Why do I link?

Monday, June 25, 2012

My Terrible Experience Turned Around

Yesterday morning, I brought my son out for an ice cream cone. He is a 5-year old, so obviously he loves ice cream: my plan was to have such an enjoyable time. Sometimes things don't happen as planned. And sometimes it ends up working in your favor.

The Experience

We were walking to the back of the store, after placing our order, and there was a disheveled-looking man sitting at a table that we needed to walk past him in order to get to our favorite place at the back of the restaurant. Wow, that was a long sentence.

I tend to smile at people- small smiles for people I walk past; big smiles for people I feel comfortable with, and teeth-baring smiles for people I really like a lot. I smiled a small smile at this man, and he looked like he needed at least one smile that day.

He looked me in the eye, and he said under his breath "you are a stupid woman."
I looked him back in his eyes, and said "pardon?"
He repeated himself, word for word.
I looked at his eyes again and remained calm (although inside I was disgusted).
I said, "I won't ask why," and I walked to my son who was now sitting at our spot.

We sat there for about 10 minutes because I didn't want to walk past the man again, and I wanted to not let him get to me. It was safest for me to make the choice I did, I think. When he left, I explained to my son what had just happened. My son was not impressed with the man being "not friendly."

For 12 hours, it bothered me that I had gone through that experience. Why should I have to feel this way? Am I really a stupid woman? I actually questioned myself.

No- of course I am not stupid. I am anything but stupid. That man doesn't know me. He was probably on drugs or just too hungry to think well. I don't know, but it's not for me to spend my energy on.

I had three important people in my life tell me that he is a waste of my energy to focus on, and now I agree. I decided to place my energy into understanding how this situation is actually helping me to be a more successful person. It's taken me until today (24 hours after the situation happening) to begin to see how I am benefiting from what happened between myself and that man.

Most of my life I have put a lot of my energy into what other people think of me, and I have wanted to make peoples' lives better through my personality and what I emotionally have to give to them. I would smile at people to make them feel happy about their day.

I'm not saying I will stop smiling at people all together. What I'm saying is that I realize now that it is not my job to make everyone in the world feel good about their lives. It's not my job, and I don't need to waste my energy worrying about how every person is feeling about what they're dealing with.

What an insightful experience. I am thankful now that it happened, even though it really sucked (I hate using the work 'sucked'...And I hate using the word 'hate,' but it really did suck and I hated it at the time). Now I love that I have more insight.

On to better things! And wishing you the best, although I don't need to worry about you. I just need to love you and hope that you're headed somewhere that's making you happy.


If you like these posts, please feel free to 'like' my facebook Page so that you're up-to-date. Cheers!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sleep Guilt

I am often ready to sleep at a reasonable hour, but I hold myself awake because I think that if I let myself go to sleep early (when I'm tired), then I will not be accomplishing all that I can be...And that I will be 'lazy.'

I've always loved sleep. Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do. It's peaceful, quiet, and perfect in every way. I always feel better in the morning when I've had a really good sleep, and the duration matters too.

I think I might be at a turning point. I keep coming back to this same thing: to sleep, or not to sleep? If I sleep, I will feel so good waking up in the morning. If I stay awake, I will feel like I've really had a full day, but I will go to bed exhausted and I will wake up cranky. What gives?

It's clear to me what I need to do. I suppose I just needed to write it out and see it in front of my eyes.

Sleep well!



If you like these posts, and want to know when they're up, please feel free to 'like' my facebook Page

Affirmations for a Successful Afternoon

It feels easy for me, right now, to write a series of affirmations for a successful afternoon because I had quite a productive morning. I didn't feel rushed by my own sense of frantic-ness (this time), and I got a lot done. 


Somehow, getting things done is what allows for a feeling of success; accomplishing tasks in the pursuit of a goal allows for the feelings of moving forward in one's life.


My goal this morning was to get the house clean so that a friend can come for a visit and I can be comfortable having them over because I know the house is in visit-worthy condition. It sounds like a simple goal for a simple mind, but the fact is that I had a goal and I was working toward it.


When we have a goal and then do nothing to move toward it...You get the point, I think.


Is there one thing you can do today that will move you toward your ideal life? I don't mean that today you should quit the job you hate. What I mean is that there's probably something in your mind that you want to do in life, and you're doing absolutely nothing about it except feeling discouraged, defeated, or incapable due to the BIGness of the goal. We all have something. What is yours?


The idea is that each small step you take to move yourself toward your goal will be enough to get you to your goal.


Everyone is trying to accomplish something big,
not realizing that life is made up of little things” 
 Frank A. Clark


Today's Success Affirmations affirm this theme of small actions moving you toward your goal. This post is dedicated to YOU of course!


It doesn't matter if I accomplished anything yet today, I know I can do something today that will move me in the direction of my ideal life.
I am feeling pretty good about life. 
I'm getting clear on what I want and where I want to be.
There are things I want to change, but I also know that what I'm going through right now will help me in the future.
I'm Damn Good-Looking.
I choose little actions to take every day that make my life more enjoyable and healthy.
My actions are productive and are leading me in the direction I choose.
When I have a setback, I remember that I can choose my next action to take me to where I want to be.
I am the only person who gets to choose my feelings about today.
I see the beauty in the small things in my life.
Today I will do one thing that will make my goal happen sooner than it would have had I chose to do nothing.
Tomorrow I will remember to do another small thing, and it will be enjoyable to pursue my dreams.
I can remember to take steps toward my goals because my goals are important.
MY GOALS ARE IMPORTANT


I can do this.
You can do this.
It's not easy or hard- it's just new, and we can do it.


