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By Jackie White  The hustle and bustle of everyday life and the busyness of busy can encompass you to a point where you feel you are living in constant chaos. It's draining. It’s unfulfilling. It’s exhausting. So why do so many of us still do it? Maybe it’s now a bad habit? You have become so entrenched in the stickiness of it all that you don’t know where to start to end the chasing of each day. Today, I want you to stop in the name of self-love and make the choice that you will stop allowing your busyness to take over your life.
How Will You Experience Life? Start fresh with a new point of view. Each day you are given 24 hours to experience life. How you experience life has a lot to do with how you manage yourself. When you allow appointments, errands, favors, work, and/or social media to take up your gift of time, you are creating a negative and stressful experience. You in effect, have prioritized all of those things over that which likely you would deem the important stuff in life. Stuff like relationships, love, fun, joy, happiness, and YOU! Stop the Insanity! To stop the craziness and step off the hamster wheel, you need to give yourself a moment of peace to decide how you want to spend your time each day. It all begins with a slice of time you give yourself to clear your mind and think about what’s really important. Take a moment right now to schedule an hour with yourself to have a frank discussion with yourself on what is really important. This time needs to be uninterrupted, so set it aside with the parameters that someone else is watching the kids, the phone is put away and so are other distractions. Where DOES the Time Go? This is a great time of the year to do this because you can see what has been taking up your precious time. You can ascertain if what you are focusing on is what you really want to focus on. In order to be real about how you spend your time, you need to track your time. I know that sounds like a pain, but if you even track for a day or two, it will become apparent what’s going on. Pay attention to how and what you are spending time on for yourself. One Beer, Two Beers, Twelve Beers You get your head around how much time you are actually online. It’s sort of like a drunk who says they only had two beers when in reality it was 12 beers. We undercut how much time we are letting be sucked from our lives into our screens. So, if you are going to turn this around, you have to accurately account for all the things. Another miscalculation many make is they overestimate how much they actually are working. So, keep yourself honest. What Really Are Your Priorities? Take time to decide what is really important in your life. Are you spending quality time with the kids? Is your spouse taking a backseat? Are you volunteering for others and can’t find time for yourself? This needs saying even though it might seem obvious, um, YOU are a priority too! It’s All In Your Mind As for the current situation, 2020 was a big crap sandwich, so let’s realize that as we turn the calendar, the world isn’t going to magically be better, ah, but we can be. That starts with your mindset. Making decisions to be happy, positive, productive, intentional, and mindful are decisions you should make. Importantly, you also need to be a self-advocate. That means, you count too and you deserve to be a priority. All of these things will have a huge impact on how you experience life daily. Choose wisely. Set Your Intentions Once you have tracked your time at least for a day or so, and you have set your mind straight about what it takes to have the best life experience, it is now time for your re-imagined life to start. Begin with the priorities, schedule them in, but remember you are a default priority, so get yourself on that list too. The Life of Your Dreams The life of your dreams can be yours if you slow down and take some time to assess, refocus, and choose to be intentional with your time. Choose to get yourself on the list because you can hardly have a happy life experience if you don’t start with loving yourself. Shine on!
