Inspired by today

I love Fall mornings like this. The air is cool and crisp. The leaves are starting to turn orange, red, and yellow. There is a light misty fog causing the world to have an orange tinted glow. 

Fall is my favorite season, hands down. The gorgeous fall-color explosions everywhere, including a lush blanket gracing the ground, the apple laden scent in the air, the cornstalks and pumpkins decorating houses and stores alike, and the promise of all the best holidays so close by. 

Promise. Fall is full of promise. The reminiscence of new school years, the start of something new, the excitement of dressing up for Halloween, and soon to follow the good family times and yummy food at Thanksgiving. 

All beautifully segueing into winter and the breathtaking quiet beauty of snow and the most magical of all holidays, Christmas. Red, green, and blue lights twinkling on trees and houses. 

And the best of all, after a new snowfall when the world is under a blanket of white and you spot the red and green glow of twinkling Christmas lights on bushes beneath the fresh powdery layer of snow. Love that! 

For me this time of year is magic. From September through the New Year, it is one beautiful season and holiday after another. Four months of total bliss. 

I intend to savor every moment this year. I will look up from my computer more and look outside. I will put on layers of warm clothing, go for short walks around my neighborhood and whisper prayers of gratitude for the beauty surrounding me. 

I would love to know, what is your favorite thing about this time of year? Please share in the comments below. 

xo ~ Kim

Invest in yourself - Amazing Biz & Life Academy

I just found out that once you sign up for the Amazing Biz & Life Academy you are locked in at the price you signed up for! So, the price is $199 a year (or $55 a month for 4 months if you want to use the payment plan) IF you sign up by September 30th. On October 1st her price doubles to $497 a year. 

If any of  you have been thinking about signing up for the Amazing Biz & Life Academy, you should do whatever you have to to make it happen now. Then it's only $197 a year for life. If you wait you will end up paying almost $500 every year! 

I have already made some awesome connections at the Academy and I've only been there for a week. I have signed up for an awesome side group that one of the members has put together to go alone with the Business Goddess e-course starting October 1st. She wanted to go through the e-course with writing in mind and thought it would be great to have a side Master Mind group with others who also want to focus on writing. We are put into groups of only 3 people each and will call each other once a week. This way an hour-long call will give you 20 minutes each to talk about your own process and what your intentions are and what you might want help having accountability with. I can't wait! :) There are also so many other awesome mini groups within the Academy that would fit just about anything you might want (even on topics of health, making your home a haven, etc.). 

I'm so excited I got in with the $199 a year deal before the price went up! Yay!!! 

Click HERE to go to the Academy. 

Hope to see you all there!

xo ~ Kim

Day 4, In Which My Creative Spirit Has Been Set Free!!!

My left hand and wrist are very badly sprained. This happened early Sunday morning. Thus I didn't write my blog post yesterday because of the pain. This one will be short and sweet for the same reason. I am extending my 21 Day Blogging challenge a day due to my injury.

Even though my hand is bound with an ace bandage, my creative spirit has suddenly become unbound! I have clarity for my goals and dreams like I have never had before. This isn't pain meds talking since I didn't get any . . . ; ) 

I wish so much I could write about it all right now, but for the next week I will have to keep my posts short. 

Thankfully I am a righty and can write down with pen and paper all of this beautiful inspiration and clarity. My focus is going to be changing. I will be changing the About page to reflect that at the end of the week. 

I AM SO OVER THE MOON EXCITED!!!! I cannot wait to share all of this with you. I will write a little more about this tomorrow. Now I need to go ice and rest my hand. 

xo ~ Kim

Day 3, In which I Share Part of My Career Dreams List

I just had my first ever Reiki session! It was a distance Reiki session with my ARTbundance Coaching Certification classmate Kuumba. It was really interesting. At some points I felt tingly and several others I felt some definite heat. I'm not sure what to expect now. 

I've been thinking a lot about art journaling lately. I think it would be helpful to me in getting through this creative block/fear. It doesn't matter how it looks in an art journal. It can be truly awful and it would still be okay because it's just an art journal. 

