Squirrel A lesson in self-realization and the need to embrace perceived flaws. There is only one person in my life whom, I can heartily say, can be as easily distracted as me. The realization of my distracted tendency came only after I met this person. They {read more}
Happy February 1st! Are you excited to embark on the second month of 2021, fresh faced and bright eyed?! This weekend I wrote out February goals and revisited my 2021 kick-off. After making changes to my vision board, I’ve found there a benefit to make {read more}
As we end January 2021, it seemed fitting to make a late 90’s “Friends” Reference…
But seriously, let’s check in! How are you doing? Many of us started the year off with so much hopeful anticipation, it is hard to believe we the first full month is almost behind us! The month has had it’s own ups and downs with the current situations in the world. We may address those one day, for now we will go back to thinking on an individual level – how did you do this month? Even if you didn’t write down goals, how are you feeling about your year?
Did you make progress in all of your focus areas? or decide to switch around any short term actions? What have you learned about your personal will-power, tenacity or inner motivations? Are there any items you took off your list completely? or any you realized are no longer something you truly wanted to work on?
After doing the mid-month check-in, I adjusted some of my goals and daily habits to better fit my schedule and the remainder of the month! Unplanned but positive activities came up and filled up time as well, so I wanted to be sure to make note of those. The important thing is to look back over the month. Recognize where any and all progress was made and make note of the things that made you smile!
If you are doing this check-in along with me, here are the steps I took to reflect:
Here are my original posts related to setting yearly goals and setting a purpose!
Starting off the month, I was not feeling overly strong in mindfulness and mid-month felt I needed a strong attitude adjustment. At that point, I shifted how I was approaching my morning quiet time, and gave myself more space between waking up and logging on for the day. This gave me just enough change to feel a difference and allow myself to approach my day versus letting the day carry me through.
Looking over the month, I did not workout or get outside as much as I really wanted, this had to due with weather, motivation and not feeling well for a short bit in there. I do however, buy a few things to do an at home workout and wrote up a workout I can follow with minimal equipment!
Another shift I made in this area was doing daily, shorter (15-30 minute) yoga practices instead of the hour long 2x per week. Purposefully doing a daily practice also helped with my first focus area of mindfulness!
Career & Hustle
To (most likely) no surprise to those that know me, I completed the Career and Hustle Focus Area and made time to mentor two people as they prep for their Year-End Reviews with their managers. (One of my favorite things is seeing others succeed and grow to their full potential.)
In addition, I wanted to put more focus on my hobbies to gain a strong work/life balance and enjoy life a bit more, it is easy for me to work ‘too’ much, which leads us to our last planned focus area…
On the sheet of paper above, you will see I wrote ‘complete, sorta’ next to the Hobbies Focus area… I didn’t take a class as planned and I didn’t do the new activity I had in mind, however I did work on my photography skills and also tried out a new kitchen gadget with a friend… hence the ‘SORTA’ part of the comment.
Next month I may expand my thoughts on this section, especially as it warms up more and more. There are a handful of things I enjoy doing but feel like chores right now that either require my intense focus or require more screen time (like sewing new pillow covers and taking a virtual class) – because they are not the most appealing I would rather wait until organic motivation comes over me to complete them!
This reflection brought me to think about what I did do – since I didn’t meet all of the goals I had outlined in my focus areas, I thought to myself, how did I spent that time instead and was it worthwhile? Thinking this through, I added a 5th section of ‘unplanned’ and happy I did them activities, which include:
In a way these add up to the other focus areas and certainly have been fun, made my life more enjoyable and are helping with overall productivity being that I spend so much time in my home-office.
How was January 2021 for you? Comment down below or send me a message! Can’t wait to hear!!
