52 weeks: LAUGHTER, week 6

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LAUGHTER

(so this one took a while. I've been having a pretty crappy few weeks - I most definitely need to do this challenge as much as possible this week!)

When I was 10 years old, I found the greatest best friend in the world. Her name was (and still is) Carley, and she was absolutely amazing. There were plenty of reasons why I loved her, but the biggest one was how much we laughed together. Oh, we laughed. Daily. Those amazingly deep belly-laughs that make your whole spirit warble out a wonderful song. And the thing was, the laughter seemed to breed more laughter. It multiplied. We'd stay up until midnight playing the WORST games on the internet (keep in mind this was 2002, so they were Bad), laughing and laughing. We'd throw scissors and pencils and erasers out of our second-storey classroom window in winter, in secret, just to wait until spring to see a pile of school supplies piled under our window (yes, we did that. The best part was that someone else in class took the blame for it, which we laughed about, too).

Imagine how much more fantastic your days would be (especially your bad days) if you just took five minutes out of the daily grind to laugh. Think back to the last time you laughed so hard you cried. If it was yesterday, congratulations, you're doing something right. For most of us, though, it's been a while. More than likely a loooooong while. Remember how amazing you felt after you laughed? It's scientifically proven that laughter is beneficial for you. It strengthen your immune system, eliminates pain, gives you energy and helps protect you against stress. Laughter really is some of the best medicine you can get! In the wise, wise words of Finn the Human, Mathematical!

 THIS WEEK, TRY THIS

Your goal this week is to obtain the elusive, notorious belly-laugh. You know, the one where your stomach hurts, tears go to your eyes, and sometimes you lose control over your bladder. Yes, that laugh. It sounds awful, but we all know how wonderful it feels. I know it can be hard to get, so simply spend your week trying to get it – if you can't, at least you've been laughing all week, right?

Need a bit of a boost trying to laugh? Well, I've got some goodies for you coming up this Friday. Stay tuned.

What are your favourite ways to get yourself laughing? Cat videos? Strange dance moves? Help me create a compendium of comedy and share in the comments below!

52 weeks: INNER PEACE, week 5

INNER PEACE

"Nobody can bring you peace but yourself" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We live in such a hectic, fast-paced world. Everything is about efficiency and output, speed and production. No wonder the culture we live in is so destructive. When your focus shifts away from peace, be it in the world, or even in yourself, wars start. And it's no surprise that almost every North American, on a daily basis, feels like they're fighting some kind of war. Whether it's a war on drugs, a war thousands of miles away, a war on their own emotions, a war on obesity...the list goes on, and none of them make us feel good. And, to top it all off, we're too busy to even notice that we're caught in the crossfires, standing in the middle of these battlefields.

Can you imagine if the world was focused on simply breathing? If we all took five minutes out of our day, and stopped to breathe, to share a human connection with each other and the world, every day? If, instead of religiously turning on the news to see suffering and strife, we saw people around the world getting together to give each other a hug? When we focus on peace, on slowing down, we become peaceful ourselves. When we focus on the human connection we all share, when we focus on our breath and the gift of our lives, we become peaceful again. We forget about the battle drums wailing at us, trying to drag us in to these battles we never asked for, and we revel in the most basic, beautiful connection we all share - a desire for peace.

THIS WEEK, TRY THIS

Take a moment out of each day this week to quiet your mind. Set aside everything for even five minutes, and just sit. Allow whatever thoughts that come up to pass through you, and then leave. Simply observe your Self, and your mind, and marvel in the peace that comes from living in the moment.

As another task, try your hardest to limit the amount of 'news' that you take in, especially that of conflicts and strife. Sometimes we need to protect ourselves from the media machine that we see every day.

52 weeks: GRATITUDE, week 4

GRATITUDE

 "Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good." --Maya Angelou


Gratitude is something that I firmly believe is magic. It's amazing how many things suddenly begin to appear when we set all our baggage, burdens and thoughts aside and send a big "Thank you" card to the Universe. Suddenly the things you were worrying about pale in comparison to the things you've been given.

Gratitude cuts through all the crap and makes us realize that we've been given far more than we ever thought of. It's a breath of fresh, delicious air in a world that revolves around us feeling like raisins - dried up, dying and in need of this or that to fix it (yes, friends, this is how capitalism works). In fact, if you're a heartless, penny-pinching maniac who doesn't do all this 'warm and fuzzy' crap, gratitude will, in the very least, help you save a couple of dollars. I'm sure most of you are a bit more optimistic than that person, and I can guarantee you that gratitude will work magic in your lives, too.

THIS WEEK, TRY THIS

Every morning, write down 5 things you're thankful for in your life. As you write them, picture in your mind why you're thankful for them, and then officially thank the Universe for giving them to you. Practice this as many times a day as you want. I recommend doing this when you wake up, and when you go to bed – beginning and ending your days with gratitude.

52 weeks: CURIOSITY, week 3

 CURIOSITY

This week fits really nice beside the last two weeks we've worked through (I didn't plan it this way, either. Funny how these things work out...). I remember one of my old art teachers telling me that Art is all about asking the right questions. As kids, we can't get enough of asking things - "What's this? Why is that there? Who are you talking to? How come this is like that?" The ramble continued until an adult finally had enough.

