much money. Set smaller goals so that the larger one doesn’t seem so unreachable. Begin with saving a certain dollar amount from each paycheck.

For convenience, if you have direct deposit, modify it so that amount automatically transfers to your savings account. This keeps the money out of your hands where it may or may not make it to its predetermined destination. We all get a little weak in the knees when it comes to money.

Empty your pockets every night. This is more of a man thing to carry change in their pockets. Place those coins in a Mason jar or a piggy bank. At the end of each month or once the container is filled, go to one of those cash machines in the grocery store and tally it up. Add that money to your emergency fund. This is something everyone, even kids, can do to help out with the financial cushion.

Keep everyone accountable. Remind them of the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can handle financial emergencies when everyone pitches in to save money.

The hardest thing will be not disturbing the emergency fund. The sacrifices that you make will be in the form of incidentals that you don’t need to have. Examples of these things include, going to the movies, going out to dinner, buying new clothes or shoes unnecessarily and more. It also encourages us to find new ways to enjoy family time. Spending less time on the go will allow you to find activities your family can do together at home or that cost little or no money out and about.

What about your emergency fund? Have you started it? If not, throw a few pennies in a jar and begin today.

photo credit by penguincakes

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Am I Living My Vision?

The Passion Diva — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:57:16 +0000

I am living the most abundant life I can imagine! Does this mean that I am living my vision? Not yet.

“Why not?” you ask.

My answer is that I have not yet expanded my imagination enough to encompass my vision, but I am getting closer. You see, I am now a full-fledged student of “The Law of Abundance”. This universal law drives what is manifested in my life.

Our culture is full of truisms that support the “Law of Abundance”. The following represent only a few of those truisms. “If you set your mind to it…” “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got.” “You are a victim of the rules you live by.” “I think, therefore I am”.

Look at the people around you. What do you see? When you look at a person’s life you can literally read their mind. A person’s outer state of being is nothing more than the manifestation of a person’s thought. Now look inside. Do you see peace, serenity, affluence, love, abundance? To have these things, you have to set your mind to it.

As these words are expressions of my vision, I had to fully understand their meaning to me. The following brief definitions represent my vision of my life (and luckily match dictionary definitions).

Peace – harmonious relations; freedom from disputes; the absence of mental stress or anxiety
Serenity – Calmness of mind; evenness of temper; undisturbed state; coolness; composure.
Affluence – An abundant supply, as of thought, words, feelings, etc.; profusion; also, abundance of property; wealth
Love – A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness
Abundance – A great or plentiful amount; Fullness to overflowing

By learning to manifest through proper use of the “Law of Abundance”, all this and more can be yours. “Every great work, every big accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement.” Florence Scovel Shinn.

Our lives are our biggest accomplishment. Our lives are the manifestation of our vision. By creating your vision, and by following the rules of manifestation, the universe is yours for the asking. Learning how to ask is the goal of students of the “Law of Abundance.”

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Super Self Care

The Passion Diva — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:10:58 +0000

I have been working hard on new material for my new eCourse… all about Self Care, of course this has me thinking, I am doing all “I” can be doing for my own self care….

I think that overall I normally do good, but I do think that I can do better!

Sacred Sanctuary

I have spent a lot of time creating a room just for me! Decorated to create a feeling of peace and calm with tranquil pictures and colours. My vision boards, my books, the ability to close the door and find complete solitude.

Solitude

I have my room and I spend lots of time in there… but I am always “doing”. I am not taking advantage of the fact that I have the space and time to REALLY practice solitude and mediation.

Meditation

I spend 60-90 minutes a day in guided meditation. This is good, but I would like to start using silent meditation to better teach my mind to find peace in the quiet.

Play time

I believe that I am successful at this as well. Although it is not that same as what other people’s idea of play I love working out, I love reading, I love walking at the beach. It might not to typical but it is fun for me.

Super Self Care

So what I wonder if there is a way to “super-size” my self care and if so what would that look like to me??

If you were going take your self care to the next level… what would it be? Love to hear from you over on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/lori.smith

http://www.twitter.com/thepassiondiva

Photo Credit:by gmayster01 ….

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Healing Herbs for Common Conditions

The Passion Diva — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:55:05 +0000

The medicines that we have today are a miraculous gift. Healing is a miraculous gift. The medicines we use came from humble beginnings. Their precursors were herbs and medicinal plants that had served civilizations for thousands of years. Many of these herbs are still in use today.

What do we do when we have a cut, scrape, or a headache? We reach for the medicine cabinet. That is all well and good but some medicinal treatments are not all they are cracked up to be. People have turned back to their roots (no pun intended!) and started using herbs to treat common bodily ailments.

One reason for this reawakening is the lack of side effects on our bodies. Many herbs act like medicines and should be taken carefully, but the ingredients are all natural. We don’t have to be worried about getting blood work done every three months for any evidence of harmful side effects on our system. Most herbs are relatively easy to find and don’t cost as much as brand name medicines.

