Zena's Things Of Interest

21 Small Habits That Will Help You to Live a Simpler Life

2011-06-08T16:35:00.000-04:00

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21 Small Habits That Will Help You to Live a Simpler Life

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 6/8/11

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
Leonardo da Vinci

"The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity."
Ludwig Wittgenstein

I love simplifying my life. It makes me more effective and life less stressful. It makes me calmer and happier.

But where do you start? Or continue if you are already on your way?

In this article I'll share 21 small habits that help me to live a simpler life. I hope you'll find something helpful here and that you get started with one of these suggestions today and continue doing it until your new habit sticks (that usually happens after about 30 days).

Breathe. When stressed, lost in a problem or the past or future in your mind breathe with your belly for two minutes and just focus on the air going in and out. This will calm your body down and bring your mind back into the present moment again.
Do one thing at a time. You'll get better results and feel better and less stressed while doing those things.
Write it all down. Use your mind for better things than remembering what to do. And the mind is often like a leaky bucket. So write down all your great ideas, insights, and thoughts before they go missing somewhere and add what you need to do to a to-do list.
Do all your food shopping once a week. You'll save time, energy and possibly money.
Stop doing what you don't like doing anymore. Life changes and so do you. If you you don't like doing something anymore then stop doing that (even if it may take some time before you can do so by for example switching jobs).
Stop trying to please everyone. There will always be people who you don't get along with or that do not like you for some reason.
Stop trying to do things perfectly. Go for good enough instead and when you are there you are done. Get things all the way to done this way and then move on to the next thing.
Pack your bag before you go to bed. Then you don't have get stressed out by that in morning and you are less likely to forget something.
Throw out the things you haven't used in 1 year. Go through what you have and ask yourself if you have used it in the past year. If not, give it away to charity or a friend or simply throw it out.
Ask yourself simplifying questions every day. Questions like "What is the most important thing I can do right now?".
Keep everything in its place. If everything has its own place then it is whole lot easier to keep your home reasonably ordered and decluttered from day to day. This also helps you with your inner stillness as the outer environment affects how you feel on the inside.
Cook more food than you'll eat. I usually make two or three servings of what I am about to eat. This cuts down on time that you spend on cooking and you'll have to do less washing up in general. Plus, it's good to have portions of food to bring to work to save some money.
Write shorter emails. I tend to write emails containing only a few sentences, usually between one and five. If you focus on keeping it short and focused then you'll probably discover that this is a good solution in most cases.
Ask instead of guessing. Reading minds is hard. So, instead ask questions and communicate. This will help you to minimize unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings, negativity and waste or time and energy.
Use a minimalistic workspace. My work space is just a laptop on a small black desk made out of wood. I use a comfy chair and there is room for my glass of water beside the computer. That's it. There are no distractions here. Just me, the computer and the water.
Check everything just once a day. I check my email inboxes, blog statistics, my online earnings, Twitter and Facebook just once a day. I combine all that checking into one small daily ritual at the end of my work day so I don't slip and go checking it more during the day and waste my energy and attention.
Choose small daily acts of kindness. Instead of small acts of judgment and criticism towards the people around you.
Don't make mountains out of molehills. Before you you start thinking too much about something and building it up something big in your head, ask yourself "am I making a mountain out of a molehill here? And if you get lost victim thinking in some way then ask yourself "does anyone on the planet have it worse than me right now?".
Spend 15 minutes each Sunday to plan the next week. Write down your plans for the week, organize your prioritized to-do list and get ready for the week before you are in the middle of it all. This will help you to find more clarity, get more of the most important things done next week and minimize stress.
Cancel subscriptions for things you rarely get around to watching or reading anyway.
Spend more time with people that help you to keep things simple. And spend less time with people that drag you down into overcomplicating everything and creating unnecessary drama.

If you thought this article was useful, please share it with someone on Stumbleupon, Facebook and Twitter. Thank you very much! =)

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If you found the article above helpful then check out my premium products: Copyright 2006-2011 Henrik Edberg.

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The Revolutionary 100% Effective Birth Control For Men

2011-06-03T19:06:00.001-04:00

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The Revolutionary 100% Effective Birth Control For Men

via PSFK on 6/2/11

The RISUG injection lasts for ten years, is completely reversible and has no side effects.

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Faking Out Your Fears

2011-06-03T16:16:00.001-04:00

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Faking Out Your Fears

via T. Harv Eker's Blog by T. Harv Eker on 6/3/11

Our lingering resentments and unresolved conflicts derail what is otherwise a universe that's waiting to put us on track for success. We just have to open to the awareness that what we say we want and how we unconsciously operate often contradicts one another. If the universe were able to feel, it'd be just as frustrated by our blocks as we are.

Once we open up, we can start resolving past hurts, realizing that the pain may have been understandable for that time, but it's only going to cause further damage if it's not attended to immediately. So we mend, sometimes bending to meet another halfway, even if nothing about them has changed. We forgive them not for their sake, but for our own good. We can't control who they are or how they'll respond, but we can be effective through our sincerity. If our forgiveness releases them from pain too, bonus!

As important as all of this is though, the root of it all is as natural as our ability to breathe. It's fear. It's a part of us. We'll never get rid of it. No amount of wisdom or experience will ever be enough to prevent it. We just get better at faking it out.

When you really think about it, the mind isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's useful for sure, but only after we've attained a certainty degree of emotional maturity. I would go so far as to say also a level of spiritual maturity, but that's not even the main point. There's got to be something else within us aware of its control over our mind and emotions. If we let either of those control us, we're not much better than self-trained apes or temperamental drama queens!

The brain is a tool, but it's also got … a mind of its own. Its mind is not to make us successful. It's not concerned about us thriving. Its purpose is for our survival at a base level. Its job is to anticipate what's coming and preserve our basic needs within that anticipation. In other words, the mind lives in a future reality that doesn't even frickin' exist yet! Our mind creates the greatest soap opera script. It makes up incredible stories, usually dramas and disasters that never happened and never will.

The secret to freedom is to realize that you don't have to believe your mind. You don't have to believe your story. You don't have to believe that voice in your head. You don't have to believe your own thinking. You can simply observe it and say, "Thank you for sharing," and then take the necessary action you're scared to take anyway.

One of the biggest mistakes that most people make is waiting for the feeling of fear to subside before they act. It's not necessary and it's impossible anyway. Rich and successful people have fear, worries, and doubts. They just don't let those things stop them.

Don't resist taking chances. Take them like vitamins. Let go of the brakes. Don't worry about the bumps and bruises. You can take them. Don't steer around what scares you. Go over. Go under. Go around or go through. Do something others would be terrified to do. You will feel your chin rise up from your chest and there will be one less thing you can't do. Just freaking do it!

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Can a Jell-O Shot Be Classy? Jelly Shot Test Kitchen Says Yes

2011-05-26T16:30:00.001-04:00

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Can a Jell-O Shot Be Classy? Jelly Shot Test Kitchen Says Yes

via The Bride's Guide : Martha Stewart Weddings by Erin Wylie on 5/26/11

The last party you attended with Jell-O shots is probably not one on which you want to model your wedding. But I'm seeing a resurgence of kitschy gelatin ideas (punch jelly, aspic) that are updated in sophisticated ways.

The biggest proponent of this trend is Michelle Palm, the blogger behind Jelly Shot Test Kitchen (whose book by the same name was just released). Palm reinterprets classic cocktails (French 75, margarita, old-fashioned) in jelly shot form, using only fine ingredients like fresh fruit and quality liquors.

The idea appeals to the kid in me, and they're surprisingly beautiful. Take a gander.

Back Next

1 of 8

1 Cucumber-lime margarita shots tied with cucumber ribbons

2 Bramble cocktail shots with blackberries

3 Paloma shots made with grapefruit soda, tequila, lime, and gelatin

4 Tom Collins shot garnished with orange and maraschino cherry

5 Mandarin and mango Cosmopolitan shots

6 Molded French 78 shots

7 Washington apple shots

8 Oasis breeze shots with coconut and pineapple

Palm shows them served on plates or individually in paper or spoons. What do you think about this idea for weddings?

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bath salts

2010-08-24T01:29:00.001-04:00

I used 1 cup of epsom salts, half a cup of sea salt, and a few tablespoons of baking soda for this recipe, adding 8 drops of lavender. (This one was for me, and I adore lavender - it made the bathroom smell heavenly!) Adjust the fragrance, just adding one or two drops at a time until you're happy with it. Lavender is a difficult color to achieve with food coloring, I found, but I managed to get a lavender color that I liked by using far more red than blue.

To decorate the jar, thread lavender ribbon through the openings in an ecru doily, tie in place and make a bow. If this isn't possible, use a rubber band to secure the doily in place, then tie the ribbon over it. Print and cut out our free Lavender Bath Salts Labels then glue in place to finish the jar.

Salt Glow Recipe

1/2 cup Bokek™ Dead Sea Salt (Fine Grain)
1/2 cup EuroSpa™ Sea Salt (Fine Grain)
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Grapeseed oil
2 ounces (1/4 cup) Avocado oil
1 T. d-alpha Tocopheral Vitamin E
20-30 drops essential oil blend

Mix the bath salts together and set aside. Mix all of the oils together and pour the mixture into a glass or PET storage jar (container should have an airtight seal). Slowly pour in the bath salts and mix well.

Your salt glow should be stored in a cool dark place to maximize the shelf life. Adding a drop or two of Rosemary essential oil will help to preserve your scrubs.

Bath Tea Recipe

1/2 cup Breton™ Grey Sea Salt (Fine or Brut Grain)
Sweet Orange essential oil
Dried lavender buds
Dried chamomile flowers
3" x 5" tea bags (or substitute organza or muslin bags)

Add essential oil to the bath salt and mix well. Add dried herbs and stir to combine. Fill each tea bag with approx 4 ounces of the mixture. If you are packaging the bath teas, pack them individually in plastic to seal in the scent.

To use, simply toss one bag into warm bath water. As the tea bag seeps the salts will melt and the fragrance from the essential oils and herbs will disperse. Dispose of the tea bag after the bath, or the organza or muslin bags can be re-used.

Dead Sea Salt Scrub

1 cup Bokek™ Dead Sea Salt (Fine Grain)
1/2 cup Almond oil, Jojoba oil, or massage oil
5-15 drops essential oil blend

Salt scrubs are incredibly easy to make at home, and a Dead Sea salt scrub will bring you all the benefits of skin exfoliation along with the therapeutic benefits of Dead Sea salt and it's very high mineral content.

Pour salt into a mixing bowl and slowly add the oil, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Add the essential oil and continue mixing. This recipe should provide enough Dead Sea Salt Scrub for three at-home treatments. To use, simply rub into the skin before showering.

Salt Crystal Potpourri

Rio™ Sea Salt Crystals (Jumbo size)
Colorant
Essential oils or fragrance oils

Making Salt Crystal Potpourri is a simple process—the trickiest part is the coloring of the crystals. You have 3 choices for colorings: liquid-based, glycerin-based or Mica powders. The liquid based colorings will dry the best, glycerin will be a nice translucent coloring and Mica gives you opalescent options. You can also simply rinse the crystals for a "glass like" look (see the Rio Salt Crystals page for more info).

Add the fragrance and color. Crystals out on Parchment to dry. If you're using liquid or glycerin colorants, an easy way to color the crystals is by wearing rubber gloves and rubbing the color on the crystals. Mica's you will have to sprinkle than mist with your fragrance.

Bath Bomb Recipe
	1 cup Ceara Pure Atlantic Sea Salt (Extra Small Grain) 1 1/4 cups Citric Acid 2 1/2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) Witch Hazel Essential oil blend Dried herbs (optional)		Mix all dry ingredients. Prepare molds by sprinkling dried herbs on the bottom (if desired). Using a spray bottle, moisten the dry mixture with the witch hazel and essential oils. As soon as the mixture holds its shape, pack into the molds. Use caution and do not over mist! Allow to dry overnight, then remove from molds. Package in airtight plastic bags.

Bubbling Bath Salts

And you thought that bath salts simply disappeared into nothing. Well, these salts certainly don't... they smell great, look all sparkly and they bubble too.

2 cups of kosher salt
1 cup table salt
2 T cosmetic grade glitter
a few drops of sandalwood scented oil

1/4 cup of baby shampoo

Combine the top four ingredients and stir until the texture is smooth. Drizzle with the baby shampoo and then spread onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet until you have an even layer. Allow to dry. This could take up to 24 hours depending on the humidity.

Package in a decorative jar... mason jars will do fine and include instructions for use if these salts are to be used as a gift. (About 1/3 cup should do the average bath).

Scented Salt Scrub

To date, I have provided lots of bath salt recipes for your gift list, but what if everyone on your list prefers showers instead? Bath salts would not be a welcome gift, but a salt scrub certainly would. And it is just as easy to whip up. Here's what you need.

3 cups of salt. You will want different textures so choose a combination of fine to course. These will be layered, so keep them separated.
1 T. cosmetic grade glitter
enough light oil to cover the salt
food coloring or drops of soap colorant

- Layer the three salts into a decorative jar.
- Combine the oil with the glitter and the coloring agent. Stir to combine.
- Pour into jar until the oil reaches the top of the salts.
- Tightly close lid and you are done.

Directions for use...

Scoop out salt mixture and apply to damp skin, using circular movements. Rinse throughly. All the dead skin cells have been washed down the drain, leaving soft skin in its place.

