Yoga Does It!

Yesterday was just was of those dull days. I worked over 9 hours at my day job and after work I was going to attend a seminar. I felt so blah that I thought, "you know if I just go to this seminar feeling blah am I really going to get anything out of it?" So I decided to go to yoga instead.

Boy am I glad I did!

I got home and had a little pep talk with my boyfriend. I talked to my mom for a few minutes and then I walked into what was about to be the best class I have had in a long time.

I studied Bikram (hot) yoga religiously for about three years. Then I sort veered off the hot path and into the vinyasa (flow) yoga. I still really enjoy a good Bikram class but for the most part I enjoy aspects of both forms. They opened a new studio near my house in Astoria, so last Sunday I signed up for the intro week. Essentially tonight's class was free.

I showed up and there were only five people in class. It's a new studio and an 8:15pm class so I wasn't totally surprised. Because of the individual attention though, I think I worked harder. And she didn't know what I'm good at or not so she just pushed me across the board. In all this time of doing Bikram, I can never quite master the standing head to knee pose. But last night I did it! She just said, "now put your head on your knee." And I did it! I was rejoicing inside.

Now this pose comes at the beginning of class. So after my success, all of my subsequent poses were pushed to the max. I felt so amazing after class!!! I spoke with my mom again and she said tomorrow we will begin the 10 Day Challenge. I can't wait to see what that means.

Sun and the Rain

Yesterday was Awesome!!!!

It all started when my mom woke me up with a message of a sunshiney day. It was pouring rain outside but I had a distinct feeling she was right. By the time I got to work, I was drenched and freezing but I still had a smile on my face. The first email I checked was from a woman I was trying to negotiate a price with. I had sent her what I thought was a fair price last week and she wrote me back and said, "OK". So that worked!

Then I got my new website up and running (www.localfoodsnyc.com) and without any effort, I already had one facebook friend. I haven't invited people to join the group yet because I want to upload pictures. But still it felt good to get the ball rolling.

Then after work, I had a call with my life coach. I had a few things I knew I wanted to discuss but by the end of the conversation, I was through the roof with excitement. We discussed a few different projects I am working on but she kept asking me what I really wanted with all of this, what I really wanted to do with my life. I told her about my vision and where I saw myself and it all just came so clear. I could really see my future ahead of me. And it didn't feel like the distant future. It felt like it was here right now.

I hung up the phone and went to the gym to work out. After all if I am going to obtain the success I think then I had better start looking good.

Then I got home and I was still pumped. I must mention that it was still raining heavily and my feet hadn't even dried from this morning yet. But regardless I felt great. I made a few business phonecalls and I was just getting it done. It felt great. My future is getting so close to my present. I could feel it. And the feeling lasted!

Herbal Remedies

Yesterday I was a mess!

I lost my voice. I didn't know what to do. I was beating myself up for not getting the rest I should have earlier in the week when I started to feel sick. I was worried my voice wouldn't come back. I wished I knew of a decent doctor that worked on weekends. I made my mom go through her voiceover book and give m throat remedies. Anything. Anything at all that would cure me.

Most of the recipes described a homemade tea with honey, lemon and apple cider vinegar. There was one recipe for a warm Dr. Pepper. The one I tried was a spoonful of honey with Cayenne pepper. It was a bit soothing but because I sprinkled the powder on top it mostly just made me cough. I went to be early and hoped for the best. Sometimes that's really all you can do, take a spoonful of honey and hope for the best.

Planning Practices!

After my Advil PM the night before I decided to come into work anyway on Thursday. It wasn't too bad. I even went to yoga during lunch. I had been listening to Anthony Robbin's "Living Health" cd on the subway and he mentioned how lack of oxygen to the cells is a huge reason that people get sick. So I decided to flood my cells with oxygen. I felt a little weak during class but afterwards, not too bad.

