A Beautiful Ripple Effect

What You Do Know

Carolyn — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:42 +0000

I am a creature of habit. I crave structure, routine, and certainty. I love to create plans and maps that enable me to align my actions with my intentions and goals. Lately I’ve noticed that I’m feeling adrift in a sea of uncertainty. Hearing myself say “I don’t know” so much leaves me cringing.

My story is changing—the story I wrote so long ago. And the little girl within me doesn’t want to let that story go. Yet, the woman I am today knows that this story no longer fits. It is time to begin rewriting the story, one single step at a time.

I’ve shifted my thoughts from what “I don’t know” to what “I do know.” I created a list titled “What I Do Know” and surprised myself with the security I feel in so many areas of my life. Now, when I begin to focus solely on the unknown, I shift my focus to the wonderful things I do know. It’s a quick and simple way to float along the sea of uncertainty.

Below you can download a simple index card like template to jot down what you DO know. Try it. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your perspective will change!

What I Do Know (PDF Download)

image: type + image

Begin with a Single Step

Carolyn — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:52 +0000

This quote is one of my absolute favorites. It never loses its significance. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or uncertain, choose to bring your focus to your next step. Take a single step and then begin again. As you take single steps forward, your perspective will shift providing a new vantage point from which to assess your journey.

photograph: found on pinterest (pinned by liz schneider) via live creating yourself

p.s. more inspiring quotes

Color Me Happy: Cantaloupe Orange

Carolyn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:54 +0000

The inspiration for this color mood board came from a recent episode of Project Runway. The contestants were challenged to design an outfit influenced by unique gelato flavors. Mondo, one of the contestants, chose cantaloupe gelato and I loved his creation! I hope you enjoy this color board and would love to hear what color is currently inspiring you :).

sources: pen pal stationery kit (halligan smith via design*sponge )|profile print (stephanie corfee via pinterest)|flowing skirt (rustic beauty)|font (ali edwards)|painted print (layla grace)

p.s. more color inspiration

The Courage to Continue: 26 Quotes to Help You Regain Confidence When You Feel Defeated

Carolyn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:00:53 +0000

Do you ever feel as if you’ve hit rock bottom? Maybe you’ve taken a leap of faith and the wings you had hoped would appear on the way down never developed. You followed a calling, listened to a burning passion, and hoped the results would be stunning. You bet on Plan A working, but it didn’t. The results are less than miraculous. You feel defeated. The hardest part of being in this state of defeat is not the public humiliation or the blood, sweat, and tears you fed this calling. Rather, the hardest part of feeling defeated is the difficulty associated with dreaming again.

In order to dream again, really dream—bigger than big dreams, you must believe in yourself—in your ability to make your dreams a reality. There is no easy fail-proof way to regain your self-confidence. However, there are steps you can take to begin to rebuild your self-confidence. The goal is to avoid becoming your worst enemy—criticizing yourself at every time. It’s okay to feel defeated, but it’s not okay to BE defeated.

To rebuild your self-confidence, begin to notice when your inner critic takes the stage. Rather than feed this critic, redirect your attention. Below are quotes I’ve collected to help you with this redirection. Find the words that resonate for you and write them in your journal or bookmark this post to easily find words to focus on when your inner critic vies for your attention. Little actions, such as reading a few quotes, can create large changes in your life. The key is to make these little actions very simple for you to actually do. I hope these quotes provide restorative nourishment as you move forward on your journey.

You may have a fresh start any time you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not in the falling down, but in the staying down. —Mary Pickford

I was inspired to create my own opportunity and not to let others determine what my life could be. —Laura Nelli in Rue Mag (Jan 2012)

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. —Oprah Winfrey

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark. In the hopeless swamp of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours. —Ayn Rand

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. —Elizabeth Kubler Ross

We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. —Martin Luther King

When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen: There will be something solid for you to stand upon, or, you will be taught how to fly. —Patrick Overton

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. —Eleanor Roosevelt

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. —Maya Angelou

Fall seven times, stand up eight. —Japanese proverb

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. —Charles Swindoll

Prosperity is not without many fears and disasters; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes. —Francis Bacon

Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final. —Roger Babson

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. —Herman Melville

Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle. —Christian D. Larson

Mistakes are a natural part of life. We learn by experimenting; mistakes and failure can be important parts of our learning process. Einstein flunked grade-school mathematics. Edison tried over 9,000 kinds of filaments before he found one that would work in a light bulb. Walt Disney went bankrupt five times before he built Disneyland. If we accept setbacks, we can continue to risk, learn, and move on with excitement and satisfaction. —California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility

You are enough. —@happyolks via twitter

This too shall pass. —@aboundlessworld via twitter

The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests. —Epictetus

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. —Robert Frost

The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache. —Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. —Truman Capote

There comes a point when you either embrace who and what you are, or condemn yourself to be miserable all your days. Other people will try to make you miserable; don’t help them by doing the job yourself. —Laurell K. Hamilton

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. —Winston Churchill

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. —Theodore Roosevelt

Just because you fail once doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. —Marilyn Monroe

The past has no power over the present moment. —Eckhart Tolle

What quote resonates for you? Do you have a quote to add to this list?

image: kikki-k

daily quote inspiration (i’m addicted to quotes!): quote art on pinterest + short quotes on twitter (#quote)

To Start Anew

Carolyn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:40:36 +0000

I came across this quote by Georgia O’Keeffe in the latest O Magazine. It is beautifully inspiring.

photograph: joyhey on society6

Color Me Happy: Mint

Carolyn — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Mint green is such a bright and cheerful color. It’s hard not to smile in its presence. I had a lot of fun creating a minty ombre heart design against a natural linen canvas. I may use the ombre hearts for some Valentine’s Day fun as well :). I hope this burst of color brings a little smile to your day. What color is inspiring you lately?

sources: photograph of woman with mint sweater (elle moss on etsy)| arrow card (ashley pahl on etsy) | mint chocolate chip ice cream photo (cindy loughridge on flickr)

more color inspiration: color me happy on pinterest

… a very green giveaway (ends tomorrow evening!)

Reflections on Reverb11

Carolyn — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:57 +0000

After a powerful experience, do you ever find yourself a bit numb—emotionally drained? Do you retreat to the safety of restorative activities that enable you to create some distance between you and the experience? This time for restoration is essential to your ability to digest and process the experience.

During the Reverb11 journey, I noticed that many prompts touched on experiences too close to the surface for analysis. Rather than try to rush the process, I found that I gained clarity by simply noticing that more time was needed. Most importantly, I realized that the act of reflecting does not mean you need to generate grand patterns and interpretations. The act of showing up and reflecting does not need to generate anything new. The experience itself is nourishing.

After a few days away from Reverb11, I spent some time reflecting on the experience. I’ve shared these raw reflections below. Thank you for showing up and sharing this journey with me.

The Good

- My prompt responses brought a new sense of vulnerability to the blog. This vulnerability is scary yet extremely liberating.

- My relationship to comments changed, for the positive. Prior to Reverb11, I was easily let down when a blog post generated very few or no comments. I questioned my content and my identity as a blogger. I was so immersed in writing and interacting with other reverbers that I don’t know which posts generated higher or lower numbers of comments. I love the posts that I created during this time and feel much more comfortable with my role as a blogger. I don’t need a certain number of comments to validate this for me.

- I loved having the Reverb11 Facebook group to vent and connect with others in real time. I definitely want to create a Facebook group for this blog in the near future.

- I responded to all 31 prompts (which I didn’t think I could do). My goal at the beginning was to complete 15 of the 31 prompts. I guess I underestimated myself!

- I loved collaborating with Tiffany on this project. It was so much fun and something I want to do more of in the future.

- 54 people joined the Reverb11 community via the Facebook group (amazing!). This number seemed like the perfect amount. It never felt too crowded and voices never got lost in the mix.

The Not So Good

- The community prompt responses felt scattered. It was difficult to find responses from other reverbers to particular prompts, which I would have loved.

- The linky list disappeared on the reverb11 page on January 1st! Next time, I need to remember to extend the expiration date on the list before the list expires. I was hoping to have the linky list permanently available on the reverb11 page for reference.

- Daily blogging takes a lot of time! I loved journaling my responses to the prompts in my actual journal, but dreaded actually plugging everything in online, editing photos, adding tags, and so on. I would have felt more at ease during the experience if I were able to focus 80% of my time on the creative process and 20% of my time on the administrative process.

- I spent more time online during the holidays rather than offline in restorative mode. I’m happy I noticed this and hope to strike a better balance during reverb12.

The Takeaways

- I am eager to spearhead more community projects.