Relax:

1 Cups Epsom Salt

2 Cup Pacific Sea Salt

15 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

Soothing:

1 Cup Epsom Salt

1 Cup baking soda

3 drops Jasmine essential oil

3 drops Rose essential oil

De-Toxify:

1/8 Cup unsweetened cocoa butter

1/8 Cup powdered milk

1 Cup Epsom Salt

2 drops Lavender essential oil

Golden Goddess:

1 Cup Pacific Salt

2 Cup Dead Sea Salt

½ Cup grape seed oil

¼ cup avocado oil

Sensual:

1 Cups Epsom Salt

4 Cups Pacific Sea Salt

10 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

5 drops Lemon essential oil

Fizzing:

2 Cups Dead Sea Salt

1 Cup Baking Soda

½ Citric Acid

20 drops Jasmine essential oil

*add citric acid last

Re-relax:

1/4 Cup Epsom Salt

1/4 Cup Dead Sea Salt

2 Cups Pacific Sea Salt

20 drops Lavender essential oil

Uplift:

1 Cup Dead Sea Salt

1 Cup Pacific Salt

20 drops Rosemary essential oil

Revitalize:

2 cups Dead Sea Salt

4 drops Avocado oil

4 drops Jojoba oil

Feel Good:

2 Cups Dead Sea Salt

10 drops Chamomile essential oil

Refresh:

1 cup Dead Sea Salt

1 Cup Pacific Salt

5 drops Neroli essential oil

10 drops Lavender essential oil

Calming:

2 Cups Epsom Salt

2 drops Lavender essential oil

2 drops Sandalwood essential oil

2 tablespoons baby oil

Orange:

1 Cup Epsom Salt

1 Cup Dead Sea Salt

5 drops Orange essential oil

Lemon Zest:

1 Cup Epsom Salt

1 Cup Dead Sea Salt

3 drops Lemon essential oil

The Tropical:

1 Cup Epsom Salt

1 Cup Pacific Sea Salt

2 drops Eucalyptus essential oil

4 drops Lavender essential oil

Romantic:

1 Cup Dead Sea Salt

2 Cups Epsom Salt

10 drops Sandalwood essential oil

10 drops Rose essential oil

5 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

Sensual/Fizzy:

1 Cup Epsom Salt

1 Cup Pacific Sea Salt

1 Cup Baking Soda

½ Citric Acid

8 drops Neroli essential oil

8 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

15 drops Lavender essential oil

*add the citric acid last

Uplifting:

2 Cups Epsom Salt

1 Cup Pacific Sea Salt

8 drops Orange essential oil

6 drops Neroli essential oil

6 drops Lavender essential oil

3 drops Lemon essential oil

Aches/Pains:

1 Cup Pacific Sea Salt

1 Cup Epsom Salt

1 Cup Dead Sea Salt

5 drops Lavender essential oil

Energizer:

2 Cups Epsom Salt

1 Cup Pacific Sea Salt

6 drops Eucalyptus essential oil

10 drops Rosemary essential oil

15 drops Peppermint essential oil

Dead Sea Scrub:

2 Cups Dead Sea Salt

5 drops Lemon essential oil

5 drops Orange essential oil

¼ cup Avocado oil

Warmest Regards,

Pamper yourself with out balms and body butter
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoraINaturals

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Top 5 Tips for Building the Life You Want

2010-08-20T18:32:00.001-04:00

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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Top 5 Tips for Building the Life You Want

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 8/19/10

Bodybuilding world champion numerous times. One of the most highly paid actors in the last few decades. And now the governor of California. Arnold Schwarzenegger's resume sounds more like the resume of three men rather than just one. How did he do it?

Here are a five clues, success habits and tips from Arnold himself.

1. Believe in yourself.

"I knew I was a winner back in the late sixties. I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way – I hope it never will."

"We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There's really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer."

"The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent."

A very strong belief in yourself can be ridiculously useful.

Corny as it may sound, your belief in yourself determines a lot about your journey and your results. But the problem with statements like "Just believe in yourself, man!" is that they don't come with any practical instructions on how to actually believe more I yourself. So you have a hard time getting anywhere.

I have found a few things that have been helpful.

First, by realizing that you are able to handle negative stuff that comes your way your belief in yourself and your capabilities grows.
You can also work on a similar process voluntarily. By setting goals and achieving them your belief in yourself increases. And by facing your fears and finding that you can indeed survive such experiences your belief in yourself goes up too. None of these options may sound that glamorous, fun or quick. And a lot of the time they aren't. But like with so much else,you have to put in effort to get good results.

But there is also another side to this challenge. Quite a bit of the problem with a lack of belief in yourself comes from internal self-sabotage, self-limiting beliefs and resistance within your mind. It's you holding yourself back.

I have found that reading Eckhart Tolle's books like "A New Earth" – or books on mindfulness in general I guess – to help you realize that you are not your ego, thoughts or emotions and rereading to strengthen and deepen that belief can be very helpful to reduce the inner struggle, over-analyzing and self-sabotage. Over time you can get better control over your mind and you´ll stop listening so much to your own negative inner voices and emotional resistance.

Having a reasonably good handle on that part makes it easier to see yourself doing what you want to do. Because, as Arnold says, you have to be able to envision what you want to do or it will be very hard or just impossible bring that vision into reality.

By getting better control over your mind it becomes easier to hold this vision in your mind day after day, week after week. You'll be less prone to self-sabotage. And your belief will waver less when being questioned or worse by other people or just society in general.

2. See struggle and failure as something positive.

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

Failure is seldom the end of the world. It's a part of the journey, a part of the learning curve. The problem is just that if you have a scarcity mentality then every failure or potential failure may seem as the sky falling. This can hold you back from performing well. Or from taking action at all. The key to overcome this is to develop an abundance mentality that tells you that there are always more opportunities. This allows you to not take the setbacks too seriously.

One way to help yourself to develop such a mentality is to replace some of the usual input – news, advertising – with information and the vibe from personal development authors/speakers. Another way is just to hang out more with people with an abundance mentality. Or just people that are positive and enthusiastic about life.

Now, most of the time you only really fail when you give up and surrender. If you keep going you'll build your inner strength to live and move through rough patches. And if you are able to look at your setbacks and learn from them you can also deepen you knowledge, perhaps avoid some mistakes and find a better course towards your goal.

Remember that to succeed you need those failure. They make you stronger and smarter and that build-up of yourself is vital to success.

3. Go the extra mile.

"The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens."

Going the extra mile. It's not easy. Personally I think this has often been because I have just thought too much. Overthinking often leads to negative thought spirals where you use your mind to decrease your own strength through self-doubt. And if you add up all the overthinking you can waste months or perhaps even years of your life.

It's more useful to just stop thinking when all then thinking that is needed is done. And to then just go and do what you choose to do. And then to learn from your experiences and to keep going.

4. Go work out.

"Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body."

Yep, working out is very useful in more than one way. I have found that one of the best ways to turn an anxious, negative or weak mood fully around is simply to go exercising. It is also reliable because it is not so dependent on your mind. You just have to drag yourself wherever you need to go and make your body do certain movements to get the desired result.

And, anyway, how are you going to be able to go the extra mile without extra energy? Over the last few years I realized that many problems are simply based in a lack of energy. So working out or not isn't much of a choice really. If you aren't naturally a bouncy, high energy person then you have to exercise in some way to create that energy you need to achieve whatever it is you want in life.

5. Go and help others.

"Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life."

Helping others is valuable in so many ways. Beside the wonderful upsides that Arnold brings up – like the fact that you are helping people out and at the same time enriching and adding meaning to your own life – you also create a lot of relationships.

And the Law of Reciprocity, the urge to give back is strong in people. If you provide value and help to them then they will often be inclined to give you a hand when you need it. Or feel the need give back by paying it forward and helping other people.

This creates big, expanding upward spirals of positive actions and thoughts. And that can be very useful for us all.

Image by d_vdm (license).

If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone on Facebook, Twitter and Stumbleupon. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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Divine Influence: My Interview w/Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter

2010-08-20T18:30:00.001-04:00

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Divine Influence: My Interview w/Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter

via Moptop Maven - Deliciously Opinionated Musings by Mop Top Maven on 8/20/10

[source:]

Good Afternoon Dream Chasers!

Yesterday I had the honor of interviewing who I deem the Godmother of All Mixtresses; Lisa Price of the wildly popular Carol's Daughter brand. Lisa surprised me with her down-to-earth friendly demeanor, and willingness to divulge her recipe's to success. Lisa's honesty was truly refreshing, and her business acumen impressive; so it's no fluke she's landed coveted partnerships with HSN, Disney, and Sephora.

Read this interview and get inspired, empowered, and uplifted! -

MTM: Tell me about how Carol's Daughter started?
LP: Well, it started out as a hobby; initially I was making fragrances for myself, I have always been a fragrance lover and still am to this day. When I first started to do this as a hobby, I decided I was going to make my own fragrances because I didn't want to smell like everyone else on the train [laughs]. I found a place to buy oils, and I started blending fragrance oils, then I found essential oils, and I mixed those in with them. And initially I would put the oils into things that I would buy at the drugstore; bottles of lotion, baby oils etc. I would just shake the bottles up and try to make products with them, because fragrances last when you layer them; when you put the moisturizers on, when you use the shower gels, then you spray the perfume on, that's how it [fragrance] stays with you. I was trying to recreate that layering experience, yet it didn't always work when I was buying these pre-made things; they weren't always that moisturizing, and I always had dry skin so when I started, I started making body products, and adding my fragrances to them so that I could layer them.

My mom suggested that I sell at a flea market that her church was having one Saturday, and that was the beginning of it. I started by selling at flea markets and craft fairs, just earning some extra cash; then eventually my hobby started to turn into a second job. Through going out and doing these flea markets and craft fairs, women started to ask me for hair care products, and at first I didn't have any. Everything I did initially was body and fragrance related. I couldn't even get them to stay at the table; they would ask if I had hair care, I would say no; and they would leave. So then I said; "well at least if I make some hair care, they'll stick around a little bit longer" [laughs], so I started to make hair care in order to get the customer to stay.

MTM: How did you make the transition from mixing scents and products on your kitchen table to having a full fledged operation?
LP: Well, that took a lot of years, it started out with me in my kitchen making things. Then it grew from me making things by myself to having someone help me, then it grew from two somebody's, to three somebody's, to four somebody's; and at one point I think I had 10 people working in my home. Then I got a warehouse in order to produce more effiencetly, and I set up an industrial kitchen in the warehouse to have more space to produce bigger batches and have more people involved.

Eventually we outgrew the warehouse space, and we had to outsource the manufacturing of the product. So we started off with a certain number of products at a time, and over a two year period we were able to outsource everything. At the time we started outsourcing, the only preservatives that company's would use were parabens, so it took us a while to get the manufacturers to agree to alternative preservatives which was kind of like pulling teeth then [now it's a lot easier] because they didn't have enough history with alternative preservative systems. Once we started the outsource process, it was just a matter of time to get the fragrances perfected, and get the recipe's perfected; it took about to years to do that.

MTM: Once you realized you could turn passion into profit, did you have any fears along the way? If so, how did you work to overcome them?
LP: I definitely had fears along the way, and still do to this day; they just change shape, change color, and change form. What I find is, as you overcome each one, it makes you stronger for the next time. Sometimes the challenges, and the fears becomes stronger as well, however in the end it all goes towards making you a stronger person. For me, I feel like my journey in entrepreneurship has been one that's been very, very personal; it involved me becoming a more stronger person, and more confident person then the person that I was before I started doing this. However that's isn't necessarily everyone's story, I think there are some people who go into entreprenuership and are extremely confident, and whatever it is that they are supposed to learn from their business is different. For me it has definitely about building confidence, because most of my obstacles are driven be me; my own fears, my own insecurities, my own doubts, and each time I overcome them I am better equipped to handle the next challenge.

MTM: What were some of the challenges you faced initially?
LP: Learning things! You don't really get a manual per say when you start a business; you make accounting mistakes, you make employee mistakes, you didn't know about the Worker's Comp that you were supposed to pay for, so you get a letter, and have to pay a fines etc. Sometimes I wish there was a kit that arrived in the mail with all the boxes that you have to check because if you don't know, you don't know [laughs].

I remember I had a really funny conversation [well it's funny in retrospect] with a potential wholesaler, and she said; "we would love to carry your line, and I just need to know if you have insurance". I said; "insurance?" and she said: "yeah, do you have insurance?", and I said; "well, I have home owners insurance". I really didn't know what she was talking about, and she finally said; "General Liability Insurance, like for your products, in case someone sues you, you don't have insurance?". I was like 'Oh My God' [laughs], I got off the phone with her and I called my insurance agent to find out more about general liability insurance; and 10,000 later, I had insurance [laughs].

MTM: How involved are you in the Carol's Daughter operation today?
LP: Extremely involved, I am more involved in a creative sense, and in a product development sense; I am also in the office everyday except for when I'm traveling. When it comes to marketing the product, my team always comes to me for the story behind the product; they want to know why I picked particular ingredients, why I pick certain fragrances etc. I'm not necessarily involved with operations on a day-to-day level because that's not my area of expertise, so I can't tell you what happens when an order goes into the system; however I can tell you the ingredients in our products, why they're in there, and what we're going to be selling next spring.

MTM: What is the Carol's Daughter Philosophy?
LP: We have few philosophies. However what first comes to mind is providing products to people that just make their lives better. A lot of times people think that someone in my business lives at the spa, yet I never get to go to a spa. The closest I get to a spa is our Hand & Foot Spa in Harlem to get manicures and pedicures, however going to get a salt scrub, or a hot stone massage; I never have time for that kind of stuff.

Whatever I can do in my own bathroom to have a spa experience, is so important to me. My shower is my spa experience, and I am sure there are tons of women just like me whether it's because of time and or finances that just don't have time to pamper themselves. Sometimes that 5-10 minutes that it takes to apply a salt scrub/sugar scrub, deep condition your hair, or apply a 3-step process on your face, represents that 'me time'. I thinking having 'me time' makes you more sane when you go out into the world, you are better able to function. To me that's something that's hugely important, because if you don't take proper care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else.

MTM: Your story is very inspiring to a lot of us out there who wish to create our own destiny, what advice do you have for those future entrepreneurs out there?
LP: Finding that very delicate, and sometimes precarious balance between knowing what your vision is, and at the same time being open to change and direction from other places. Sometimes as entrepreneurs we can get very stuck in how we feel, and were not necesarily relevant with the rest of the world. For example; I'm 48 years old, I could care less if I tweet, but I know that tweeting is something that is important so I tweet, not as much as I should, but I'm getting better. You have to be open to the way that the world is changing, and what's going on so that you can remain relevant. You can have who you are at your core, but you always have to remain relevant within the world or eventually your brand will die.

MTM: For those of us that are new to the Carol's Daughter brand, what are some of the must-have products to get acquainted with the line?
LP: Our haircare is most popular; and most loved in haircare I would say is the Black Vanilla Shampoo & Smoothie, and the Hair Milk Lotion [this is the number one sku and has been for the past two years]. On the body side, I would say the Body Jelly is extremely popular; it's a non-petroleum, petroleum jelly. There's no petroleum or mineral oil in it, but it serves the purpose that a petroleum jelly would serve without the bad stuff!

We also have a Peppermint Foot Lotion that's very popular, and a bath salt called Body Ache's Bath Salt that's also very popular.

MTM: Do you have any advice out there for women who are natural or transitioning?
LP: Yes, we sell two products that together form this recipe we call the oil infusion. Right now if they went to the website they wouldn't find oil infusion, but we're working to change that. The oil infusion is Khoret Amen Hair Oil and Khoret Amen Smoothie, you apply them to the hair as a pre-shampoo/pre-conditioning treatment, and it really helps to improve the elasticity and moisture level of the hair. By doing this oil infusion process, your own hair grows in a bit softer while you're transitioning. It isn't going to relax it or take the kink out, it's just a deep conditioner that hydrates the hair, makes it easier to detangle, and easier to manage.

