om monday: find your yoga

the other day, when i was talking with my mom, i told her that i think she needs to take the time to "find her yoga".  by that, i meant finding the thing that is (mildly) self-indulgent, grounds you, centers you and leaves you feeling healthier, stronger and overall better.  for me, it's yoga.  for others it's walking, meditating or taking a spin class.  but whatever it is, the most essential element is finding it and allowing yourself the time to enjoy it.

credit {here}

when we take time for ourselves, we replenish our enthusiasm and energy for life.  and we ultimately become better friends, wives, sisters, daughters and mothers.  when we take care of ourselves, we are better able to take care of others and tackle all that life throws our way.

so, i encourage all of you to "find your yoga".  and if you've already found it, gift yourself the time to enjoy it as often as possible.  it's not selfish...it's essential.

what's your "yoga"?.

The Only 3 Things You'll Ever Need

Ever wonder what it takes to improve your health, achieve greater happiness and live the life of your dreams?
Well, there are three principles which will help you reach all of your dreams (and they’re free!). You ready for them? Drum roll please... They are: intuition, simplicity, and beauty.

Sure, that all sounds well and good, but how do you get from here (the cave of self-consciousness, stress and dieting) to there (the land of self-appreciation, happiness and health)?

Well, these three principles will be your guides and aid you in all of your lifestyle decisions. They'll ground you and remind you what's truly important as you strive to create your best life. With intuition, simplicity and beauty as you guides you will begin to move along the path towards well-designed living.

If you trust your intuition, your innate wisdom, you will discover what you truly want in your life and what you no longer need. You will naturally begin to seek greater simplicity in both your lifestyle and home.

And, when you simplify your lifestyle and home environment, the innate beauty that was there all along begins to shine through. If you follow and trust these principles of well-designed living, I guarantee your life will become richer and more fulfilling. Not to mention, you’ll wind up taking better care of yourself, your family and your home.

Happy living : )

Cailen first published article as The Only 3 Things You'll Ever Need on Technorati..

Inspirational Reading : )

Hello all!  I've compiled a list of a few of my favorite blogs that I follow.  Check them out - they offer some really great advice : )

• www.ThinkSimpleNow.com
• www.thechangeblog.com
• http://www.happiness-project.com/
• http://wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com/author/kate-hanley

All the above blogs offer awesome tips about how to live a happier, healthier life.  I always look forward to seeing what they have to say.

Have any favorite blogs I should check out?  What do you think of the ones I listed?.

The Myth of Perfection

As I've mentioned, I'm currently working on my latest book (working title Health, Happiness & Home).  It's going to address how to live your best life by listening to your intuition, simplifying your life and home and seeking beauty in all things, including yourself.  Here is a taste of what I'm working on...

     The myth of perfection permeates our lives. We constantly measure ourselves and our lives against standards that no one (or at most very, very few individuals) can attain. Worse yet, when we fall short of these unrealistic ideals, we criticize ourselves and feel like failures. We believe that we have to be the perfect wife, sister, daughter, mother, employee, boss, lover, etc. in order for our lives to feel happy and complete.

     This idea that only perfection is acceptable; only perfection can be appreciated, only perfection can be loved drives many of our lifestyle decisions and goals. Yet, these goals, as important as they may seem, are often completely ego-centric and unattainable. We scrutinize every pound we gain and turn to unhealthy methods to lose weight, truly believing that if we could weigh a bit less (or a lot less), we would be able to get our lives on track and find that elusive harmony and true satisfaction we’ve been craving. We wish for more money, nicer clothes, a bigger home and better car, thinking that if we only possessed these tangible symbols of happiness, we would truly be happy. But, as physical as these emblems of success and happiness might be, they’re not real. They are not (and never will be) what truly makes us happier, healthier and saner.

     The problem is that the concept of perfection is flawed. The notion that only perfect, ideal, faultless beings are allowed to partake in what makes life miraculous and are the only ones deserving of true happiness is ludicrous! Nobody is perfect. No one has their act together all the time. The trick is to do the best you can with what you’ve got and have faith that if you believe that you deserve happiness, happiness will undoubtedly begin to make its way into your life.

So there you have it.  Just a little sample of what I'm working on.  Hope you enjoyed it!  And keep checking back for more : ).