If you like these posts, and want to know when they're up, please feel free to 'like' my facebook Page















Saturday, June 23, 2012

Morning Success Affirmations

Good Morning,

I think it's a good time to feel positive about life, so here it goes, and it's dedicated to Your WellBeing:

Sometimes my day doesn't start out well, but I always know I can change it.
I realize quite quickly that I'm the person who has the power to change my own reality.
It's getting easier for me to feel good about changing my perspective.
I feel better and better about life.

My day is becoming just the way I want it to be.
I am starting to enjoy the process of waking up and starting my day.
I never used to, but I like to smile first thing in the morning.
I feel grateful to have another day to live my life.

I am inspired to live a good day today.


May your day be everything you want it to be!


If you like these posts, and want to know when they're up, please feel free to 'like' my facebook Page

Friday, June 22, 2012

You'll Have the Best Sleep Ever

Do you think you're going to sleep well tonight?

No...Then you probably won't....
Yes...Then you probably will....

It's relevant, what you are anticipating regarding the quality of sleep you're about to embark on.

I understand that a large number of people don't agree with the concept that the things they anticipate happening are more than likely the results they will end up getting. It applies to sleep as well. 

99% of the time, I sleep extremely well. I'm not bragging. All I'm saying is that I know I'm going to have a good sleep, and I don't think that it's because I'm more capable than anyone else of sleeping well, or that it's completely a genetic thing.

I think it's largely to do with the fact that I go to bed in full anticipation that tonight's gonna be a good good night, Yes, that was a Black Eyed Peas song reference (because it's a great song!!)

I don't suffer Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), but I do know that if I eat too much sugar throughout the day, my legs will not want to go to sleep, and they will jerk around in bed. I think RLS might actually be related to sugar consumption, and/or a person's inability to properly process sugars, despite what I've read about the neurological disorder.

There are loads of reasons why people don't sleep well, and I'm not about to presume that I am aware of even the smallest percentage of those reasons. I'm not really concerned with the very valid reasons we all have for why we don't have what we want. What I'm interested in are the solutions.

Tonight's gonna be a damn good night for you, and if it's not then that doesn't mean it won't be damn good tomorrow night. If you're thinking over and over again until it happens, "man, I'm gonna have a good sleep tonight," then you're going to eventually get the results you're looking for.

I'm not saying that thinking is the only thing that will change things. But thinking is just the beginning step to changing things. I will imagine now that you are sleeping well.






Thursday, June 21, 2012

What Do You Know?

I have read that when blogging, one should blog about what one knows. What does anyone really know though? We know, based on experience. Although, every person's experience is different (even when they are witnessing the same event).


So, we all know what we know, but what we know is not necessarily the truth because we won't all agree on the same thing to be true, even the same situation.

Yes, of course I am questioning what I know. I am just now trying to understand the term "share your truth."

Somehow I thought self-discovery was supposed to be done when I became an 'adult.' How did I ever imagine that I would have known, by now, all that I need to know about the way life works and about myself?

I'll blame it (in the most loving way) on my dear mother, Vivianne LaFrance, who seems to understand existence like no other person I know. She is a jewel in my life because she Share's Her Truth, and she is confident in what she knows to be her truth. Through her truth, she helps people.

I want to get to the point where my truth is so strong that I can purposefully share it with the people around me; for what I believe to be solid, yet fluid, and be comfortable with it's solid fluidity.





Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Other Versions of You

This morning I was driving along the highway (doing the 80k speed limit, of course), and I had to do a double-take and look to my right a second time, and then a third. I saw a lady hammering some sort of a 'For Sale' sign into the grass on the side of the road. No big deal, except that the lady looked identical to a friend of mine.

Now, anyone who knows me will know that I come up with theories about many things, all of the time. I find my theories to be insightful, although most of the time people laugh at them. I suppose my ideas can be rather humorous to people because people don't seem to come up with their own far-fetched theories. I don't know why...Maybe they just aren't sharing their theories and they in fact constantly have unique, yet superfluous, ideas.

Anyway...The thought I thought instantaneously was this: "what if this lady is another version of my friend." I don't mean that she is a twin, or a long-lost sister, or a literal 'double.' What I mean is this: what if we leave versions of ourselves behind as we progress to different places in our personal spiritual evolution, and we never meet these other versions of ourselves because we're no longer on the same wavelength as those versions who we left behind.

I don't think that we are the same people as we were 10 years ago. Maybe I'm thinking this way because my 10-year school reunion is happening this year. We've all gone through experiences, and we're going to be coming together with different bodies and different thought patterns than we had when we left school.
I don't know if this paragraph can be argued.

If you are like most of my friends, you would argue that my theory of leaving versions of ourselves behind has no validity. You would question it, which is fair, and then you would conclude that you'd never entertain the thought again.