Been thinking so much about my dreams and what they truly are. Sometimes being a Renaissance Soul really sucks. I have so many interests, so many dreams. They all fall into the creative arts realm, but there is only so much time in the day, ya know? 

Here are my "career" dreams, in no particular order:

• I want to sell my paintings and reprints of my paintings.
• I want to write and illustrate children's stories.
• I want to write and create e-books and e-courses. 
• I want to write novels (sometimes). 
• I want my artwork to be licensed by Demdaco.
• I want to write for creative mags like Cloth, Paper, Scissors.
• I want to be in an issue of Artful Blogging. 

You want to know what my over-the-moon mondo beyondo dream is? The dream that would make me think that this was the absolute ultimate of lives to live? It's the first one.

When I ask myself the question, "What would I do if I had all the money I would ever want or need? How would I spend my days?" 

Besides being able to spend more time with my kiddos, I would paint! I would paint even if I didn't need to make a living from it. I can see myself so vividly in my dream art studio, spending many happy hours each and every day painting to my heart's content. 

I remember when I first answered that question. It was back in the mid 90's. I had just learned that I could actually draw and draw quite well (thank you Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain!!!). I thought the answer to that question would be that I would spend my days writing. I had wanted to be a writer for the past decade. Writing was my first creative love. Writing was (and still is) what I feel quite confident in. I was so shocked when I saw that visual of me standing in this gorgeous art studio happily painting away. 

I ask myself that question every six months or so and the answer has always remained the same. I often question the sanity of that answer considering the fact that I haven't painted in nearly a year. I have a crazy mad block/fear and find it difficult to even pick up a paint brush. 

I MUST get over that. I don't want to look back on my life and have this regret. 

I am trying. I have done some artsy things, not quite painty things, but something at least a little artsy craftsy and that is definitely a good step in the right direction. 

Tomorrow I am going to get to Mindy and Alena's Magic*Making online art course. I am very far behind, but I plan on putting a good dent into it. I will do it if I have to tie a paint brush to my hand! ;) 

Maybe in tomorrow's post I will tell you about how I got into that class. It's a pretty good one. At least I think so. :)

I hope you are all having a great night, dreaming big dreams and taking tiny baby steps toward them.

xo ~ Kim

Day 2 in which I realize that I forgot to write this post yesterday . . .

I wanted to have a self-care weekend. I want to get caught up on the exercises for Magic*Making and read the YA novel I got yesterday, “So You Want to be a Wizard.” 

I don’t really want to think about business or anything like that. My mind needs a break.

I can’t seem to shut that out of my mind though. 

I'm worried that I will never get it off the ground. I worry about having to go back to work in a couple of weeks and if my body can take it and how much pain I will be in. And, of course, how the pain and fatigue of my Fibro will be so overwhelming that I won’t be able to work on my business in order to get the hell out of having to have a day job.

I haven’t done anything creative or fun yet. I took a short nap a little bit ago. Now I’m drinking cup of coffee #2.

I realized this morning I didn’t write my blog post yesterday for the 21 Day Blog Challenge. The second day and I missed it . . .

I thought about it in the morning, but had such a busy day yesterday that I completely forgot about it.

So, today I will try to write two blog posts.

Right now I am going to read a little more inspirational goodies from the internet and then go to my beautiful art studio and go on to the next exercise in Magic*Making.  

21 Day Blog Writing Challenge

So I sit here and wonder. Is it fear that is keeping me from creating my dream life? Creating paintings and e-books and e-courses and blog posts?

Or is it that I am just plain lazy. I can spend hours, all day even, reading blogs and articles on the internet. If I could get paid to do that I would be enormously rich.

It doesn't take any effort to read blogs. It doesn't require any bravery or courage. All it takes is curiosity and an interest. I have that in spades.

But really, what holds me back?

I am remembering old feelings of frustration when writing with a purpose in mind. Journaling is easy. I can write whatever I want. No one is going to see it. I wish I could write this easily for stuff that will be seen by other’s eyes.