… would smell just as sweet. William Shakespeare Sweet and soft… still thorny This frequently paraphrased quote (maybe I hear it more than others) comes from an excerpt of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The common interpretation is: something is not changed by the name it {read more}
Yesterday Dreams Came True! Yesterday was a big day here in the States. Our new President and Vice President were sworn in to office! Inauguration Day is such a big event for so so many reasons and a beautiful day it was today with sunny {read more}
Alllright be honest what word came to mind after the … ?
Sweet? Good? Blah? Don’t even want to talk about it??
Our lives are made up of lots of days, (according to google women live on average to be about 78 years old which is 28,470 days). Measuring life in days really can change the perspective… thank goodness we get a chance to start all over again everyday. And the other good news is we have the opportunity to influence how most of our days are spent!
The goal of today’s post is for each of us to identify the elements we need to keep ourselves ‘on’ and make sure these elements are sprinkled in everyday. What does this have to do with a pilot light you ask? Let’s dive into some story time!
Have you ever heard of the cold shower trend? Simply put: people take cold showers to force themselves to feel uncomfortable intending to build up tenacity, mental toughness and overcome fears?
I did not participate in this trend very long, however I will say I can see why it was so effective! One day (not a planned cold shower day) my shower water was not warming up… having no idea why this might happen, I called my cousin who proceeded to teach me what a pilot light is and its importance. I never became brave enough to light it myself but quickly learned the importance of such a small flame. The pilot light’s purpose is simple:
Now is the time to ask yourself – is your pilot light burning and if you needed additional energy would it be available now?
Reflecting on what ignites you: activities you find to be enjoyable, calming, empowering or energizing.
Think back to the last time you had a full day filled with ‘goodness’. A day you can remember smiling or laughing until you cry. Or maybe even a day of sadness but that brought you closer to your friends and family.
Write down a list of about 10 things that stand out to you when you think of the good days. If one of your days includes a once in a lifetime celebration or event – think about what made it good – the music? the people? the outfit? the pictures? Even though we might not be able to recreate a specific event over again, we can still take from the elements that made it amazing!
My list includes (in no particular order):
Obviously I wrote 11 instead of ten… 11 is a lucky number though so we will go with it! It isn’t every day that I get to spend by the water or hike a mountain, and at this point even see friends which is why this list is even more important now.
Each day I have started making sure I do at least one activity on the list and keep the activities balanced over time. While work is on my list (which I realize might be rare), going too long without a good workout or without reading or listening to something educational causes issues. Tending to either get into my head wayyyy too much or my little pilot light goes out all together.
What is on your list? Any activities you can add to your schedule TODAY? Can you plan a few for a future ‘today’? Are there one or 2 which you could do everyday?
One last note before we end today’s blog – being present in the moment while doing these activities, even as simple as sipping coffee and enjoying the taste and temperature can make a difference. I noticed the biggest difference on how I was approaching my yoga practice – if I stayed in the moment in each posture versus thinking of it as a way to check something off a ‘to-do’ list, my overall day felt more meaningful.
Lastly – I want to know if anyone else has work on their list! Comment down below <3
Please note today’s post is the first to include a bit of ‘story time’ with background on how I arrived on the self improvement journey. <3 New Year! New me? Made it to day 14 of the new year! A bit of research {read more}
Intention setting provides a deliberate aim going into any day, meeting, phone call and especially workouts! As we go into a new week: the second full week of 2021, let’s keep the momentum of goal creation and dreaming big going! Throughout life you may have {read more}
Before we jump into today’s blog post. After the recent historical events which occurred yesterday in the United States it is with hesitation that this post goes up today.
After reflection, today’s topic lends itself well. When we may need stability within ourselves or find ourselves asking ‘What can I do right now?”.
The question of “how” to be the change we want to see in our world and “what” action to next can be answered best after a bit of soul searching on purpose.
That being said…
The purpose of the BrightEyedSmiles Blog is to be an inspiration and provide some real life tools for self-improvement, empowerment and goal creation & completion.
Inspiration may come in waves or from external sources, but I truly believe authentic inspiration has to come from within.