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By Jackie White  It’s a new year and it is a time when many of us are making resolutions to become better. One way to get at this is maybe looking at things a little bit differently. What I am talking about is intentionally developing your own personal brand. That doesn’t mean you are selling something rather you are becoming the person you really want to be. Personal Brand: The definition of a personal brand is a widely recognized and largely-uniform perception or impression of an individual based on their experience, expertise, competencies, actions, and/or achievements within a community, industry, or the marketplace at large. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, this is about how you are doing your living. That’s a key difference. Your personal brand is how you present yourself to the world from the inside out. It’s not just about superficial presentation, it’s the frame that defines who you are. This frame is defined by certain parameters you set. Defining a personal brand is for everyone. If you are a stay-at-home mom or employed outside the home, everyone should think about their personal brand. Parameters to Utilize When Crafting Your Personal Brand Your Core Values: When defining your personal brand, a great place to begin is with the foundation of your core values. Core values are values we hold that form the foundation on which we conduct ourselves. The core values are the basic elements and practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do. For more on core values go to www.FindYourSoulShine.com/Resources Your Why: Another important part of your personal brand is the vision you have for yourself. That vision should be aligned to your “Why”. Your “Why” is what internally motivates you to do what you do. It’s the thing you are excited about and it’s the thing you are emotionally linked to deep down inside. For more on your” Why” Go to www.FindYourSoulShine.com/Resources Look to Others for Inspiration: A great way to define your personal brand is to look to others. Are there people you are drawn to because of the way they present themselves? Do you admire certain characteristics or traits in others that you’d like to emulate, then incorporate those into who you want to be. Being Intentional: When you are intentional with how you move in the world, you are using your time wisely, you are being true to yourself and you are accomplishing those things that are important to you. It’s important to know who you are and what you stand for. The old saying goes, if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. Tightening up what you are about makes doing life so much easier because you have defined the kind of person you are and what you will and will not tolerate. Put It All Together: When you put together all the parameters, you have described the kind of person you want to be. You may have some of the elements to your brand already down, but others are aspirational. That’s ok because we are ever-evolving and need to reach for more. Bumper Sticker It: Just for fun, what would your bumper sticker say about you? Would it say: You are following a fun and creative, get-er-done kind of person! or You are following a lackluster ball dropper that accomplishes little in life.  Follow Through:
You can put all this together in a nice package with a bow, but if you do not live by the words, they mean nothing. Take action and live out your personal brand so that when others think of you, they are sure to know just who you are. This year, kick it off right, be intentional and bring your personal brand to life. Shine On! By Erika Fehrenbach  Have you ever heard of or read the hilarious children’s book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt? It’s one of those books that entertains adults as much as kids. Without giving too much away, this kid’s crayons all decide to quit for one justified excuse, I mean reason, or another. Why in the world am I bringing this up? Well, three days from now on January 21 is the average day that people quit their New Year’s goals and resolutions. 3 weeks into the year...donesies. Not this year, DreamChaser, not this year! Quitting was sooooo 2020...knocking it out of the park is what 2021 is going to be about. If you haven’t noticed yet, your SoulShine Life Connections Inspiration Catalysts have been hitting at some of the big topics to help you on your journey to your best life. Today is no exception...it’s time to get down to basics, the very foundation of getting those goals and dreams, of finding that purpose, of living your fun, inspired, intentional, best life! Ready? I thought so! I am alluding to none other than core values, DreamChaser. Core values are your fundamental beliefs - the guiding principles that dictate your behaviors. They help you make sense of the world and your place in it. Core values are your highest priorities, your most deeply held beliefs, the fundamental driving force behind everything in your life.  Deep, I know. That’s why they are called core values...they are the essence of you! That is also why it’s so incredibly important to know what these are. Core values are the foundation of EVERYTHING you dream, wish, hope, and go for. If you want to find your purpose in life or really get that life you have dreamed about f-o-r-e-v-e-r, the first stop is uncovering your core values. I’m going to be real here; skipping this step sets you up for a cycle of continued failure. Seriously, they are that crucial to this best life, goal getting, dreamchasing process. Before you get worried this is going to take a long time, we got you! We are going to walk you through a strategy to uncover your top 4 core values. Why 4, you ask? Because you are building your table! Let me explain. I find having an image to visualize is very helpful to make these abstract concepts more concrete. Imagine a table. How many legs does that table have? 4, right? This makes it nice and sturdy so that it can stand up to forces and do its job. If you take away a leg on the table, what happens? It becomes tippy and everything on top comes crashing down! Our objective today is to find your top 4 core values to build you a solid table, or foundation, that you can then build your vision, purpose, and goals on top of. Once you have this solid core value foundation, these other pieces start to fall into place. Let’s get to work!  