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April 30, 2012
Confetti System


Ok so I am completely OBSESSED.

Ever heard the expression or desire of someone to “Swim in a pool of …”? (Fill in the blank depending on something you love). I have heard of people wanting to swim in a pool of jello, or some other food that said person loved. Me however, that sounds kind of sticky.
I’d much rather swim in a pool of skittles or say, more excitingly: glitter. Yes, glitter. For those of you who know me, you may be aware that I am mesmerized by all things sparkly. Arts-and-crafts glitter, confetti, disco balls, glitter nail polish, diamonds, jewelry, chandeliers and other sparkly objects. I make no discrimination.

Lets just say sparkles are my catnip.

Ergo my case in point. Confetti system.
They have made it cool again (as an adult) to gem up your world of normalcy and throw a modern and artistic take on confetti and tissue paper all over your space.

Check out these images from their website www.Confettisystem.com, of which I had a hard time editing since each image was more mesmerizing then the next.

The art of creativity and imagination is at play here, in displays and set designs for fashion companies like Lanvin, Opening Ceremony, JCrew, Urban Outfitters, Harper’s Bazaar, Daily Candy and events for the American Ballet Company, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beyonce and the likes.



The sheer fun that these displays evoke is huge. The larger than life persona of each of these works, as if they had a soul brings a party back to the energy around you and encourages you to never think an idea is too small to be a business.





Confetti System is totally worth mentioning as they are so inspiring and a pioneer in the world of Oohs and Ahs.
I hope this inspires YOU!
xoxo
Emily

March 2, 2012
Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Dr. Seuss is one of the world’s best-known writers and illustrators of children’s books who writes to children “clearly and honestly as equals”.  He stepped away from a successful and lucrative career in writing to challenge perceptions and write books that would go on to inspired children and adults for generations.

He inspires all of us to take changes, write from the heart, teach our internal wisdom and think of all “The Places You’ll Go!“ (read on to revisit the historical and influential aforementioned poem that inspired us all to do great things, and continue on the path of uncertainty, to be reminded that we all will go far.)

Here is a blurb from the man himself in an article from the Los Angeles Times, on November 27th, 1960.

“BY DR. SEUSS

Some 23 years ago I made a move that most of my writer friends acclaimed as the height of stupidity.

I walked out on a fairly successful career as a writer who wrote for great, big grown-up adults and began to write for the Kiddie-Kar and Bubble-Gum set.

This, in the 30s in the writing profession, was not a sign of going forward. This was a step down. At that time, the attitude of most of this country’s top writers was: writing for children is literary slumming….”

“And, to a certain degree, these authors were right. In those days, an appalling percentage of books for children were concocted out of inept, condescending, nature-faking treacle. They insulted the intelligence not only of the child, but also of the people who write them…”

“In these days of tension and confusion, writers are beginning to realize that books for children have a greater potential for good or evil, than any other form of literature on earth.”

And now a little reminder from
Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990)
Congratulations!
Today is your day!
You’re off to great places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.’
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets.
Look them over with care.
About some you’ll say
“I don’t wish to go there.”
With your head full of brains,
And your shoes full of feet,
You’re too smart to go down a not-so-good-street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener there, in the wide open air.
Out there things happen, and frequently do,
To people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry, don’t stew.
Just go right along, you’ll start happening too!
Oh the places you’ll go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers,
Who soar at high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t,
Because sometimes you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so
But, sadly it’s true
That bang-ups and hang-ups
Can happen to you.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race
Down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
And grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
Headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place… for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,
Or a plane to go or the mail to come
Or the rain to go or the phone to ring,
Or the snow to snow, or waiting around for a Yes or No
Or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite
Or waiting around for Friday night
Or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake, or a pot to boil,
or a Better Break or a string of pearls,
Or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or
Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
On and on you will hike, And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
And remember that Life’s a great balancing act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
Will you succeed?
Yes you will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
Kid you’ll move mountains
So… Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So… Get on your way.

Hope that inspires you to keep on your way, and to keep marching towards where the bright boom bands play.

xox

Emily

February 22, 2012
Inspiration, balance AND getting things done – like a ROCK STAR.

As a creative, I’m sure I have told you this many times: It is my job to stay inspired and keep fresh ideas coming.
Now, the dilemma… As a business owner and two time entrepreneur (www.RockHardAtelier.com for fashion design and www.EmilyBrickel.com where I do creative consulting and illustrations – website in the works), there are also tasks and projects to get done!

my zen, and inspiration - inspiring desk!

Here is the fun part: balancing the two.
Undoubtedly the the most important, yet daunting affair is what happens when you exhilaratingly begin to grow your business and get more clients. (!!!!!)
How do you manage your task list, take time to forward-think, set goals, figure out growth, get inspiration AND create new ideas?

