January 20, 2006
January 20, 2006 Issue #23
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...
A Permanent Vacation
Movie & Website Recommendation
Beach Retreat is this weekend!
Giggles & Guffaws
Ways to Play Today
Something to Ponder
My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living" ~Henry J. Tillman
~A Permanent Vacation~
Happy New Year!
I hope your holiday season was festive and fun and your 2006 has been smashingly good so far. In honor of the calendar turning, I had planned on writing about how to keep the promises you make. This would have been especially good for me given the fact that this issue is arriving four days after its promised published date. I'm postponing tackling that topic due to the muse wanting to write more about what happened while I was on vacation. It's amazing what three weeks of no clocks, no computer, no phone and an open calendar can do to one's soul and psyche. Read on to discover how you can feel like you're on vacation even when you haven't ventured any further from your own front door.
I've been guilty of doing what many people do when they go on vacation which is to cram in as much as they can see and do during their allotted time off. What usually happens as a result of this kind of frenetic sight-seeing is the person returns from their holiday feeling more stressed and exhausted than before they left. I've felt this way before and I no longer want to experience vacations in this manner. Having recently spent three weeks in New Zealand, I have returned with a new perspective on how to "be on vacation". It's not just the way I want to be whenever I'm on holiday. It's the way I want to live 365 days of the year. I want to continue to be aware of what brings me pleasure and joy and engage in those things. I want to remember what it's like to create every day the way I want to experience it and make that idea a daily practice of mine.
Last night of our recent South Pacific Vacation
Since most Americans only have the standard two weeks' vacation that their employers give them, it's especially important to find ways of feeling like you're on vacation even when you're not. Although it may be easier to feel relaxed and free while you're actually sitting on a beach in a warm, tropical place, you have the means within you to cause the kind of state, mood and/or way of being wherever you are. Taking on this new way of being isn't about escaping your normal "routine". It's about creating what kind of routine you want to have day in and day out. It's about noticing and being grateful for the simple things that bring you happiness. It is ultimately about choosing to be what you want to experience so that no matter what life throws at you (an unexpected bill, a job lay-off, an argument with a loved one, etc.) you are capable of maintaining how you want to feel. You might be saying "Yeah, Lisa this all sounds wonderful, but how in the heck do I go about doing this?" Here are some suggestions that can cause subtle shifts to occur in your thinking and behavior:
5 Ways of Being on Vacation Even When You're Not
1) Know What Makes You Happy -Create a list of what makes your heart swell and your body tingle. Your list could include physical objects, food items, certain activities, people, you name it. If it makes you feel happy, it goes on the list. It's not meant to collect dust. It's meant to be used. How many things on your list do you want to experience today?
2) Begin Your Day Doing Something You Love -Whether it's a cup of coffee, a long hot shower or a smooch from your sweetie, start your morning off with some zoom and some zing. It's the best way to insure you'll continue creating your day the way you want to experience it. Refer back to your list if you momentarily forget what you love due to getting up on the wrong side of the bed.
3) Time Travel -In your mind, you can go anywhere you'd like at anytime. Think about a place you've either been to or would like to visit in the future. Close your eyes, take in a deep breath and imagine yourself there. Remember to sit down first if you've decided to venture off to a theme park and ride the scariest rollercoaster.
4) Create A Vacation-Like Space -Adorn an office wall with paintings or pictures of your favorite places. Add fresh flowers to your dining room table if they remind you of your trip to Hawaii. Design a specific place within your home or workspace that fosters favorable feelings.
5) Do A Gratitude Check -Any time you feel the cranky curmudgeon coming on, take a moment to be grateful for all that is your life. Cultivating a sense of grace every day will help you be whatever you want to experience. If you can't think of a darn thing, even the best vacation in the world won't help you feel better.
You can be a vacation-lover and savor the time you spend away from home and work, but don't be fooled by thinking the only way you can experience those yummy feelings are when you're not in your normal surroundings. Taking vacations to far-away places (especially warm sunny ones) are good, but living life as though every day were a vacation is even better. Remember... you can always go within and get what you need without going anywhere.
Check it Out
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
Monday 9am Every Monday, a guy named Nic Askew posts a short, inspirational film he's made onto this website. The films' focus is to have you consider what you want for yourself and your life and does this wonderfully by interviewing extraordinary people who share their passion and personal insights. While sweet instrumental music plays in the background, the viewer gets a dose of entertainment and enlightenment. As the occasional deep question scrolls across the screen and you ponder your answer, you might find yourself thinking that Mondays aren't so bad after all and your life is pretty darn grand.
"Brokeback Mountain" - The Movie
With four Golden Globe awards and glowing accolades from the media, this movie is one you don't want to miss on the big screen. It is the touching tale of two men who fall in love with each other one summer and the struggles they endure during their lives as they try to live separate from one another. Perhaps this isn't the kind of film you'd normally watch on a Saturday night, but that's all the more reason to go and see it. Had the story been about a man and woman, it might seem as though you'd seen a movie just like it many times before. It was brilliant because the relationship was between two men and most mainstream studios don't have the guts to produce a quality movie that explores relationships outside the typical male/female leads we usually see. Beautifully acted, directed and filmed, "Brokeback" never makes you squirm in your seat. What it will do instead is make your heart knock hard as you realize how often and to what great lengths we will go to stifle our true feelings so that we don't get hurt or we don't appear different or unusual to others. It will remind you of love had and love lost. You'll remember how truly fragile we are as human beings and any movie that does that is one that should be seen.
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
I began the New Year with sunshine on my shoulders, a huge grin on my face and a clear understanding of what really matters in my life. Having recently returned from spending three weeks in New Zealand, I am rejuvenated, relaxed and raring to go. Although the transition back to wintertime has been challenging, I'm happy to be home because the beach retreat I've been planning and promoting the last few months is this weekend. I'm excited to see what's going to happen when fourteen women come together and spend time inspiring and acknowledging each other. It's gonna be fun! I'll share some of the highlights of the event next month so you can see if one of the retreats I'll be offering this year is something you'd like to attend. I'm keeping busy with developing content for Cannon Beach Retreats, writing my book and recommitting to my blog by signing up for a year's subscription with Typepad. If you're looking how to keep your writing muse in use, having (and paying) for a blog is a good way to go.
Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
Ways to Play Today
Why not...sing?
Perhaps you're not the next American Idol. Perhaps you can't even carry a tune. No matter. Burst into song outside of the shower or your car and listen to that beautiful voice of yours. Choose a childhood lullaby, your favorite radio tune or make one up and sing away. Venture into a karaoke bar for the first time. Sing in front of friends. Delight strangers as you hum while standing in line at the grocery store. A recording contract probably won't land on your doorstep, but there's a good chance you'll feel better for unleashing the sounds only you can make.
Why not...stop wearing your watch?
As human beings, we're consumed by the concept of time. We work certain hours. We get up and go to bed according to what the clock says rather than how our bodies feel. How about this one? Whether or not we're hungry, we'll eat if the clock says noon. I'm not suggesting you show up to work whenever you feel like it or stay up late if you have an early morning meeting, but I am encouraging you to become more aware of how time might be running your life. Is it making the most out of you or you making the most out of it? Give up wearing your watch for a week and notice how you feel. No need to worry if you need to know what time it is. You're sure to find plenty of people who will tell you.
Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
What’s the best part of being on vacation?
How could you experience more of what you want everyday?
Care to share what these questions stir up in you? Need some support around how to feel like you're on vacation even when you're not?
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 how you want to experience your life every day and then create that feeling for yourself. Be well, be happy and play more.
See you on February 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