SoulShine Build Your Core Value Foundation Strategy: Step 1: Quiet Reflection Find a quiet place to do this exercise. It’s nearly impossible to concentrate and focus amid the chaos of life. Start to get your mindset into discovery mode by considering these questions. You may want a journal handy to jot down what comes to mind. -What brings you joy? -What can’t you live without in your life? -What gives meaning to your life? -What drives you? -What do you want to achieve? This line of questioning often will start uncovering your core values. These also illustrate how core values are the glue that holds your vision, purpose, and goals together! Step 2: Uncover Your Core Values Rather than searching for core values or trying to come up with the right words, we want to make it easy, peasy, lemon squeezy for you. We have compiled a list of core values for you here --> https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/v84aAjV/corevalueslist Download and print this off. Simply go through the list and start crossing off the words that do not resonate with you. This will be easy at first and get progressively harder. Once you get down to 10, the real work begins. Really look at these remaining words, perhaps look at their actual definitions. Reflect on what they really mean and how they show up in your life. Continue cutting words until you have the 4 you could not live without. If you get stuck, take a break to process and gain clarity. As an aside, try not to be upset that a word is being removed; this does not mean it isn’t important to you or doesn’t have a place in your life. It just means it isn’t the core of what makes you, you! Step 3: Take Them With You Phew...you narrowed it down to your 4 core values. The more you can keep these top of mind, the better you can continue to align your vision, life purpose, and goals with them. Download this image below. Using your favorite image editing app, add 1 of your core values to each of the table legs. Save to your phone. Now, you have this visual reminder with you all the time  Good job on uncovering your core values! This is a huge step on your goal-getting journey, DreamChaser. Take a moment to celebrate this win! With your core values foundation in place, your table is solid and ready to support your vision, purpose, and goals.
As always, shine on! By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Sometimes you learn valuable life skills in unexpected places; life skills that you had no idea were going to be so valuable. With Lucy being 7 and 10 years younger than her siblings, I have felt like a first time parent in many ways, well, first time parent combined with the chill “it’ll be fine” attitude of a third time parent. It’s like, I don’t know what I’m doing but figure it’ll work out. Now that we are full-on in the 2 year-old toddler phase, however, I don’t know if I forgot EVERYTHING or Lucy is just more dramatic than her brothers. Holy mood swings, Batman! We go from belly laughing to tantrum to dancing like a maniac in a matter of seconds. It was during a particularly rollercoastery day of emotional ups and downs that I had an epiphany. This was exactly like handling my over-served, drunk roommates in college. I had no idea the important practice for a future life skill I was building back then. For your enjoyment, I recorded my observations and interactions with Lucy right before lunch and nap time. A hangry and tired toddler exhibits drunk roommate behavior even more stellarly.  Without further ado, here are 10 ways that my toddler reminds me of my drunk college roommate:
#10: I’ll do it myself but then get mad when they can’t perform the action. Do not make the mistake of helping, however, until asked for uncontrollable sobbing may occur... #9: Says no to everything but then helps themselves to all the things. Water? No. Gets water. Snack? NO! Grabs crackers off the pantry shelf. Want me to pick you up? NOOO! Then, performs a vice-like death grip on your legs, preventing any movement… #8: Wanders aimlessly from room to room while constantly, but incoherently, babbling their stream of consciousness… #7: Breaks into spontaneous dancing, sometimes music playing or just the soundtrack of their mind… #6: Suddenly is found eating something, however, their snack bowl is empty. Hmmmm...suspicious. What are you eating and where did you find it? Response...blank stare and pause in chewing with refusal to make eye contact… #5: Requires constant supervision to prevent injury as the need to climb on counters as well as stand on coffee tables in an uncontrollable urge… #4: Grabs things that they aren’t supposed to have then take off running as fast as they can in the opposite direction from you with the contraband item...come back here!!! #3: Hides contraband item, then immediately can’t recall where they put it...gone forever…sigh... #2: At the moment you are at your wits end, they snuggle in your shoulder and whisper “love you”... #1: Though insisting they are NOT tired, they immediately pass out cold, face down with their