by Melissa | Archive, Blog Post, Random musings
Just a few things I recently pinned on Pinterest that I wanted to share here as well. I’ve begun my journey along my my longer-term Five Minute Plan (which was featured on You, Me, & Charlie! I’m still in awe that this happened, but I digress), and I couldn’t be more happy with my decision. It’s time to do things for me, on my terms, and to truly listen to myself – and not the wishes of others – on my quest for happiness.
I hope to be sharing more here over the coming months, as well as developing my online photo portfolio so I can share more of that work as well.
I hope you are all well, and please, take some time for you this weekend – you deserve it!
by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
Just wanted to share something that I recently submitted to the site You, Me, & Charlie. Now, I don’t know if it will get posted there *crossing my fingers that it will*, but I wanted to share it here too, since it’s a message that is a great reminder for all of us.
During an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, I found myself lost in the moment playing on the swings at an elementary school in the city I now call home, carefree, lost in a moment of pure joy, enjoying the sun and in awe of the simple beauty of my surroundings. This was not where I planned to be at that moment, but I let myself wander and indulge in something that made me happy. It is in these moments of wandering that I find that I gain insight into myself, and can truly seen how I have grown and developed into the person I am today.
I know that even if I try to plan each day, each moment, each experience, there are some things that are just out of my control. But I am excited. I am excited about decisions I am making for me, for my life, for my happiness and growth. I am focusing on a five minute plan – things I can do in the near future to have a more immediate impact. Not what someone tells me to. Not what I think I should be doing, but what I want to do; something that adds meaning to my life or makes me happy. It doesn’t have to be something huge, but it will have an impact and move you further towards your ultimate goals. At the end of day, these are the things that I know make me feel rewarded and fulfilled.
This approach allows for more freedom, more exploration, more chances to try new and different things since I’m not tying myself to any one path. I’m trying not to be afraid of making some wrong turns. I’m listening to my heart, working on being happy, and following what inspires me. I may end up taking a slight detour, but I believe I’m still on my way to where I am meant to be.
As I meander down this road I find myself traveling on, I’ve developed the following mantra: Be thankful. Be happy. Be in the moment. Learn from the past, live for today and prepare yourself for the future. Don’t be afraid to do, be afraid of not doing. Embrace change and the unknown. Learn and share. Take care of you. Give yourself to others. Dream. Be the brightest star you can. Live.
Long story short? Don’t be afraid of the detours. Have some fun, let yourself wander, and enjoy life.
by Melissa | Blog Post, Music, Random musings
I will admit, I never really listened to Bjork before, a sad byproduct of the apparent musical cave I live in. (I’m working on it, the whole “expanding my musical horizons thing”). However after I saw a mention of one of her songs somewhere, I fired up one of the best things I’ve ever had to feed my addiction to music, Spotify, and did a quick search. Other than a brief period where I was in a Natalie Merchant mood, I’ve pretty much been on an all-Bjork-all-the-time kick.
Luckily for me, I have quite a lot to catch up on, but already have some favorites among her songs.
What was this realization I came to this weekend? I’m a fan of her music, really dig the vibe of the tracks, and am upset that I didn’t listen to it sooner. It’s like she found a way to turn the randomness that goes on in my head and in my life into music.
Her songs are varied – some are upbeat and peppy, while others are much more low-key and almost sad. They go from very electronic to songs having orchestral elements and everything in between. They are quite random, and quirky and I enjoy it immensely (even if most of the time I have no idea what she is saying).
Even after a few days of listening, you can see how her music has grown and developed and changed, while still staying the same at its core. I’d like to think this is a reflection of the journey that any one of us goes through over time. We are constantly adapting to our life experiences and adding to taking away things that maybe just don’t fit anymore or that add value to what we are doing.
Long story short, I really am loving this musical journey I’ve been on as of late. I’ve found some great new music, added a few tracks to my Me playlist.
I may be unexpectedly counting myself as a fan of Bjork, at to a greater extent “electronic” music, just don’t expect me to start wearing some of the “outfits” she does.
And with that, I will retreat back to my comfy chair and do some more reading. I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend and that you took some time to do something for you.
Much <3 to you all.
Cheers 🙂
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my latest and greatest adventure www.divaunleashed.com!
by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
This Monday was one for me. Not for anyone else. Just me. And it was fabulous.