Well.
I for instance have struggled with this delicate dance of feeling inspired – having grand and fabulous ideas – writing things down – then inevitably getting WAY overwhelmed to the point of panic, break down, procrastination and total melt down.

With the help of many entrepreneur friends and mentors like Kelly Lynn Adams who teaches a course called More Time and More Money, my Mom Faith Brickel of Wine On My Mind.com , my spiritual mentors and running buddies Gabrielle Bernstein, Mastin Kipp at En*theos Academy, Arielle Fireman, as well as other hits of knowledge along the way, here are my tips to create balance,  rock your inner goddess and live a happy life like a Rock Star while making money from your passions.

** Side note: while these concepts are 100% authentic in helping you live your best life and your highest truth, I always need a refresher so save this list and come back to it any time you get over whelmed. I know I do. Also check out my mentor’s links!

First Make your work space clean, inviting and inspiring to look at.  Now

Getting things DONE:

1) Get a daily planner – (I like the Moleskin Hard Cover Red Daily Planner ) and plan out your day. I write down all of my tasks in what ever order that comes to mind but by color coding from red to purple (think rainbow people), or what ever color system that works for you.  This will show you the most important tasks in RED and so on.  Since I am notorious for over planning, many tasks will undoubtedly have to be carried onto the next day. I cross off the tasks I have accomplished, and through out the day refer back to my planner to see what to do next.

At the end of the day I rewrite the tasks I still need to do from that day onto the next day’s page and re-color code. So for instance today’s second priority tasks will now be the first and will now be in red.

Main Point: Physically writing your tasks and color coding them hard-wires your brain to actually process and analyze what you have to do, as opposed to typing it into a computer calendar where it may not actually sink in. When you have a planner you don’t have to worry about what happens if your computer crashes or your google calendar rearranges, deletes or fails to sync.

Lastly and most importantly, you can go back and see what tasks you have been re-writing in your planner for over a week and note why it is taking you so long. Are you intimidated by this task? Is it too big or ambiguous to tackle? Review and then break it out into 3-4 smaller milestones.

*Tasks should refer to work reaction based tasks like responding to clients and finishing projects, forward based tasks like how to market your company or a future goal for growth, personal tasks for your own well being like the gym, meditating, picking up groceries etc, and idea tasks like future blog ideas, plan to go to a museum, plan a promotion for your biz etc.

2) Three tasks a day keeps the stress away.   Choose three tasks each day that if you ONLY accomplish those three tasks you will go to sleep feeling productive. Circle them and do them first. Don’t stress about your remaining other tasks.  Just know that since they are written down, you know what else you need to do when you have time.

3) When your tasks come pouring in. If you have more tasks than space on the planner’s page, if one task takes a long time to complete, or you don’t know where in your planner to schedule them: take out a white clean sheet of paper (I like computer paper or lined notepads).

Write all of the tasks you know of from the top of your head, go back into your planner of unfinished tasks and add them all to the page, sometimes this takes up more than one page.  If your tasks include forward thinking tasks and tasks for the many hats you wear or the many businesses you run – your page might be 3- 4 long.

This is fine, just take a breath and note that: A) you no longer have to worry that you are missing something and B) if you are in line with your end goal some tasks may become unnecessary and your brain will filter the tasks that will actually get you to the prize. Once you wrote out all your tasks you can re-prioritize them into your planner.  Spread them out on allotted days or simply number them and keep this list as your master list to fold into the pocket of your moleskin planner.

4) Add some Zen. If you believe in a higher power or something greater than yourself – (even if you don’t know what that is) –  you can tune into the belief that Everything will get done in due time.  Know that time will expand when you are dialed into knowing that you have a life’s purpose and that there is a plan for your gifts.

The theory is that you are put on this earth for a very important reason, and that reason is to live your highest truth and live in abundance so you can serve the world with your gift/s. Using your intuition to know what your gifts are, when you focus on the big picture the little stresses will fade away. Then you can trust that everything will get done how it is supposed to.  Just take your vitamins so you are prepared to do what you CAN do.

My buddha illustration!

5) Exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner – and maybe add some snacks in!  They key to growth in life, in career and your relationships is based on the fact that YOU must be in tip top shape to get any of this done.  You are the vehicle by which your dreams can be realized and your life be a happy one. What can you do if you are sick in bed or on the couch unable to move? Your body is not only your temple, task master, ring master and vessel but it is also the means by which your thoughts and BRILLIANT, oh I do mean Brill-i-ANT ideas can be put to paper, organized, delegated and completed.

Don’t skip meals, don’t go for hours without eating, and if your body is hungry feed it. If your body is full, STOP. If your body is antsy, dance, work out, do yoga, go for a walk.