butt in the air the second their head comes close to a mattress… See what I mean? Toddlers are exactly like drunk college roommates! I had no idea that I was building a valuable life skill during that time. Want one more? Upon awakening, is VERY offended and angry at the BRIGHT LIGHT hitting their sensitive eyes when the shade is opened. I get you; the wake up after a rockstar performance is rough! By the way, I may have also BEEN the drunk roommate once or twice; you’re welcome, sweet roommates, for the life lesson! It just goes to show, DreamChaser, that every life experience is a life lesson in the making or fodder for a story to tell...or, in this case, both! Shine on! Jackie White  What if I told you that there is only one way to find fulfillment and happiness in life? It’s true. There is only one true way to finally find contentment and meaning and that is by asking why. The concept of starting with why is attributed to Simon Sinek and his research on why companies excel over others. His books “Start with Why” and “Finding Your Why” are hinged on the concept that human behavior is best fueled by drilling down to what drives you internally. Now, hold on a sec, this might seem like a big concept, but we can drill this down very simply to three words. What, How, and Why. The What: The “What” is what you do. It’s how you spend your time. It’s what you do for a living. It’s what people see you do. The “What” is simply the explanation of what we do every day. For example, a hairdresser might say “I cut people’s hair”. The How: The How is how you are doing the “What”. The “How” explains, how you do your job. Again, a hairdresser might say “I work at a salon and cut people’s hair”. The Why: This is the goose that lays the golden egg. The “Why” is what internally motivates you to do what you do. The “Why” is the key driver, and it explains why we do what we do. Let’s go back to the hairdresser example. The hairdresser’s "”Why” may be articulated like this: “I cut hair because I love making people feel good about themselves by helping them look good”. Ultimately, the “Why” is the feeling you have attached to what you do. In other words, what you strongly believe about something’s importance.  Emotion is the Force of Life The “Why” is all about emotion. Emotions are processed in your brain within the structures of your limbic system. The limbic system is linked to motivation, rewards and learning. Therefore, when you feel strongly about something, it automatically fuels behavior and motivation. That is why it is so important to uncover that thing that gets you excited about life. When you are motivated this way, the things you feel strongly about do not feel like work. They feel more like a passion or purpose. Emotion is really the force of life. It’s Just Something I Have to Do Your “Why” can feel like it is a pull coming from your heart and soul. That is true. There is a heart and brain coherence that translates your “Why” into a belief that is strongly felt versus a logical communication. Your “Why” is something you feel deeply connected to. It is something you would do in your spare time and would do it for free. Time seems to fly when you are working in the zone of your “Why”. It is a pull that might feel like something you just have to do. It is powerful and that is why it is so important to figure out what is your Why”. What is My Why?
 If you don’t do any other personal development in life, take the time to figure out what your “Why” is. It will wrap your life in a bow and make it feel like you have finally figured out this thing called happiness can be easily found. It will be the time well spent to do some introspection and find out what makes you tick.
Shine On! By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Alright, confession time, DreamChaser. I am not a fan of resolutions. I would go so far as to say hate, except that I intentionally avoid using that super negative word. With all the goal getting and dream planning and embracing personal growth, this seems the opposite of all that I believe. Nevertheless, it is true. I think my disdain, not hate, for resolutions is two fold. One, resolutions seem so dramatic, an over-the-top-declaration. The other is after this declaration, rarely have I had good follow through. For these reasons, I have always preferred and subscribed to the idea of goals with specific steps to take over resolutions. You can have your resolutions, I’ll stick with my goals, thank you very much. This leads me to my next confession. Turns out, I have had it all wrong about resolutions. Phew, it is a bitter pill to swallow for a recovering know-it-all to admit they were wrong. Just kidding...it wasn’t hard or bitter; growing your mindset is part of becoming better. You see, since I had written off the idea of resolutions as not my cup of tea, I never dove into exploring more behind the idea of them. I just embraced goals and moved on, which isn’t a bad thing other than closing the door to new ideas that might improve this process. I had a this or that mentality, either resolutions or goals, and I chose goals. Ever hear that the teacher appears when the student is ready? That was what happened to me recently to open my mind to how to use resolutions AND goals in my life  I was listening to “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin, because, well, it seemed like a good book to bring more joy and happiness into my 2020 personal growth book list. The idea behind her book and personal happiness project was to spend one year taking intentional action to bring more happiness into her life by focusing on specific areas each month. She made a list of resolutions and goals to map out her plan of action to keep on track.
