♥ 2013 mantra ♥

It's a new year, which I suppose means new goals... but this year I am going to keep it simple. Yes, there are a few big ones I will write out on my wall so I can work towards them everyday (shoots I aspire to, places I dream about), but this year I want to focus more on the journey itself. By that I mean living more presently with more intention. So I wrote a few things that I will keep as my mantra for the year to create a more meaningful and happy world :)

♥ laugh often (I can get quite serious, laughing always brings me back to the moment)

♥ love deeply (is there any other way? give give give)

♥ forgive all (let go and move on, from big to miniscule)

♥ dream big (if your dreams don't scare you they aren't big enough!)                            

♥ live with intention (don't live passively. Create it!)

Wishing you all an extraordinary year of good health, abundance and laughter!

Rules to live by for the New Year...

This morning I lay in bed, sun streaming through the windows, caught between "I should get up because it's kind of a working day, but feels like a Sunday..." and read an email a friend sent me. The words resonated with me... gentle reminders of what we all know but forget consistently. I think this is a great handbook for 2011, thanks DC! 

Regarding your Health

• Drink plenty of water
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants
• Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
• Play more games
• Read more books than you did in 2010
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
• Sleep for 7 hours
• Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily... and smile while you walk

 Personality

• Don't compare your life to others; you have no idea what their journey is all about
• Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control; instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment
• Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
• Dream more while you are awake
• Envy is a waste of time; you already have all you need
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn; problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime
• Smile and laugh more

 Society

• Call your family often
• Each day give something good to others
• Forgive everyone for everything
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6
• Try to make at least three people smile each day
• What other people think of you is none of your business

 Life

• Do the right thing!
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
• When you awake alive in the morning, be thankful for it
• Your inner most is always happy; so, be happy

And because in my world, everything is better with a photo, here is some of my winter favorites to bring in the New Year! May this year be the best yet...