The title of this post started off as “While I Was Brushing My Teeth Tonight” but then I thought to myself, “I actually want them to read this post, and that title is far from compelling, so just tell them to read it.”
But, I’m still gonna entertain you with iPhone pics of me brushing my teeth. Dream come true I’m sure.
It dawned on me earlier that between myself, the bloggers I incorporated in my posts, Nutritionista, and Ron, we posted some quality content on the blog yesterday. And come to think of it, this week has been pretty solid. However, if readers only spend an average of less than 2 minutes on the home page, you’re missing info we find to be interesting and valuable.
Rebloggers used to give me a hard time for being too fluffy and self-centered, but now people asking for and DEMANDING more pictures and posts about me and Mason. I mean…I can’t win this battle.
Friday is usually my “Travel” day, which admittedly is the weakest theme, but I’m working on making it stronger.
I realize that most of you have not been reading my blog since the StyleByMaryRambin days and should revisit some of the tips I talked about back then.
All of that being said, I have pretty cool travel tip to share with you today. I was surprised to see this website that would allow all of you to travel the world like I do (on some level).
But before I do that, I want you to revisit what we at MTM have shared with you over the course of this week that you might have missed. We put A LOT of effort into this site which right now is yielding us very little rent money. So since we’re not asking you to pay up, we only ask that you take a minute to read. I read every one of your emails and personally provide lengthy answers, many times with links to posts I have recently written and you have missed.
So today, travel back through MTM this week and take away a few tips we have loved having in our lives. Below I’ve posted the bottom line, not the title, so you can pick and choose which are most applicable to you.
Fitness:
Fashion:
Living:
Food (scroll down the page) or:
So now that you’ve caught up on what’s going on with us and with you, get back to work!
The following article reads like a page ripped right out of a Self or Redbook, but I implore you to take 30 seconds to read it and 60 seconds to let the message sink in.
Finding Balance in Work and Life – by Dr. Christina Grant
When you are in balance and harmony with life you can be most effective in your business. What you want to achieve suffers when you are too much engrossed in the tasks or worries of work and not taking time to maintain harmony within your body, mind, and spirit.
Most of us have been trained to work hard. If we are not working hard, we have been programmed to feel guilty about not working hard. Ever heard someone called lazy because they weren’t working hard enough?
Hard work has held the promise of reward, but there is a downside if we find ourselves not enjoying the living of it all. If balance between work and life outside of work is not maintained, your well-being can suffer, harming your peace of mind, physical health, and your relationships.
Even if you love your work, thrive on it, and can do it all day and into the night, it is important to take some time to rest and create a balance. Stop, reflect, restore, and revitalize. Your relationships need attention, your spirit needs nurturing, your body needs care, and your mind needs some time off. If these are neglected, is there any amount of success that can make up for their loss?
I think it is important to work at something you love, or at least like. Simultaneously, it is important to pay attention to your inner world. This helps you maintain a healthy balance. There are 10 simple things you can do each day to aid you in this worthy endeavor. I practice them myself and hope you will join me.
1. Inhale with awareness.
2. Walk in nature, even for just 10 minutes. Aim for 30.
3. Sit in silence and still your mind for at least 10 minutes each day.
4. Notice if you are thirsty, hungry, tired. What do you do about it?
5. While eating, slow down and give your full attention.
6. Avoid people who consume your energy.
7. Embrace people who accept and support your endeavors.
8. Regard the beauty of your surroundings.
9. Appreciate the freedom and ability to work or establish a business of your own.
10. Exhale completely.
Many people in today’s society don’t believe that true love exist or is nothing more than an old wives’ tale from our forefathers. Well, I still believe that soul mates aren’t a facade at the end of the relationship tunnel.
Remember when you were growing up and your grandparents would tell you stories from their relationship that had lasted over 50 years? I always thought wow, am I going to be able to find that woman when I haven’t been able to date someone for over a couple of years?
In today’s world we have placed other priorities in front of finding our soul mate, whether it be work, personal achievements, hobbies, or travel, LOVE has taken a back seat in many of our lives. And that’s ok. I’m not saying to spend each day searching, that’s ludicrous; you’d drive yourself crazy. But it’s important to keep your eyes open and notice opportunities when they are in front of you. In fact, when “Love at first site” happens a human’s eyes actually dilate (Via OMGFACTS). But, I feel like some people need to be smacked in the face before they realize they are staring at the person they want to love for life. It’s all a matter of priorities.