I love my friends, and I am not putting them down. I appreciate that not everyone has brilliant ideas ;) lol. Okay, it's okay for me to make fun of myself too :)

If we grow mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, wouldn't it only make sense that the old versions of ourselves would end up some place in the universe just like the selves we are right now are right here?

Haha. I just talked to my husband about this theory, and he said what I was talking about was called Multiverse. It's actually a thing!!

nadine staaf photo
Me, on my birthday: Downtown, Victoria, BC, Canada :)


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

We Can Make More Time


I’m seeing now that lack of time is really only a self-limiting belief.

I’m starting to see more and more in my life that I do indeed have the choice as to how much time I have in a single day. I used to get overwhelmed with the number of tasks I needed to do; and still I catch myself coming to those feelings. But, I noticed my beliefs changing when I started realizing that my day could be filled with all sorts of things, without the thoughts of “ahhhh! I have too many things to do, and not enough time, and how am I ever going to have time for myself.”

(This is a recent revelation by the way), so I know I still have a way to go.

Do you suffer symptoms of being stressed for time? Maybe I can help guide you through what I think I went through to get to my feelings of calmness. I say “what I think I went through” because it would be highly inaccurate for me to assume that I can remember exactly what the process was for me to get to exactly where I am right now. But, let me try and maybe you’ll find a few gems that can help you.

It might help you to know a bit about my personality and that I try really hard to make thing e ‘just so.’ I can be patient with other people’s wanting things a certain way: I can be flexible. The thing that I try to do is be ‘just so’ for myself. I want to do the best I can in school, in my relationship, in parenting, in work, in every interaction I have with people, in what I make my son for lunch, in how I walk, in …Well, pretty much every moment that I’m with myself, I want to be my best person. Maybe I’m neurotic. I don’t know.

I don’t so much like the term ‘perfectionist’- it sounds like a bad thing, as though trying to do good in one’s life is a problem. I don’t feel like I am being a problem for myself. If anything, I am proud of myself when I have accomplished what I know I am capable of accomplishing.

I suppose there is a problem that arises when I feel that I haven’t been able to live up to my own standards. Is that the way with everyone, I wonder? I don’t think my standards are actually high enough for what a human being is capable of, so I keep raising the bar. Sometimes it’s beneficial.

Ahhh! I am typing outside in a field right now, and a spider just landed in my hair.



Phew- got it out!!

Wow, I really feel like I am ramping up to something here…

I think what is helping me to not feel stressed about time is actually using the time I do have (because we all do have some free time if we let ourselves have it) to do the things that inspire me to keep living life. What does living life mean to you?

To me, living life does not mean doing all the things you HAVE TO DO in order to maintain the hectic schedule of living in the world we live in today: commuting, making lunches, doing laundry, punching into your job (unless you absolutely love being at work), grocery shopping, etc.

What I’ve been figuring out is that “the dishes can wait” if it means I get more time to enjoy my life. My husband has been telling me this for nearly a decade, but it’s taken me until today to fully understand what he meant. Thankfully I have a husband who does not have unmanageable expectations of me.

But even if you don’t have that kind of partner (or no partner), once you start spending more time doing the things that make you happy, you will find that people don’t demand more from you; instead people want to help you do more of the things you love. They also become inspired by your love for life and they start to enjoy their lives more as well. It’s important to recognize what your needs are, and then to articulate them to yourself and to the people who love you.


Monday, June 18, 2012

Humans Being Here and Not Talking About It

I find it interesting the way we are as humans, specifically how none of us really knows why we're here, how we came to be here, where we're going, and all that's in between.

I do not mean to offend those of you who know absolutely that you are a human being on Earth with an absolute purpose, and a desire to make it happen, and a knowing deep in your soul of where you are going after being here on Earth. Heck, if that's the case then I don't think it would even be possible for me to offend you. Congratulations to you...I think?

I am most definitely not certain of humanhood. Nor do I think the people who 'know' are always certain about things either. Everyone must waver in their understanding of life from time to time. It only makes sense.

I'm curious enough to take a survey of every person I know, and ask them "why do you think we're here?" Although, many responses would be the same (due to belief systems shaped by culture, religion, and education). Some people might have had an out-of-body experience, or near-death. That would be interesting. Although, I don't necessarily think the 'near-death people' have a better understanding of life than anyone else; it's just a different understanding. I guess my survey would be rather pointless, come to think of it.

I find it humorous that more people don't talk about being here, as humans, or why we are here. I suppose it's because none of us knows, but that sort of seems like an excuse- a way out of the conversation...Avoidance of contemplation of anything further than what we've already contemplated.

Does it hurt to think about, or to talk about? Maybe it's too potentially offensive for people to talk about in today's world. We don't want to start any wars over religion- already been done. We are far too cool for that now.

So what now? We just ignore the weirdness that we're these strange physical bodies (or we're in them) with emotions and thoughts. We just brush the whole thing under the rug, and keep our thoughts to ourselves on the matter of humans and existence.

Maybe thinking about it doesn't help any. Maybe talking about it makes things worse. All I know for sure is that often I wonder why things are the way they are...And I probably will keep doing it.

Drawing by Nadine Staaf

If you like these posts, and want to know when they're up, please feel free to 'like' my facebook Page

Friday, June 15, 2012

Being a Citizen

The world seems so strange right now, with every person's priorities being different from the next person's. Somehow things kind of keep functioning; I just don't understand how, and if it's actually true to say that we are functioning.