Healing herbs work with the body and not against it. The effects of the cure may not be immediate but the herbs are effective. We see some of the not so great effects of medicines like antibiotics all over the news. Our body’s invaders are becoming resistant to certain antibiotics because we use them so frequently. This is not great news when you are trying to fight an infection.

Healing herbs can be eaten, placed in a poultice, steeped for tea, ground into powder, or made into a cream. Some herbs are used as they are to speed the body’s healing process. Here are just a few of the more popular ones you may or may not have heard of.

Cinnamon – lowers blood sugar and cholesterol
Ginger – prevents motion sickness and nausea
Turmeric – helps with arthritis pain
St. John’s Wort – creates a stable mood in mildly depressed people
Garlic – lowers blood pressure and risks of some cancers
Red yeast rice – lowers cholesterol

Except for the St. John’s Wort and red yeast rice, we have most of these items on our kitchen shelves. Adding a little to your food each day can assist with these conditions without even causing an upheaval in your routine. Other helpful substances include: apple cider vinegar and Aloe Vera.

All natural herbal formulas are a milder alternative to some mainstream medications. Before using any type of herbs for medicinal purposes consult your doctor. The last thing you want is a drug interaction with something you are currently taking. Treat all herbs as medicines and do your research before beginning an herbal supplement routine in order to get the most from them.

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The Bold Living Guides

The Passion Diva — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:50:50 +0000

My friend and fellow blogger, Barrie Davenport of Live Bold and Bloom, has just released a new set of six guides called The Bold Living Guides.

These Guides cover the most essential areas of personal growth with specificstrategies and simple action steps for creating a better, fuller, and happier life.

I have seen these Guides myself and can tell you without adoubt that they provide hundreds of tips, how to’s and realistic strategies for positive life change. They arebeautifully designed with photos and inspirational quotes.

Here are the topics for The Bold Living Guides

Self-Awarenessand Personal Growth
Passion andPurpose
PositiveChange and Simple Productivity
A HealthyLifestyle for Mind, Body, and Spirit
AmazingRelationships
Professionaland Financial Well-Being

You can purchase the Guides individually or as a complete set. Each Guide has 15 chapters and the total set is 476 pages. They are very reasonably priced– and if your purchase the set, you will geta 15% discount on Barrie’s life-changing course, Discover Your Passion: A Step-by-Step Course forCreating the Life of Your Dreams.

I hope you will check them out nowby clicking here: The Bold Living Guides.

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Life After a Breakup – Searching Within for the Strength to Move On

The Passion Diva — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:06:32 +0000

I don’t often talk about my personal relationships but I am going to share a little today. Over the last six month I have been finding my way through a break up. We had been together for 6 years. I spent a lot of time in the last few months not just analyzing what went wrong but also how my life needed to be different going forward. I spent a lot of time alone and much of it was in deep thought and meditation. I hope that you will benefit from some of my experience…

It’s perfectly understandable if your recent break up is really taking an emotional toll on you. So much negative energy takes center stage in our lives after a break up and it can be very difficult to overcome it.

However, the good news is there are ways to use your inner strength to help in the healing process so you can move on. Of course, it sounds much easier than it is, but what’s important is taking the healing process in stages and only move on to the next stage when you’re absolutely ready.

Reconnect with your inner self and identify the path that will lead you to full recovery:

Find a spiritual connection. One of the most effective ways to develop the strength to heal after a break up is to develop your spirituality. Being spiritual involves becoming in tune with the true desires and needs of your soul. Being spiritual is easiest in nature look at finding a place where you can surround yourself with quiet peaceful nature.

Once you’ve made that connection with your true inner self, you can better see what will give you strength.

Turn to a spiritual guide/leader to help you find the true meaning of your existence.
Read books that help you get in touch with your inner self.
Spend time meditating on what’s really important to you.

Get motivated. A really bad break up can make anybody feel down out of sorts and without direction. However, you must do what you can to motivate yourself to move on. What really motivates you? Look for things that are in different areas of you life that maybe you had put to the back burner before.

Do you feel motivated when you achieve goals that are important to you?
Will successful completions of projects at work or school get your enthusiasm going?
Are you inspired by the success of those closest to you?

Don’t compromise your happiness. If any aspects of your past relationship compromised your happiness, then it wasn’t the right relationship for you. You need to strive for internal happiness, driven by YOU. Remember that you’re a beautiful creation and you’re supposed to be happy. Strive for relationships that fill you with joy.

Accept support from your friends and family. Relying on those who are most important to you is a great way to gain the strength to heal. They can bring you words and deeds of comfort and kind reassurance. And that reassurance will help to convince you that you deserve the chance to move on from this break up and find happiness.