MTM: Carol's Daughter has a new product solution on the market [The Hair Milk Curl Collection]; Tell us a little more about it!
LP: The Hair Milk line is one of the biggest launches we've ever done, and definitely one of our most successful launches to date. The Hair Milk Lotion was one of the products I made for myself to define my curls, as I have always worn my hair curly but didn't necessarily have a product that helped me achieve a great look everyday. Hair Milk has been in our top 5 products for over 15 years, and we knew we could build a franchise out of it. Since the original Hair Milk Lotion was tailored to curls, we really wanted to explore the whole curl market. This also gave us an opportunity to get the product to more people because when you think of curly hair, it doesn't just pertain to African American hair, it can be anyone who has curly hair.

When we were working with the chemist to create the line, we wanted it to be sulfate free, we wanted it to detangle, we wanted for the conditioner to really boost the curls, as well as hydrate and detangle the hair. I got to test it for about 6 months before it hit the market and I loved it; even though I have always worn my hair curly, and people know me in the market for my curly hair, my hair is even easier to maintain having the system vs just having the lotion. My curls just keep longer, it's easier to revive them, and when I fall asleep and wake up in the morning my hair isn't as destroyed as it used to be. I also like co-washing with the Hair Milk Conditioner because I don't like to wash my hair a lot, and the conditioner makes a nice co-wash.

MTM: The Carol's Daughter brand is already associated with major companies like Disney, HSN, and Sephora respectively, where do you see your brand 10 years from now?
LP: Oh boy! It's always hard for me to say that because whenever I say where I think it's going to be, the brand surprises me, and surpasses that. What I always like to say is; "where I see it in the future is still relevant" which I think is really, really important. I think we have done a really good job at continuing to evolve and grow, so I see us being around, still relevant, and with more legs.

This year we got to launch a sub-brand with Mary J Blige and the My Life fragrance, so My Life is it's own brand within the Carol's Daughter umbrella. It has it's own shows on HSN, it broke all kinds of records, [it launched on July 31rst on HSN], it's the first time that a fragrance was launched on television, and a celebrity fragrance at that. She [Mary J Blige] sold close to 52k units in one day, so it was a tremendous success. It was great as small as we are, to be able to launch a brand under our umbrella.

In November on HSN we'll be launching a line called Lisa's Kitchen which will be at home kits where you can make your own products. So I see us having more legs, where we aren't known just for one thing.

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Leonardo Da Vinci’s Top Six Tips for Getting Things Done

2010-07-21T08:25:00.001-04:00

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Leonardo Da Vinci’s Top Six Tips for Getting Things Done

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 7/20/10

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"A well-spent day brings happy sleep."

If you want tips on how to become more productive, one awesome source would be Leonardo da Vinci.

He painted a whole lot of classic paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. His journals contain ideas for inventions like hydraulic pumps, steam cannons, helicopters and hang gliders. He was also, among other things, an anatomist, sculptor, botanist and musician.

Da Vinci got stuff done. A lot of stuff.

How did he do it? Well, here is a guide with his tips for getting things done.

1. Do.

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."

If you want to get things done you have to do things. If you want big results you often have to take massive action. There is no way to get around taking action if you want real life results.

But it's easy to get stuck in a mindset where you in a way substitute thinking for action. You think and think and take action just once in a while.

One thing that gets you stuck in this mindset is that you may see other people doing the same thing. And so your habit of taking action once in a while gets reinforced since it feels like the "normal" thing to do. The fear of failure and what people might say if you try, fail or succeed are powerful factors too.

But to get what you want you need to break out of that. You need to take a lot of action. And if you are an overthinker or procrastinator like I was then there is probably room for a lot more action every week.

I think the first step to taking more action is just to be aware of how much action you are actually taking. To be aware how much time you are spending thinking or planning. And catch yourself when you get stuck in unproductive thought patterns. And then adjust to take more action.

How can you snap yourself into action? Two tips that works well for me are:

Pump up your enthusiasm. One way of doing that is to see what's positive in any situation. Then build on that to get your enthusiasm going. Perhaps it's just a thing or two. But that glimmer of positivity can be a starting point to change your perspective to a more positive one where you can find enthusiasm. And whatever the situation you are in will often be easier and more pleasurable to handle. Another way to pump up your enthusiasm is to get an enthusiastic vibe from other people. Listen to CDs with enthusiastic people – Brian Tracy and Wayne Dyer are two helpful guys – for perhaps 20 minutes. When you are done listening you'll probably feel a lot more enthusiastic. Or hang out with enthusiastic people and get them to talk about what they are enthusiastic about. Enthusiasm is contagious, so use that fact to help yourself.
Just do it anyway. If you don't feel like you could pump up your enthusiasm, just go and do what you want to do anyway. You may not want to go to the gym. But you do it anyway. And after you've been there for a while you are glad you went there, because now you are getting your workout done. And you are feeling proactive, enthusiastic and good about yourself.

2. Do. Experience. Understand.

"Experience does not ever err. It is only your judgment that errs in promising itself results which are not caused by your experiments."

"Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate the reason."

If you take little action it's easy to overestimate the value of the results. A failure or a mistake might feel like the end of the world. You may perhaps you beat yourself up about it for the rest of the week.

That won't help much though. As you learn to take more action, the results contain less emotional power. You don't get overwhelmed or lost in a sad funk. You also realize that the world doesn't revolve around you. People will probably not care as much as you think if you try, fail or succeed with something. They have their own lives to worry about.

So instead learn to take the lessons from a mistake or failure. Do not take the failure so seriously but instead see it – just like everything else – as a valuable experience.

So dive into life. Get experiences, because it is only here you will get some real understanding.

3. Be consistent.

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."

It's easy to get riled up and get going with something new on an enthusiastic high. But that initial enthusiasm tends to dissipate. That's when you hit a plateau. That's when you need to keep moving. Doing everything in small spurts and then turning to the next thing when something loses it "newness" makes it hard to get what you want.

You have to be persistent. And consistent. Then you can get pretty much anything done. One of the big reasons why people don't get what they want is simply that they won't keep going. Or that they go, stop, go, stop. Persistence and consistency isn't exactly the sexiest things in personal growth. But they are ridiculously helpful.

Because the results you want may not come to you tomorrow or next week. Improving your life is often hinges on the ability to not go running around for new magic pills all the time or choosing the instant gratification option every time.

So, how do you become more consistent?

Be aware. Just by being aware of what you are doing – and not doing – you can stop and change how you think and act in your everyday life. This will take time, but little by little you can avoid your own pitfalls – such as for instance the instant gratification route – more and more.
Set the context for your day. What you do early in the day often sets the context for your day. And your days are your life. We have a tendency to want to be consistent with what we have done before. One thing that can give you a good start is to do the hardest and/or most important thing first. If you start your day like this then you don't have to worry about that special task for the rest of the day. Taking this route makes the day feel easier and you'll have less inner resistance to getting the rest of the tasks of the day done. Another way to use this tip is to work out early in the day. It will make you feel energized and more alert for the rest of the day.

4. Move over, through or around obstacles.

"Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind."

Obstacles are tricky. They can easily discourage you. But they are seldom as scary as they look. If you actually start to smash them or move around them you may find that it is easier than you may have thought. The biggest obstacles are often the ones you put up in your mind. Not just in the way that you perceive external obstacles and make them bigger than they are. But also in how you create obstacles that aren't even out there. They exist solely in your mind.

So be careful and reconsider your assumptions and perception. Realize that you may be making things a lot harder than they actually need to be. Realize that you to some part decide how hard or easy something is.

By diving into reality and taking action you get real life experience of how things are. Then you may see how the obstacles were just in your mind. Or how you can move over, under or through the obstacle by learning and adjusting. Or just by being persistent.

Look at an obstacle as a way for the world to test you and teach you. Instead of a solid brick wall.

5. Know what's important (for you).

"Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it."

There is always enough time. You have the same amount of hours in the day that da Vinci had. But the thing is to know what is important to you. And to take action based on that.

Knowing what you want and following that path is vital for the rest of the tips above. To be able to take all that action, to do it consistently and to crush internal or external obstacles you need to know what you want. That will give you the motivation to keep going. And I'm talking about what you really want. What is most important to you (not what your parents, teachers or society may tell is important).

How do you find out what you really want? I think you need to really think about it. But more importantly, I think you need to just experiment and try things. From all that doing and all those experiences you learn things. Not just about the world but also about yourself.

Experience makes it clearer in your mind if what you thought you wanted is really what you want. Over time your map of yourself and your life becomes more accurate. And by doing things you not only find what is most important to you. You also find the things you really enjoy doing and that makes it so much easier to keep going.

6. Focus.

"As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself."

You need to know what's important for you. You also need to focus on it. And focus on it consistently.

And this is not just about keeping your focus on what you are doing and what you want each and every day. It's also about the focus of your attitude. To for instance keep your focus on the positive, on your curiousness and your enthusiasm. On what gets you where you want to go.

Instead of negative doubts, beating yourself up or other things you may focus on from time to time for some reason. That stuff will seldom help you. Of course, if there is a real problem then that needs to be handled. But oftentimes it's easy to get stuck in negativity because of old habits, what other people may say or just to strengthen a victim identity and get a strange sense of satisfaction and familiarity out of the negativity.

So finally, here are three practical tips that I have found to be very helpful to improve my focus.

Exercise. This is so key. Regular exercise makes me more focused, positive and energized. The best way to make exercise a consistent part of your life each week is to try different things and find what you like doing and what fits you and your situation.
Singletask. Do just one thing at a time to get things done quicker and with less stress. For me at least it works a lot better than multitasking.
Work in a cone of silence. Try to minimize possible distractions. You could do that by for instance unplugging your internet cable, shutting off your phone and closing your door.

If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone on Facebook, Twitter and Stumbleupon. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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How to Simplify When You Love Your Stuff

2010-07-04T02:31:00.001-04:00

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How to Simplify When You Love Your Stuff

via zen habits by guest on 7/2/10

"It all depends on whether you have things, or they have you." ~Robert A. Cook

Editor's note: This is a guest post by Barrie Davenport of Live Bold and Bloom.

Simplicity. It is a lovely ancient spiritual tradition that has seen a recent resurgence in popularity. As we try to make sense of our erratic economy and the accompanying financial anxiety, it is natural to leap to a less risky lifestyle extreme — stop spending, scale back, live lean.

If you are a regular reader of Zen Habits, you are probably intrigued by the idea of simplifying. In fact, you may have even given up many material things and actively live a very simple life. People who have adopted this level of simplicity, especially in the land of consumerism, are incredibly inspiring and fascinating.

But let's be real here. In spite of embracing the concept of simplicity, most people really love their stuff, and they love acquiring more stuff. Like our attitudes about a healthy diet, our feelings about material things are complicated. We know what's good for us, but we just don't want to give up what we like. Our stuff makes us feel good.

Is it possible to live a simple life and still love stuff? How much letting go of stuff really counts toward simplifying anyway?

Living simply and detaching from material things will make you happier. There is real research and lots of anecdotal evidence to support the truth of this. But is it possible that some material things can add to our happiness, sense of contentment and joy in life? If so, how do you go about deciding what's good stuff and what's bad?

Perhaps the deciding factor is motivation. Do the things that you own or wish to buy support your ego, or do they enliven your soul? Some material things can afford you a sense of warmth, coziness, beauty, fond memories, or comfort. There are other things that offer only that fleeting rush of acquisition.

If you infuse mindfulness into your ideas and actions around material things, you can create a gentle balance between loving stuff and living simply.

Here are some thoughts that might be useful.

1. Look around your house now.

Walk from room to room. Do you see things that you never use and don't really care about? Why not give them away or sell them? Clear physical and psychic space by removing the "dead wood" in your environment. Someone else might really need these things.

2. Examine why you are hanging on to something.

Is it truly useful or meaningful, or does it feed your ego in some way? Are you holding on to it just to impress others or to make yourself feel better or more important?

3. Look at how you spend your time.

Do you have things you own for hobbies that you never pursue? Do you have a kitchen full of gadgets but you rarely cook? If you truly think you will come back to a hobby or activity, box things up and put them out of sight until you do. Be realistic about how much time you have to use your extraneous stuff.

4. Are you in a career that is thing-focused?

Decorators, car dealers, retailers and others involved in creating, buying, selling and marketing merchandise, can have a hard time detaching from material things because they are always surrounded by the newest and best. There is beauty and art in many things, but consider this: you don't have to own them all to appreciate them. Eckhart Tolle once suggested to Oprah Winfrey that she not buy everything she likes or wants — just savor it for the moment in the store.

5. Consider experiences rather than things.

On the whole, experiential purchases provide far more pleasure than material purchases. The memory of experiences improves with time, but material purchases are harder to think about abstractly. Experiences also encourage social relationships which provide long-lasting happiness. If you are itching to spend, spend on a great experience with someone you enjoy.

6. When you think about your things or want to purchase something new, consider these parameters:

It brings beauty into your life and stirs your soul.
It supports a passion or hobby.
It helps bring family and friends together in a creative, meaningful way.
It educates and enlightens.
It makes life profoundly simpler so that you can pursue more meaningful things.
It helps someone who is sick or incapacitated.
It is useful and necessary for day-to-day life.
It's part of a meaningful tradition or a reminder of a special event.

7. You will know you are buying mindlessly if you:

Buy on a whim.
Buy to impress others.
Buy because you feel you deserve it.
Buy when you can't afford it.
Buy just to update something that still works or looks fine.
Buy because someone else has it and you want it too.
Buy because the advertisement seduced you.
Buy because you are bored.
It's purchased because buying soothes you.

It is possible to balance a simpler life with owning and acquiring material things. You can enjoy stuff without living the life of an aesthetic. The exact balance you create is a matter of personal preference. But realize there is a diminishing point of return with accumulation and materialism that undermines authentic joy and fulfillment in life.

Apply mindful purging to your current lifestyle and belongings, as well as thoughtful consideration to your future purchases. Carefully examine your motivations for keeping possessions or buying new things. Once you allow things to serve your soul, rather than you being a slave to your things, your life will evolve into an artful harmony between what you have and who you are.

Read more from Barrie at her blog, Live Bold and Bloom and download her free e-book, How to Live a Meaningful Life.

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9 Simple Tips for Getting Rid of a Bad Habit

2010-05-03T17:27:00.001-04:00

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9 Simple Tips for Getting Rid of a Bad Habit

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 5/3/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdegutt/ / CC BY 2.0

"Bad habits are easier to abandon today than tomorrow."
Yiddish Proverb

"Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them."
Confucius

Most of us have one or a few habits that we consider bad and we'd like to get rid of. But how do you do it?

I have a few suggestions that have helped me and people around me. Here are 9 tips that can help you to finally get rid of that bad habit once and for all.

