February 21, 2006
February 20, 2006 Issue #24
Welcome to the newsletter where playing more and stressing less is taken seriously. It's written with the intention to support you in living a life with more passion and play and less worry and work.
IN THIS ISSUE...
Change Will Do You Good
Two Website Recommendations
Spring Beach Retreat is on!
Giggles & Guffaws
Ways to Play Today:
Feed the Ducks
Be an Interior Decorator
Something to Ponder:
Making a Change
"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become." ~Anonymous
My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
~Change Will Do You Good~
It's been a little over two years since I met the love of my life and my entire world changed. Did my life change as a result of meeting him? Absolutely, but did it also change because I wanted it to? Yes, again. I had to be willing to surrender my sense of safety and comfort in order to open up my heart to the kind of man I'd always dreamed about. It wasn't always easy making changes, but knowing who I've become since then, I'd give up who I was all over again. What would your life be like if you surrendered who you are now for who you could become?
While having lunch with a friend this afternoon, I asked her this question:
"What motivates people to change?" There were a variety of answers she shared, but there was one thing she said that stuck with me which was, "We are motivated to change because we’re fed up and frustrated with the status quo." I couldn't agree with her more, but I would also like to think we are motivated to change when things are going pretty good, but we envision something even better.
Ahh...the love of my life.
If you were to make a list of what motivates you to make changes, there's a darn good chance that most of what you write down will appear to have a negative slant to it. For example, you no longer want to be in the romantic relationship you're in and you're motivated to get out because...well, let's just say you're fed up and frustrated with the status quo. (Please feel free to substitute the relationship scenario with whatever is going on in your life right now and how you currently feel.) How would it be if you were to reframe your desire to make changes in a more positive light?
If we were to restate our romantic relationship scenario, you wouldn't be motivated because you're frustrated and fed up, you'd be motivated by the kind of relationship you've always envisioned yourself having. This is where making changes gets rather exciting. You name exactly what you want in the most appealing way and you will then attract all those yummy reasons (such as more romance, more fun, more joy, etc.) when THEY become your main motivators not the negative ones (less stress, less worry, less upset). See the difference?
Think about an area of your life where you want to make a change in and then fill in what are the positive reasons (and results) you'll have when you make the change.
Your 5 Main Motivators For Making A Change
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
If change is the one constant we can count on, why are we so resistant to something that's inevitable? Understandably, there are some changes that occur that we're not prepared for and are tragic, but those changes have just as much potential to be reframed more positively as are the ones we feel we're in control of making. Despite how change might appear, it's all good, really. Really, it's all good.
Check it Out
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
Playful Spirit After a little over two years of being introduced on the internet, my website has recently undergone a complete redesign and rewrite. I'd love to hear what you think of its new look and feel. Why the change? I thought what I created awhile back was pretty good, but there was something more. It no longer looked the way I wanted it to look or said what I wanted it to say and I knew I could make it better. It needed to change because I've changed. As I become more technology-savvy, I want to build a site that doesn't just exist, but excels. What I mean by that is I want to reach more people and know that Playful Spirit is helping them make a difference in their lives. So it's important they're able to find my website when they're searching online for ways to play more and stress less. If I build it, will they come? With your help, I know they will. Please forward my newsletter to a few of your friends and encourage them to subscribe. It's good to share things that are fun and free.
Hoops and YoYo I discovered this website on Valentines' Day while sending e-cards out to a few folks. Affiliated with Hallmark Cards, Hoops and YoYo are two cartoon characters that are funny because they’re so darn silly. They're somewhat reminiscent of Ren and Stimpy, but they're a lot cuter and their humor is cleaner. Be sure to check out their ecards, choose the "Anytime" selection and then the card that says "Hey". Sit back and have yourself a good giggle and then send it out to a few of your friends. I recommend visiting the site anytime you're having a bad day. It'll provide you immediate cheer.
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
Whooheee! Since my last newsletter, all kinds of things have been going on in my world. In addition to making some serious changes to my Playful Spirit website, I’ve been getting ready to launch Cannon Beach Retreats. Speaking of retreats, the women's weekend at the beach in January was a huge success. Lots of learning, laughter and fun was had by all. If a personal time out sounds like something you'd like to do this Spring, click here to find out more information about the next retreat which will be the weekend of April 21-23. Space will be limited again to fifteen women so don't delay if you want to play and be a part of this next beach retreat. My new blog will be debuting on my website soon as well as an RSS feed, which will let you know anytime something's going on at Playful Spirit if you subscribe to it. You won't want to miss hearing how what I'm up to next will impact you and your world. Stay tuned.
Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
Ways to Play Today
Why not...feed the ducks?
The next time you find yourself staring at moldy bread in your kitchen don't chuck it in the garbage can. Take your burgeoning science project and go visit the nearest lake, pond or other water venue where wildlife congregate. That green goo in the plastic bag is bound to provide you a few good laughs as you watch how you've just made a duck's day. A word of warning to those venturing to the beach to feed the seagulls...these birds have built-in "Bread Radar" so make sure you bring an extra loaf or two.
Why not...play interior decorator and change a room around?
Take a look around your home. What living area of yours could use a bit more color, a bit more spark? Rather than buying new furniture, create a more lively and livable space by using the stuff you already have. Move the couch. Paint a wall. Add some fresh flowers or a candy dish to a table. Maybe you'll realize in the midst of making changes that it's not about adding something in, but taking something out. It might be time to let that fuzzy black-light poster or bright orange carpet of yours go. Remember as you're purging your past relics that change is good.
Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
What change do you want to make that you've been putting off making?
What do you need in order to make that change happen?
Care to share what these questions stir up in you? Need some support around how to reframe the changes you want to make in your life in a more upbeat way?
Send me an e-mail.
I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.
If you want to find out more about the work I do as a facilitator, writer and coach check out Playful Spirit Make sure you come back and visit every so often as you never know what kind of resources and fun stuff I'll be playing around with and adding to the website.
Thanks for reading this issue of Lighten Up! If you enjoyed it, please pass it along to your friends, your family, your co-workers...You get the idea. Until next month, consider what changes you want to make in your life and think about who you'll become as a result of making those changes. Be well, be happy and play more.
See you on March 20th!
Lisa
~Playful Spirit's mission is to empower women to acknowledge and express their unique gifts in the world. We help people rediscover their passion, purpose & sense of play.~
lisa@playful-spirit.com www.playful-spirit.com