Suddenly we've become afraid to ask questions. And when we don't ask questions, awful things like assumptions and doubts sneak their way in to our heads. Soon fear and anxiety breed, and we're worse off than if we had asked the question in the first place.

This week, it's all about these questions. And getting them out in to the open. Answering even just one question that's been on your mind can bring you so much freedom - you'll be amazed. This week, channel your inner five-year old, please!

THIS WEEK, TRY THIS:
Ask a question you've been wondering for a while. Usually more will come up. Don't seek to answer them until you've gotten them all out. Choose one (or however many you want) and seek to explore different answers for it. Feel free to keep this project personal, or ask as many people as you see fit. The questions can be as complex or as simple as you want – but you can't know the answer going in to this project.

52 weeks: WONDER, week 2

WONDER

I remember when I was about 6, I was the world's greatest storyteller (as every child is). I took great pleasure in plotting out these elaborate stories to work through with my toys, dramatic, and incredibly complex. These stories would come to me as I sat outside, watching clouds, or running my hands through mud. They would come to me in the bath. They would pop out of seemingly nowhere, and I LOVED it. 

I made every second count. Every single slow second that ticked by was another opportunity to think 'what if...' What if that crow was really a person? Could I talk to it? Let me try...hmm...it almost seemed to answer me. Maybe it can speak english. Maybe I can speak crow. What if we can do both...

The ideas and wonder just flowed out of me as easily as doubt and regret can flow out of me now. That needs to change. I need to slowly focus my energy back in to the wonder of the world that surrounds me. In to the questions that we all have, and deeper than that, that we all have the answers to. 

This week, allow that wonder to wind it's way back. Allow it to slowly steep in to your soul, and carry it with you. Do this exercise as many times as you need. It's quite complementary to last week's exercise, so perhaps you could even build off of last week. Do what feels right for you, and enjoy the wonder that follows. Make sure you write down any questions that pop in to your head - they can be pretty potent ideas for future use.

THIS WEEK, TRY THIS:

Take a walk. Anywhere. As you walk, do it slowly. Try to view the world from the eyes of someone who has never been where you are. Sometimes it helps to pretend you've come for this walk on vacation, and this is your last day. Take it all in and be amazed by the beauty that surrounds you.

52 Weeks: Inspiration, week 1

INSPIRATION

From the Latin inspirare, inspiration literally means 'to breath in to'. In essense, one could argue that we are breathing in the breath of the divine - some sort of electric energy that charges us with creativity and confidence like nothing else.

I find that the more time I spend in the present moment, the more inspiration I find in the mundane. Something as simple as a car driving by can pique the interest of someone who is completely present. Which is why so many of us find the state of inspiration elusive.

Sometimes, yes, we do find inspiration as a grand bolt out of the sky. A brilliant glowing light that guides us to a potential magnum opus. But more often than not, inspiration is more humble. Inspiration is a quiet tug that says, "Listen to this..." or "Look at that..." It can easily be missed when we're far too focused somewhere else. So this week, let's ground ourselves and take pleasure in the simple things. Let's focus on finding inspiration in an object that draws our attention, and enjoy the energy this simple exercise can bring.

THIS WEEK, TRY THIS:
 Search your environment for an object that draws your attention. Actively create or do something with that object in mind – it can be as simple as a drawing, clearing out a space that it relates to, or even making something out of it. It could even be the start of a much bigger project. Some of the greatest things come from the simplest. This week, simply let yourself be inspired.

52 weeks: Introduction

52 WEEKS of WORDS

We live in a world full of unhappy people. A world full of people who, sometimes out of curiosity, sometimes out of desperation, look constantly for quick fixes and easy ways out of the daily struggles that tend to define our lives. They also search for meaning, purpose and self-actualization. They try to discover themselves and their true purpose on this planet. They seek to know themselves, to make themselves happier.

And there's no shame in that. None at all. We all want to improve ourselves in whatever ways we can, but more often than not, they're well intentioned, but for whatever reason, they fall short.

My problem is that I set too lofty of goals. I set these grand plans, make these brilliant resolutions and ideas and overhauls of my life. I get pumped up, focused on the energy, and for a few days, it really works. But soon time sets in, and eventually the energy fizzles out, as it is apt to do. Suddenly that goal you wanted to accomplish EVERY DAY shifts to Once a Week, and then Every few Months, and then fizzles out of existence. Bye bye goals.

So this time, I'm doing two things. I am planning on defining every week on a quality that I find important to myself. Call it a mantra, of sorts, all bundled up in a single group of letters. A single word, yet it can change the way we see our world. Every week, I am choosing a specific word, and a specific goal to complete each week. The goals won't be extreme - most will be complete within a few hours of dedicated work. But they will be a simple, do-able challenge that I can boost myself up on every single week.

And, my friends, I am planning on sharing it with you. Feel free to follow along. I'd love to create a movement of simple goals set in to simple words. I hope you'll join me in this adventure. I'll be starting the first of my 52 weeks tomorrow, on Monday. I hope you'll join in the fun!