Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.
(Dr. Wayne Dyer)

Do you believe in the power of your dreams? Do you live your life with intention?

It takes confidence, courage and chutzpah to pursue new heights, to go after promotions, to travel abroad, to speak to strangers, to jump from a plane, to share an honest blog post, to go after what you want… to pursue a life full of financial abundance, bountiful creativity and joyful relationships. Daring to dream of an extraordinary life requires trust and faith in matters beyond our immediate sight.

Fortunately, we are surrounded by proof that the universe is remarkable. It also helps that we’re part of a loving, kind and supportive community here on the blogosphere. If you’re reading this, consider yourself a member of the gang.

There’s an undercurrent of energy that influences all of our lives—and we have the unique capacity to tap into that power. By connecting to the creative force that resides within, we can start living the life of our dreams.

I have experienced the power of thought and intention in tiny circumstances and monumental moments throughout my life. Like anything, it’s a practice. Vision boards, journaling, connecting with soul sisters, this blog, even the pursuit of making every day an extraordinary adventure, are pieces of the puzzle.

Take a look around and think about what you can do to encourage abundance and invite joy into your life. How can you share your sparkle and creativity with the world?

image credit: via moi

PS. This post was inspired by @kellyraeroberts’s musings on abundance. If you haven’t already, be sure to check it out.

Happy Weekend friends! Hope you’re staying cool and refreshed in this hot summer heat. I’ve enjoyed a short work week after coming back from a long weekend at the beach on Wednesday, but am still very excited about the Saturday and Sunday ahead. It’s been a long time since I have gone away on vacation and I’ve forgotten how jarring it is to come back to a busy desk and dirty home.

Productivity is on the top of my agenda for the days ahead, but that isn’t going to stop me from enjoying some delightful creativity. The following collection of creative to-do’s are intended to inspire extraordinarily joyful weekends. Consider this a friendly tap—or slight tug—towards exploring creative shenanigans of your own desires. I invite you to join in!

take the plunge & order a filofax

research local yoga studios

dream up an ideal routine for daily bliss

drop by the office to get ready for a rockin’ week

think about living by these rules

respond to emails & blog comments

read a book by the pool

explore etsy for new wall decor

image credit: charlotte.morrall

Joy does not simply happen to us.
We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.
(Henri Nouwen)

Hello my darlings. Today I offer you a simple suggestion…

Take a moment to celebrate something tiny.

Feel the joy of in a solid high five. Brew a pot of coffee, steep your favorite tea. Bake a batch of cupcakes. Visit your favorite restaurant. Jump through sprinklers. Take a walk through a nearby park. Buy a balloon. Dance in the rain. Put a postcard in the mail. Curl up with a great book.

Soak up some truly encouraging thoughts. Let your soul smile.

image credit: shimelle

It is important from time to time to slow down,
to go away by yourself, and simply be.
(Eileen Caddy)

Well hello there my lovely friends! I have missed you dearly. On Friday my mister and I scooted out of town without saying a proper goodbye to the interwebs.

My plan was to sneak away to a beach weekend and focus on blogging. Return to my creative passion. Journal a bit. Hide in the quiet peace of vacation and create some killer content. Discover new Twitter friends. Unearth connections and rekindle web-friendships that have wilted away.

Instead, we arrived on the doorstep of a spacious summer house with no internet and limited cell reception. I let my iPhone’s battery die and kept my laptop stashed in my bag. We played cards, drank plenty of wine and swam in the ocean.

Last night we came home with sunburns and bug bites—gentle reminders of our extended weekend away. The comfort and joy of time with family has settled deep into my heart. I’m grateful for my unintentional digital sabbatical, but I am also looking forward to catching up on my favorite blogs, podcats and tweets.

image credit: Thomas Hawk

The most important skill in staying calm is not to lose sleep over small issues.
The second most important skill is to be able to view all issues as small issues.
(Paul Wilson)

I lost my calm this weekend. Along with it, my Coach wristlet, license, credit card, camera and favorite lip gloss vanished into thin air. Some act of sheer providence saved my iPhone, which was in my hand when I realized my purse and its contents were gone.

The disappearing act took place late into the night on Saturday, proving once again that nothing good happens after 2 a.m. I’m a bit frustrated and confused that this happened because it wasn’t a crazy night. In a time when identity theft and other unsavory crimes are abundant, there’s a nakedness in losing important bits of plastic.

I’m heading to the DMV today, which will undoubtedly provide time for quiet contemplation. I’m trying to step back and see this as an opportunity to evaluate some of my standard operating procedures. It feels like there’s room for improvement:

more mindfulness. less coffee. more sleep. less pressure. more movement. less tension. more time enjoying friends. less indulgence. more calm. less chaos. more journaling. less judging. more joy. less worry. more laughter. less sass. more love.

Of course, life goes on. I’ve canceled the card and started searching for a shiny new camera. I know where to find my favorite lip gloss and Coach has some amazing writstlets for sale this season.

image credit: rolands.lakis

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]]> http://www.kaileenelise.com/2010/07/13/keeping-your-calm/feed/ 7 http://www.kaileenelise.com/2010/07/10/lazy-creative-weekend-the-not-to-do-list/ http://www.kaileenelise.com/2010/07/10/lazy-creative-weekend-the-not-to-do-list/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:14:23 +0000 kaileenelise http://www.kaileenelise.com/?p=1683

Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
(Howard Thurman)

Happy Saturday my friends! I hope you’re enjoying a summery day full of joy and creativity. I’m feeling a particular brand of lazy—the kind that visits during the hottest, most humid days. With a brief (but busy) work week behind me, I feel like inviting this lazy feeling into my home with open arms.

