Positively Optimistic

I am so excited to share all of the amazing and inspirational gems I snagged at the Time Out for Women event in Spokane, WA this weekend!

But... That will have to wait until I can go over my notes when I'm not so tired. Until then... I have something beautiful to introduce!

Billion Clicks... Think. Click. Be.

BillionClicks.org began as an (un)scientific experiment to see how many negative thoughts the average person has in a day. Hilary Weeks began to use a hand-held counter (think:Costco) to keep track of her negative thoughts and at the end of the week, she was disappointed and discouraged. She had spent so much time thinking about the sads and bads in her life.... she had forgotten to focus on and SEEK THE GOOD.

Not the type to settle for the negative, Hilary changed her experiment... she began 'clicking' her positive thoughts! For every good thought she had or said  she clicked. Her family...click. Her home... click. Her dog... click. The Gospel of Jesus Christ... CLICK! Can you just guess the surprise that awaited her at the end of four days?! Over 1,200 positive thoughts..... in four days! Phenomenal. At this point, she decided if one person could get 1,000.... why couldn't she recruit others and get 10,000... or 100,000... or ONE BILLION CLICKS! So, Hilary got a hold of the 'right people', shared her idea, launched a website.... and now she is encouraging others to Seek the Good in their lives by clicking their way to a positive life filled with gratitude!

My oldest daughter and I had the pleasure to meet Hilary today at the Time Out events. We each bought a clicker (Sold Here), and we are having so much fun clicking our positive thoughts! I logged 351 between this morning and bedtime tonight! What a wonderful thing to do in our families, our wards, our schools, our nation.... imagine the change that could come from sharing this with the world! I hope you join in on the fun and become part of the CLICK!

Before I go, I wanted to share this amazing video by Hilary Weeks from her new CD Every Step (featuring: Stephanie Nielsen and Mariama Kallon). It touched my heart and I hope that it will touch yours as well. CLICK!

I wanna be a Tortoise

In all of our struggles to do "the right thing", to be the best parent.... To make the best, most nutritious meals.... To have the most frugal yet chic home... In the midst of all of this, do we truly have time to be true to ourselves? How do we make time in our busy lives to be all that we want - or feel pressured to be?

I'll tell you a secret. 

WE DON'T!

I was impressed by this exact message in the blog post, Your Children Want YOU! In it, April discusses the tendency women have to get discouraged by not being the put together, crafty, fit woman with perfect children, wearing trendy haircuts and the latest styles - fashioned out of up-cycled, thrift store finds (of course) that we all perceive in the various media forms we encounter. She laments over her seemingly nu-alphabetized spice canisters and alternatively rejoices in her children's loving acceptance of her less than perfect attempts.

We don 't have to be everything, do everything, go everywhere to have a full, rich life.... we only have to be on the right track and take the time to point out its wonders. Linda and Richard Eyre wrote, in The Book of Nurturing, that the real reason the Tortoise won the race is attributed to the fact that he took time to do his job well. He didn't go all of the far-flung places the Hare did, he stuck to the path and watched for markers to guide his way. He didn't fret that others thought he was an unworthy participant, and in the rewrite, quite the opposite is actually true. Due to the Tortoise's easy going nature, the other animals were drawn to him, they spoke with him and helped him find his way. He didn't have to be the fastest, the most savvy, the one with the most mantle vignettes....  he only had to be himself and keep on the steady course of personal progression.

 I am, by far, not the perfectly fit, grudgingly beautiful, über stylish model of a woman that my Pinterest boards say I want to be.... but I'm okay with that.... because my kids think I have  a "beautiful face" and look "nicely dressed". When asked what they like best about me, they say things like "you play with us", "you read to me and you love me". This week, they were even grateful for the several loaves of bread I baked, even though I didn't put nearly enough yeast in and they are so dense that a single slice is a meal! The fact of the matter is, my children know that I love them and even if they don't understand it or necessarily show it , they appreciate the efforts I make on their behalf.... even the ones that fall short of the mark.

The Tortoise could never have the prowess, speed, or agility of the Hare. He could never match the Hare's style or grace.... just as I can never match some over-emphasized  imaginings of the World Wide Web. The beauty is that the Tortoise didn't have to .... and neither do I!