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Motivation Mondays: Beyond Valentine’s Day
“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi
Motivation Mondays: Beyond Valentine’s Day
Happiness Frequency – Serotonin, Dopamine and Endorphin Release Music
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet. Plato
Most people are slow to champion love because they fear the transformation it brings into their lives. And make no mistake about it: love does take over and transform the schemes and operations of our egos in a very mighty way. Aberjhani
Love is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision. Erich Fromm
What is Love beyond the declarations made on the 14th? How are you nurturing yourself? As Valentine’s Day rolls around, many of us go into overdrive mode. We pull out all the stops with chocolates, flowers and conjure up special loving outings with our beloveds. For those who choose to skip all the niceties, there is Galentine’s Day or a Treat yourself day. But love and all the complicated emotions we experience with it is a life long journey, and it doesn’t start or stop after the 14th. Beyond Valentine’s Day, we need to remember that self care is key to being able to care for others. When your tank is empty, there is little you can sincerely do for others. This is also Heart Health month so we must care about our heart on so many levels and it begins with us and our selfcare/love. In case you haven’t noticed, I have included videos that offer soothing music to help us tap into our happiness and relaxation quotient. Give one of the four a try and you’d be nicely surprised!
Every year, when Valentine’s Day comes around, I am reminded of an article “Do You Love Yourself?” by inspirational author Louise Hay. It is an important one I recommend to all to read because She offers twelve important tools/tips on self love that we can use to help us push past our old tired thinking and get back on the path to self love and growth. Since Valentine’s Day focuses on the subject of love, these tips are powerful and timely for this season, and I encourage you to add them to your daily motivation/inspiration guide and routine. They are:
Stop All Criticism. Support Yourself.
Forgive Yourself. Do Mirror Work
Don’t Scare Yourself. Be Loving to Your Negatives.
Be Gentle and Kind and Patient. Love Yourself
Be Kind to Your Mind. Take Care of Your Body.
Praise Yourself. Do It Now.
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” Paulo Coelho
Motivation Mondays: Beyond Valentine’s Day
Relaxing Music – with Binaural Beats for Serotonin Release, Happiness Meditation, Happiness Frequency
Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up. James Baldwin
There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. John Lennon
This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet. Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi
What motivates your most important relationships? love or fear? Embrace the love and examine the cause of your fear. Regardless of what motivates you, it is important to maintain a grateful heart because a grateful heart never loses the battle in the game of love, no matter the outcome. Stay grateful for all the miraculous things that happen in your life and celebrate them. Enjoy the ups and the downs, and remember to express thanks to those who show you that they care. We live in a world of billions of people, yet many hurt for lack of care and consideration. Imagine how fortunate you are for having those who care about your well-being. If you are afraid to acknowledge the love then the fear dominates. Cherish it.
What do you know about Valentine’s Day? In some places, it is believed that on this day, women were given the go ahead to enjoy the company of a man they admired. But the story doesn’t end there. On February 14th, in countries around the world, lovers coo words of affection in celebration of the love they share. According to historical sources, this popular love-fest is held in remembrance of possibly three (3) martyred Saints named Valentine; a priest, a bishop, and a Christian missionary in Africa, and was created by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. Yet, other accounts suggest Valentine’s Day is truly in observance of Lupercalia; an ancient rite of fertility and that any ties to the aforementioned saints are merely coincidental. Some believe the tradition grew from the days of Claudius I and the sacrifice young men made in leaving for war instead of staying home to raise a family; the celebration honored a wish those left behind had for the safe return of their beloved. The wistful sentiments that arise on this day prevails as lovers return to share a gift or a special moment and memory with their beloved. So you get to decide your definition of love and how you wish to express it… be reflective as it is a powerful emotion.