I honestly didn’t think much about the fact that she had resolutions AND goals until the end of the book where she actually talks about her take on what makes them different. My mindset shift happened with Rubin’s explanation that resolutions serve the purpose of being things that we will strive to bring into our lives but do not have a final destination, like your big vision, whereas a goal has a finite end point with specific steps and milestones along the way. Resolutions and goals, in fact, go together, versus one or the other. Your goals are often pit stops on the journey of your resolutions. An example may help clear this up. A popular New Year’s resolution is to become healthier. If you think of it, becoming healthier is something that never has an end, right? Even if you have goals to hit like losing a certain amount of weight or training for a 5K, your quest will continue with eating well and exercising even after you hit that initial goal. That’s how resolutions and goals work together. Your resolutions are your big vision, and goals are your steps on your path to get there. Here is my plan for fitting resolutions into my goal getting and dream chasing strategy. Resolutions will serve as my vision, the big things I want in my life that will not change, like becoming my healthiest self and continuing to be a lifelong learner. Under each resolution, I will align goals that contribute to that vision, like exercising 30 minutes per day and reading 2 books per month. Goals can be further broken down into smaller steps, if needed. Doesn’t that just fit together nicely?!? Seriously, my mind was blown with this revelation, and now I’m like, dude, resolutions...where have you been all my life? (As resolutions throw their hands up in the air and are like, really? Really?!?) Here are 5 key takeaways I don’t want you to miss in this confession…
I’m ready for some serious goal-slaying in 2021...who’s with me? Let’s Shine On together! By Jackie White  Hello to the New Year! We have been anxiously looking forward to turning the page on last year! Now that we have been so excited to get out of 2020, I am going to ask you one simple question: What’s going to be different this year? I mean, each year we all profess that this will be the year that we change. We claim that we will be dropping bad habits and are going to be a new and improved version of ourselves! Heck, 2020 taught us a lot about what’s important in life, so we should be able to get it right this year, right? Yes! I haven’t lost you yet, we still have such excitement and motivation to do better! I love it, but we need a strategy. Strategies are not one size fits all as it pertains to improving ourselves. Sometimes it’s just a different tack or perspective that can make all the difference in the outcome and this is the year for new outcomes! Ok, so bring your motivated little butt over here, and let’s look at a few different ways we can turn this new year into one we can be proud of. I invite you to try on a few of the approaches and see which ones resonate the best with you.  The Strategies to Success Traditional Goal Setting: This is where you set a goal by identifying and writing down the actionable steps along with an associated timeline. Goals can be best described as the results that you are looking for. It’s the result of something that you’ve put together based on your thought process. This is good for Type A personalities, those who are very organized or business-minded.