With journaling I don’t have to think about it at all. With blog posts, I want to make sure they sound good, are grammatically correct, spell-checked, edited, etc. Oy with the poodles already! (anyone know what show that saying comes from???)

Yeah, so I’m thinking of just adding this to my blog. I haven’t written in a while and I want to put something up there.

I’m thinking of doing a 21 day challenge like Colleen Wainwright does. But what in the world would I write about – for public eyes – for 21 days in a row?

I don’t live an exciting life. I have low energy (thanks, Fibro!). I’m an introvert and don’t interact with lots of other people.

I would feel all kinds of pressure if I did this challenge. Wouldn't it suck all the fun out of writing a blog?

But wait. I’m not having any fun writing a blog since I’m not even actually writing blog posts.

Maybe it will be more fun than I think? Maybe the act of writing for the public would help me to improve my writing skills? Maybe I would grow to enjoy writing more and more on my blog? Who knows? 

It could certainly help me to overcome my fear and self-doubt. And, really, that is the center of what holds me back from writing more. 

Maybe I should compose my blog posts in Microsoft Word, right here in my computer journal, like I'm doing right now. Maybe it would feel less intimidating than logging onto Blogger and writing in the smallish box. It would be like I’m just writing another journal entry.

I could try, couldn't I?

Here’s to Day 1 of my 21 Day Blog Writing Challenge. Cheers! 

xo ~ Kim

Coloring Book Fabric Collage

Sue Bleiweiss is hosting a DVD, Fabric and Book give away on her blog. The DVD shows you how to make a gorgeous quilt featuring houses (one of my favorite themes!) using her hand-dyed fabrics. She also shows you how to dye your own fabrics! You can check it out here.

I so hope I win! I've been getting the urge to quilt again. It's been many, many years since I've quilted and I really miss it.

This would be the perfect thing to get me quilting again, especially since she includes fabric to make the quilt with. :)

Happy quilting!

~ Kim xo

On My Way To An Amazing Biz & Life!!!

I did it! I just signed up for the Amazing Biz & Life Academy!!! I'm SO SUPER excited!!! I have missed being a part of that community so much. There is no way that I am going to miss out on getting back into the Academy before the price doubles. This is a huge step for me to invest in myself financially. 

I was so bummed that I couldn't renew my membership in the Academy at the beginning of this year because I just couldn't afford it. I actually still can't afford it (it's super inexpensive - only $199 for a year membership or $55 a month for the four-month payment plan). Things are super financially tight over here in Kimville, but I also feel that I CANNOT afford NOT to get back into Leonie's Academy. So, I will juggle the finances for the next four months and, in the meanwhile, build my business to increase the flow of moolah into my life. ;)

I just wanted to let you all know that Leonie puts out the most amazing resources I have ever seen on the internet and I have taken tons of online classes over the last five years. Several of them cost lots and lots more than the price of Leonie's yearly membership. 

I was in her academy before it was called the Amazing Biz & Life Academy and it was amazing!!!! Ha ha . . . no pun intended. ;) The women who are part of the academy are the most generous, creative, down-to-earth, supportive, and encouraging women. 

Leonie is the most GENEROUS online entrepreneur that I have ever met. She includes ALL of her courses, meditations, visualizations, colorful and whimsical posters, and her Yearly Life and Biz Planners (which are the best I have seen), etc. in the price of the annual membership. Any new programs, e-courses, meditations, etc. that she creates during your membership is ALSO included! She is also no longer taking any coaching clients, but is doing coaching calls with all the Academy members. I can't wait to get in on one of those! 

The academy includes really great and very active forums with topics in any area that you can imagine. 

Leonie's business e-course is, by far, the best that is out there. I have it from when I was in the academy last year. However, she has revised and updated it and is coming out with the new and improved Business e-course on October 1st! 

I want to encourage you all to check it out and sign up! I promise you won't regret it. Check out the Academy information page HERE. (In case that hyperlink doesn't work, here is the actual link: http://tinyurl.com/kdmjvd2 ) 

I am so excited to get back into the forums at the Academy and hang out with so many women that are on the same journey that we all are on. 