Tell your friends and family. If you tell people around you that you will stop smoking or start working out three times a week then they will check up on you. And you will feel a social pressure to keep up with your promise now that it is let out into the world. I would recommend only telling people who you think will support you or be neutral. Negative people make things so much more difficult.
Make it painful to not go through with it. This may not be for everyone but you could consider making a promise to someone. For example, if you stray off the path to better health by having French fries or a cigarette then you will give your friend 100 or 500 dollars. The point is to add some possible pain to keep yourself in check on days when you may feel a bit tempted.
Listen to those who have gone where you want to go. Not to people who have no practical or real idea about what your challenge entails. It is important to get the best advice that actually works in real life. Seek it out in people around you, in the best books on the topic (check for the number of stars and read reviews on a site like amazon.com) and on blogs and forums that seem reliable.
What will this lead to in 5 and 10 years? See your future self vividly in your mind. Where are you going? Towards massive debt, a heart attack, serious illness and severe restrictions in your future? Do you want go to that place where it is very likely that you will wind up if you don't make a change? Then see your future self where you have made the positive change. What positive and awesome things has it brought you in 5 years and in 10 years? See it all in your mind. And remind yourself of the positive and negative consequences by writing them down and reviewing them whenever you feel like quitting and going back to your old ways.
Avoid temptations. Know what usually triggers your bad habit. Places where you are likely to spend too much money. Things in your cupboard that will not help you to get healthier and you should not have at home at all. And people that drag you down and back into your old ways.
Replace it. If you stop doing one thing then it can leave a vacuum in your life. It's easier to not relapse if you replace that space with a new habit. If you had chips and candy at home to snack on then have fruits and nuts to snack on when you feel the cravings. If you stopped checking social media and the internet for many hours each evening then replace that habit and space with reading more books or joining a club, sport or evening class.
Don't remove more than one habit at a time. It may seem like a good idea to overhaul your life all at once. When regular life, stress and lack of energy interfere it usually leads to failure. Don't try to be Superman or Wonder Woman. Take it easy and remove one habit at a time to increase the odds of real life success dramatically.
Don't make a huge deal out of it. If you think about it and talk about it all the time then it will feel like a huge deal to get rid of that habit. This will make each day much harder mentally and you may feel overwhelmed. Instead, keep it simple and realize that whatever habit you want to get rid of thousands if not millions of people have done so before. Yes, things do get tough from time to time. But there is no need to create a lot of extra drama around it and in the longer run make things more difficult than they need to be.
If at first you don't succeed dust yourself off and try again. You will probably not succeed the first time you do it. It took me perhaps four tries before the habit of regular exercise stuck. You fail and you make mistakes when you make changes and try new things. That's just life and nothing to feel bad about or see as a reason to give up all together.

If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone on Twitter and Stumbleupon. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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8 Small Habits That Make My Daily Life Simpler, Easier and More Effective

2010-04-28T17:32:00.001-04:00

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8 Small Habits That Make My Daily Life Simpler, Easier and More Effective

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 4/28/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notsogoodphotography/ / CC BY 2.0

"First we make our habits, then our habits make us."
John C. Noble

I often write about making big changes in your life. So today I'd like to mix that up and just look at eight small habits that make my life simpler, easier and more effective.

Feel free to use the comments section below to share your own small daily or weekly habits that you have found improves your life, even if it's just a little bit.

Keep everything in its place. If everything has its own place then it is whole lot easier to keep your home reasonably ordered and decluttered from day to day. This also helps you with your inner stillness as the outer environment affects how you feel on the inside. I also find it useful to always keep things in their place on me when I'm out and about. The wallet is always in the same pocket and my cell phone is always in the same place. If you have forgotten something and have this habit you'll quickly notice if something is not as usual and you can go back to fetch what you lost.
Go food shopping once a week. You'll save time, perhaps some money and I find that I do less impulse buying of unhealthy things too compared to if I go shopping when I am getting hungry.
Cook more food than you'll eat. I usually make two or three servings of what am about to eat. This cuts down on time that you spend on cooking and you'll have to do less washing up in general. Plus, it's good to have portions of food to bring to work to save some money. Or to have a meal that you can quickly reheat when you come home from school or work and you are starving.
Declutter for a few minutes in the morning. Keeping everything in its place works for the most part. But there is still usually a bit of clutter. You can spend a few minutes in the morning (or after your work day is done) to clean up your workspace, remove old coffee cups and clean up papers and books and put them in their proper place.
Write everything down. Otherwise you'll forget about your goals, great ideas or perhaps something funny or fascinating you heard. By writing things down you don't have to occupy your mind with having to remember everything. This lowers stress levels and gives you a clearer mind to use.
Pack your bag the night before. This very simple habit can alleviate quite a bit of stress in the morning. If you pack your bag before you go to bed then you don't have to run around in your house half panicked tomorrow while looking for your books or some important papers.
Reconnect each day with what you should be doing. On my wall there is a small white board. On the white board there are things written like "keep things extremely simple" and "stick to the schedule". These two reminders and a few more are always there. Whenever I lose my way during my day I can always just look at the wall to center myself and reconnect with what I should be doing and how I should go about it. I highly recommend doing this to stay on course.
Be 10 or 5 minutes early. This is a very simple tip that transforms those traveling times during your day into relaxing breaks instead of passages of time and space that only up your levels of stress and other negative feelings.

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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6 Reasons to Focus on Liking Yourself, and How to Do It

2010-04-23T18:36:00.001-04:00

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6 Reasons to Focus on Liking Yourself, and How to Do It

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 4/23/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/insomnia90/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

"Nobody will think you're somebody if you don't think so yourself."
African-American proverb

"Self-love is not opposed to the love of others."
Dr. Karl Menninger

"Happiness is: Looking in a mirror and like what you see ."
Author Unknown

People have a need for affection and being liked. But it's very easy to make a mistake here and go about it the wrong way. Because while trying to get others to like you may seem like a simple and common solution there is an alternative. One that I find works better.

It is to focus on liking yourself more rather than trying to get people to like you.

Here are six reasons why I put my focus in that place. And after that a brief guide to how you can increase how much you like yourself.

1. Liking yourself gives you power and strength.

If you go for trying to get people to like you you'll most likely come off as needy and desperate a lot of the time. This is a bad position to put yourself in. Because liking and respecting yourself goes hand in hand with people liking and respecting you.

If you bend to other people all the time then they may like what you do for them. But they may not like you on a deeper level because there is a weakness and lack of confidence and personal power there.

2. People like people who like themselves.

What is attractive to a friend, an employer or a potential partner? To me, it seems like a lot of this boils down to people liking people who like themselves. Someone who likes him/herself is positive, confident, takes care of his/her health and opportunities in school/at work/in life.

3. More inner stability, much less of an emotional rollercoaster.

Getting compliments and being liked is wonderful. The problem is just that if you rely too much on validation from others then you let the outside world, other people, control how you feel. And that can be a real rollercoaster.

Because if you really need the positive validation from people then it's hard to avoid listening to their negative input. Or you may feel bad when there is a temporary lack in the validation. So what do you do? You let go of focusing on needing that input and replace it with focusing on validating and liking yourself instead.

4. Life becomes more fun and relaxing.

If you like yourself then it becomes natural to just be your best self and let people like the real you. Doing the opposite and trying to get people to like you leads to a lack of honesty in any kind of relationship and life becomes a like walking on egg shells while using different masks with different people.

5. What you think and feel about yourself flows over.

The more you like yourself, the easier it becomes to like, help and be kind to other people. How much you like or do not like yourself flows over into your world.

6. You minimize self sabotage.

If you don't like yourself, if you deep down don't really think you deserve what you go after then you will tend to sabotage for yourself. Perhaps in subtle ways. You may get a gut feeling that this success is wrong and so you start doing stuff that screws things up. If you like yourself there will be a lot less self made obstacles in your mind to overcome on your path to success.

How to like yourself more

So, the benefits sound pretty good. But how do you go about changing how you feel about yourself?

Here is a brief but in my experience very effective guide that works in real life.

Do the right thing.

I write about this a lot. That's because it's simple thing to keep in mind and if you live it then it can bring your awesome results.

When you do what you think is the right thing then your self esteem goes up. If you just coast then you tend to feel kinda lame about yourself. So do awesome stuff and you feel awesome about yourself. Do ok stuff and feel ok about yourself. This is not always an easy thing. But people who do the right thing get fine inner rewards (and often outer rewards too). What you do tends to correspond to what you get in the long run.

What is the right thing? Well, that's up to you to decide and it can vary from life to life and situation to situation. Some of the things I think is the right thing to do is to keep my life in order and organized, to workout regularly and take care of my health, to be positive and open, to spend time doing things I really like doing, to get out of my comfort zone and face fears and to be a person of action.

When you do the right thing you like yourself more and so the self sabotage decreases. The standards you set for yourself flows over to your world too. What you accept or don't accept from yourself is what you tend to accept or not accept from other people.

And what you think and do to the world around you – for example being judgmental or being open and kind – is how you tend to think about yourself and treat yourself too.

Don't take yourself for granted or focus on the wrong things. Appreciate yourself.

What you do or do not do has a huge effect on how you view yourself and how much you like yourself. But what you focus on in your mind is also important. Because if you do good things but then focus on small faults or failures then that won't help you.

So make a habit of focusing on appreciating the good things about yourself. Take two minutes right now to think about positive things about you or good things you have done and accomplished. Or take a few minutes tonight to write down five good things about yourself in a journal.

This extends to what you focus on in the world around you too. Because as I mentioned in the previous tip, what you focus on in the people around you tends to be how you see and treat yourself. So you may want to add five or ten things that you appreciate about the people around you to those journal entries and two minute appreciation sessions.

The more you do things like these, the more this kind of thinking will naturally pop up in your everyday life too. You are changing how you think about yourself and what you have a tendency to focus on.

If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone on Twitter and Stumbleupon. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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How to Finish What You Have Started

2010-03-23T19:13:00.001-04:00

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How to Finish What You Have Started

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 3/23/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/muffmuff/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Simply getting up from the chair, stopping all the theorizing and getting started is one of the biggest issues I believe people face. But to keep going until something is finished can also be a big issue (it has certainly been so at times for me at least).

I have however found a few solutions that work for me and help me to reach the finish line. Feel free to chime in with your own solutions that work for you in the comments.

Let go of perfectionism.

This has been a pretty big issue for me in the past. You want to polish everything until it is "perfect". The problem is just that such thinking often leads to many things not ever being finished.

So you have to find a balance for yourself where you do good work and don't slack off but at the same time don't get lost in trying to improve and polish something too much.

I have found that balance through experience.

It is also very important to be aware that nothing will ever be perfect. Striving for perfection can be pretty dangerous. Because you will never feel like you are good enough.

You have set the bar at an inhuman level. And so your self esteem stays low even though your results may be very good.

So just focus on gradually being more consistent instead trying to be perfect.

Realize that good enough is good enough. And that goes both for your work and for you.

Set a deadline.

A few months ago, I set a deadline for when my ebook should be finished. I had realized that just working on it and releasing it when it was done would not work. Because I could always find stuff to add to it. So I had to set a deadline. Sure, I still missed it by a few days but finally I did the last 30 percent of the work and was done with it.

Setting a deadline gave me a kick in the butt and it is generally good way to help you to let go of a need to polish things a bit too much.

Limit yourself in all kinds of ways.

The last part of a project or a task can often feel pretty hard and it's easy to get lost in procrastination. By setting limits for how often you check email each day, how much time you spend on social networks and forums, how much time you take to make small everyday decisions you can over a month or two develop these things into habits that run automatically most of the time.

By incorporating limits like these into your lifestyle you are less likely to get distracted during the last part of the work and you can keep
your eye on what's important.

Make it light, don't create a heavy cloud of drama, problems and complications in your mind.

Realize that much of this is in your head. Your perspective determines to a large degree what you see.

Your relationships to what you want to achieve are – just like your relationships to people – to a large extent just in your head. Try thinking that something is easy and simple instead of "heavy" and complicated and your perception of that external thing you want to achieve tends to change too. Experiment and find healthy and effective relationships to what you want to achieve instead of just seeing something like many people may do.

Bring awareness to you own thought patterns by asking yourself questions like:

"Honestly, am I overcomplicating this?" and
"What is the simplest and most straightforward solution to my problem?"

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Stumbleupon and Twitter. Thank you very much! =P

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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How to Get to Know Yourself Better: 3 Great Tips

2010-03-21T21:04:00.001-04:00

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How to Get to Know Yourself Better: 3 Great Tips

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 3/19/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/ / CC BY 2.0

"He who knows others is learned;
He who knows himself is wise."
Lao-tzu

Who are you? What is your daily and weekly life really about?

Those not always easy questions to answer. So today I'd like to share three tips that have helped me to get to know myself a bit better and to see my life more accurately.

1. What part of you do you see in them?

What we see in others is quite often what we see in ourselves. And what irritates us in people may be what we don't like in ourselves. What you judge in someone you are actually judging in yourself.

Therefore what you notice and what irritates you in others can teach you important things about yourself. Things you may not be aware of. In a way people can be like a mirror for you. A mirror that can help you to learn more about yourself, what you fear and how you may be fooling yourself.

So, what people generally irritate you? What do you often judge or criticize people for?

What can that tell you about you?

2. Do the unusual thing.

When faced with a choice in your daily life, step back for a minute and think. Then take the option that is and feels unusual for you.

If you often back down just don't for this one time. If you often get into arguments with people then just this one time don't and instead just let it go or treat the other person with kindness. Do the opposite of what you usually do and see what happens (while using common sense of course). Do something new and something you wouldn't expect from yourself.

This is a fun and great way to get new experiences and to learn things about the world and about yourself that you wouldn't if you kept going like you usually do. It's also a great way to be surprised about life as things often turn out more positively than in your fear filled daydreams if you just take action.

Getting stuck in the same old routine until it becomes a rut can suck the life out of you. Doing the unusual thing in small and big situations, no matter how it goes, is a great way to feel alive again and to reveal aspects of yourself that may have been hidden from you.

3. Journal.

Journaling is a fine way to get a more accurate picture of yourself and your life. A few ways that I have used journaling to get to know myself and my life are:

Journal about how you use your time. Just write down what you do during one day. Or during one week. Write down what you spend your time on and how much time you spend on each thing. You may, as me, be surprised about how much time you waste on procrastinating and pretty pointless busy work. Even if you may have an image of yourself as an effective person.
Journal about what you think. What do you think about during a normal day? Or a week? Write it all down. By doing so you can find recurring patterns of thought such as fears or maybe that you spend a lot of time regretting what happened in the past. Or you may find that you are actually a more positive person than you may think. This is a really interesting exercise because it can help you spot both positive things and negative things about yourself and just how accurate your current image of yourself is. You'll probably run into some surprises.
Journal about what you eat. I used this to lose weight. If you want to lose weight you have to consume less calories that you use. So how do you know what to eat and how much? You got to monitor it in some way. I used the free and very simple Fitday.com to monitor what I eat during the day. This is essential stuff. Because the three normal and most of the time actually pretty healthy meals I ate in the past consisted of the same amount of calories I used during the day. So little progress was made. To keep things within effective and healthy limits I think it's important to monitor what you do. But not to get obsessed about these things though. The main point is to keep an eye on what you are actually doing instead of guesstimating a whole lot.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Stumbleupon and Twitter. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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p s s s s t ! :

2010-03-09T11:11:00.001-05:00

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p s s s s t ! :

via the electronic mayhem of Jack Davey. by the tripper . on 3/8/10

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Are These 3 Odd but Common Obstacles Standing in the Way of Your Success?