I will tell you I have not yet experienced a deep love, but I am definitely open and ready for it. Seriously, “the male model” doesn’t have to be the player who breaks your heart. I think you know me well enough by now to realize that’s not me. Admittedly, it took the wisdom of age (very Scorpio of me) to recognize I never really saw the importance or the impact on your life love has.
One of my favorite stories of true love is that of my mother and step-father. He was the cool, single guy, and didn’t need anything or anyone else. Being single until the age of 30 in the south, he probably had lost some hope (I would have started to anyway). Only when he met my mother did he realize life could reach that next level of happiness unless she was a part of it. When he asked for my mother’s hand when I was 8 yrs old, I was part of the package deal and grinning from ear to ear. Now, 18 yrs later, they are still best friends and inseparable.
My second case hits more in my own age group or friend circle.
Last year, one of my best friends, Dr. Neil, called me and asked me to be the best man at his wedding. And my response was, “to who?” Apparently they had a long-distance relationship for 6 weeks. When I heard the story, I of course was hesitant to support this hasty decision. But he insisted, “ I’ve never felt like this and I know you think I’m crazy but I’m in love with this girl. Buddy you know how I am with decisions and women, but this, I know in my heart this is the right decision 100%”. At the wedding we all prayed for the best, yet secretly knew there was no question if they would make it.
Well, this past weekend (8 months later) I had the opportunity of spending an ample amount of time with them as a guest in their home. The love they share is blatantly obvious and stronger than ever, and she is 7 weeks away from giving birth to a beautiful daughter and guess who’s the God Father?…….Yep yours truly!!!
I pray we all can experience what my family and best friend have one day in our lives. I find hope in knowing someone experienced a love so deep they could write:
“I would rather have had one breath of her hair,one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, that eternity without it”—City of Angels.
Maybe I will check out Match.com…..
– my friend Kristen
On Wednesdays, I want to inspire you to grow and change. The theme of the day is “Living” which means it’s often going to be a mixed bag of goodies. However, you now know you will find a post from Mike about running your own business/life as well as a nugget of something that inspires me.
My friend Kristen said this to me the other day and as I was saying “absolutely” the gym popped into my head. I always tell you to change up your routine, confuse your body and it will grow stronger.
Well, the same is true with our emotions. You have to dig deep to discover what’s REALLY going on inside of you. Most of the time, if you sit with your issues, you become really uncomfortable. But instead of running, instead of grabbing a glass of wine, take a breath and try to figure out WHY you feel that way. “I feel this way because this happened…ok…why did that happen…well, it was the result of this….” See what I’m saying.
I’m sure as you read this you think, “damn, I though this was going to be a place to come and learn cool stuff and now she’s telling me I have issues.” Damn straight. I have plenty of fun info to share, but you’ll also take away concepts to think about.
Look at it this way…I wouldn’t be writing this post if Kristen’s quote didn’t make me stop in my tracks. Give it a shot. If you actually thought this post is cheesy you wouldn’t have read this far. And if you have made it here, then you need to take a few minutes for yourself and discover what issue is buried inside that causes you to be a little uncomfortable. The investigation of the matter might suck, but you’ll feel amazing after you purge it.
I planned on posting this picture in the context of “I had to do the cheesy jumping picture pose for once in my life” or “I’m not delusional – I know I’m one lucky biatch to be living and working in Mexico” but my day is so shitty I have to think “What the hell is the matter with me” that I can’t find a smile.
I wish I could say I’m on a hormonal roller coaster, but unfortunately that’s not the case.
The day started at 6am with the discovery that my new Ralph Lauren cashmere cardigan had been in the bottom of my laundry bag and had therefore been washed AND dried at the laundromat. I won’t mention how much it costs, but let’s just say my super soft favorite sweater now feels like sandpaper. That pretty much almost had me in tears. I tried to work it out at the gym to no avail, and now I’m sitting at my computer completely overwhelmed with work. There are a few other issues on my plate as well, and it’s just too much!