If you want to know a bit more about Leonie, here is some more information:

Leonie is a woman who really walks her talk. She’s managed to create a half million dollar a year company, working a few hours a day, spending loads of time playing with her family + making art + living a really full life. And, like me, she believes in making this world an amazing place by giving generously to causes she believes in.

I really resonate with Leonie, and I think you will too. Plus, she knows her stuff when it comes to business!

Leonie created the Amazing Biz and Life Academy, which gives you over $3800 (!!!!) of business and marketing programs to create a powerful and profitable business, zen-your-mind meditations, creativity, spirituality, home and health e-courses to help you live your best life yet. It is a complete toolkit for transforming whatever part of your biz or life you want to focus on. 

I felt an urge (intuition) to send you all some more information about Leonie and her Academy so that you can sign up for it before her prices go up on October 1st. 

I know I probably sound like an infomercial and I so don't mean to. I'm just over the moon excited that I'm back in the Academy and I want to share more about it with all of you because I really believe in Leonie (she is a total rock star in my book!) and I really believe in her courses. She knows her stuff and this time I intend to follow her business course step by step in order to create the business and life of my dreams. I will not let my fear get in the way this time. 

Sending you all so much love and inspiration,

~ Kim xo

DOY BlogLovin' Tour:: Trust

"The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they've craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You's BlogLovin' Tour, which I'm thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more -- and join us! -- by clicking here."

What do you do when just about everything in your life is turning out wrong? How do you have trust during these times? 

I know that it is so hard. I know because I am going through this very thing right now. 

My dream is to create a financially sustainable business. My unemployment is running out in the second week of September so the clock is a-ticking!!!

Last week I announced my first 24-Hour Short Story Contest and offered one free spot to a lucky winner chosen from the comments from that post. You can see it here. 

I had big dreams for this first offering of mine. I had big visions that so many people would comment and sign up for the contest that it would knock my socks off. Alas, not a single comment.

Honestly, I'm feeling pretty down right now. My self-doubt is at an all-time high. The negative voices in my head are having a field day. 

Do I give up though? Truthfully, I want to. I want to just throw in the towel and get a j.o.b. and just leave all this dream stuff behind. It is so difficult and it can be so heart-breaking. 

But, no, I won't give up. I have to TRUST that I will find my groove. 

I have to TRUST that even if I have to get a j.o.b., eventually my business will grow and become sustainable so I can quit that day job and live my dream of running my own business. 

I cannot give up! I have to believe in myself and trust that I do have something worthwhile to offer others. 

Maybe it will take some time to find my groove. I will trust that, that is okay. 

So, my sweet dear readers, I want to encourage you to trust in yourself and your dreams. Don't give up even when the wind is knocked out of your sails. 

There is a way. There is a path that is just for you! It is so worth finding that path and staying on it, no matter what obstacles and storms may come along to try and knock you off course. 

Stay the course! You are worth it. Your dreams are worth it. 

I'd love to hear your comments below about times when you have felt this way and how you overcame them. Let's also talk together if you are feeling this same way right now. 

Much love,

~ Kim xo

Announcing the first 24-Hour Short Story Contest and Giving Away a FREE Spot!!!

I am super excited to announce the first ever Creative Bliss Studios 24-Hour Short Story Contest! 

Would you like a kick start to your creative writing? A 24-Hour Short Story Contest is a super fun way to do just that! The time limit helps to kick your inner critic to the curb while having a crazy fun time writing a short story in only 24 hours! 

I have done this several times in the past and it has been so much fun. I Love It! It is a time of high energy, wild creativity, is super fun, and is infused with a high dose of sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat anticipation! 

Imagine . . . at 12:00 p.m. EST on the Saturday this contest begins you receive a writing prompt in your email. You have no idea what the writing prompt will be and your excitement and energy has been pumped up all morning as you wait for the 12:00 to arrive. At 12:00, you open your email, full of excitement to find out what that prompt is. When you read the prompt your creative mind is instantly swirling with possibilities. 