2010-03-09T11:10:00.001-05:00

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Are These 3 Odd but Common Obstacles Standing in the Way of Your Success?

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 3/8/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grrphoto/ / CC BY 2.0

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
Michael Jordan

Basics such as motivation, setting goals and taking action are vital to get the success you want in any area of life.

But there are also other factors that play a part. Inner and outer obstacles that can stand in your way and make things harder than they need to be.

Today I'd like to explore three such things and how you can overcome these obstacles and make success easier.

1. Drama.

Drama can be a bit annoying. Both when it pops up in me and in other people. It's annoying because it's pointless, counterproductive and at the same time can be addictive.

When you are in drama-mode you make mountains out of molehills. You construct elaborate and huge problems based on some little thing that is often misinterpreted in dramatic and negative fashion to ignite the drama.

The drama in your mind can steal so much energy and time from you. So why do we do it?

Well, frankly I think it is sometimes just because people are under stimulated. Nothing much fun happens in the daily life. There are no real exciting goals to work towards.

The drama can not only add spice to your life but also be emotionally addictive. It brings you attention from other people. Instead of doing something that is actually hard and gaining admiration and attention that way it's easier to just create drama.

So what do you do to decrease the drama within yourself? The answers are already above. You get a life and fill it with doing things that are important and fulfilling for you. You remain aware in your daily life so that when you are creating drama you can tell yourself that such thinking is silly and will just make everything seem bigger than it is and thereby make it harder to take action. And the less you accept drama from yourself, the less you will accept or be rattled by drama from other people.

By doing that you will realize that things are often simpler than you may think and that few things are that big of a deal really. You'll be cooler and more levelheaded than you used to and you'll focus on working on what you want. Because in the end that is more fun and fulfilling than creating drama to fill a void.

2. Small invisible barriers.

Why don't people get regular exercise? One invisible barrier that I know comes up again and again is simply that they have to get to the gym. That takes effort. You have to get up from your couch, pack your gym bag and perhaps take a bus or drive to get there. And then you have to ride/drive home again.

After a long day at work or in school it's very easy to go: "Eh, I'll do that tomorrow instead" and remain on the couch.

And so you may get to the gym once every week instead of three times a week like you were planning on back during the holidays.

So you need to find ways to reduce or remove those barriers. I do my workouts right here at home. I lift weights and I do body weight exercises on my living room floor. This has eliminated that invisible gym barrier and helped me to be very consistent and work out three times a week.
Other ways to reduce the barrier would perhaps be to get exercise by going out running or going out biking. This will at least remove the hassle of getting to and from the gym.

Think about the small barriers that may be stopping you from doing things on a consistent basis. And find solutions.

Bonus tip: You can use small barriers to your advantage too. I did for instance remove the websites I got a bit too fond of from my bookmarks in Firefox. Now I have to type in the address or google for websites. This extra, very small barrier has helped me to check the websites far less than I used to. Oftentimes I forget to check them for many days and realize that they weren't really that important after all.

3. You fall back into old patterns, thoughts and behaviors.

It is easy to fall back into your old patterns. If you have, for instance, been looking for problems in different parts of your life for years but adopted a more optimistic outlook lately it is still easy to snap back into that old, familiar place. Sometimes you start looking for problems just out of habit.

This can be an obstacle. It can make things messy as you one day feel optimistic and the other day are not so optimistic anymore. Sure, there are natural fluctuations from day to day. But there are also things you can do to reinforce your new self image and to prevent the old stuff from coming up or holding you back.

Be aware during your day. When you become aware of a moment when you are slipping back into your old ways first accept that. Then let it go. This can help you let go of such things as soon as they appear and before they start to spiral and become bigger.
Review and reexamine your past. If you are falling back into worrying for example, look at your past. How many of your worries in the last 3 years have actually come into reality? Sit down and really go through this past period. You will probably realize how little of what you feared and worried about that has actually happened. By doing so you can start to release that old thought habit more easily when it pops up because it has been really inaccurate so far.
Get more experiences that support your new self image. This is the most important ingredient. To change and strengthen your new self image you mind needs proof. The proof is the experiences you have had. So if you really dive in and immerse yourself in something like fitness and work out every other/every day, read a lot about it all and are eating healthy stuff in a conscious way you change a lot about your day to day living environment. Expanding your comfort zone like this will be uncomfortable and a bit draining but it will quickly give you a lot of new experiences. This helps to you make a quicker change, gives you a stronger new self image and so you will more rarely slip back into those old thought patterns and behaviors.

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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Free African-American History Guided Tours at Oakland Cemetery on February 1...

2010-02-12T14:55:00.001-05:00

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Free African-American History Guided Tours at Oakland Cemetery on February 13 & 24

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 2/12/10

Oooh, I want to go to this: On Saturday, February 13, & Wednesday, February 24, the Oakland Cemetery will offer free guided tours. On the tour, you'll get a better understanding of...

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Alvin Ailey Deals: Buy One Ticket, Get One 50% Off + $10 Tickets for Students

2010-01-12T21:49:00.001-05:00

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Alvin Ailey Deals: Buy One Ticket, Get One 50% Off + $10 Tickets for Students

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 1/12/10

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is on my short list of touring groups to see when they come through Atlanta. I've never been, but I've heard good things, and if my budget allows for it, I'm going...

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How to Make that Change Stick: The 11 Point Checklist for 2010

2010-01-04T17:53:00.001-05:00

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How to Make that Change Stick: The 11 Point Checklist for 2010

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 1/4/10

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notsogoodphotography/ / CC BY 2.0

"The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become."
Ben Herbster

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."
Flora Whittemore

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."
Marcus Aurelius

It's a fresh new year.

Although you can make a positive change in your life at any time most people get an extra dose of enthusiasm around this time of the year. That's only natural.

But how do you go about making changes that will stick? How do you not wind up in the same place where you started a few weeks or months from now?

Below is a sort of checklist for 2010 that will help you to avoid some of the most common problems that people have when they trying make a change. I have created it so I have something to look back on as I move through this year. You may want to do the same.

1. Choose something YOU really want.

It's easy to tipsily declare your New Year's resolution for 2010 when you got a glass of champagne in your hand. But do you actually want it?

Maybe you don't really want it that much. But the world around seems to want it. This doesn't mean that you can't achieve it. But it might be better to focus on what YOU really want. Both to steer your life in the direction you yourself want and to create positive internal motivation instead of external pressure you feel you have to live up to.

How do you find out what you really want to do? By thinking and by experimenting and just trying things out (the image you have of something in your head can be very different from the actual experience). Get to know what you really want in your life.

2. Choose a main focus.

Choose one main area of life to focus on each year. This makes it easier to actually get a lot of things done and taking massive action instead of getting lost in too many commitments and getting worn out by trying to balance all areas of life.

This year I will be focusing on expanding and growing my business (which is this website at the moment, but soon a bit more than that). I have also set a smaller, secondary focus on developing and expanding my social life even more. Fitness and health that was my main focus in 2009 will take a backseat. I'll mainly let it run on autopilot based on the positive changes I made last year.

Think about what area of your life that you really want to focus on. It may be the area you know deep down that needs to most improvement. Or the area that you think you will reap the greatest rewards by improving.

3. Find a way that fits you.

Different things fit different people. It did for example take me quite some time of trying different ways to do cardio exercise before I finally found body weight exercises.

Experiment and find what works for you and what fits your personality. This will make it a lot easier to stick to your positive change and develop a relaxed consistency.

4. Set big goals, not reasonable ones.

One mistake I made last year was to set a too small goal for how much money I wanted to make from my business each month. It was reasonable, but it also didn't inspire me that much. By the summer I realized this and tripled the amount of money I wanted to make.

Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable but also excited. My mind started to spit out solutions to help me reach that goal. I didn't reach the goal in 2009 but my income shot up quite a bit during the last six months of that year.

So this year I'm definitely setting bigger goals than I used to.

I may not reach them but if you aim for the stars and wind up in the treetops then that's still pretty great.

5. Set the goal but focus on the daily process.

I for instance use this when I write and when I workout. I don't take responsibility for the results in my mind. I take responsibility for showing up and doing my workout/writing. The results – I become stronger and the website grows – come anyway from that consistent action. And this makes it easier for me to take action when I know that is all I need to focus on. Instead of using half of the energy and focus I have available on hoping that I "reach my goal real, real soon".

Focus on the process and you will be a lot more relaxed and prone to continue than if you stare yourself blind on the potential results that never come as quickly as you want to and puts you on an emotional rollercoaster from day to day.

6. Find ways to overcome the things that cause you to relapse into old behavior.

Stress may cause you to feel like smoking again. If so, find a few relaxation techniques that can help you. Worry may lead you to eating too much to feel better. If that is an issue that pops up for you then learn to reduce your worries in life. If you get stuck in inaction learn how to up your enthusiasm and motivation quickly or to just take action anyway.

Find ways to turn bad days or moments into something positive once again.

7. Let other people help you out.

If you're about to quit smoking ask others who have overcome the addiction what their best tips are. Do some research on/offline. This can save you pain, frustration and it can help you to keep going.

You can also tell people your goals to get accountability and motivation to take action. And you don't have to go it alone. Finding someone who wants to make the same change that you want can make things easier.

8. Use laziness to your advantage.

I'm kinda lazy. But I use that to my advantage by for example not having any sweets or cookies in my cupboards. I only have healthy stuff there. Since I may feel the craving for something sweet or a snack from time to time but I am too lazy to go to the store I wind up eating what I have at home. A simple habit that has helped me to improve my health.

I also know that I am too lazy to go to the gym or go out running three times a week. So I workout at home. This has helped me to have very good consistency.

Such small, invisible barriers can have a great impact on your daily life. Remove them or use them or to your advantage.

9. Don't confuse homeostasis with "time to give up".

One big problem with making that change stick is homeostasis. What that means is that any system wants to be stable. That goes for you. And for the people around you.

So after the initial enthusiasm for your new change in life wanes it may not feel as that much fun anymore. It's sort of enthusiasm backlash. This is the homeostasis kicking in within your mind (no matter if the goal/habit etc. is actually very positive for you). It's a resistance to change to keep the system (you) stable. If you are simply aware of this being what it is – rather than a signal to give up – you can persevere, be patient and keep going more easily.

You should also be aware that the homeostasis may appear in the people around you too. Sure, you getting shape might be great. But it means changes in the lives of the people around you too (perhaps new food and nights spent running instead of watching TV with the family etc.). So the people around may react negatively in some way.

Realize that it is the homeostasis in them, not that they are being mean. It's their brains doing what's natural to keep the system (the family, circle of friends etc.) stable when "scary change" intrudes.

10. Use reminders in your environment.

I have written about this many times since it have found it very helpful for staying on track and making a change stick.

Simply write down your goals on paper and put them where you can't avoid seeing them every day. Your fridge, bathroom mirror and workspace are such places.

Paper works fine for this but I have started using a medium sized whiteboard instead. There I can write – in big letters – what my main focus is, what my most important goals are and also any other important thought or perhaps quote that I want to be reminded of each and every day.

11. Don't beat yourself up when you slip.

You will most likely have a few bad days and fall flat on your face even if you follow the tips above. The important thing here is to not be too hard on yourself and keep on beating yourself up for a week. That could certainly lead to giving up altogether. Plus, it's kinda pointless.

Instead, learn what you can from the experience so you don't have to repeat it too many times. Then get back on the horse again the next day. And keep going.

Look at it like this: 2010 will pass no matter what you do. You will arrive at New Year's Eve this year too.

So if your fail or make some mistakes, so what? Since the time will pass no matter what you do you might as well try again. By doing that you can make 2010 your most awesome year yet.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Stumbleupon and Twitter. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2010 Henrik Edberg.

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New Year’s Day at Agave: $20 = Any Appetizer + Any Entree + Your Choice of T...

2009-12-30T13:18:00.001-05:00

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New Year’s Day at Agave: $20 = Any Appetizer + Any Entree + Your Choice of Two Desserts

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 12/29/09

It's a good day for deals on Twitter. Per @AgaveRestaurant, you can dine on the cheap on New Year's Day: $20 buys you any appetizer, any entree, and your choice of two desserts. Call 404-588-0006 to...

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Free Horror Movies on Thursdays at Best Value Cinemas in Duluth

2009-11-03T13:50:00.001-05:00

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Free Horror Movies on Thursdays at Best Value Cinemas in Duluth

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 11/3/09

Though you probably know it as Venture Value Cinemas, you can indulge in a free night at the movies at the Best Value Cinemas in Duluth. On Thursday Nights, Best Value Cinemas is showing free horror...

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3 Quick Questions That Can Help You to Cut the Irrelevant Stuff Out of Your ...

2009-09-24T19:21:00.001-04:00

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3 Quick Questions That Can Help You to Cut the Irrelevant Stuff Out of Your Life

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 9/24/09

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/ / CC BY 2.0

"Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers."
Anthony Robbins

"The one who asks questions doesn't lose his way"
African Proverb

Asking yourself questions is a great way to keep yourself on track in day to day life. Cutting out and letting go of irrelevant stuff can help you to simplify and relaxify your life. It can help you to find more time for the things that are fun and really important to you.

So combining these two things can be very helpful. Here are three quick questions that can help you to cut irrelevant stuff out of your life.

As you use the questions more and more they tend to start to pop up almost automatically at useful points in your everyday life.

1. Who cares?

A very simple but a very powerful question. Whenever you feel like delving into some nitpicking or some pettiness ask yourself this question. Or whenever you feel an overwhelming need to be right in some discussion.

Yes, nitpicking or having to be right can give you sort of high. You feel good. But it's a dirty high. It never lasts for long. And you just create a lot of negativity within yourself and outside of yourself in the long run.

Asking yourself "who cares?" is a way to lighten up, to not take every little thing so seriously. It's way be more open and relaxed with yourself and the people around you. It's simply a way to be cool about stuff.

2. What is the most important thing I can do right now?

If you are lost in what to do next in your day, week or life, ask yourself this question. The answer might not always be what you want to hear because the most important thing is often one of the harder things you want to do too. But it can help you to check your priorities and stop you from getting lost in busy work – or Facebook or checking some inboxes/blog statistics etc. over and over during the day – and instead start tackling the big stuff.

3. Will this matter in 5 years?

This one can really puts things into perspective. It can make just about any difficulty that you are having right now seem a bit trivial and not as important and heavy as you had imagined the last few days, weeks and months. You may discover that you had expanded a problem and made it a lot more terrifying than it actually is. And that you can actually solve it more easily than you thought you while you were in a somewhat panicked state of mind.