- Embrace spontaneity. Tiffany and I began this project on December 1st and just went with the flow!

- I surprised myself a lot during the experience (in a good way!). I want to remember this :).

- When a project is meaningful, you don’t focus on the end game the entire time, you are in the moment, immersed in the weeds. This is good. Relish the change in scenery and be sure to notice the beauty within the process.

- Deadlines are helpful and creating personal deadlines illuminate a sense of structure that you crave. But don’t defeat yourself with a deadline. Be flexible if you need a bit more time—especially if you’re enjoying the ride. (I needed an additional 3 weeks to complete reverb11)

- Practice and repetition are very wise teachers.

- I will definitely be hosting reverb12, save the date :).

…

p.s. have you entered the shabby apple giveaway (it is open until fri evening)!

image: pinwheel designs

A Turn in the Pathway

Carolyn — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:38 +0000

This quote is from Christine Mason Miller’s book, Desire to Inspire!

p.s. more inspiring quotes

Less No, More Yes

Carolyn — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:53:13 +0000

I can’t believe today’s post represents the end of Reverb11. The Reverb11 journey has been truly incredible. I hope to spend some time next week reflecting on this experience and share these reflections with you.

Below are my responses to the last two prompts. I used these prompts as a way to pull together some of the major themes from my responses thus far. It was a great way for me to take a step back and see the big take home messages.

Even if you didn’t participate in Reverb11, or maybe started but didn’t finish, I highly recommend exploring these two prompts as a separate exercise.

30. No. What will you say no to in 2012?
31. Yes. What will you say yes to in 2012 that you didn’t say yes to in 2011?

I approached these prompts as one.

NO < YES [the goal: less NO, more YES]

Less No, More Yes

No: Self-defeating language (e.g., I’m not good enough.)
Yes: Compassionate language (e.g., I am good enough.)

No: Should
Yes: Want

No: Comparison and Jealousy
Yes: Connection, Collaboration, and Inspiration

No: Defeat
Yes: Change

No: Quantity
Yes: Quality

No: Restless nights
Yes: Embracing rest and stillness

No: Judgment
Yes: Compassion

No: Avoiding fear
Yes: Minimizing fear through action

No: Clutter
Yes: Space

No: Drain
Yes: Nourish

No: Hibernation
Yes: Exploration

No: Worry
Yes: Curiosity

No: Reactive
Yes: Proactive

No: Playing it safe
Yes: Leaping and Playing BIG

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image: stacey bradley (etsy: perle anne)

p.s. have you entered the shabby apple dress giveaway? love hearing the places you plan to wear the dress!

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What would you like to say less NO and more YES to in 2012?

Giveaway: Shabby Apple Dress

Carolyn — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:00:25 +0000

I had so much fun with today’s giveaway! I was given the daunting task of choosing a dress from the vast selection of gorgeous dresses in the Shabby Apple online store for one of YOU to receive!

I decided to narrow my selection to dresses that would be perfect for spring—day or evening. I was pulled to the dresses that were BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT! I love to wear colorful + cheerful dresses in the spring. After much deliberation, I’ve chosen Mariposa Grove. I am in love with the color and the simple elegance the dress exudes. It looks so easy and comfortable to wear; yet, with the petal details around the neckline, the cap sleeves, and scoop neckline on the front and back, this dress is full of style. It would be perfect for an outdoor wedding, a bridal shower, luncheon, or brunch with friends. Okay, I’m sold!

And for my male readers, this dress would be a wonderful gift for Valentine’s Day!!

Giveaway Details

PRIZE: Shabby Apple’s Mariposa Grove Dress (no exchanges for the winning dress)

TO ENTER: “Like” Shabby Apple on Facebook, then leave a comment below saying: “LIKED!”

BONUS ENTRY: Leave a second comment below with where you would wear this dress!

LOCATION: United States

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday January 27th at 9 PM EST

P.S. If you purchase anything from Shabby Apple within 30 days, enter the code “ripple10off” to receive a 10% off coupon on your order. Just enter the code at checkout!

P.P.S. I did not receive compensation for this giveaway. I just love giving stuff away—especially items that I would love to receive myself :). I live vicariously through my giveaway winners!!

UPDATED WITH WINNER (Sun 1. 29.2012 @ 3:00 PM EST)!!

Congratulations, Susan Harmony!! I will be emailing you soon to receive all of your information!!