You write out a few ideas on which direction you could go with the prompt and then you are off for 24 hours of a wildly creative ride to the finish line of 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday when you attach your short story to an email and hit "Send!" 

You are going to feel like you accomplished something BIG! You have just written, edited, and rewritten a whole short story in only 24 hours!!! You should celebrate! You deserve it. :) 

THEN, the following Saturday you will find out if YOU are the talented winner of the 24-Hour Short Story Contest! 

I will be compiling all the entries into a book that will be available to purchase every quarter. Imagine the pure delight and joy and sense of accomplishment and fulfillment in seeing your story in print! 

The book will include spot light interviews with all the winners, as well as space for every participant to include a short bio, with links to your website, blog, social media pages, etc.! 

Of course, you can choose not to have your story published in the compilation. Before the stories will be compiled into book form you can let me know if you want to opt out of publication. But seriously, I would jump on that opportunity!!! You will have all rights to your story and can publish it anywhere else you would like to, as long as you mention that it was first published in this book (I haven't decided on a title yet . . .).  

There is a small entrance fee of $10.00. Shortly after you have paid your entrance fee, you will receive an email from me with all the details and rules of the contest. 

Next week, I will be announcing what the prizes will be. I cannot wait to let you all know. You are going to LOVE it!!!

I am giving away a FREE spot in the first ever Creative Bliss Studios 24-Hour Short Story Contest, which is taking place on August 24, 2013. Comment below for a chance to win your FREE spot. Woohooo!!!! 

You can earn more chances to win by posting on your blog, making sure to include a link back to this post, as well as sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook. 

So, you can earn FOUR chances to win by:

Commenting below
Sharing this post on your blog
Sharing this post on Twitter
Sharing this post on Facebook

This is what I tweeted on my Twitter page at@KimSmithCreates :

24-Hour Short Story Contest! Have a wildly creative fun time and the chance to win awesome prizes. Join the fun at http://ow.ly/nf4Q7 

Make sure to let me know in your comments below if you have shared this post in any or all of the above mentioned extra ways to earn more chances to win!

Wishing you all a celebratory week and weekend! And don't forget to feel your celebrations. ;)

Click on the "Buy Now" button below to enter this crazy fun contest and have the chance to win some really cool prizes!!!  

 

DOY BlogLovin' Tour:: CELEBRATION and a Give-Away!

I am so excited to write about Celebration this week because this week has brought me SO many things to celebrate! I have been loving this Declaration of You BlogLovin' Tour. It has been so much fun to participate. Here is the info on this BlogLovin' Book Tour and below is my thoughts on Celebration and a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! 

"The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they've craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You's BlogLovin' Tour, which I'm thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more -- and join us! -- by clicking here."

I am celebrating several wonderful things in my life right now, and in honor of these accomplishments, I want to pass the celebration onto you! 

I am hosting the first Creative Bliss Studios 24-Hour Short Story Contest! I love a good contest, don't you? This contest is a wildly creative fun time of high-energy, focused writing that could win you some amazing prizes! More about that in a little bit. 

Last week, in my coaching training program, I did my first peer practice coaching session as well as a 10-minute speaking presentation. I was so nervous because I had never done either before, but I did so much better than I thought I would. 

This is a big accomplishment for me and the best way that I celebrated this was to simply acknowledge it and let myself soak in the happiness and joy and pride that I felt. 

It is so easy to dismiss our accomplishments, isn't it? You are excited for a moment, but then it's back to work, tackling your next goal. I encourage you to allow yourself the time to really soak in your accomplishments. I have been celebrating this all week by taking some time each day to remember this accomplishment and feel the joy. 

Another celebration this week is that my daughter is getting married this Saturday, July 27th! We are heading out to New Jersey tonight to help with last minute preparations and share the celebration and joy for this beautiful milestone in my daughter's life. I can't wait to see my baby girl!!! 