Today I threw a plastic take-away cup in the garbage because I was on "too much of a time crunch to be able to rinse it out and throw it into a recycle bin." That was my excuse anyhow. The truth, I see now, is that I could have taken the time to put it into the recycling bin, but at that moment, my priorities were skewed. I was focused on getting the things done in my life that were apparently of more importance in that moment than maintaining the future health of our planet.

Some people may scoff and say, "it's only one plastic cup. Don't worry about it." Unfortunately, I read the book called What if Everybody Did That?... If you decide to read this book to a child, you will understand my dilemma.

What if Everybody Did That?- By:  Ellen Javernicke
What if Everybody Did That?- By:  Ellen Javernicke
Had I planned it out better, I could have easily felt like I had enough time to eat my breakfast AND recycle my cup, but I didn't plan well due to various other excuses I can provide myself with.

I don't think it's possible to be a perfect citizen, and sometimes trying our best to be perfect at anything is too stressful to manage. Although, societal laws call for perfection and if perfection is not attained then there are real consequences.

To which level of perfection must one perform in order to live as a proper citizen in the world? Must one just barely abide by the rules of society in order to get through life? Would that be considered being a proper citizen?

There is an elderly lady near where we live. She goes out to the recycling bin in the parking lot, and she literally takes the non-flattened boxes out of the bin and she flattens them and then returns them to the bin. She is someone who sees most of the younger generation as 'careless.'

I can sorta see her point, I suppose ;) Although, often I think that the younger generation cares too much but that they have a hard time focusing on any one of those things due to what we talked about in the first paragraph of this post.







Thursday, June 14, 2012

I'm not Made of Fluff & Rainbows

It's funny when people get to 'know' me a little more than the average stranger. They often mistake me for someone who is made up of fluff and rainbows. The other day, a neighbor said to me that he could never imagine me yelling or being mad.

It made me SO ANGRY!! Grrrr...No, not really.

People who don't know me well somehow come to the conclusion that I do not experience normal human emotions, like anger. I think it's because I smile at them. Seriously- I think that's all it is. People are good at jumping to conclusions about other people. And as we all know, most often those conclusions are awfully wrong.

Growing up, I cried a ton of tears. I was "sensitive" as my mother often called me. She was right, I was very sensitive. Looking back, I don't think that I really had any good reason to be so sensitive. I lived well and I had a family that cared for me.

Mind you, if I wasn't sensitive there would be more reason for worry: It's known that a child who undergoes a lot of stress won't have the same brain activity, specifically Cortisol levels, as a child who experiences less stress. It makes sense. Here's an article in Stanford University News that explains it well. Severe Stress Hurts Children's Brains..

I won't be mad at you if you think I'm made of rainbows, but FLUFF on the other hand, please don't get me started!!







Feeling Better about Your Now

It will probably only take you a few minutes, (hopefully by the time you're done reading this post), to feel better than you're feeling right now. I'm hoping that you're feeling FANTASTIC already, but if you're not, then you have nothing to fear because Feel Good Affirmations are here to help :)

Already, I'm feeling a little bit better than I was feeling only 30 seconds ago.
I must be feeling better.
I do feel a tad more loving.
I feel slightly more vibrant.
I feel kind of good inside myself.
When I think of things that make me feel good, I see more of those things in my life.
I take care of my needs, knowing that I am worth taking care of.
I expect the best in my life.
I see the good in the world.
Most of the time, I feel good.
I am pleased with the way my life is going.
When shi* happens, I find a way to feel positive that things are beginning to look up again.
I am most joyful.
I am appreciated by the people in my life.
I am seeing more and more that I appreciate all that I do in my life.
I am energized by the things I am doing.
I am energized by the people in my life.
I am inspired.
I am filled with positive energy that is increasing bit by bit, everyday.
The first thing I do in the morning is imagine how happy I will feel when I open my eyes.
I feel better right now than I did not that long ago.
I feel better.

Feeling better, I know, is not a quick fix to the more serious problems of life. But doing these little exercises every single day, more often than once, helps to build-up the positive energy within our minds and our bodies, allowing the feeling-good vibe to work for us a bit more easily every time.

Here is a toast (not a piece of bread), from me to you, that your feelings increase in wellness, and your body and mind interact happily with these new feelings. Here is a toast to YOU (okay, this one can be a piece of bread).

heart sandwich, a heart cut out of the middle of a sandwich

Failures are Mini-Successes

Good Day!

I want to write every day, twice a day, and more often that that. I keep getting stuck, thinking "yea, but what if people start reading and then they rapidly stop reading because what I am writing is only vaguely interesting...Then what?"

Are you ever afraid to do something, even though you know it's the best thing you could possibly do for yourself, or is it just me?

Do you stop just short of completing a task that will allow you to eventually reach your goal, while you give yourself an excuse so that you don't need to face your self-doubt straight in it's face? I do. I know what it's like, and now I know that I do it (half the battle, apparently, is being aware of the fact).


Then what? This is the one of the best questions we can ask ourselves in times of self-doubt. Basically, 'then what' is asking, "what's the worst that could happen if you give it your all?" Maybe you'll fail and your ego will be burned for a short period of time? So what if you fail? You learn something.