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for JAN 2018/FEB 2018 are:
01/01 – 01/01 New Year’s Day, 01/04 World Braille Day, 01/07 Orthodox Christmas, Golden Globes Award
01/08 – 01/11 Human Trafficking Awareness, 01/14 Orthodox New Year,
01/15 – 01/15 Martin Luther King Day, 01/21 World Religion Day,
01/22 – 01/26 International Customs Day, 01/27 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
01/28 – 01/28 Grammy Awards,
02/04 – 02, National Wear Red Day, Groundhog Day,
02/11 – 13, Mardi Gras, 14, Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday, 16, Chinese New Year
02/18 – 19, Presidents Day
02/25 – Wrapping Up February – Black History Month, American Heart Month, National African American History
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
More Below! Read more…
“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” Tecumseh
Try The World: World Box Gift Of Gourmet Foods
With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, what better way to celebrate with loved ones than with food? Try The World: Welcome to the World Box! is ready and waiting to take you on a gastronomic adventure with gourmet foods that will satisfy the most discerning palate. With all the celebrating that goes on during this month dedicated to love, there are so many ways you can share your affection with your loved one. One terrific way is through the gift of a great meal. As the saying goes, a good meal is the way to the heart from the stomach. So, consider giving this gourmet world travelers box as a special gift to your Valentine this month. Order a subscription or a gift box and then kick back and enjoy the meal and treats together.
“Food, to me, is always about cooking and eating with those you love and care for.” David Chang
Try The World: World Box Gift Of Gourmet Foods
Try The World: World Box Gift Of Gourmet Foods
What’s inside my Try The World: World Box? Typically, each Country Box of curated gourmet items comes from a specific country and includes a spice, sweet, traditional food that folks love and cherish in the country of origin, a Culture Guide that walks you through the history of each item, the family behind the farm or company, and a few recipes to try with your food items. You may use the items in your box to create your own recipes or add them to your favorite food. For the World Box, however, we get to truly go global in one gift package. Each box has a selection of foods from around the world. The box featured in this post includes an item from the following nations; Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Poland, and Taiwan. Either way, you get a chance to venture into new territory from the comfort of your home. If you choose to gift the world box or subscribe, then the selected countries change with each box. Stay tuned for a full description.
Sign up today for your first journey into Try The World’s gourmet items to enjoy. As an Ambassador for this extraordinary brand, I’d like to remind everyone about our special deep discount. SPECIAL OFFER: Try The World has made a special offer of a 15% discount off the first subscription box to all my readers. As a reader of this blog, you can use the discount code on purchasing your first $39/box subscription option and/or on all gift boxes. Use the coupon code MMTRAVELS15 during your checkout to get your awesome discount.
What about pricing? Subscriptions now start at $33/Box.
A bi-monthly subscription is $39/box charged every two months
A 6 monthly tour subscription is $35/box charged every six months
A year tour subscription is $33/box charged every year
People have the option to order a gift single box and/or gift tours.
If the World Box calls you, sign up today, save 15% on your first box and a new box will be shipped, every other month, when it becomes available.
More Below! Read more…
Motivation Mondays: Heart Of Transitions
“February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.” Shirley Jackson
Motivation Mondays: Heart of Transitions
February makes a bridge and March breaks it. George Hebert
Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do – or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so. Stanley Crawford
Go to the winter woods: listen there, look, watch, and “the dead months” will give you a subtler secret than any you have yet found in the forest. Fiona Macleod
Motivation Mondays: Heart of Transitions. What does February bring to the Monday Motivation table? This shortest month of the year packs a powerful punch with harsh winter days that force us to turn within. February brings us the heart of the depths of winter, when all forms of life are either hibernating, dying, or anticipating change; a time of transition that leads to rebirth. Its severity reminds us to be grateful and work at what matters… It is the month of historic celebrations: Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and more. Embrace the dark, cruel, cold days with hope for loving change in the air. The groundhog agrees with me. For this post, I have added poetry written with this month in mind. I hope it inspires and motivates you to press forward. Come back for more.
“I’m a little groundhog, it’s my day.
Wake and stretch, go out and play.