This past Saturday, I got engaged!!!!! My love and I have been together for four years and we are so happy to be moving forward to the next step in our life together. I'll post a photo of my gorgeous ring when we get back from New Jersey. :)

We often think of celebrations in big ways - parties, gifts, etc. Since we are saving for the trip to New Jersey, we haven't had the funds to celebrate in those kinds of ways. So, what I have learned this week is that allowing myself to soak in the happiness, joy, pride, and accomplishment I feel is the best celebration that I have ever had! It is a continuous celebration, carrying with it extended feelings of happiness, joy, and excitement. 

And now, here is my offering to you in celebration of all the accomplishments and joyful occasions I have been enjoying this past week:

I am giving away a FREE spot in the first ever Creative Bliss Studios 24-Hour Short Story Contest, which is taking place on August 24, 2013. Comment below for a chance to win your FREE spot. Woohooo!!!! 

You can earn more chances to win by posting on your blog, making sure to include a link back to this post, as well as sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook. 

So, you can earn FOUR chances to win by:

Commenting below
Sharing this post on your blog
Sharing this post on Twitter
Sharing this post on Facebook

This is what I tweeted on my Twitter page at @KimSmithCreates :

24-Hour Short Story Contest! Have a wildly creative fun time and the chance to win awesome prizes. Join the fun at http://ow.ly/nf4Q7 

Make sure to let me know in your comments below if you have shared this post in any or all of the above mentioned extra ways to earn more chances to win!

Wishing you all a celebratory week and weekend! And don't forget to feel your celebrations. ;)

~ xo Kim

Beautiful vision and clarity through journaling today

I just had the most amazing vision of what I want Creative Bliss Studios to be! Here's how it came to be:

I was writing in my journal about how I've been ignoring the many whispers in my heart for such a long time. Recently they are becoming stronger and stronger and getting louder and louder. I am realizing that in order to honor myself, I want to let go of the fear surrounding these heart whispers (mostly having to do with self-doubt) and honor myself by doing the things my heart is yearning for me to do.

Then suddenly, Bam! I figured out what I want to do my 10-minute Speaking Practice Session on in my coaching training!

For weeks now, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what in the world my speaking presentation should be on. I don't know why I haven't journaled about it before. Journaling helps me figure out so many things.

As I was writing about the whispers of my heart and jotting down some notes about my new found speaking presentation topic, I started getting ideas for my biz here. That led to brainstorming a list of things and then suddenly one of the things in my list just turned something on within me and I got this beautiful vision for Creative Bliss Studios.

As this vision became stronger, I gently closed my eyes and wrote what I saw in vivid detail. I felt in my heart so deeply exactly how I want my readers, clients, and customers to feel when stopping by my creative little corner of the web. I have never experienced such a vivid vision before, complete with such intense feelings. It swept me away in the most delicious of ways.

I am so excited about this beautiful new vision and can't wait to get started on it!

Just thought I'd share that with all you beautiful souls who stop by my blog. :)

I'd love to hear if you've ever experienced such a breakthrough while journaling before. If so, would you share your stories with me in the comments below? Let's share our successes!

xo ~ Kim

DOY BlogLovin' Tour:: Success!

"The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they've craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You's BlogLovin' Tour, which I'm thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more -- and join us! -- by clicking here."

I have to admit that my thoughts about success before reading all the wonderful posts in this week's BlogLovin' Tour were a little quite narrow. 

For so long I've thought I was a failure with so many things. Of course I have had some successes along the way, but I thought my failures outweighed my successes. 

But now I see success in a whole new way. So many of the posts talk about success as how you feel. Seriously? How cool is that! 

Success is how I feel about myself, my life, my choices, the people I am surrounded by, the activities I chose to take part in. With this change of thought, I feel so relieved to find out that I'm not a failure after all. I have had SO many successes!  

Successes can be so small and seem almost insignificant. But don't discount them. They are important! Successes like, drinking that Green Smoothie this morning rather than eating that sugar-laden cereal; choosing to park your car farther away from the store so you can get a few extra steps into your day; choosing not to get caught up in negative gossip; going to bed at a decent time rather than your usual late night, so you can get some solid rest that your body and mind are crying out for. 