"I've failed over, and over, and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

My husband and I focus on teaching our son that it's his mistakes (failures) which are helping him to learn the lessons he needs in order to not make the same mistakes again (basically, to succeed). He is 5, so he understands. Somehow, we are much older than 5 and we don't quite understand.

We think we need to be successful already in order to succeed. Although, that's really not at all the truth. We need a desire to succeed and a drive to never give up: To move through all of our failures...To success. When we realize that, our failures become mini-successes in themselves.
Waterfall, beacon hill park, victoria, bc





Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Today's Success Affirmations

If we can get into the habit of creating and reading daily success affirmations, it will be easier for us to naturally remember to be successful in our minds and our bodies. Here are today's Success Affirmations, brought to you through my love and abundant wishes for you and the people who are affected by you.


I am contagiously well
I tend to succeed at everything I do
I trust that everything I am doing is for the right reasons and that all is well in my world
I am helping people be and do better for themselves, and for the people who surround them
I am contributing to a better world
I have a purpose which coincides with my goals and my dreams
I know who I am
I am beginning to love who I am
I am becoming the me I want to be
I am the person who has the power over my thoughts and actions
I am true to my wishes and dreams
I am successful at determining what I need in order to be healthy
I give myself all that I need and I overflow my generosity to others
I am abundant in everything I need and want
My desires are valid
I respect my decisions
I easily accept the good in life 
I am grateful for everything that is provided to me
I relax happily into my relationships
I am peaceful
I am comfortable
My work is fun, and it feels like fun
I am responsible and I feel good about my responsibilities
My responsibilities bring me joy
I am uplifted by life
I am strong
My relationships are healthy
Money piles up in my bank account and I disburse it in ways that make me feel happy
I enjoy receiving good things
I enjoy earning a large income
I feel adored by life
I feel I am living magically
Good things always happen to me and to the people I love
I am capable in all areas of my life
Socially, I attract good people
I attract good things even when I am sleeping
I always do my best, and my best is better than what is needed
I go above and beyond
I succeed
I am successful

You are successful

If you like these posts, and want to know when they're up, please feel free to 'like' my facebook Page

We Affect The People Around Us

I wonder sometimes if many people contemplate the fact that they are affecting, either negatively or positively, every person they encounter during their day. If you've made eye contact with someone, then you've affected them in some way.

I'm not saying that you've changed their lives forever necessarily, but maybe you have changed the course of their day, and in turn the course of their lives. Here's an example of what I'm talking about (and I suppose now, thinking about it further, it's a little bit of the Butterfly Effect being applied):

A man is walking along the sidewalk, and he's thinking about how horribly his relationship with his daughter is going- they haven't been able to stop fighting lately and he's starting to think:

"maybe teenage girls are all just terrible individuals, heartless, and self-centered....I'll never be able to get along with her the way I want to."

At that moment, walking toward him, nearly a block in the distance, comes a teenage girl who is approximately the age of his own daughter. The man is so very caught up in his frustrated thought pattern that he doesn't see the edge of the sidewalk, which he trips over, just to land on his knees.

It was a stumble, nothing was broken, and he wasn't too worried about it. Although, when the teenage girl sees what had happened, she thinks of her cherished grandmother who had recently fallen and broken her hip. She runs over to see if the man is okay and asks if he needs to borrow her cell phone to call someone to drive him home. She is honestly concerned for him.

The man is grateful for the girl's concern for his well-being, but refuses the cell phone. He gets up, brushed his knees, says "thank you," and for the rest of his walk he is thinking about how genuinely helpful that girl was, and how most teenage girls are probably very helpful.

He doesn't even contemplate that before he fell he was mad with his own daughter: he is not aware that he had been thinking negatively about his own relationship.

Because he is now content with the idea of teenage girls being caring, he treats his own daughter differently and with more compassion. Because of his compassion, his daughter shows him the same level of respect that he is now showing her. She doesn't want to fight with him, and she never has wanted to fight with him.

If the girl on the sidewalk had only walked by the man, not seeming to care that he was hurt, the man may not have had the opportunity to think differently about his own situation. Neither the girl nor the man were necessarily conscious of the affect their presence was having on the other, and maybe they never will be conscious of it.

What's important is that we're conscious of the role we are playing in the world, simply by the way we encounter the other people in the world.

It is my hope, that if you don't realize that every interaction you are having with people is wholly affecting the thoughts they are thinking about their own lives, that you open up to the idea and see it begin to take shape in your own life and in the lives of the people you encounter daily.

Have fun being you because you're a wonderful you!


Water Fountain Picture- Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC




Monday, June 11, 2012

Changing My Day Around after Waking Up Grumpy

Hello readers,

It's not always easy to naturally feel good. Things get in the way. Though it is easy to change your day around for the better. I will admit that I have been "awake" for nearly 4 hours, and right now is the first time today that I have decided I will make the decision to feel better.

I woke up grumpy. I didn't go to sleep at an early enough hour, and my son had recently started to wake up with the sun. Those are my excuses, and now here is what I'll do with them: I will throw them in the garbage can because they are not useful to me. I will call it 'mind garbage.'

