Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category
My Word for 2017 Is
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017
Verve.
I choose to focus on a word or theme that will represent an upcoming year. Sometimes the word or theme comes easily and get a sense of the New Year will bring. Or I get a string feeling of what I am being called towards experiences and living.
2017 was a little different. I had a sense of what I wanted for the New Year, but couldn’t quite name it. The word adventure kept coming and yet it wasn’t encompassing the totality of the energy I was feeling. It was more than experiencing adventure in 2017; it was more like the energy, spirit, and wisdom that comes from adventures.
While on a road trip, I started playing with the word adventure. As I expressed my stream of consciousness of words around adventure, I found myself smiling at the feeling of all the words. I thought about experiences and adventures on a deeper level.
Verve.
The word came effortlessly flowing in and out. Verve is all about vigor and spirit or enthusiasm. It’s what a friend might call “a happening.”
Verve is more of an experience or energy difficult to describe in words; it is felt.
Verve.
Thank you to everyone who participated in sharing their word or theme for 2017. Many amazing words and themes have been shared so far, including Hope, Engaged, Productivity, Cure, Mets, Wellness, Momentum, Contract, Release, Focus, Trust, Ease, Conscious, Diligent, Onward, Action, Hope (again), Declutter, Integration, Faith, Open, and Swagger.
And you? What is your word, focus, them for the New Year?
Haiku
Monday, December 16th, 2013
East wind blowing snow
Hints of winter fill the sky
Stillness in my eyes
Wild Cosmic Heart Retreat in Hawaii – 4 Spots Left!
Thursday, May 30th, 2013
Take a deep dive into your heart while enjoying time connecting and playing in Hawaii. The retreat includes exploring heart-centered practices and ceremonies, walks on the beach, meditations, chanting, sound healing, guided visualizations, gentle yoga classes, a bonfire overlooking the ocean, walking in a lava tube, Hawaiian excursions and cultural events and much more!
Spend a week exploring, listening, relaxing, connecting, playing, and laughing. The Second Annual Wild Cosmic Heart Retreat takes place at Kalani Oceanside on the Big Island November 3 – 9, 2013. There are four spots available for this amazing retreat.
Register with a deposit by June 10, 2013 and save $75. Payment plans accepted.
Hang a Left
Thursday, April 4th, 2013
If you are walking a linear path, hang a left turn…
(Photo by Mary Anne Flanagan)
Book Review: Be a Free Range Human
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
For those seeking to escape the corporate cage and the constraints of a 9 – 5 job, there is a book you might enjoy reading: Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9-5, Create a Life You Love and Still Pay the Bills by Marianne Cantwell.
Many people wonder what they’d do if they won the lottery and didn’t have to commute every day to a job that is barely keeping them going. What if living your dream was possible and you could do what really brings you meaning? Cantwell’s book gives you some practical knowledge and tips of living a “free range life.”
For Marianne Cantwell, “Be Free Range Human is not a regular business or careers book. This isn’t just about making a living without a job… it’s about discovering a world where daring to be yourself, throwing out the old rules, doing things your way (no one else’s) and creating a life that suits you down to the ground is not only encouraged but essential to make this work.” Cantwell writes about people that have figured out what they want to do with their lives and are doing living it, right now.
This book is a great introduction for people who are considering moving away from the corporate world, the traditional career ladder and aiming to make a living doing something they love. It is written in a lighthearted in style with practical exercise to guide the reader. Be a Free Range Human is for those new to personal growth and struggling with work-life balance.
The book is encouraging and useful as a way to consider your next steps towards your future.
Luminous Light – Spring
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
Bronze light entering my heart. Sunrise.
What light shines through you?
Happy Spring!
(Bronx, New York sunrise photo taken by Mary Anne Flanagan)
Do Work That Matters
Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
On My Nightstand
Monday, January 7th, 2013
These 13 books will make their way to my nightstand in 2013:
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles by Marianne Williamson
The Fear Project: What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me About Survival, Success, Surfing . . . and Love by Jaimal Yogis
Open Heart, Open Mind: Awakening the Power of Essence Love by Tsoknyi Rinpoche
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer
Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson
My Life So Far by Jane Fonda
How to Solve Our Human Problems – The Four Noble Truths by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink
Huna: Ancient Secrets for Modern Living by Serge King
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillipp Dendker
You pick the 13th book. I am always looking for book suggestions so you tell me what book must I read in 2013!
Enjoy and Happy Reading!
What’s Your Good News of the Day?
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Over twenty-five years ago I did some volunteer work in the Bahamas. I always joked that if I am called to volunteer in the Bahamas, who am I to deny the call? The volunteer work involved working with school-age children and building their library and playing games. We would go the school early in the morning and the youth would line up for assembly. Each morning the principal would ask, “Who would like to share some good news of the day?” Many hands would go up as children as young as six would share their good news. Their announcements would include everything from getting a new baby brother or sister, to losing a tooth, to getting an A on a test. Every morning we would start our day by celebrating the good news.
I took that lesson with me into the workplace and with clients and I find myself asking folks, “What’s your good news of the day?” For some this is a real struggle because no one has ever asked this question to them before. For others, it is a way of sharing their gratitude.
What’s your good news of the day?
The Working Journey
Monday, September 3rd, 2012
My work is to enjoy life.
My job is to question any stressful thoughts.
My vacation is waking up every day and hearing my breath.
My career is love.
My retirement is life.