It's a bit similar to the first question, so try them both when faced with a appropriate situation and find out what works best for you.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Stumbleupon and Twitter. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2009 Henrik Edberg.

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Did you know?

2009-08-16T12:19:00.001-04:00

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Did you know?

via The Coarse Hair Diary by Belle Cheveux on 8/15/09

For Relaxed Ladies: Because of the high pH of relaxer or hair straightening systems, most quaternized (conditioning) ingredients are unstable and slowly break down to release ammonia over time, having no conditioning effects by the time the consumers use them. (Source)

It's best to add oils and conditioners to your relaxer right before applying it.

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Andrew Carnegie’s Top 4 Tips for Massive Success

2009-08-10T19:51:00.001-04:00

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Andrew Carnegie’s Top 4 Tips for Massive Success

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 8/10/09

"Aim for the highest."

"You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb."

In the late 1800s there lived a very rich man. In fact, he was so rich that he is now considered the second richest man in history. And, at least as I remember it, he became an inspiration for Scrooge McDuck.

His name was Andrew Carnegie. You may have heard this name before if you have read the classic personal development book "Think and Grow Rich". It was Carnegie that gave the author Napoleon Hill the assignment to interview hundreds of wealthy people about success. And those interviews became the foundation for the book.

Here are four of Carnegie's own top tips for massive success.

1. Pay attention to the more important things.

"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."

This is one of my favourite quotes at the moment. And I have to agree, I pay less and less attention to what people say. Because in the end, what someone does is the most important thing. Talking is easy, but walking your talk is harder. And walking it consistently even though you fall, slip back into old habits and make mistakes is a huge part of success.

Now, talking and discussing what you want to do can be very helpful. But at some point you also follow that up and take action.

And this not just a good way to see people in a clear way. It's also a good way to look at yourself more clearly. Because you can tell yourself and others all kinds of things all day. But what you are actually getting done shows a lot about who you are right now and how you future will look.

2. Make it fun, make it light.

"There is little success where there is little laughter."

If your life and striving for success becomes just a big struggle then it will be very hard to keep it up.

If you want something bad then it it's very easy to overread or overthink that thing. It seems more complicated in your mind and it also becomes "heavier". What may have been pretty straightforward in real life becomes this huge struggle, where you are Rocky Balboa taking slow painstaking steps uphill against horrific odds. Yep, it's a real inspiring thing as you struggle as the heroic underdog.

It's also a great way to make things so much harder for yourself. It's you putting up imaginary obstacles in your own mind that aren't even there in reality. The Rocky way of thinking about these things is very seductive. But life becomes so much lighter and more fun when you just let that stuff go.

Sure, things may be vary in difficulty. But I believe we often make things more difficult and heavier than they really are.

So simplify it, don't overread or overthink it. This makes it a lot easier to relax and have fun while still working towards what you want.

Also, create a habit of simply making it fun. Keep a positive and fun attitude with the friends you are working with. Don't take things too serious. Learn to laugh about them a bit more. This does not only make it easier to consistently keep up the good work. It also makes it easier to handle what would previously be "huge setbacks/problems".

3. Be persistent. Don't spread yourself too thin.

"The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it."

How do you never get much done? Well, one good way is to try everything at once and spread yourself too thin. You get super enthusiastic for month and then you get deflated. You may even get an emotional backlash and start to feel negatively towards what you were so pumped up about since you aren't seeing the results you'd like as you quickly as you'd like to.

But on the other hand you have to get started and take action. Things can seem a certain way in your head when you think about doing them. But you have to actually do them for a while to gain understanding of how they really are. So to find one line that you want to stick with in some area of your life you may have to try a few of them and experiment to find what you love most to do.

I don't have many more tips really on how to find your line. I think you just have to think about some options and then try them to find out for yourself what you like and where there is opportunity.

I have for example been writing on this website for almost three years now. And I still find it fun and fascinating to write about these things. It's fun to be able to share my thoughts and what I have done and perhaps not only gain a clearer understanding for myself but also help out someone out there. I enjoy tinkering with the design and improving that. I enjoy learning more about how to spread the articles on this website to an even wider audience (and taking action on what I learn).

I think those are some good reasons to stick with what you are doing. And so I continue doing this.

4. Motivate yourself. It's your choice.

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."

I wrote about this just a couple of weeks ago. Like Carnegie, I believe you have to rely on yourself to be able to keep taking action patiently and persistently. Sure, help and motivation from others is always good. But they can not always be there to support you.

The only person who is always with you is you. So you have to choose to place the most importance for motivation on yourself and then add help and inspiration from blogs, books, friends and family when you can or feel the need.

Like anything, this takes time and you slip and fail along the way. But over time your can become better and better at motivating yourself (or skipping the need for motivation to get started and instead just springing yourself into action).

Without developing this habit then action and results will go up and down and be very inconsistent. And without consistency over a longer time period it does not matter so much what other talents or gifts you may have inside of you.

Check out the recent article How to Motivate Yourself: 4 Timeless Thoughts for more tips on how to motivate yourself.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Stumbleupon and Twitter. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2009 Henrik Edberg.

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Harnessing Your Competitive Spirit to Spur Your Goals

2009-08-10T16:16:00.001-04:00

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Harnessing Your Competitive Spirit to Spur Your Goals

via PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement by Ali Hale on 8/10/09

In many situations in life – especially within a company or within a family – co-operation is a much more powerful principle than competition.

We all have a competitive instinct or drive, though, and many games make the most of this to ramp up the level of fun, excitement and involvement. (Sports, multi-player computer games, and board games all have "winners" and "losers".)

As well as enjoying being competitive in game and play situations, we can use our natural competitive bent to give ourselves an edge when we're trying to make gains in our personal life.

I'm going to give just three examples, but I'm sure you can come up with more areas of your life to apply this to (let's hear them in the comments!)

Eating More Healthily

Perhaps you and your partner, or you and your friend, have tried out various healthy eating or weight-loss plans in the past. More likely than not, these haven't lasted too long. One of you feels low on will-power, says "Forget it, I'm having a slice of cake!" – and the other person caves in too.

It could go very differently if you introduced an element of healthy competitiveness. I'd caution against competing on something like actual weight lost, as this is influenced by factors such as metabolism, gender and how overweight you were to begin with. Similarly, don't compete on how far you can both run, or how heavy the weights you can lift are.

Instead, set yourself some competitive goals to reach like:

Who can hit five portions of fruit-and-veg a day, every day, for a week?
Who can go for a week without chocolate (or alcohol/cheese/etc…)
Who can stick to their planned exercise sessions for a month?
…and so on.

You get the idea. Compete on things which are under your direct control. You'll be amazed how this can really boost your will-power: knowing that the other person is heading off for their gym session can get you up off the sofa and raring to go – you don't want to lose!

Saving Money

You might want to do this with a spouse, friend or colleague. The idea is to see who can spend the least or save the most over a period of time. As with eating healthily or losing weight, compete on things which involve meeting targets that you've agreed with one another (you don't necessarily need to have exactly the same targets).

For example:

Who can go for a week without buying any food out?
Who can last a whole weekend without spending money?
How long can you manage without spending a cent on entertainment?
Who can meet their savings goal for three months running?

As with healthy eating, this can turn something that might otherwise seem like hard work into something fun. Trent writes about this in Making Frugality a Game on The Simple Dollar (a personal finance blog), saying:

If you can turn frugality into a mutual challenge, you can turn something that you might otherwise view as drudgery into something quite fun.

Writing a Novel

There's an often-quoted adage that "everyone has at least one book in them" – and you may well feel that's true for yourself. A lot of people have a long-cherished ambition to write a novel, but they never manage to get around to it – or they get started and quickly run out of steam.

Back in 2007, I took part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where participants take on the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. You "win" simply by reaching the word count: it's an easy measure, and no-one's going to complain about the quality of your writing, or say that what you've written isn't very novel-shaped.

The desire to get your name on the winners' list may be enough for you, but if you want to take the competition to a new level, get your friends involved. I wrote alongside @NickMB and @pddluke, and there was a lot of friendly but determined (certainly on my part!) competition.

(I "won", by the way, pipping them both to the 50,000 word post )

Those are just three big goals which many people have: all of which could be achieved faster (and even more enjoyably!) with a bit of good-natured competition. What goals do you have that you're not progressing towards as fast as you'd like? Who might you challenge to a competition?

Learn How To Get That Competitve Edge Here!

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How To Turn Crisis Into Opportunity

Are You Rationalizing Your Decisions?

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Shealoe - Shea Butter + Aloe Vera Gel

2009-08-06T07:41:00.001-04:00

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Shealoe - Shea Butter + Aloe Vera Gel

via Natural Hair Rules!!! by tamara@naturalhairrules.com (Natural Hair Rules!!!) on 8/4/09

As promised my basic recipe for Shealoe. I know there are many recipes avaliable online but this is probably the most simple with only three ingredients. Shea Butter alone is a great all natural moisturizer. Combined with aloe vera gel it is softer and easier to work with. It can serve as a creamy moisturizer and/or styling product. Feel free to improvise and add your favorite essential oils. I suggest that your use a glass mixing bowl for easier clean up. Ok here we go.

You'll need:

1/2 cup of unrefined white or yellow shea butter

1/4 cup of aloe vera gel

1 tbs of coconut oil

Soften the shea butter by microwaving for about 30 secs or warming over a water bath. Its ok if it melts completely. Once it's soft add the aloe vera gel and coconunt oil. Mix by hand or with a hand mixer on low speed. Pour in a contain with a lid and let settle. Store in a cool dry place.

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$5 Tickets to the High on Saturday, August 8

2009-08-05T15:33:00.001-04:00

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$5 Tickets to the High on Saturday, August 8

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 8/5/09

Thanks to Amy at Atlanta with Kid for this lead, which she literally just spied on Twitter: On Saturday, August 8, you can get $5 admission to the High. Not $5 off, but $5 admission. That's cheap. The deal is valid for walk-up purchases only. It's available from 10:00 a.m.-noon on August 8th only,...

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Free Dive-In Movies at the W Atlanta-Perimeter: August ‘09 Schedule

2009-08-03T17:03:00.001-04:00

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Free Dive-In Movies at the W Atlanta-Perimeter: August ‘09 Schedule

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 8/3/09

You can enjoy free movies all summer long. And unlike some free movie screenings, this one takes place poolside at the W Atlanta-Perimeter. Dive-in Movie screenings will happen on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. through September 22. Here's a look at the August schedule: August 4: Tropic Thunder August 11:...

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50% off Tickets to 2 Atlanta Falcons Preseason Games

2009-07-30T12:53:00.001-04:00

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50% off Tickets to 2 Atlanta Falcons Preseason Games

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/29/09

Woot! Football season snuck up on me. I can't wait until the regular season gets underway. Want to catch a preseason Falcons game on the cheap? According to deal I saw on TravelZoo, tickets to preseason Falcons games are up to 50% off last week's prices on TicketsNow. Seats start at $6, with other...

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DailyCandy Atlanta - Soul Food

2009-07-24T10:03:00.001-04:00

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ATLANTA | July 24, 2009

Soul Food
Chazz Southern Cooking

Nothing spells lovin' like home cooking from an oven.

Preferably, any oven but your own.

Tend to your foodie roots at new comfort fare stop Chazz Southern Cooking. Named for the owner's 3-year-old, cute-as-a-peach son, the casual resto has all the regional fixin's.

Traditional smoked pork and beef ribs are mainstays, but Chazz also features tilapia, salmon, and catfish. Pile on buttermilk-fried bird and okra, salmon croquettes, and slaw. Wet your whistle with a pre-liquor-license Friday wine selection (for free!).

This weekend, brunch on chicken and waffles.

Gives us the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it.

Chazz Southern Cooking, 517 Flat Shoals Avenue, East Atlanta Village (404-748-1875).

More In: Food | Restaurant

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4th Friday Art Stroll in Castleberry Hill on July 24

2009-07-22T11:12:00.001-04:00

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4th Friday Art Stroll in Castleberry Hill on July 24

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/22/09

It's almost the 4th Friday of the month, which means it's time for the Castleberry Hill Art Stroll. For one night each month, the art galleries stay open late, giving you a chance to browse through the works of emerging & established artists. Before you head out, check out the list...

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Worry: The Great Destroyer of Happiness

2009-07-21T15:29:00.003-04:00

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Worry: The Great Destroyer of Happiness

via PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement by Michael Miles on 7/20/09

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." ~ Benjamin Franklin.

Worry is a great destroyer of happiness. It is a totally unproductive thing to do, and yet most of us engage in it with great enthusiasm. I'm always amused when I hear things like 'is this something we should worry about?' or 'What should we really be worrying about?' The answer, of course, is that we shouldn't be worrying about anything – there is always a better option.

Worry comes from living in the past or (more often) the future. We have all made mistakes, we've all got things wrong. We've made foolish decisions and behaved badly. This is part of everyone's past, and whatever has happened, nothing can be done to change it. But we can learn from this experience and move on. Regret and worry over the past are dead ends.

Similarly, nobody knows the future. Nobody can predict what is going to happen tomorrow, and yet we spend so much time trying to do just that, and worrying about all the things that could go wrong. Mark Twain wrote, 'I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.' Sage warning indeed.

'That the birds of worry and care fly above your head, this you cannot change. But they that build nests in your hair, you can prevent.'
~ Chinese proverb.

The most important thing to keep in mind here (as in all other areas of life) is that you are in control. You are pulling your own strings, you can choose what to think and how to act. So many people don't understand this, not realising they are unable to change their thinking and so becoming trapped in their own thoughts of worry and fear. It's very common for people to blame their unhappiness on the outside world – other people, circumstances, the government, etc. – without ever realizing that the problems, and their solutions, lie within.

It is true that some things are outside our control. But I am convinced that happiness is a choice. It's a decision we all make, whether we know it or not. It is possible to be happy in any situation, because happiness is our natural, default state of being.

'Joy is not in things; it is in us.' ~Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

There is Chinese proverb that says. 'happiness is right in front of your eyes.' We don't have to acquire anything to be happy. Often, we think that we need 'stuff' to be happy – we need money, we need a good job, we need our family to behave differently, we need to change our appearance. But really, it's the other way around. When we're happy, things start to work. When we desire something, the best thing to do is to be happy and appreciative at the prospect of receiving it, and not to to postponing your joy until that certain something arrives.

One of the most powerful ways to find happiness is to make a list of all the wonderful things that have happened to you. At the end of the day, just run through the things you have appreciated during the day. These can be the smallest of things – perhaps someone said a kind word; perhaps you laughed at something; perhaps you were paid a compliment, or spent time with friends. Are you well? Are you free from pain? Did you eat? These are all things to appreciate.

It's also important to cultivate a habit of seeing the good in things. Many events can be interpreted in positive or negative ways. Is the glass half empty, or is it half full?