Typically, my Creative Weekend To-Do Lists are collections of creative to-do’s that are intended to inspire extraordinarily joyful weekends. Friendly taps—or slight tugs—towards exploring creative shenanigans of your own desires. This week, I’ve listed a handful of things I promise not to do in the weekend ahead. I invite you to join in!

set the alarm to wake up early

feel guilty about watching Bethanny’s wedding again

fill the weekend with objectives and goals

stress over what to wear out tonight

cook, clean or wash my car

image credit: Edward Allen L. Lim

Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no mater how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles.
(Og Mandino)

The middle of 2010 has come and gone, and yet I’m finding it hard to believe that half the year is behind us. For weeks, I’ve been referring to February like it wasn’t that long ago—and I’m still finding myself writing 2009 at the top of my journal.

Time is a tricky creature that I’ve let run wild for the first part of this year. Even though the last 6 months have felt like a whirlwind, I’m proud of my top 6 accomplishments from January to June.

When I sat down to reflect, I came up with the following list:

*Landed a new job that’s better aligned with my core values

*Became a guest blogger and recorded a podcast with Kimberly Wilson

*Celebrated 2 years of love and fun with my mister

*Increased my net worth significantly and took a big chunk out of le debt

*Connected with a rock star mentor, @GwenBell

*Created an inspirational ‘office’ area in a tiny nook of my apartment

The image above is a slice from my journal. I am excited about the goals I set for the 2nd half of 2010. There aren’t a lot of numbers or deadlines (a departure from my typical goal-setting strategy), but more of a focus on how I want to feel when I reflect back on these next 6 months at the conclusion of this year.

What about you? Have you spent some time considering your accomplishments from the last 6 months? This part of the process is often overlooked, but it is just as important as setting goals. Take a moment to praise yourself for all you’ve done!

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)

Happy 4th of July, friends! I hope you are enjoying beautiful weather and patriotic celebrations. This last week has been an interesting test of stamina, patience and passion. An exciting opportunity landed on my desk and without much notice, I was pulling together a presentation for a key player at my company.

Between quarterly reviews and this surprise meeting, I found myself closely examining my strengths, areas for improvement and places to apply more focus in my work, real and online lives.

The results of said meeting revealed an interesting conundrum: I bring a lot to the table in my current role, and still have plenty of time to grow with what I’m doing now. Rather that dilute my attention by taking on another job responsibility, it is probably just best (for me & the company) that I focus on the task at hand. It wasn’t exactly the result I was pining for, but I’m happy all the same. It’s funny how life works out like that sometimes.

With an extra day of weekend and no ‘out of town’ plans, I’m looking forward to lots of relaxation, creativity and fun in the days ahead.

The following collection of creative to-do’s are intended to inspire extraordinarily joyful weekends. Consider this a friendly tap—or slight tug—towards exploring creative shenanigans of your own desires. I invite you to join in!

set intentions & goals for the next 1/2 of 2010

grill delicious kebabs on the bbq

drink plenty of water & wear lots of spf

splash around in the pool like a little kid

dive deeper into sarah susanka’s the not so big life

check out these patriotic tweets

mix up a new yummy cocktail for poolside indulgence

create a playlist that inspires spontaneous dance parties

roll out a blanket & enjoy fireworks with friends

image credit: AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker

We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy,
even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.
(E.B. White)

It’s a gorgeous Saturday morning and I’m grateful the weekend has arrived! An action-packed week has me craving some solo creative time, so the mister is whooping it up with his buds at the pool. With nearly 1/2 of 2010 behind me, it only seems appropriate to sneak in a little intention-setting and creative dreaming.

The following collection of creative to-do’s are intended to inspire extraordinarily joyful weekends. Consider this a friendly tap—or slight tug—towards exploring creative shenanigans of your own desires. I invite you to join in!

evaluate the last 6 months & dream about the next 6

package up a little snail mail treat for a friend

take pictures & become a better photographer

organize closet, do laundry & set aside old items for goodwill

pay bills & assess finances with a smile

do something on this summer must-do list

schedule a massage, pedicure or tarrot card reading

compliment a stranger and see what happens

enjoy a new book while soaking in a bubble-filled tub

order customized energy bars

put together a garageband mix of yoga & tunes

image credit: seanmcgrath

We are part of a world with more data at our fingertips than ever before. Our computers, smart phones, and iPads hold answers to an unlimited array of questions. There’s no need for encyclopedias, National Geographic or newspapers. TVs, CD players and radio broadcast have been rendered useless by Hulu, Pandora and podcasts.

In a day and age when business conversations are over gTalk and romances blossom online, we are all seconds away from replacing our doctors, travel agents, stock brokers and movie critics. We are a society that’s dialed in to information of all kinds, we are friends with Ashton and share our caloric intake with the world.

I witnessed an interesting thing the other night while was at a bar playing a game of trivia with my coworkers. A tricky question was asked—What flower does vanilla extract come from?—and without blinking, one of my teammates said, “I don’t know, let’s Google it!!”

Quick internet searches have become an extension of our natural thought processes. Random facts that once lived in our minds are now stored as bits of data in the the cloud.

I see Google as an unlimited access phone a friend. When my brain goes blank and I can’t remember an awesome site or inspirational quote, I type a stream of conscious batch of words and Google reveals the answer. In my eyes, this is an efficient use of time and resources. There is no need to bother someone else  if Google’s got it covered.

brilliant image credit: via dullhunk