This is quite the mind-set change for me and I am going to run with it. :) I'm going to start a "Today's Successes" list and, each day in the evening I'm going to reflect back on my day and list every success I have experienced, big or small. 

Imagine focusing on all the wonderful, positive things in your day, rather than focusing on the negative stuff that happened, and all that you didn't do. Focus on all that you did do! 

ALSO, I will write down other people's successes. If someone holds the door open for me, sent a smile my way, chatted with me at the grocery store. If a family member or friend achieves one of their goals, or shares good news, or is celebrating something - anything - in their lives. Those are all successes for them.

When we share in other people's successes by acknowledging them and congratulating them and holding that moment of pure joy that happens when you have a success, that increases not only their happiness, but yours as well. It sends positive, loving, happy energy their way, which comes back to you too, increasing your own love energy! 

I am really excited about how much happier I will feel about each day and how much better I will feel about myself and other people. 

This is an experiment that I invite you to try with me. Please comment below if you are on board. I would love to hear how it is going for you and what positive changes you experience in your life because of this change in mind-set. I will be sure to post updates here as well. :)

xo ~ Kim 

DOY BlogLovin' Tour:: Self-Care

"The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they've craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You's BlogLovin' Tour, which I'm thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more -- and join us! -- by clicking here."

I thought I knew exactly what I was going to write about when this topic of 'self-care' came up for this BlogLovin' Tour. But . . . then I read Michelle's blog post on self-care. 

I realized that my thoughts about self-care were so very tiny. Like her, I thought about candle-lit bubble baths, painting my nails, reading a novel. 

And then her questions at the end of her post opened up a whole new perspective on self-care. She writes:

 "What does self-care inherently mean to you? What have you been missing? What is your body/mind/soul yearning for that you’re making excuses for?"

What have I been missing? What is my body/mind/soul yearning for that you're making excuses for? 

I never thought of self-care as incorporating my whole life like that. I thought it was a little pampering here and there to take a little time for yourself and be good to yourself.

I have been ignoring so many things that my body/mind/soul has been yearning for. Oh, and excuses . . . I've got them a mile high! 

Honestly, my mind feels boggled. I also feel a huge new perspective opening up for me and it makes me feel giddy with excitement and happiness. 

You mean, making time to paint is actually important for my self-care? Making time for creative writing isn't selfish and nonproductive just because I am doing it for fun? 

I have just been handed the very best, and really, for me, life-altering permission slip to live the life I dream to live and to make no excuses for it. 

This is my life. I get to live it on my terms. Self-care is important, much more so than I had thought! My mind needs it. My soul needs it. My body needs it. 

My work will be better for it. My family and friends will be better for it. If I am taking care of myself, it will flow out from me and touch everyone and everything in my life in a positive way.

This ties in so beautifully with a book I am reading, The Power by Rhonda Byrne (the author of The Secret). In it she says that what we give out, we receive back and that the power behind the Law of Attraction is love. 

If I am giving my body/mind/soul what it yearns for, this will bring me so much happiness and boundless feelings of love because I am doing things that I love. Thus, I will receive back more happiness and love from people and circumstances around me. 

Wow! What an amazing and super important lesson I learned today! 

I wonder what would happen if we all made self-care the main priority in our lives. What would happen if we gave our bodies, souls, and minds what it yearns for, which at the same time will make us happy. 

I imagine this world would be an entirely different place, filled with people who are truly happy, healthy, doing what they love, thus enabling them to give out more love to others. 

This is the world I want to live in, so this is the world that I intend to create for myself. 

Will you come along with me? 

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below and let's get a juicy conversation rolling. :) 

xo ~ Kim 

Declaration of You:: Uniquity:: What Makes You, YOU

"The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they've craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You's BlogLovin' Tour, which I'm thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more -- and join us! -- by clicking here."