The thing about mind garbage is that it flies right on out of the garbage can throughout the day, and you need to throw it away again...And probably again after that. Perhaps a better term to use would be 'mind recycling.'

Anyhow, I will begin improving my day by agreeing with myself that changing my day would be useful. I have a big day ahead, with responsibilities coming from most directions, and I would benefit tenfold if I had a good attitude about it all. Way to go, Nadine. You can do it!...Self-encouragement is vital in a moment such as this.

...

I just took an email-hiatus and wish I wouldn't have...Oh, how easily distracted I have become with technology at my fingertips. Okay! Back to consciously feeling better now than when I woke up. Maybe getting off the computer would help. Yes, I will focus on school work first, and then come back to tell you if anything improved simply from not being on the computer.

See you soon!



Sunday, June 10, 2012

Wealth Mindset: It's not all about hard work- Part 1


So, this Wealth is a Mindset stuff...What does it even mean, and how is it applied? Application of this principal will be detailed in further blog posts of this series. This post is part 1.

What we'll focus on here is my understanding of what a wealthy mindset really is, rather than it simply being a physical outcome of physical work. Action is equally as important as mindset, but action is not on which this post is focused.

*Important note: I am not making suggestions as to what you do with your money or lack thereof. I am not a financial adviser, lawyer, or professional. I have been contemplating and reading and investigating for several years; that's all. I am a business student, I have owned a business in the past, and I am simply sharing the understanding I have up to this point.

There is a difference between the lack-mindset and the abundance-mindset:

Lack Mindset says that "if I use my money now, I will have less money later."
Abundance Mindset says that "if I use my money now, I will still have as much money, or more money later."

For most people, it seems unreasonable to think differently than 'lack' about money, partly because we're so used to thinking one way about money: there is only a certain amount of it (what's in our bank accounts, in our wallets, or *maybe* in our investments, and that is all that there is).

We think, as a societal majority, that the money we have now, and the money we will be receiving from our paycheck or government disbursement, is all that there is available to us. We therefor plan our lives around our monthly expected income. This seems like the most logical thing to do- heck, it even seems like the smartest thing to do.

You can easily argue with me by saying "yea, but it's true- I don't have any income aside from my job." That's a really easy argument, and it doesn't take much thought. It rolls off the tongue quite quickly, and it's a seemingly good excuse for not doing what you necessarily want to be doing in your life. It's a quick way to turn down people who challenge you to think bigger, and it's really quite a comfortable place to stay because we're used to it.

The truth is that most people argue that way- the 'lack' way. Another truth is that only 1% of Americans have one million dollars or more, based on these numbers:



The data might only say to you that there aren't many people in the states who are millionaires. So what about it?

There are business people, authors, and wealthy individuals out there in the world who all agree that Wealth is a Mindset, and it has more to do with the way we think about money than it is about any other factor.


I am suggesting we contemplate what it means to have a 'wealth mindset.' What does that mean to you?


Another post in this series is soon to follow. Be sure to follow me on Twitter so that you can instantly see when the blog is updated. Or, you can just keep coming back to this blog. See you again soon!



Saturday, June 9, 2012

Is it Helpful to be Awake?

Perhaps there is a constant musing,
All around us but it appears confusing.
If there is a flow to life, and we don't see it,
I wonder if we're meant to.

Is being awake, aware, and conscious,
A benefit or just a stress?
Is opening our eyes to ourselves and others,
Causing more love or just making a mess?

And how is one to know,
That they have even awoken.
To some real sense of knowing,
If it has yet to be spoken.

Is it helpful to be awake...

© Nadine Staaf 2012

Friday, June 8, 2012

My First Poem of 2012

Hello again,

I do hope you are doing well, and if you're not then I hope that in reading this blog post, you will find some remedy for your ache.

I was about to write about how Pharmacies contradict themselves by selling vitamins and nutritional supplements, and on the same pages of their weekly flyers they advertise specials ranging from Smarties to  Pringles. I mean, why is Health Canada promoting the Food Guide, supplying physicians, and then sending people to the end of the pop & chip aisle to have their prescriptions filled? The setup has got to have something to do with dollar dollar bills (y'all), but I'm no conspiracy theorist, so I won't bother to go there.

Here's a picture of Canada's Food Guide, and the rest of tonight's post (not at all related) is below that.





Now here's my test: to go from contemplating Canadian pharmaceutical practices to blogging about well-being. I take this test seriously. I think I'll write a poem, something about time and space or the invisibility of delight. Alright, time to start!

I will just name it: My First Poem of 2012

Forgive me if it starts out rough,
Writing is kinda meant to be that way.
That's what I suppose anyway,
I'm not a writer by day.

I discover my syllabus after about 9pm,
11pm is that much better.
It`s when the sun goes down,
That inspires my first and foremost letter.

And now on 3rd verse,
Without a particular structure.
How can I be expected to write very well,
When I received a `B`in English twelve.

Damn English 12.

On to lighter, brighter things,
Ideas that dance throughout the Spring.
And settle on the grounds of fall,
To disappear amongst the tall...

Trees that barely, hardly sway,
Their branches bent and worn.
They have worked so hard to bring us shade,
And now they fall asleep and fade...

Away, they seem to want to go,
Only their roots feel the pleasure of being buried.
Standing tall and sitting still,
Their trunks foot the winter bill.