Visualization: Visualizing goals is done by actually visualizing yourself achieving your desires in life. This works because the brain is wired, actually develops neural pathways to believe what we visualize to be true. It primes the body to perform in the ways our brains have visualized. This works best for those who can suspend logic restraints and are willing to spend the time visualizing a new way. Note that taking action is also required to make this a viable strategy for yourself. Vision Boards: This is another way to add another layer to visualization. A vision board provides imagery to review daily. To make a vision board, you can cut out pictures of the things or words that help you to visualize what you want to achieve. Take all the cutouts and create a collage and then take regular action. This works well for creative or visual types. Setting Intentions: Unlike goal setting, setting intentions is about the here and now, not the future. Think of setting intentions like how much energy you are willing to put in and the motivation and willingness to do something. This approach may be a softer way to step into achieving goals. This works best for people who are more emotionally motivated. Word of the Year: The word or phrase of the year is a way to put a theme to your life experience at that time. For example, if you feel your life is lacking joy, then joy could be your word. You would then try to squeeze in joy in most of what you do. This can be very creative where you make a sign or a piece of jewelry with your word on it. This is a great supplement to keeping you aligned on an overall goal. 12 Week Year: There is a book called the “12 Week Year” where a year is condensed into 12 weeks of hyper-accelerated steps that get results fast. This approach can be a bit intense but yields fast results. Go to www.12weekyear.com for more on this approach. This works best for dedicated people who are desiring quick returns. Setting up Systems to Support Habits: The key to achieving goals is to create habits that become rote after a certain period of time. Habits depend on systems that support actions that will result in creating a habit that achieves the goals set forth. Check out James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” or Brendon Burchard’s “High Performance Habits" for more information. This approach is universally helpful. Discipline: Toughing it out can work for some. A tight schedule for going after a goal can be rewarding. Programs like 75 Hard can help lay the foundation for disciplining yourself successfully. This is for those who work best under hard set rules. Day by Day, Step by Step: Taking baby steps every day is a way of thinking, a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire. Check out “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson to see how incremental progress adds up over time. This is another good for everyone approach. Manifestation Journal: Manifesting is somewhat like visualization but it adds a level of gratitude. Just as you train your brain to believe that you have already achieved your goal, you can add in gratitude as a way to thank the Universe for allowing things to be done in your favor. An example would be to say, thank you for continued health if your goal is to get healthier or lose weight. You can write your manifestations in a journal to keep them better organized. This works well for those who believe in a Higher Power. There you have it, 10 ways to get it done this year! I have faith in you that you can make it happen. Believe in yourself too and you will be successful! Cheers to the new year! Cheers to the new and improved you! Shine On! By Jackie White  Dear 2020, Scratch that…
Yo 2020, 2020, you have been the longest 5 years of my life! I am not happy with you, 2020! Let’s get right to it, I want to know what the hell happened with this year? Listen, I never wanted to live through “historic, unprecedented times” unless it was referring to the sky raining dollar bills or Barry Manilow living forever like Keith Richards. When I first heard of the Corona pandemic, I was really hoping it had something to do with a lime shortage for the beer, but nooooo, it couldn’t have been that easy. All I have to say is that I just want the good old days back when we thought the Tiger King was crazy. 2020, you have now earned the status of being the biggest crock of 2020 ever...if you know what I mean. We were all happy little clams back in January and even February of 2020, but then you dropped the hammer in March putting us in lockdown. We had to wear masks, wash up like surgeons, use insane amounts of Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer, and by some weird alignment of the stars, we also had a toilet paper shortage! I mean come on, that was kind of a crappy deal, 2020! 2020 you flipped us upside down and our lives changed on a dime. We had to adjust in ways we never thought possible. 