Why? It was different. While, this is a one-time thing (not having to be at work until noon), it was needed, wanted, and exactly perfect.
Simplicity was the theme of the morning. I woke up, fed the four-leggers, ate a bowl of cereal and drank some coffee in bed. Then went to my office, cued up some jazz on Spotify and sat in my awesome plaid chair, sipping on more coffee and reading.
Really, doesn’t get much better than this.
I’ve said it before, and it warrants being repeated again – take time to do something for you. It recharges your spirit and is soothing to the soul.
To quote Tom Haverford – Treat. Yo. Self.
I also needed this morning of relaxation since the rest of this week will be a mad sprint to Wednesday. Starting something new and getting excited.
I wish you all a week of positivity, productivity, and ample time to relax.
by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
Or is it?
Is looking back and thinking about our previous actions and thoughts and experiences a good thing? Or is it an exercise in futility since we can’t go back and change or undo the past? Does it provide clarity and the opportunity to learn from a distance? Does looking back allow us some perspective or is it a waste of time and energy and thoughts?
I say: yes and no, good and bad, helpful and hurtful.
At its core, I find that looking back and reflecting on the past is an exercise that everyone should do – to a certain extent. Yes, you can’t “unring a bell”. You can’t hop into a flying Delorean and toss some garbage into Mr. Fusion and head back to undo or redo a moment in your past to change the present.
What can this reflection offer? It can help you see patterns in your life, both good a bad, which can help you in the future. You can use the distance and reflection provides to learn your true motives or wants or needs, again which will be beneficial in the future. You can also see things that maybe didn’t turn out the way you wanted and work to “fix” things going forward.
It can also be somewhat hurtul. You can spend too much time thinking about what you no longer have – whether good or bad – and miss a lot of what is happening to you now. It can be a distraction. It can keep you from moving forward. It can taint your view of the world, of people, of yourself. While doing a bit of this is ok, but to steal a quote from the movie Elizabethtown , “You have five minutes to wallow in the delicious misery: enjoy it, embrace it, discard it… and proceed.”
You have to proceed. It may not be what you want, but the fact remains – and it’s a hard fact to accept at times, I know this firsthand – you can’t change what is already done.
Once you truly understand this, it’s oddly liberating. You can view the past with the proper lens, and not let it overwhelm you. You can never and should never ignore the past, you just have to make sure you engage with it in an appropriate way.
I’m working on doing just this. I need to not focus on what I can’t change, but focus on what I want to change and what will help me be the best me now and moving forward. I need to focus on the lessons the past can offer and for the happiness and fond memories.
I need to remind myself that “Nothing is worth more than this day.” Live for today. Live for what and who is in your life now. Learn from the past, live for today and prepare yourself for the future.
by Melissa | Blog Post, Random musings
How many times have you been asked – or asked yourself – this question. How much time or energy have you spent crafting your answer to this? It seems like more often than not, the answers to this question tend to be of the “established in my career, married, 2.5 kids, with a nice house in the burbs” variety. People want to seem put together and focused, and attain certain life benchmarks that equal “success” by someone’s measure. These are the things that people seem to equate with happiness as well.
Is this the best or only way to answer this question?
No.
Can we look at this – and should we – from a different perspective?
I say yes to both. Emphatically.
What if, instead of thinking into the distant future, we focused on a five minute plan. Think of something you can do in the near future that you want to do. Not what someone tells you to. Not what you think you should be doing, but what you want to do. Something that adds meaning to your life or makes you happy. It doesn’t have to be something huge, or immediately life changing, but it will have an impact and move you further towards your ultimate goals.
Also, instead of thinking about “things”, try to focus on bigger picture things like being happy, having a job you love, or being surrounded by people that love and support you regardless of the “things” you have or don’t. At the end of day, these are the things that I know make me feel rewarded and fulfilled.
These approaches also allow for more freedom, more exploration, more chances to try new and different things since you’re not tying yourself to any one path. This allows you to truly listen to yourself to figure out what the best path for *you* is – not what someone else tells you or you think is the right answer. Live life for you. Don’t be afraid of making some wrong turns.
Listen to your heart, be happy, and follow what inspires you. You may end up taking a slight detour, but you’re still on your way to where you are meant to be.
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