Down in my burrow, down so deep,
Time to wake, from my long winter’s sleep.
Grumble, grumble, scratch, scratch,
Grunt, grunt, yawn.
I’ll eat my breakfast in your front lawn.
I’m a little groundhog, it’s my day.
Wake up and stretch, go out and play.’ Author Unknown
Edward Ward, ‘February’. via interestingliterature
He who would, in this Month, be warm within,
And when abroad, from Wet defend his Skin,
His Morning’s draught should be of Sack or Sherry,
And his Great Coat be made of Drab-de-berry.
Michael Field, ‘February’.via interestingliterature
Gay lucidity,
Not yet sunshine, in the air;
Tingling secrets hidden everywhere,
Each at watch for each;
Sap within the hillside beech,
Not a leaf to see.
“The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.” William C. Bryant
Motivation Mondays: Heart of Transitions
The February born will find
Sincerity and peace of mind;
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they the Pearl (also green Amethyst) will wear. Anon
Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. Edith Sitwell
Transitions are often difficult because most of us prefer the comfort of the status quo. We compartmentalize our lives into secure little boxes and retrieve as needed. In times of transition, all our reserves are swept away and we stand exposed, ready for change… whether we like it or not. Like the harsh, cold winds of winter, all that stands in the way of our toughest seasonal change is swept away, leaving it bare. Life forms that dug deep roots in the warmer clime dig deeper, knowing that a time of renewal will soon arrive. Those who frittered away time on senseless pleasures disappear. Even in this month of chocolate, love, and remembrance of black history, we must stay vigilant and plant meaningful seeds. Without adequate preparation, we cannot reap what we did NOT sow.
The heart of transitions, which forms the title of my post, is about digging deep to tap into our core resilience in times of great change/transition. Like a muscle, it takes practice to develop the inner strength to weather all storms. It takes hard work and unshakeable determination to trust that the seasons of harshness in our lives will pass, but we must do our part. Stay motivated to do your heavy lifting. Without laying the foundation, your house will not stand the winds of change.
February By Margaret Atwood via PoetryFoundation
Winter. Time to eat fat
and watch hockey. In the pewter mornings, the cat,
a black fur sausage with yellow
Houdini eyes, jumps up on the bed and tries
to get onto my head. It’s his
way of telling whether or not I’m dead.
If I’m not, he wants to be scratched; if I am
He’ll think of something. He settles
on my chest, breathing his breath
of burped-up meat and musty sofas,
purring like a washboard. Some other tomcat,
not yet a capon, has been spraying our front door,
declaring war. It’s all about sex and territory,
which are what will finish us off
in the long run. Some cat owners around here
should snip a few testicles. If we wise
hominids were sensible, we’d do that too,
or eat our young, like sharks.
But it’s love that does us in. Over and over
again, He shoots, he scores! and famine
crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing
eiderdown, and the windchill factor hits
thirty below, and pollution pours
out of our chimneys to keep us warm.
February, month of despair,
with a skewered heart in the centre.
I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries
with a splash of vinegar.
Cat, enough of your greedy whining
and your small pink bumhole.
Off my face! You’re the life principle,
more or less, so get going
on a little optimism around here.
Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for JAN 2018/FEB 2018 are:
01/01 – 01/01 New Year’s Day, 01/04 World Braille Day, 01/07 Orthodox Christmas, Golden Globes Award
01/08 – 01/11 Human Trafficking Awareness, 01/14 Orthodox New Year,
01/15 – 01/15 Martin Luther King Day, 01/21 World Religion Day,
01/22 – 01/26 International Customs Day, 01/27 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
01/28 – 01/28 Grammy Awards,
02/04 – 02, National Wear Red Day, Groundhog Day,
02/11 – 13, Mardi Gras, 14, Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday, 16, Chinese New Year
02/18 – 19, Presidents Day
02/25 – Wrapping Up February – Black History Month, American Heart Month, National African American History
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
More Below! Read more…