2020 you cramped our style! I have to get tough on you because, well, you have been likely the hardest year any of us have had to encounter. It’s true we have learned to manage stress and become resilient. Some of us have learned to cook again and enjoy simple pleasures in life. Our priorities have become clear and that will have positive ripples throughout our lifetimes. So, begrudgingly, 2020, I have to acknowledge that maybe you aren’t all bad. Truth be told, 2020 you might have brought a lot of suck, but you also have brought about creativity and innovation like nobody’s business. Things have been invented, rearranged, and reimagined because you forced us to do it. You held our feet to the fire and pushed us to be better. We have come together as communities. We have supported each other and cheered each other on. 2020, by gosh, I think you may have forced the world to have love and compassion for one another. Darn it 2020, I just wanted to be mad at you. So, 2020, I have to say thank you for without you shaking up life, we might have never have realized what a wonderful world this can be. So with all the praise and recognition for all the good stuff, I must bid you adieu and don’t let the door hit you in the arse on the way out! Shine On 2020, Shine On. By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Ahhh...the end of one year and the beginning of another. A fresh start, a new outlook, motivation to do All. The. Things. Make those resolutions, set those goals...Get It Done!! I love the enthusiasm, really, I do. But…(you knew there was a but coming, right?) I’m not here to burst your bubble, but we like to keep it real here at SoulShine Life Connections. Fun, inspiring, but also real. So, I’d like to offer a little perspective, perhaps even a mindset shift, to take with you as you start preparing for your resolutions and goals for 2021 because, above all else, we want you to be successful in your journey to your very best life! There’s a piece that is often missing in all this resolution setting and goal planning...and that’s to reflect BEFORE you reset. I get it...you might be like, girl, I already know I didn’t hit my health or financial or career goals. Why do I need to go there?!? Have you ever heard the phrase that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again but expecting the same results”? I’m at fault here, too, DreamChaser, thinking that I failed at something was because I didn’t try hard enough or stick with it long enough or have enough motivation when the real issue might be that the approach was wrong. That, my friends, is why you need to reflect first before you reset...so you LEARN from your missteps before you try again. By doing this, you will approach the situation differently, thereby getting a different result! EUREKA!  Excited?!? I thought so! Stay with me a minute longer; let’s go through a fun way to reflect. A way that might just lead to some interesting insights on where you need to focus your reset! Ready? Here we go….  Step 1: F-U-N with a Capital F! Make a list (yes, literally write this down or use the memo function on your phone) of everything you do in your life that you think is fun or enjoyable. Anything that comes to mind...do not worry about what other people might think, you are the only person that will see this! Here are some things to spark your thinking:
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination...or maybe recollection...lol.  Step 2: Bring on the Inspiration! One more brainstorm sesh...what inspires you? This goes a little bit deeper. We are all inspired by something or many things. Another word for inspiration could be motivation...that thing that sparks creativity or action or excitement to do something. What IS that? It could be many things, too! Try out these questions for inspiration sparking:
There are no right or wrong answers! Come back to both your fun and inspiration lists as more things come to you!  Step 3: Reality Check You’ve made 2 awesome lists...one of all the things you find fun and one of your sources of inspiration. Now, let’s check in with real life. What do you do on the daily? How often do these things on your fun or inspiring list land in your everyday life?  Step 4: Reset Time
If the things that are on your fun and inspiring lists are not making it into your daily, it is time to reset and adjust accordingly! You are in control of how your day unfolds, whether you choose to spend it doing fun and inspiring things or not. Should every day be fun and inspiring? YES! Should mundane, boring, everyday things like laundry or dishes be fun? YES! Should your career be fun and inspiring? YES! I get it...not everything is fun and inspiring, unless you intentionally infuse it with fun and inspiration. That is 100% possible! I challenge you to find a way to bring the fun and inspiration list into your EVERYDAY life. This is an intentional action but guess what? It will put you smack dab on the path to living your best, fun, and most inspired life...and that’s what it’s all about, DreamChaser. What does this have to do with goals and dreams and New Year’s resolutions? So glad you asked! Infusing your day with fun and inspiration led by intentional actions makes goal-getting and dreamchasing...drumroll...fun and inspiring! Which leads to more goal-getting and dreamchasing...what an AWESOME CYCLE!!!!! This simple and fun reflect and reset exercise can be, and should be, done frequently. BONUS STEP 5: Really want a leg up on 2021 AND living your very best life? Look at your fun and inspiration lists. Where do they overlap? For instance, I find helping people both fun and inspiring. Know what lies in the overlap of fun and inspiration? Your purpose. That wasn’t so hard to find afterall, was