Uniquity . . . What is it that makes me, me,? 

Oh, how I have asked myself this question soooo many times! 

I have been "searching for myself" for decades. Being under the mistaken belief that I had to find that one thing that was my talent or calling or whatever you want to call it has made it so much more difficult than it had to be.

Now I know that there are many different things that make me, me. I used to think there was nothing that made me a unique individual. I thought I was just your every day, plain Jane - Jane of all trades, master of none. 

I had (and have) many different talents. Twenty years ago, I would have labeled that "talents." Yes, I could write, draw, paint, play the flute, had a good mind for business. But I didn't think that made me special in any way. Lots of people can do those things and they can do them better than me. 

For such a long time, I was desperate to have that one thing that I had a "special gift" in, that made me stand out in the crowd. But I didn't. 

You know what? There are still times I wish so much that I did have just that one thing that I was super passionate about and that I did at an extraordinary level. I'll be honest. There is a part of me that wants to be noticed. I have felt invisible for most of my life and I have always longed to feel special and loved for who I am. 

But I'm learning the most valuable lesson in my life. It is far more important for me to accept and love my self for who I am than it is to look for outside love, acceptance, and validation. 

My thoughts, my feelings, the words I say and write, the different ways in which I express myself, the things that light me up, turn me on, and bring me joy, as well as the things that I don't particularly care for - these are the things that make me unique. 

I haven't mastered this lesson and maybe I never will completely master it, but I'm getting better at it. Maybe it will be a lifetime of learning, letting go, accepting. But it is so much more delicious this way! 

There is only one me, with this particular set of talents and skills and thought processes and modes of expression. And there is only one you! You are a beautiful unique individual. I know that you can hear that a million times and still not fully accept it. I have been there. I am still working my way out of that belief. 

Here are some fun questions to help move you toward the direction of seeing your beautiful uniqueness:

1. What are the things you enjoy doing?
2. What kinds of music do you like? What are your favorite singers/bands? 
3. Do you play a musical instrument? If not, do you have a secret desire to play one? If so, which instrument or instruments?
4. What are your favorite foods to eat?
5. What are your favorite hot beverages to drink? What about cold beverages?
6. What are your favorite colors?
7. What is your clothing style? Or what do you wish to dress like?
8. What are your favorite home decor styles?
9. How would you decorate your home?
10. What are your favorite TV shows? Or do you not even like TV?
11. What are your favorite movies? Or are you not a movie buff at all?
12. What scents do you enjoy the most? 
13. Who do you most admire? What is it about them that you admire?
14. What are your favorite memories?
15. Do you like to travel?
16. What are the top 3 places you would love to travel?
17. What are the secret dreams of your heart?
18. What are your favorite blogs and/or magazines?
19. If you like going to the book store or library, what sections are you most drawn to? 
20. If you had all the money you would ever need or want, what would you do with your days? Would you take classes to learn things you've always wanted to learn? Would you travel the world? Would you take photos, make jewelry, paint, draw, write fiction or memoirs or poetry, scrapbook, sculpt, write music, play an instrument, dance, become a yoga master, learn about alternative healing methods? What else would you want to spend your days doing?


Okay, now here is a bit of a twist. Go through the questions above one more time, but this time, answer them in the negative. Replace the word "like" with "don't like" and "favorite" with "least favorite," etc. 

It's the things that we like, as well as the things that we don't like, that make up who we are as unique individuals.

I hope you will stay tuned to my blog as I am creating a super fun e-course on discovering your beautiful authentic self. 

• There will be lots of fun exercises. I'm talking super fun exercises, including challenges, contests and fun dares in which prizes will be given!
• A private Facebook group to create a sharing community
• Interviews with many women who have embraced their gorgeous authentic selves and their insider tips on how they shed the false layers in order to let their inner true selves come shining through
• And, so much more! 

Next week you will be able to sign up for my newsletter so you will be the first to know when registration for this course opens. 

Pssst . . . I will be giving away TWO FREE spots to this course when registration opens! 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. :)

~ xo Kim ~