Each day, try to develop an awareness of your thinking so that you can catch yourself starting to worry and make a decision to think more productive thoughts. It's hard at first, but with practise it will become second nature.

Make a commitment to being happy – it's the most important work of your life!

Michael Miles is a Guest Blogger for PickTheBrain. He also writes at EffortlessAbundance.

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The Six Components of a Happy Life

Backwards Smiling: The Physiology of Happy

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How to Motivate Yourself: 4 Timeless Thoughts

2009-07-21T15:29:00.001-04:00

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How to Motivate Yourself: 4 Timeless Thoughts

via The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness by Henrik Edberg on 7/20/09

Image by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abnelgonzalez/ / CC BY 2.0

"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful."
Mark Victor Hansen

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

Motivation can be a huge help for you to achieve what you want in life. But how can you find all that motivation you need?

Here are four timeless thoughts on motivation. I hope you find something useful.

1. Make a conscious choice.

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice."
Wayne Dyer

"I was thinking one day and I realized that if I just had somebody behind me all the way to motivate me I could make a big difference. Nobody came along like that so I just became that person for myself."
Unknown

Help and motivation from others is always good. But in the end you to be able to rely on yourself. And there is really no escaping it, because as Dyer says, it's always your choice what to do.

So you have to consciously choose to motivate yourself. You can do that by:

Doing what you really, really like to do. When you really like doing something then the motivation do it comes automatically (most of the time). And when you really want something then it simply becomes easier to push through any inner resistance you feel. You are so motivated to achieve whatever it is you want that the risks you may encounter may be scary but smaller than your desire.
Make a list. Write down all the benefits you will get from achieving something, like for example getting into better shape or making more money. Save it and pull that list out of the drawer whenever your motivation is lacking and review it. Or put it somewhere where you will see it every day. This is a powerful way to reconnect with your motivation and reasons for taking action.
Find what works for you. There are many ways to motivate yourself. You can for example find a list of 25 ways here. Try different ways and find one or a few that work well for you. And then apply them consistently in your own life.

The most important thing is to take responsibility for your own motivation and feelings and not wait around for someone else to do it. When you do that you will most often find a way to get yourself to start moving towards what you want.

2. Walk your talk.

"Walking your talk is a great way to motivate yourself. No one likes to live a lie. Be honest with yourself, and you will find the motivation to do what you advise others to do."
Vince Poscente

This is great tip. Whenever you don't follow your own talk or just your inner rules of how you want to behave your tend to feel bad. Your esteem of yourself sinks and your motivation to get going does too.

So you have to be honest with yourself when you feel like you are out of alignment. You have to get up and get started again. When your talk and inner standards you have set for yourself align with what you do then you your self esteem goes up. You feel great because you are living like you want to deep down. And you are getting all these important things done and can enjoy the results. And then you want more of that good stuff, you sometimes feel so motivated that you can't wait to get going.

This is not always easy. In the short run it's often easier and less uncomfortable and scary to lie to yourself a bit and hold yourself back. But the rewards for walking your talk are big. Both on the outside and the inside.

3. Set goals that really inspires you.

"Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive."
Robert H. Schuller

Without inspiring goals you tend wander around aimlessly in a confused funk.

I think the most important thing about setting goals is to find goals that really inspire and motivate you.

What are your goals? As much as possible, you have to set the goals for yourself. Should and ought to-goals aren't good enough. Or goals that other people have set for you.

Think about your goals. Think about who has set them. Then think about what you really want in life. Then set your own goals. Write them down.

I also don't think one should be afraid of setting big goals. Set a big goal that inspires you even if it may seem a tad unrealistic at the moment. If you have too easily achievable goals then you may find that they don't give you that motivational spark and drive. When you start to think a bit bigger then you get motivated and your mind starts looking for the how that will help you achieve that goal. Thinking too small and can leave you with a "meh…" feeling or make you feel like you can do it later.

And a benefit of this is - even if you don't quite achieve your big, big goal or it takes a while longer than you may have hoped for – can be found in a quote from Les Brown:

"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars."

4. Don't get too hung up on being motivated to get started.

"The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that's when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it."
John C. Maxwell

Here's another view on motivation. Maybe you don't need it to get started? Maybe you can create it along the way?

Many times I have found it better to just do it and start working instead of trying to motivate myself to get going. At first what you do may suck quite a bit and it's hard going. But after a while inspiration and motivation seems to catch up with you. Things start to flow easier and your work is of a higher quality.

And after you have kept going for a while you become more and more motivated. Because you start to feel like you can actually do this and you can keep going to achieve your goal. And now you are also walking your talk which boosts your motivation.

On some days you may not seem to be able motivate yourself into action. Even if you review your goals or reasons to achieve something.

That's ok. You can still make a conscious choice based on what you know deep down is right and just start moving your hands and feet anyway. No matter how you feel inside, no matter what negative thoughts may be circling around in your head.

Try both to get yourself motivated before you begin and to just do it and find the motivation along the way. Try both ways and see what works best for you.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Stumbleupon and Twitter. Thank you very much! =)

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Copyright 2006-2009 Henrik Edberg.

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Absolut 80’s Tuesdays: $2 Food & Drink Menu at Tin Lizzy’s in Grant Park

2009-07-21T15:28:00.001-04:00

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Absolut 80’s Tuesdays: $2 Food & Drink Menu at Tin Lizzy’s in Grant Park

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/20/09

Here's another deal worth highlighting from Jonathan's My Fox Atlanta interview: On Tuesdays, it's Absolut 80's Tuesdays at Tin Lizzy's in Grant Park. What does that mean for you? A $2 food & drink menu & ample 80's music. Tin Lizzy's at Grant Park is located at 415 Memorial Drive, Suite E,...

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Fuego Spanish Grill: $1 Tapas & Cheap Drinks

2009-07-20T10:36:00.001-04:00

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Fuego Spanish Grill: $1 Tapas & Cheap Drinks

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/20/09

I've yet to make it out to Fuego Spanish Grill in Midtown. But after coming across their food & drink specials on AJC.com, I think it's time to stop by. Anytime from 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday is a good time to give them a try: there's a $1 tapas menu. If you prefer cheap [...]

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Goddess Zuri's $15 Sale

2009-07-16T10:43:00.001-04:00

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Goddess Zuri's $15 Sale

via UrbanCurlz | Saving the world, one curl at a time. by Urbancurlz on 7/15/09

Urbancurlz ♥'s Goddess Zuri. So, I thougt I'd mention that they have the whole line of Naughtees on sale for a limited. Visit GoddessZuri.com to get yours.

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Free Screening of Food, Inc. at Midtown Art Cinemas on July 16

2009-07-14T12:13:00.001-04:00

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Free Screening of Food, Inc. at Midtown Art Cinemas on July 16

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/14/09

Well, that headline about says it all.

I want to see Food, Inc., but I also enjoy eating food. If I'm going to lose my appetite for a while, at least I can lose it for free. On July 16, head to Midtown Art Cinemas for a free screening of Food, Inc. The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. You know the drill—seating is limited, so if you want to go, get there in time to snag a seat.

Thanks to @stevenatl for the lead & to Chipotle for sponsoring the freebie. I don't always remember to give a shout-out to the sponsors…apologies (and many, many thanks) to those of you that I've missed in the last year.

Midtown Art Cinema is located at 931 Monroe Dr., Atlanta. 678-495-1424

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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Grand Opening: Gordon Biersch in Buckhead

2009-07-13T11:22:00.001-04:00

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Grand Opening: Gordon Biersch in Buckhead

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/13/09

Since @christopherbw gives Gordon Biersch's Midtown location high praise (it's one of his favorite gastro pubs), I thought he (and the rest of you, too) would like to know about the Buckhead location, which opens on Monday, July 13.

Want to check 'em out on the cheap? Head out for one of Gordon Biersch's regular specials:

Wednesdays: $1 off Gordon Biersch Lagers
Thursdays: $2 off all wines by the glass and $5 martinis, margaritas, & mojitos
Sundays: $3 mimosas and $5 Bloody Mary's
Monday-Friday, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: $4.95 appetizer specials (bar area only), including Southwest egg rolls, tapas, chicken wings, housemade chips, crispy artichoke hearts, garlic fries, and mini cheese or pepperoni pizzas.

Gordon Biersch is located at 3242 Peachtree Rd. NE in Buckhead. 404-264-0253

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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$25=All You Can Eat & Drink at Loca Luna

2009-07-13T11:21:00.003-04:00

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$25=All You Can Eat & Drink at Loca Luna

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/13/09

I found this lead in an email update from "a few of my favorite things," and as I'm craving sangria, I may need to check it out:

On Tuesdays, Loca Luna has an ongoing special: you can eat & drink your fill for $25. Per Loca Luna's Twitter feed & its Facebook page, the $25 all you can eat & drink special includes tapas, beer, wine, sangria and all well liquors.

There's live music & other drink specials on Wednesday-Sunday, and there's free Salsa lessons on some Wednesday nights, too.

Loca Luna is located at 550 Amsterdam Ave NE, Atlanta. 404-875-4494

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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Cheap Tickets to Blood Knot & for colored girls who have considered suicide ...

2009-07-13T11:21:00.001-04:00

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Cheap Tickets to Blood Knot & for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/13/09

I've read Shange's "for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf," but the experience is similar to reading most plays—you miss a lot when you don't see it on stage. Based on the book version, that's true. It's a powerful work. Love, abandonment, rape, abortion—few topics are out of bounds during the play.

I'm not familiar with "Blood Knot," but the premise sounds interesting, as the story centers around two half-brothers—one white, the other black—in Apartheid-era South Africa.

Discount tickets to both shows are available through AtlanTIX, both online & at the booths.

"Blood Knot" will be at The Balzer Theaer at Herren's, 84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta, through August 2.

"for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf" will be at the Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta, through August 9.

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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$15 Tickets to “A Cool Drink of Water” at the Horizon Theatre

2009-07-11T14:51:00.001-04:00

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$15 Tickets to “A Cool Drink of Water” at the Horizon Theatre

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/11/09

I feel less guilt about going off the grid yesterday since this deal didn't come across my desk until an email update from the Horizon Theatre hit my inbox at 4:45 p.m.

Offering a contemporary twist on "A Raisin in the Sun," "A Cool Drink of Water" will be at the Horizon Theatre from July 10-August 16. Want to see it on the cheap? Take advantage of $15 tickets to Saturday & Sundays performances.

To get the deal, call the box office at 404-584-7450 to order tickets and mention promo code "Cool"

FYI #1—I saw discounted tickets for the performance on AtlanTIX. Including fees, they're a couple of dollars more than this deal for this weekend. But you can use it to save a bit during the week or on a weekend without a coupon code.

FYI #2—Keep an eye on the Horizon Theatre's website for other deals. Fridays are Girl's Night, and they save $5 per ticket. They may have "pay what you can" nights, too.

The Horizon Theatre is located at Euclid & Austin Aves. in Little Five Points.

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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$5 & $9 Tickets to the High Museum of Art

2009-07-10T10:28:00.001-04:00

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$5 & $9 Tickets to the High Museum of Art

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/9/09

Misrach, Monet, Louvre Atlanta…all good reasons to visit the High Museum of Art. Want to go on the cheap? Take advantage of one of these deals.

$5 Admission: The offer is valid for walk-up visitors only from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. on Friday, July 10. You can thank Emily for this one–she spotted the deal on the High's Facebook page & emailed me.
Half-Priced Thursdays: On Thursdays from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (last ticket sold at 7:00 p.m.), tickets to the High are half off, dropping the price to $9 each (reg. $18).

The High Museum of Art is located at 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4444

–Jennifer Maciejewski

P.S. Dear High: Please bring back Lunch Break Escapes.

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BOGO Tickets to 2009 Coca~Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fox

2009-07-09T17:12:00.005-04:00

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BOGO Tickets to 2009 Coca~Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fox

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/9/09

Planning to go to the Coca~Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fabulous Fox? Take advantage of this buy one, get one free ticket deal. I found the BOGO coupon on 92.9 Dave FM's website. There's no expiration date listed, but you never know with coupons like this—they can vanish at any time. Print out a bunch to keep them on hand. Per the fine print, you need to print out the coupon & bring it with you to the box office to get the deal.

Tickets are regularly $8 each, and there's $5 parking in select Lanier lots near the Fox. Don't forget to arrive early for the pre-show performance, featuring Larry Douglas Embury at the "Mighty Mo" organ for a sing-a-long as well as a classic cartoon.

Here's a look at the July 2009 schedule:

Thursday, July 9, at 7:30 p.m.: Woodstock 40th-Anniversary Showing
Friday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m.: Slumdog Millionaire
Saturday, July 11, at 1:00 p.m.: Up
Saturday, July 11, at 8:00 p.m.: Do the Right Thing-20th Anniversary Showing
Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m.: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Friday, July 24, at 7:30 p.m.: Star Trek, The Future Begins
Saturday, July 25, at 2:00 p.m.: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Saturday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m.: 2001: A Space Odyssey

The Fox Theatre is located at 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta

FYI—Half-Off Depot has an offer on its site right now. Buy $50 worth of certificates, and you'll get a free pair of tickets to the film fest. They're valuing it at $24, which may mean that it includes the wine tasting. 19 available as of when I posted this.

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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Red Sky Tapas & Bar: Tapas & Drinks on the Cheap

2009-07-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

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Red Sky Tapas & Bar: Tapas & Drinks on the Cheap

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/9/09

Thanks to a lead from Sara, you can indulge in tapas & drink specials at Red Sky Tapas & Bar in East Cobb. The tapas deals aren't posted on the website yet, but I checked with Red Sky Tapas, and they're currently in effect:

Tapas:

All day on Mondays: Buy two tapas, get one free
From 4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. on Tuesday-Friday: 1/2 price tapas

Drinks:

On Sundays and Wednesdays: 1/2 price bottles of wine
On Mondays: $4 mojitos
On Tuesdays & Thursdays: $3 house & $5 3-olive martinis

No specials in effect, but it sounds intriguing: From 9:00 p.m.-midnight on Fridays & Saturdays, head out for Dueling Pianos.

Red Sky Tapas is located at 1255 Johnson Ferry Rd., Marietta. 770-973-0100

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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P’Cheen’s O4W Budget Menu

2009-07-09T17:12:00.001-04:00

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P’Cheen’s O4W Budget Menu

via Atlanta on the Cheap by admin on 7/9/09

Craving P'Cheen's? Stop by from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. every day for 1/2 price appetizers & $10 entrees. After the discount, you can get the big ass basket of pommes fries (yes, that is its name) for $2, cornmeal crusted calamari with smoked jalapeno marinara for $3, English chips & curry sauce for $2, sweet & spicy Thai grilled wings for $4.