Discover splendid, countless things,
That arise within the season.
Close your eyes to everything,
that does not give you reason...

Purpose to live below the branches,
and walk below the leaves.
Justice to sit or slouch,
To walk vividly, or even to parade.


© Nadine Staaf 2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Celebrating our Anniversary with Little Time

Today is our y 4-year wedding anniversary. It's a Thursday, and neither of us had much sleep last night. Thankfully my husband has the day off work, so we're having some time together.

We decided yesterday that I would bring our son to preschool and my husband and I would have approximately 75 minutes together before I had to be at school. We're great at planning when we work together! We ended up taking a small trip to a wonderful little place called Rosie's Diner where they make breakfast all day! I recommend trying this place if you make a trip to Victoria, BC, Canada. The UrbanSpoon website gives some reviews of the 50's style restaurant. Following brunch, to have a little extra time together, we drove to school together while listening to the new Tenacious D "Rize of the Fenix." It's not normally my style of lyrics, haha, but I like that Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters does the drumming for the album. I can appreciate it.

I sit at school now with my eyes peering out the window (rather longingly, I admit), wishing I could be in my sweetheart's arms. I know, that sounds corny but it's the truth: something happens to your body chemistry on your anniversary that makes you feel all mushy inside. It's not Irritable Bowel Syndrome, I promise. Ah man, now I have the Dawson's Creek theme song in my head. You know, "I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over."

So back to the topic of this post, if there is a topic. Point being: It's easy to enjoy your anniversary day when you make a point of enjoying it, no matter the amount of time you have available to you. Tonight we have our son's swimming lessons, so we will stand poolside and watch 'our creation' learning to swim. What better way is there to celebrate love? Well, yes- laying in the hot sand on Hawaii'an beaches sounds desirable as well...But somehow, watching the little Mr. splashing with his swim friends will be equally as delightful.

Day-to-day enjoyment is all about perspective, I think. We get to choose, in literally every second, what our outlook will be in the next moment. Even though with school, work, and a child, we don't have a lot of time together, we are choosing to enjoy the time we do have together. Sometimes it's hard; it's hard when we're both feeling stress. But, that's when it really counts to step up and choose the perspectives that will work to the benefit of our relationship.

Happy anniversary!

Ta-da! Anniversary post complete. I hope you have a very happy day filled with rainbows, sunsets, ice cream sandwiches, and pickles that dance.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Am I ever going to overcome this writer's block?

Hello,

It's 9:58am and I've wanted to write a blog entry for about 30 minutes. I have come to the conclusion that I am most likely experiencing writer's block. Writer's block only seems to happen for me when I come to my blog, but it doesn't happen every time. Maybe I'm hungry. That's it. I will eat and then try again...No...I am just procrastinating now. Okay, time to seek advice from my friend who is an author, Matthew Ashdown. I will tweet him now. 


Okay, here is Matthew's response in tweet form, "Julia Camerons 'Morning Pages'. Stream of consciousness, whatever wants 2 come up, frustration, gratitude, insights, no editing." Thank you, Matthew. I think what I need to do is free-write. 



I suppose part of what keeps me from feeling 100% comfortable about writing online is that I am using my real name as my URL, and there's a picture of myself on my profile. This is a little frightening to me only because there is this fear instilled at school and in the news which states that whatever you put on the internet is there forever: beware! I am not naive of this fact. The internet is everlasting in a sense...But so am I, so what`s holding me back? I suppose it's only myself holding me back- it usually is.


Moving forward through life is interesting. I like that I keep learning, and even though a part of me wants to be further and farther ahead in my life than I am right now, I am enjoying the process, and I realize how important the process is. I had a hard time understanding this before: understanding that the process is actually more important than the outcome. My adoring husband has been the most influential in helping me to gain this understanding. He seems so capable of experiencing Right Now, and it inspires me to do the same. Thank you KV3.


While I'm writing this, I am listening to Abraham Hicks. I like how she lovingly SHOUTS at people. It sounds sort of hokey to some people, but her shouting at me helps me to realize how important the now is.


And, I think that's a blog post! Yay! Writer's block is officially over :) Thanks for being patient with me throughout the process. 

Monday, June 4, 2012

Affirming Financial Well-Being

If you've come to my blog before, you've probably noticed that I do my best to boost my feelings as often as possible. Not only because I like to feel good, but also because I know how important good feelings are to my success in all areas of life.

I've decided to write my feel-goodness directly onto the internet, and make my personal practices things that other people can make use of. If you find these posts helpful, I'd love to hear about it: please feel free comment with what you'd like to see on this blog.

You're financially abundant whether you are aware of it or not.

Maybe you know you are, and that's why you're reading- you're reading to affirm what you're already conscious of. That's excellent. Maybe you are someone else, and you believe in your heart that where you are right now is not in a place of abundance, and that you're really lacking in most areas of your life; including monetary abundance. That's excellent too. It means you should be more open to practicing the feelings of abundance.

Let's get honest here: I'm not a millionaire (yet). Let's get even more honest: You're probably not a millionaire either. Maybe you don't want to be. Being a millionaire is not an unworthy goal though. There's a lot that you can do with millions of dollars, not simply for your own well-being, but potentially (and hopefully) for the well-being of everyone around you.