it, DreamChaser? Shine on! By Jackie White  I think most people would tell you I have the patience of a saint. Not much really bothers me, unless you are talking about people that don’t think, ok then I am bothered. But, listen, I am a seasoned Scout leader. I have dealt with kids standing on the chairs, screaming about something ridiculous. It doesn’t generally doesn’t bother me. So in that respect, I would say I am chill. However, there are a few things that get under my skin that I have to just get off my chest. The Top 5 Things That Bug The Crap Out of Me Winter: I can’t help it. I do not like winter. First of all, it’s cold. I am always cold, so winter makes me feel like I am freezing my butt off 24 hours a day. It is messy and inconvenient. It requires me to shovel, scrape, and swear. It is devoid of color and smell. It’s just a whitish dirty gray landscape with monotone coldness. Why deprive our senses for several months of the year with this winter crap? I just want sunny days with 73 degrees, is that asking too much? Late Sleepers: Hey get up, it’s morning! I am a certified early riser. I rise earlier than the earliest and after a cup of coffee, I am chipper as Susie Sunshine! I also get stuff done. I wager that before your feet hit the floor, I have accomplished more than you will in maybe your whole day. Irritating? I think not. For my friends who sleep in, I cannot understand why you waste perfectly beautiful sunshine and stay in bed. I mean, what are people waiting for? Get up and get going! The day is passing you by! Non-Blinker Users: Use your blinker, damn it! I cannot understand why people do not use their blinker. Oh yes, I am the blinker police and I follow the blinker rules. I put a blinker on when I am turning into a parking stall or into my driveway which is on a dead end road and I drive a van with flowers all over it and my neighbors know my personalized license, so I am pretty sure everyone knows where I live and that I am turning into my driveway, but STILL, it’s the principle of the thing. Consider this a warning for you non-blinker people: If you want to find out what your bumper is for, then keep on not using your blinkers! Crab-asses: Ok, what is wrong with some people? Why do they insist on honing the skills needed to be a world-class jerk? Everyone knows one of these gems. It’s the neighbor who yells at you for stepping on their grass, the jerk who hates kids, the customer who crabs every time they patronize a business, yet they keep going back to that same business. (no shop owner needs that kind of business, for sure). To all those crab-asses out there, life is too short. Stop complaining and find something to be happy about. If that is not possible, just don’t come out of your house and ruin everyone else’s day. Simple as that. Slow Scanners: A word to the store cashiers who are slower than molasses in January: Come on people, if you are a cashier, sloth-like scanning is not acceptable because, well. it is just not necessary. I know you know these cashiers, the ones that scan so slowly that you just want to grab the damn item from their hands and do it for them? Seriously, I could add up the total cost of my items by hand faster than some of these cashiers scanning my items. And no, I don’t do the self-checkout lane, that is an oxymoron with an emphasis on moron! Costco, For God’s Sake, Start Carrying GREEN Peppers: This is seriously a mystery of the world. Costco carries every dang thing possible on Earth except green peppers. I am wondering if they are trying to make the green pepper go extinct? I need green peppers and I also need Costco. I would think somewhere in my world the two could come together to enhance my shopping experience! Is this asking too much?  We all have stuff that bugs the crap out of us and that’s ok. What’s important though is having patience. We all want to tell that jerk off, blow the horn and complain about all of the crimes of stupidity committed in the world, but here’s the deal, if you do that then you become a pain in the butt. Instead, let’s learn a few ways to take it down a notch and live civilly amongst the living brain-dead.
Just kidding about number 4...well, not really, but if we are being responsible adults, I cannot advocate drinking your impatience away! I can, however, encourage you to practice the skill of patience (yes, it is a skill) and learn to not lose your shit when people are driving you crazy. Finally, let’s all take some time to laugh at what drives us crazy. Find the humor, practice the patience, and most of all shine on! |
AuthorsErika Fehrenbach Prell is passionate about inspiring and educating, others on their path to complete wellness-mind,body, and soul. This desire led Erika to the helping profession of nursing, and she obtained her Master's Degree as a Nurse Practitioner in 2007. Erika specialized in cardiac surgery, largely influenced by her personal experience with heart disease. While she loved working with this population, her heart's desire has always been to impact lives on a larger scale and from a proactive, not reactive, place. The universe answered when her path crossed with Jackie and SoulShine was born. Erika finally feels she is walking in her purpose and is excited for this journey to unfold. Archives
January 2021
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