$10 entree options include the grilled angus & portabella hamburger with harissa aioli, Guinness beer-battered fish-n-chips with tartar sauce and mushy peas, thyme & black pepper roasted chicken with garlic roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus, & smoked Mozzarella ravioli with spicy tomato coulis and crispy onions.

I can tell I'm not a foodie. I need to Google about half of these ingredients. Ok, half is a slight exaggeration. But seriously. Harissa aioli? Tomato coulis? Pommes fries? Must investigate first, then check 'em out during a taste test.

P'Cheen's is located at 701-5 Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-529-8800

–Jennifer Maciejewski

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8 Powerful Career Lessons They Should’ve Handed Out On Graduation Day

2009-06-30T10:31:00.001-04:00

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8 Powerful Career Lessons They Should’ve Handed Out On Graduation Day

via PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement by Shamelle on 6/25/09

Image courtesy of Rosswell86

It has been 7 years since my graduation day and I still remember the excitement; I was relieved that the "exam phase" of my life was over; I looked with enthusiam towards my first job. Little did I know that the "working world" would require an extraodinary effort and loads of other skills!

My journey on the career ladder would have been smoother, had I known a few important lessons. While there are many "on the job" lessons, some things in life must be experienced, to be truly understood. What follows are 8 such career lessons, I wish they'd handed out to me along with my diploma.

1. Your career is not your life. Many of us rely heavily on our careers for satisfaction in our lives. We get immersed in the day-to-day rush of our work and discover that we no longer have the time, energy or inspiration.
For some people (my former self included), it's as if our jobs are part of our bodies, and if we don't see ourselves as successful in them, we feel almost physically unhealthy. As a result, we question ourselves when things aren't going in the direction we hoped. Consciously separating your self from your career allows for a greater perspective on both.

2. Be indispensible (at least one area)
There are certain things that you can do, or that you can learn to do, that can make you extraordinarily valuable to yourself and to others. Identify your special areas of uniqueness and then to commit yourself to becoming very, very good in those areas.
Take stock of your unique talents and abilities on a regular basis. What is it that you do especially well? What are you good at? What do you do easily and well that is difficult for other people? Identifying what separates you from thoses around you, and concentrating on those skills will make your unique skill set invaluable and hard to replace.

3. Don't grow stale in your careerWe live in a world where technology is evolving rapidly. This has a direct consequence on your career. Stay up to speed on the latest happenings in your field. Read various articles and books to keep your mind sharp. Attend seminars at your present job if offered. Seek out mentors who can advise or educate you. Don't become confortable with the status quo or complacent about things you are already good at – you can always be better, so taket he time to find out how.

4. Guard your time like a hawk. At work, we often find ourselves bombarded with 'urgent' requests. All of these urgent requests can disrupt the thinking processes. Sometimes it may take twice as long to get something done, simply because of the interruption. Learn to say No (with good reason!) and prioritize your tasks.

5. Polish your people skills. You may do your job well, even so well that no one can complain. But you never seem to get ahead. Sound familiar?
People issues can be one of the main reasons people leave jobs. It can also be a cause for dissatisfaction and reduced productivity. Bottom line: you need people skills to move up.

6. Communicate effectively. No matter what career path you choose to follow, you have to have good written and oral communication skills to get ahead in your career.
Make a real effort to listen to everything that's being said to you. Observe and learn from others who make it seem effortless.

7. Keep your cool. We sometimes forget that we are in a professional environment and tend to curse and behave like a teenager. Whatever happens, don't explode or throw your arms up in resignation. Keep your mind clear at the worst of times and you'll be able to handle anything. There's nothing more respectable than being calm under fire. So take a deep breath, or a walk around the block, and find away to diffuse your frustration before you address whatever the problem is.

8. Shield your reputation. The people you hang out with will add value or break your good name. Also, if you spend time with people who gossip and tear others down, you are likely to catch it too.
So, identify ways to develop and maintain a professional image that is positive and genuine. Surround yourself with positive people who seek to grow and improve.
Looking back at your career, what has been most responsible for your success? Any lessons you would like to add to this graduation day handout?

Shamelle is a Guest Blogger for PickTheBrain and the founder of The Enhance Life, a blog offering real life wisdom, for modern life growth.

Got a Career Question? Click Here!

Don't Forget to Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter!

Related Articles:

7 Reasons to Set Fire to Your Career Plan

How To Find a Dream Career Opportunity: Finding Your Life Passion

In his movie debut, Ambition to Meaning, Wayne Dyer explores the spiritual journey in the second half of life when we long to shift from ambition to meaning and find the purpose that is our unique contribution to the world.

"I' m more proud of this film than of anything I've ever done before." – Wayne Dyer

Visit AmbitionToMeaning.com to watch the trailer and music videos or to order the DVD.

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Kozmo Gastro Pub

2009-06-02T17:54:00.001-04:00

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Kozmo Gastro Pub

via Chow Down Atlanta by Chloe on 5/30/09

I am impressed by what looks like hole-in-a-wall places, especially when it does not look nor feel like so when you step in. Such is the case here at Kozmo — a new gastro pub deep in the heart of suburbia. It's in a strip mall with tight parking many miles away from the nearest major highway.

The decor is suggestive of Buckhead and Midtown with its usual minimalist take — clean whites, contrasting dark booths, splashes of wood, open kitchen, shiny concrete floors, huge boards plastered on the wall. The focal point is a large wooden communal table complete with Starck's Emeco bar stools. The clientele, however, is typical of the affluent area: the more matured, more polished, more reserved crowd.

Food wise, it's top notch. The House Poutine is simply incredible and one of the best versions I've had in town. Theirs come layered to ensure the fries stay crisp. Au jus, fork-tender flaked short rib, cheese, and fries are arranged neatly from bottom to top. It is a gigantic portion good enough for sharing. I love the layering effect (as opposed to the "pile-on-high" results found in nachos) and more so that they don't skimp on the flaked short rib which is so flavorful.

The burger is a great contender to the popular versions in town. It is hand-made with a brisket-sirloin mix that produces a tender, juicy, thick patty. The Alon's brioche is buttery and soft and gives a sweetish hint to the fatty meat — a perfect combination. The sparse amount of lettuce and thinly sliced tomato guarantee the flavor of the meat to shine. Delicious. The side of macaroni-and-cheese is a grown-up take on the kiddie favorite. Twisty macaroni shells are drenched in creamy Parmesan, mozzarella, white cheddar, and bleu cheeses. This is definitely not what your momma used to make.

Tuesdays is Fried Chicken night. And it is in your best interest not to miss it. They do run out so do hurry. Three pieces of lightly battered yet crispy fried chicken are tender and moist with flavor all the way through. It's not a massive portion but with two good-sized sides, this $8.99 dish is enough to get you filled. My chosen sides of garlic spinach and coleslaw are both fantastic. The spinach retains its crunch and the garlic lends a flavor. The coleslaw is crisp and creamy but not so that you feel like you're eating mayo. You can tell they only use fresh and quality ingredients here.

The Short Rib Pappardelle is scrumptious. The stewed-for-hours short rib is fork tender and the flavor is bold and hefty. The house-made sheets of fresh pasta allows the meat to mellow, sopping up all the sauce for a great-tasting dish.

Dessert wise, everything's made in house. The chocolate chip cookies with ice-cream is a simple choice but big on taste. The cookies are mounds of soft, chewy short-bread infused with chunks of chocolate. They were so good and fresh out of the oven that I didn't want to waste a minute by photographing them.

Drink wise, well, I'm not much of a drinker. But even the non-drinker that I am found the White Sangria pretty weak. No kick, no taste of wine, and more like a watered-down fruit juice with wine-infused bits of fruits. But I am curious to try their Kozmojito and the Kozmorita on my future visits.

This is a real gastropub in the true sense of the word. Food is amazing, decor and ambiance are top notch, and prices are very reasonable. Although lunch and dinner have the same price points, the one most expensive item on the menu, the Flat Iron Steak and Fries will set you back a mere $14.99 while the burger weighs in at $8.99. Truly a great benefit to the folks who live in the area.

Insider tip:
Be sure to join their Lunch Club: buy 5 lunches and the 6th one is free.

The scoop:

Kozmo Gastro Pub
11890 Douglas Road
Alpharetta, GA 30005
(678) 526-6094

Technorati Tags: Kozmo, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, gastropub, bar

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overdue

2009-04-20T15:30:00.000-04:00

*
Overdue
I'm not sure where to begin so I'm going to start with now.

I finally got the insurance money, yesterday. My sister is quick to spend it though. Actually she wants to re-pipe the house in copper. i need to sit with her and talk about the money I'm putting into this house. She kinda see's the insurance money as "free money", when I see it as "my money." I could tell she was issed about me getting an estate account. Why are people so concerned with what i do? I can promise you this... my life and the choices I make are independent of anyone else. Most of the time it's a blessing at others it's a curse.

I'm driving back to Atlanta. I'm car shopping today. Besides my mother's car is not registered and a brake light is out. I'm not fucking with anymore tickets.

How are you?
That question has another meaning now. I used to fly back with a Great! or Fine!, but now I pause. It'll be interesting to see how I relate to Atlanta now that she's gone.

I miss my momma's cackle. She had the GREATEST laugh. She sounded like she was in pain, almost like it hurt.

3/11/09

2009-03-16T20:04:00.000-04:00

So Sunday night I went out for a walk. A long one. It's the only thing that clears my mind.

Then I remembered that I have to verify my un-employment by midnight, and it was already past 11pm. When I walked into the door my boyfriend wanted to talk. I wanted to do anything but talk. i know he's trying in the best way he knows how, but it's just not comforting. Especially coming from someone whom has lost their mother.

The next day I went for a walk in Stone Mountain park. I walked until I got tired, then I sat and started to think. I made up my mind to pack my bags and go to LA, with no money for a ticket mind you. I knew that I'd have my un-employment funds on Wednesday though, but her condition was worsening.

When I got back to the car sweaty and tired, I called back my god-mother and my sister. My god-mother bought my plane ticket. But I didnt hear from my sister again. I just knew I had to come out.

After droping my bags at my sister's house I rushed to the hospital. The nurse is very friendly, explaining what the tubes are for and her condition. I bent over to my mother's ear and chanted. The nurse basically asked us when do we want to pull the plug. I couldn't take take. I stormed out the hospital and got into the car with my friend.

That's not a decision I could make, I'll always wonder, "what if." Wednesday morning the hospital called to tell us that she was in bad shape. I droped my friend off at school and watched her son for most of the day. he stayed out of school because he was sick. When I dropped her off at home, my sister called to ask if I was coming to the hospital. I wasnt going to cause I feel like her condition would remain the same, but felt like I needed to be there for a reason.

Once I got to the ICU waiting room, my sister told me that my mother had passed. I let out a sigh of relief. She's at peace now.

No more tubes, dialysis, diapers. She was very uncomfortable in her condition. I'm happy that her suffering is over. I miss her, and sometimes I cant be in her house a long time, but so far everything else is good.

Ten Things That Won’t Matter In Ten Years’ Time – And Ten Things That Will

2009-03-06T11:53:00.001-05:00

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Ten Things That Won’t Matter In Ten Years’ Time – And Ten Things That Will

via PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement by Ali Hale on 3/5/09

Image courtesy of Pawel Maciejewski

You're stressed, overworked, and tired. You feel like you're dropping the ball on so many things. You find yourself lying awake in the early hours, thinking about those items still on your to-do list, those emails not yet cleared.

One day, some little incident makes you blow up. For me, it was my printer malfunctioning and my stapler breaking in the middle of a very busy week, when I was trying to sort out some last-minute handouts for my post-grad classmates.

Have you ever heard the phrase "don't sweat the small stuff"? There are so many things that we waste huge amounts of energy on (and worry is always wasted energy), which just won't matter in a week, let alone ten years.

Here are ten examples of things you might be stressing about today that will not matter a jot in ten years' time:

1. That embarrassing misspelling in the email you just sent
2. The jerk who cut you up on your way into work
3. How clean your kitchen is when your mother-in-law comes to visit
4. One of your kids acting up
5. A nasty email from a stranger
6. Missing a deadline
7. Losing out on a job interview to a better candidate
8. Slipping up on grocery shopping and offering your family a choice of cereal or sandwiches for dinner, one night
9. Making a small mistake in a report – and being called up on it by a client
10. Your library books being overdue

So what are you going to pour your energy into instead? There are a number of things you might want to concentrate on, including your family, your health and your dreams for the future. So these are ten things which will matter in ten years' time. Some of them need to be done on a consistent, daily basis for you to really see effects:

1. Writing down your goals
2. Working at the times of day when you're most productive and energetic
3. Telling your kids and partner that you love them
4. Eating plenty of fruit and veggies
5. Going for a half-hour walk – sunshine, fresh air and exercise!
6. Getting up early to work on something that really matters to you
7. Painting a watercolour, writing a poem, or knitting a jumper
8. Doing something unexpected (but that you know will be welcomed) for your partner
9. Spending time learning and practising a new skill
10. Taking time for yourself, to think, pray or meditate

The things on this second list are the ones that will really matter, long term. Instead of worrying over some little mistake at work or in your home life, think about your actions that build up to a bigger picture. Did you get any exercise today? Did you take the time to prepare healthy, tasty meals? Did you work on anything that you felt truly fired-up and inspired about?

Focus your attention on the things that will matter in ten years – not the tiny ups and downs of your day that you'll have forgotten about in a week or two.

After all, what would you rather look back on in 2019 – ten years of a stressing over a clear email inbox and a tidy house, or ten years when you made huge strides towards accomplishing your goals?

If you've got any of your own "won't matter" and "will matter" tasks to add to the lists, let us know them in the comments.

"I' m more proud of this film than of anything I've ever done before." – Wayne Dyer

Visit AmbitionToMeaning.com to watch the trailer and music videos or to order the DVD.

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My First henna Treatment

2009-02-28T23:16:00.002-05:00

This past Monday I did my first ever henna treatment. I have been hearing about it ever since I began my healthy hair journey last November. So after some intense weeks of research I decided to take the plunge.

I purchased 200g for 14 dollars from www.hennaforhair.com. I placed my order on the 18th and I got it on the 23rd. Most of what I read about how to prepare it mentioned adding water to it and an acid, such as lemon juice or acv, and letting it sit for 12 hours.

I didnt have 12 hours to sit. Really I did, but I was excited. I had heard Curly Nikki say that it made her hair stronger, thicker, split end proof and unbreakable.

My hair is a very thick 3ab, at neck length. I mixed 2 tangerines, remove the seeds first, I didnt. Next I added the Apple Cider Vinegar and I let it sit for an hour.

I then took my rat tail comb and parted my hair from right to left and applied it from root to end. When I finished I put on my shower cap and let the henna develop for 6 hours.

After I rinse my hair I added a moisturizer, and then flat twisted it with the EQP Mango Butter.

When I woke up the next morning my hair was very soft but strong. And all my gray was gone!!! I have more pics in my albums.

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