Inner Strength

Searching within yourself for the strength to move on after a break up essentially means identifying what you stand for and what makes you truly happy.

It also means getting to know yourself better so you truly see who you are and can follow your inner desires.

Admittedly, break ups are very hard to deal with, but coming to terms with the fact that the relationship is over is the first hurdle to clear. After that, gathering your inner strength and reflecting on your true desires can make it possible to confidently take the next step of moving on.

Photo Credit By (davide)

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The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success for the Next Generation

The Passion Diva — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:19:24 +0000

Back in May, we originally announced the release of Deepak Chopra’s most creative work to date—The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes—and as it continues to reach a wider audience, we’re proud to help spread the word about this inspiring book.

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes, New York Times bestselling author Deepak Chopra and his son Gotham approach self-help spirituality in a brand new way, with the spirited style and confidence of superheroes as a stunning metaphor.

And at its core is the transcendent wisdom we’ve all come to expect from Chopra.

http://deepakchoprabook.com/superheroes/

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes is that the subject matter presents a fantastic opportunity to introduce life-changing spirituality to a younger audience. For example, at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Dr. Chopra and Gotham were joined by legendary comic book writer Grant Morrison and IGN Entertainment in a thought-provoking discussion about this profound new teaching manual for discovering the superhero within.

Click through the link below, and you can be among the first in the general public to view a video of the panel event at IGN.com.

http://deepakchoprabook.com/superheroes/

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes, Deepak Chopra and his son Gotham give spirituality a hip and modern makeover as they outline the blueprint for a new breed of superhero that YOU can embody to positively transform your life…

explore the boundaries of energy and awareness
better understand yourself
find your strength of character
fuel yourself with courage and determination
discover your true potential
become the hero in your own life!

…and you’ll uncover greater happiness, courage, balance, creativity, compassion and purpose!

http://deepakchoprabook.com/superheroes/

Deepak Chopra is a prolific author of over sixty books, with fourteen bestsellers on mind-body health, quantum mechanics, spirituality, and peace. A global force in the field of human empowerment, his books—both fiction and nonfiction—have been published in more than thirty-five languages. Time magazine heralds Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as “the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.

Find out why in his newest book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes and unleash your greatest potential today!

http://deepakchoprabook.com/superheroes/

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LifeStyle Vision

The Passion Diva — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 05:33:48 +0000

Since I have been reading and studying a lot about “minimalism” lately I wanted to review and update my personal LifeStyle Vision. I wanted to make sure it was really representing what I want from my life “today”.

I started by reading what I had written five years ago when I started down my path of self growth.

Then I read what I had written a couple of months ago

I found a couple interesting things:

many of the ideas that are based on my core values are almost exactly the same
although I have some ideas about what I want to be doing, there is an over riding directive

A quote from my original vision

“Material things are very nice and they are meant to be enjoyed by everyone, but the pursuit of those things is not the main factor in our lives.”

“Real joy comes from a warm hug from a friend, a secret shared between sisters, or an adventure shared by brothers. Real joy comes from the warm satisfying feeling that washes over your body when some one shows their appreciation for your helping heart guiding them to the experience of peace and satisfaction within their lives.”

I feel just as strongly about these thoughts and ideas today as I did 5 years ago.

I look back 20 years ago and think about how I lived my life… I could say that I was poor, uneducated and unlucky… but that is not really true. Even back then before I knew one thing about passions, law of attraction, or yin and yang. I was making decisions that were prioritized by my soul about people and experiences being more important then material things.

These days I understand more, I have experienced a lot and I am still prioritizing people and life experience first.

My over riding directive is to show others the path that I have followed and to make their journey easier.

Do you know your LifeStyle Vision? How closely does it align with your core values? Do you have an over riding directive or purpose?

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I am passionate about my goals.

The Passion Diva — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:25:08 +0000

My passion drives me forward to live the life of my dreams. I know what I want in life and I set goals to get me there. I know that each goal I achieve brings me in union with what I desire. I feel truly invigorated with each success!

Meeting a goal, no matter how big or small, strengthens my confidence and self-esteem. I enjoy these feelings and strive to receive them as often as possible.

Setting and achieving goals is a never-ending circle of positivity that fuels my passion even more. My passion encourages me to persevere over obstacles and it is replenished and increased with every goal I complete.

My passion enables my success. I use tools to ignite and refuel my passion on a daily basis, even when I face challenges that try to smother it.

My tools include affirmations to transform negative thoughts into positive ones, meditation to relax and rejuvenate my energy, and notes and pictures to inspire and remind me of my goals.

Today, I choose to feel inspired by my passions and let the excitement propel me forward to achieve my goals, regardless of any challenges that may arise.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Am I passionate about my goals?
2. Where can I find additional inspiration?
3. What task can I achieve today to fuel my passion and get me back on track toward my goals?

I would love to hear your answers… leave a comment below!

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