I love the Oscars. And I love red carpets.
And even though I didn’t watch the Oscars live – there’s plenty of videos and red carpet pics on the interwebs to indulge in, which – of course – I’ve been doing diligently over the past couple of days! :)
And of course there’s the one pic that I couldn’t have missed even if I would have been hiding in a cave – the world’s most famous and truly fantastic selfie that everyone must have seen by now…
So, tell me, do you know who that guy is to the right?
Well, I didn’t either and it appears to be the adorable Lupita Nyong’o's younger brother who flamboyantly photobombed the big stars’ selfie. So cool, right?
As I was watching the the day after interview Ellen DeGeneres did with Lupita (it’s right here and just watching it makes you happy – Lupita’s spontaneous laughter and charm are so infectious!), she casually said something like ‘oh, he’s living life like an exclamation point!’.
And ain’t that so beautiful – living life like an exclamation point?
I think that’s just brilliant.
Photo from here.
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Ooooh, for a few weeks now I’ve not been posting my weekly perfection busting poems with the precision of a Swiss watch 
I missed a couple of dates. And I re-posted a poem I wrote earlier on the Kind Over Matter blog.
And that most definitely was not the plan!
But lots of other stuff got in the way and before I knew it, another week passed without writing a poem.
And that got me thinking about what I want the fresh year to be. And what I want to make room and space for in the brand new year.
I’ve got lots of exciting ideas about where I wanna take this little Own Your Life space next. I’ve got lots of cool ideas for creating super hands-on and useful things to help you create a life that feels fulfilling and simply good – both on the outside and the inside.
And… I’ve got 24hrs in a day just like anybody else!
And that – of course – means that I need to make choices on how to spend those precious 24hrs a day.
And that brings me to a big decision – an oh my, what am I doing scary and can’t wait to see what happens exciting one…
I’m taking a sabbatical!
From now till September 1st, I’ll be taking a sabbatical from my (self-imposed) rhythm of writing one poem a week.
(I’m still doing my coaching/mentoring gig though – so if you need help and support to create more feel good in your life, I’m still there for you. All details are right here.)
And I’m declaring my blog my No Rules Anything Goes Playground!
From now till September 1st, I’ll be hopping on the blog on the oddest of times (no fixed timeframe, no fixed scheme!) to share whatever feels inspiring to share in that moment. A quote I bumped into. A musing. A video that got me all goosebumped. The occassional poem that popped up. Or just a picture of what I’m up to. Or maybe … who knows what might pop up?
I don’t know what the blog will look like. I don’t know where the blog will take me.
And exactly that feels so exciting. The freedom to just have fun with it, regardless of the outcome. The freedom to just play with it, without a bigger plan or a pre-planned result I’m aiming at. But just doing whatever feels right in that moment.
Last week, I wrote a little something that sums up what I want 2014 to be. And a No Rules Anything Goes blog seems like a perfect start!
Free-wheel.
Simplify.
No rules.
Playful trust.
Frivolous ease.
Gutsy me.
(Always fresh beginnings.)
Is there a portion of your life that you could declare your playground too?
The way you dress? The things you cook up in the kitchen? That project you’ve embarked on?
Take the plunge and declare it your playground to. With playful trust. Frivolous ease. No rules. Just gutsy you. And an abundance of fresh beginnings.
Here’s to exciting, playful, life-changing times!
Big hugs,
An
Photo from here.
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Free-wheel.
Simplify.
No rules.
Playful trust.
Frivolous ease.
Gutsy me.
(Always fresh beginnings.)
This post was inspired by this fun 10-word plan for the new year from the always glittery gorgeous Alexandra Franzen. (Hop on over to her blog – you won’t regret it.)
(And come up with your own 10-word plan – you won’t regret that either!)
Photo from here.
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I should have known.
I should have done this.
I should have said that.
Looking back and hindsight
hold all the answers
we were craving
when we made the call
to do what we shouldn’t have done
and say what we shouldn’t have said.
Looking back and hindsight
are inviting us to fight a fight
with should have‘s we can never win.
Looking back and hindsight
are unfair voices
subtly making us feel lacking and wrong
for not knowing what we couldn’t have known
as we don’t have a crystal ball
to predict the outcome before the facts.
Looking back and hindsight
feed on keeping us stuck in looking in the rearview mirror
imagining the success stories that could have been
but fall quiet as we decide
to look forward
to what we can do and say now
because looking back and hindsight
can’t predict the future
any more than we can.
Photo from here.
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Sometimes you’ve got that great idea.
The story you wanna tell.
The book you wanna write.
The painting class you wanna take.
The career change you wanna make.
The new venture you wanna embark on.
You get all excited.
And then you ditch the idea.
Because they won’t like it.
They won’t approve.
They won’t understand.
They’ll think you’re just wasting your time.
They’ll think you’ve gone crazy.
And so you drop the idea.
And go back to “normal”.
But the thing is that when you venture out
to do your thing in the world,
there will be people that won’t like it.
That won’t approve.
That won’t understand.
That think you’re wasting your time.
That think you’re crazy.
And that’s fine.
Because there will be people
that love what you do.
That get it and relate to it.
That ask for more.
That need what you do.
That need who you are.
So next time you’re on the verge of
dropping your dream and shelving your self,
because of the haters,
take a deep breath and know that
you need to be you
so that others
can love you and what you do.
Wishing you a soul-filling
you-abundant
joyful 2014!
Psssst: This poem was published originally on
Kind Over Matter on August 22, 2013 as “When we fear their harsh words.”
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Photo from here.
1. How do you wanna feel on a typical day?
2. What do you believe about yourself and your life that makes you feel that way? (Practise those thoughts.)
3. Imagine you feeling that way (envelop yourself in that feeling, right now, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes). Being wonderfully immersed in that feeling, how would you look at yourself and your life? (Practise those thoughts too.)
4. What books, quotes, people, blogs, … ooze those beliefs and inspire and energize you? (Collect those inspiration boosters in your very own inspiration jar and take a big gulp each day – whether you feel like you need it or not.)
5. What are the things that you do that make you feel “in sync” with yourself? How can you do just a little more of those on a typical day?
6. What are the things that drain you? How can you do just a little less of those on a typical day?
7. What do you find yourself fascinated by or attracted to (even though it doesn’t seem to make sense, even though you feel resistant about it)? (Often our fascination points us to something we need to bring into our lives. But don’t be fooled by appearances – a fascination for cooking doesn’t mean you need to start your own restaurant, but might point to a craving for deeper friendships as your mind associates dinner parties with the warmth of blossoming friendships. )
8. What exactly about those things is so fascinating? And how can you bring more of that into your life? (Is it the creativity in the kitchen or the need for friendship or the desire to live more healthy or the can-do attitude of the kitchen queen you admire? What little thing can you do to bring more of that creativity or friendship or health or can-do attitude into your own life?)
9. What achievement would make your heart sing and soul soar? Why?
10. How do you think you’d feel once you achieved that? (Set that feeling as your intention for the journey.)
11. How will you deal with obstacles and setbacks during the upcoming year?
12. What books, quotes, people, blogs, … will help you when you fail or when you find yourself being judged by others? (Create your very own pool of wisdom that you can dip into whenever things don’t go as expected or hoped for.)
13. How will you celebrate the effort you put in? (Make a list. But above all, make sure you take the time to celebrate even the smallest step you take – regardless of the result.)
14. How will you take ridiculously good care of yourself? (Don’t save on this – it’s vital.)
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Photo from here.
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