Yesterday I had been so excited to tackle my to-do list today…..
On my own suggestion from earlier today, I’ve put on one of my favorite mixes and will be nose to the grindstone after this post.
Tomorrow, after another full day of work, I’ll jump on the beach and think, “you silly girl getting all upset when you knew you you could get it all done. Now look at you, drinking a Corona on the beach. People in NYC would kill to be here after a day at the office. Get over yourself!”
“Please do not be cynical….it doesn’t lead anywhere….if you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”
–Conan O’Brien
Bottom line to living a happy life
I designed this logo a while back and I feel it portrays everything I’m about. I also think it portrays exactly how every entrepreneur should think. I printed this out and taped it on my wall a long time ago. Whenever I’m brainstorming or working on ideas, I like to look at this picture and let my mind drift out of the box.
Most who know me know that I usually think waaayyy out of the box. Is it a gift or is it an ability developed through years of practice? I believe it is the latter. ANYONE can develop this skill! When I look at anything, whether it is an object or business, my mind is constantly deriving ways of how to improve that concept. And this is something I’ve practiced since I could use a pencil and paper.
Funny example of this is when I go out to a bar or club. Many misconstrue my quiet demeanor as not having a good time, when in fact my brain is actually working overtime…analyzing the flow of the business, the behavior of the cocktail servers, the POS systems, how they handle the cash, the layout of the club and how it could be improved, the music selection, the demographic stats of their customers…and so on. It can be quite enlightening when one stops, watches and learns from their surroundings. Of course, it’s nothing a few shots of tequila can’t remedy.
My point of the story is this…don’t go with the crowd…go away from it, go against it, go in circles around it…just don’t go with it! If you’d like to start a new venture similar to an already successful business model, don’t copy it, improve it! EVERYTHING can either be improved or broken down and simplified.
Case in point: Ebay is a monster in its industry. In fact, any auction site that tries to compete directly with Ebay loses. A few entrepreneurs recognized this and started analyzing Ebay. They realized that Ebay did not allow the sale of guns on their site. This spawned the creation of www.gunbroker.com. Within their first year of business, they were already doing $1 million per month in sales. And the site is not even designed that well.
These entrepreneurs recognized a niche that Ebay was ignoring, and they seized it. Find a niche and embrace it! This is the age of niches…the age of personal preferences and individual tastes. (That’s so going on my quote page!)
That is the kind of thinking that you must do if you want to succeed big! It may take a little while to hone your skills, but practice it everyday. Everything you look at, you should analyze and try to improve. Whether it is a business, a gadget or just an ordinary object. If some person out there could look at a fork and spoon and realize that putting them together would make him a millionaire (yes…I’m talking about the spork), just imagine what else could be done!
You cannot really be first-rate at your work if your work is all you are.
Anna Quindlen, A Short Guide To A Happy Life
COLLEGE STUDENTS CARE — Inspiring Stories from 2009
Reader Christina writes:
“Camp Kesem is one of the 24 camps in the US, run entirely by college student volunteers, which provide one week of summer camp to children with a parent who has or has had cancer. The students collectively dedicated thousands of hours throughout the year to plan CK and fundraise an average of $50,000 to bring magic to families with cancer…for free!
One night during our 2008 camp, we decided to have our staff meeting around the camp fire and on this particular night, we had an important issue to discuss that needed a lot of input. Almost every counselor offered their opinion that night on the topic at hand. I remember staring into the fire and being completely enamored by the brilliant, eloquent, opinions that filled the air. I thought about how the family members, teachers, and mentors of the counselors sitting around me, and how proud they would be, if they knew of the selflessness that was emanating from this group of college kids. There they were exhausted and yet invested and dedicating 100% of themselves with only one motive: doing what was right to make life better for kids that life was not always fair to. Our conversation carried far into the middle of the night, anyone could have slipped away to bed. But everyone stayed.
At MIT, the focus is on education. We study, write papers, pull all-nighters trying to learn just one more abstract mathematical concept. We constantly check our grades, the time, our emails, our mental to-do lists for something more important than what we are doing at the time. At camp, we pause and we stay. Because there is nothing more important.”
Watch the video she made of scenes from camp.
Click here to see if this program is available at your school.