But my real highlight yesterday came when I sat down to create a business plan for my new entrepreneur endeavor. (www.localfoodsnyc.com ) I used the guidelines on this small business website. (www.sba.gov) It lead me through a step by step process answering questions about my new business proposal. By the time I finished, I was pumped to the max! I sent it off to my mom for her to read and she was even impressed.

I'm really excited about my new business idea but seeing it laid out so well on paper made it feel like it was an obtainable goal. So there really is something to be said for the power in being clear on your goals and knowing exactly what you want to achieve.

Sleep....Precious Sleep

I don't know what came over me yesterday but I woke up feeling exhausted. My entire body felt weak and achy. It was just like the onset of the flu. I thought I would feel better after I got up and moved around so I went to work anyway. But it didn't help. And the more I kept playing the loop in my head, "I feel sick. I feel sick.", the worse I felt. So I decided rather than sitting at work feeling miserable, I would take advantage of our sick day policy and go home!

Man am I glad I did.

I didn't do much when I got home except for catch up on my Tivo and sleep on the couch. But after a full day of resting, I still felt awful. My mom suggested that I take some Advil before bed. I was out of it so my boyfriend went up to the deli and came back with some single packs and a couple pieces of Baklava. I ate the Baklava and took two Advil PMs and was ready to call it a night.

Well, the Advil had more of an AM effect. It woke me right up and kicked my body into high gear. The achiness disappeared. I couldn't sleep last night but with the extra sleep I had gotten during the day made me feel fine this morning. So lesson of the day, is when your body wants to sleep...let it sleep. You will be glad you did in the morning.

A Little Bit of Luck!

Sometimes happiness really just comes down to feeling lucky. Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, the beginning of Mardi Gras. As part of this celebration, people sometimes eat a King cake. I'm not sure why the tradition still happens in our New York office. But every year we get a delivery of five King Cakes. These are a ring cake with an incredibly sugary icing. This year we got one cake in mid Janaury and then another delivery of five yesterday.

Embedded in the bottom of this cake is a little plastic baby doll.

Whoever gets the baby is supposed to have good luck in their business over the next year. It also means they have to buy the next cake. So, as luck would have it, I got the baby in my piece of cake in January. Then yesterday it happened again. Two babies in one year! That seems like a lot of luck. I was thrilled.

I am working to start my new business and this really felt like the extra boost I needed. Have you ever been there when something really "lucky" happened to you but you just felt like it was normal? Almost like you knew it would happen? I guess that's the power of attraction. Don't get me wrong, I was glad that it happened. But with my new energy and focus going towards happiness...it almost seemed second nature.

Education Wins!

Yesterday I had a wonderful day. I woke up in South Carolina with my family (family). Hopped on a plane back to New York (travel). Cleaned my apartment (environment). Attended a hot yoga class (exercise). Attended week 4 of the CTI workshop (education) and had a wonderful dinner with my boyfriend (relationships).

But I think the winner of yesterday would have to be education!

As I was sitting at the table of 25 other budding producers in New York listening to Bob Cole talk about how he got started in the business, I realized I had the biggest smile on my face. I felt so inspired and ready to take on the world. He talked about his first show I produced with absolutely no experience producing formal. I had attended a workshop similar to ours. I spent two years reading scripts, hiring a lawyer, finding potential investors for the day I did have a project and even hiring a general manager. So by the time I found the right project, I was ready to go.

By listening to stories like his, I feel empowered. I feel like I am on the right path. My challenge is to surround myself with people who will inspire me. People who can teach me the craft. And not being afraid to ask questions.

The Quest Begins

Today I begin my quest towards a year of happiness. What would it take to feel happy every day for a year? Happiness takes training and effort. But the payoff is priceless. So today I begin my journey to see what makes me feel GREAT!

Is it sleep? Eating the right foods? Meditation? Gratitude? Relationships? Wealth? Connections? Presence? Breath? Song? Laughter? Playing? Motivation? Knowledge? Challenges? Creativity? Accomplishments? Rituals?

Tomorrow I begin the race. What do I have to do today to make sure I win?