It's okay to be a millionaire. Being okay with the idea of being a millionaire is just the start, and it's worth me writing another post dedicated to the art of being honestly okay with being a millionaire.

For now, I will write some positive money affirmations. Read along, print, or roll your eyes, whichever suits you best ;)

I am beginning to notice the abundance around me.
It's becoming easy for me to admire the financial freedom of others.
Millionaires are good people.
A million dollars is really not a lot of money.
I could do even better than a million dollars.
I am worth unlimited amounts of money.
I am worthy of money, and money is worthy of me.
It's possible for me to be a billionaire.
I make choices that bring me closer and closer to having financial freedom.
I often think of the things that I can do with millions of dollars.
I already have abundance, and I'm starting to see it in my life.
I am already rich. Money is easy to make and to maintain.
All aspects of my life are going smoothly, and money is one of them.
I am financially well-off.
I feel good about where I am at financially.
I know that I am moving, choice by choice, closer to millionairism.
I respect my choice to be a millionaire.
I can help a lot of people now.
I can choose what I do with my millions now.
Thinking about my finances brings me joy.
I find pleasure in paying my bills because it shows me that I have received a worthwhile service for my money.
I always have money for what I need in my life.
I always have money for what I want in my life.
I am taken care of financially.
I am free of financial obligation: I spend my money freely.
I support all causes close to my heart.
I give money with joy.
I spend money on myself and I feel great about it.
I put money into investments that support other people in their endeavors.
My money keeps coming in.
The flow of money in my life is rapid.
I have too much money for my wallet.
I'm happy with my income flow. It's contributing to my life's overall health.
My financial well-being is satisfied.

Again, reading this post daily or printing it and posting it on your walls, will help you think and feel better about money. Before having money, it's important to be comfortable with the thoughts of earning it, using it, spending it, investing it, enjoying it, and giving it. More to come on this eventually. For now, this is a good start, I think :)


It's a Great Day to Be Alive

You know when you just need a pick-me-up?...Like every day, most of the day? For years, I've used this song to give myself a boost. You're going to enjoy the lyrics, even if you don't love country music. It's one of those songs that you can hear over and over without getting sick of. You'll probably even recommend it to your friends- that's how good it is!

In my opinion, the best way to listen to this song is to press play and then lay down on your back on the floor/couch/bed, and close your eyes. Once you've heard it enough times and know all the lyrics, you can easily turn it into the best song you've ever sung in the shower. The radio version might be more enjoyable for you because it's a little faster than the live video I'm sharing with you below.




Ahhh, isn't it a great day to be alive? If Travis Tritt thinks so, then it must be ;)

Successful Health Can Be Easier than we Think

It's proven how powerful our minds are in our lives. We get to choose how our minds work, but most often people forget that. Reminding ourselves is helpful, and health is worth the reminder. Here's a reminder of your capabilities: a really easy way to remember your health is a priority.

Print it out, put it on every wall in your house. Read it 5 times every day, and know that you're doing yourself a favor. Tape another paper (a blank one) to your kitchen counter, and write a quick note on it when you make a healthy choice. Eg. I chose to have water this morning. I chose to go for a 15 minute walk this afternoon. It's the small things that make the changes in our health. Just do the small things and they will add to make the bigger picture: a healthier you.

The reason I know you can be healthy is because every person, in most parts of the world, can choose a cup of water over a can of pop. I know you can be healthy because you can choose to move around for 15 minutes instead of choosing to sit for that same 15 minutes. I know you can do it, and I probably don't even know you. You're a human being, so I know you can do it.

My body is starting to feel much better than it was before now.
My organs are working the way they naturally should work.
My cells are happy.
My bones are strong.
My muscles are gaining perfect mass and strength.
My skin is clear and vital- I glow.
My eyes are bright and I see clearly.
My hair is healthy and fresh-feeling.
My nails are strong and well taken care of.
My nerves are calm.
My blood is good, healthy, strong blood.

I make healthy choices whenever there are healthy choices available.
I am healthy on purpose.
I am the one who gets to choose my health, and it's empowering.
I look into how I can be healthier.
I do my best with every choice I make.
I am kind to myself.
I respect my body.
I deserve health.
I feel good about changing my health habits for the better.

My body is feeling more and more healthy with every choice I make.
My body is stronger than it used to be.
My health is beginning to inspire other people to be healthy.

It is not taking me long to change my health habits for the better.
It's becoming easy for me to care for my body.

I deserve health and I am realizing that every day.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Unearthly Big Strawberries

I was cutting up hippo-sized strawberries for dinner tonight (we ate German Pancakes), and I got to thinking about the way we seem to quite easily trust that the foods we're eating are in fact what the label says they are. I mean, what makes a strawberry that BIG?

I don't always buy organic. Actually, I rarely buy organic. I guess I haven't been sold on the idea that organic is all that much better than non-organic. Heck, I'm not a scientist. I would be naive to trust the people who talk about organic being better, just as I would be naive to eat unearthly-sized strawberries without questioning what I am doing.

I'm not questioning whether big strawberries are healthy or not. What I am questioning is why we will eat strawberries that are so very clearly not supposed to go into our bodies, and then be thrilled that they were on sale! Yay bohemoth strawberry sale!