With practice, this internal drive becomes more natural. The intent of this specific post is to prompt thought that can be referred back to in times where you might need that extra motivation or reminder of ‘why’ to keep you on your journey.
May it be some practice on finding the fire within.
It is day 7 of the new year, and also happens to be Friday Eve. (Otherwise known as Thursday)*… Here we are folks, a week into the new year, how are you feeling?
As I made the final edits to this post after yesterday’s events ~ I decided to sit down and actually write down how I was feeling. It was a mish mosh of feelings that can be summed up with ‘deflated, and concerned.’ These feelings come with good reason and I personally believe our reaction to the world should not be dismissed. However, we need not dwell in the yuck. Therefore, I pulled myself out of the funk and worry by focusing my energy differently and making deliberate decisions to improve my mental status.
Leading up to yesterday (the first 6 days into 2021) I’ve had moments of really missing seeing my work team in person. I love my day job immensely and appreciate the people I work alongside. It has been quite some time since I’ve gotten to enjoy their presence in person. (P.s. remember when the stay-at-home orders first started and we did video calls for fun?!… those days might be over, now they are typically out of pure necessity).
This brief digression leads us to our next topic: PURPOSE. The deeper reasons we have selected the goals, pictures for our vision boards and songs for a motivating playlist, is usually with a larger purpose in mind.
One of the biggest ‘whys’ behind the creation of this blog is to connect with others. During this unique and unexpected moment in time (to those reading this in 2031… at the time this was written we were going through a pandemic requiring most of us to stay-at-home), I frequently find myself relying on technology as a means of connection.
Not only having to rely heavily on technology as a means of social connection, it is also allowing me to work remotely. Thankful for the advancements which exist today. Especially live streaming platforms (Twitch.TV) and educational sources like YouTube, the more I wanted to not just consume, but to contribute.
The desire to create already existed within me. Paired with the purpose to contribute, this blog was made a reality. With this broader purpose, came many goals including: name creation, audience reach, words per blog, and eventually revenue will be added to the list. Each one of these goals has the foundation of purpose, whereas each goal alone could feel a bit empty.
The driving factor behind what we want and how we get it typically comes down to a purpose. Our day to day habits and decisions are much easier when we have purpose-driven goals in mind.
One tip before we dive into the exercise today: the ‘why’ behind what we do is important and should align with your personal values. In my own experience when the purpose behind my goal was off kilter, the outcome usually was as well. Each of us has our own set of personal values that come from within us.
Staying true to those personal values is probably the most important part to life in general. If your purpose or your goals are not aligned with your personal values and your ‘true self’, you may find yourself on a path that is not fulfilling to you personally.
Each person in this world has unique talents and gifts, dreams and desires. There is no need to hide or stifle your own to meet the ‘normalcy’ of the the environment around you! You can achieve ANYTHING, and I believe that if you can think it up and have the desire for it – you can become it, make it happen, and live it.
This may seem backwards to some, but I find that doing my vision board allows my mind to be inspired without too much thought and then setting goals allows me to set some specifics up. Finally circling back to purpose brings it all together and allows the heart-mind connection. In the moments where you want to procrastinate, give up or turn sour on life – take a breathe and remember your ‘why’.
Have your vision board in front of you, and your written goals easily accessible. Go through each goal and write out the ‘purpose’ that drove you to select it. Adjust the goals as needed and remember to stay true to yourself (do not base your purpose off someone else’s expectations.)
I choose to formally organize my thoughts on this using two columns: (1) Goals column and (2) the purpose in the other:
GOAL
PURPOSE
*I wish I had come up with the saying ‘Thursday Eve’ but I must credit LeighAnnSays.
Thank you for so many sweet comments, texts and messages on the vision board and goal-setting posts. Happiness fills my heart to know that this site is becoming a source of inspiration! Now that we’ve explored the visual and verbal side to our goals, it {read more}