Your body is your #1 asset to your company, to your family and to your friends. Treat. It. As. SUCH.  You don’t get another body in this lifetime. Love it.

6) Laugh, take breaks, stop when you are fried and take time to play! The most important asset to having a fresh perspective, is taking your mind out of the game for a bit. Listen to your body and your frustrations. When you can’t focus, can’t keep your eyes open or just keep procrastinating – give in and take a break. Your body IS a machine – but all machines need to be maintained, refueled and polished to run smoothly and without a hitch.  Add into your schedule “me time” – this is especially important for women because we tend to put everyone else’s priorities ahead of our own.  Me time can be your work out time, reading a book, taking a class, playing with your puppy or anything that makes your feel ALIVE and EXHILARATED. Just like the flight attendants say on airplanes – should an emergency occur, apply your breathing mask first, THEN secure it onto others. Perfect segway for my next tip…

7) Live the fountain theory to nurture yourself:  Imagine you are a beautiful fountain, flowing with new water 24 hours a day – but you have a crack. No matter how much water flows through you, if you are leaking you will never get filled up and you will remain dry and barren. If you instead patch up the crack the flowing water will begin to fill your basin and collect to eventually overflow in abundance. Then you can flow out onto all the by pillars of the fountain.  Your fountain will prosper and will benefit many people who come to seek it’s water and marvel in its beauty. It is now a symbol of prosperity, hope and inspiration.

In terms of our energy, we must draw boundaries in draining relationships so we can fill the crack. It is with an understanding that you must fill your soul and body with nutrients, energy, time, inspiration, self respect and love in order for abundance and prosperity to flow. You, as the fountain are much more desirable when filling it with nurturing relationships, exercise, “me time”, inspiration, etc.  Think of the water flowing through you as energy, money and love. When your fountain is full and over flowing, you have more than enough energy to give to work, family, friends and the world. This is especially important for moms and business owners who drain themselves by leaking energy.  The fountain can only go so long being dry and barren before it starts to completely deteriorate and crumble. This is true with our own health. How can you expect to continue giving to others first if your own vehicle for providing these gifts of time and energy has a limited shelf life. Fill your cup first and you will be well equipped to provide for your family, your future and the world.

The Fountain of Trevi in Roma, Italy.

Now that I have hopefully “wet” your appetite for life, Rinse and repeat this cycle.

Set tasks, include things that will nurture your soul into your daily life and remember to breathe.

Hope that inspires you. Now go check your local museum exhibitions, write a blog or grab coffee with your friends!
xoxo
Emily

December 6, 2011
EFF it, Lets GO!

Gabrielle Bernstein – my mentor and an amazing spiritual Guru, author and motivational speaker (You know – the one I rave about all the time) has composed this amazing vlog on the power of Eff it, Lets go! or “Screw it, Lets Do It” as Sir Richard Branson would say!! Gabby says that this mentality has pushed her to create her first business and has been the catalyst for some of her amazing career moves! By understanding FEAR as False Evidence Appearing Real (as Gabby and A Course In Miracles Says) you can JUST DO IT – Nike, or Be “Not Afraid, I was born to do this” Joan of Arc.

Whomever said it, Gabby says it in most relatable terms and mentions ME in her vlog!!!!!!

Art of fellow artist Naia Maro (NaiaMaro.com) and myself are shown off here in a beautiful story of how you need to ACT on your desires, if you have fears (as everyone does) identify them – my fear of NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH – there I said it, had me “in a headlock” and made me feel like giving my illustration as a gift to Gabrielle for inspiring me to draw again and making me feel alive through re-activating my passion, a mere drawing on paper was not good enough.  I felt like I needed to frame it, or give it with a bow or add a card to thank her for how much she has changed my life.  I just had the illustration printed out on photo paper, and the original with me. She restated in her lecture that night to identify your fear and DO IT ANY WAY! I did.  The AMAZING thing is, that if I had waited to give it to her, to frame it or wrap it till the next time I saw her when THEN it might be “Good Enough”, I would have missed the opportunity that I didn’t even know existed yet.

It was an amazing feeling, I think we both cried – She was so happy and I was so happy to give it to her!  She looked at me and said that she loved it, and that she NEEDED ART FOR HER NEW CD COVER AND TOTEBAGS!  (Which are now MADE with links below)! So watch this vlog to see the inspiration and the art!! I hope Gabby inspires you as she has me to EFF it, JUST DO IT!!!

Check out Naia Maro’s art here.

Gabrielle Bernstein’s MediDating Album, get it here on Amazon.com or iTunes

Get the tote bag here!!

Hope that inspires you – to do WHAT YOU LOVE!

xoxo Emily

December 2, 2011
Marry The Night!

I am LOVING Lady Gaga’s new Marry The Night Music video that just premiered last night on E!News.

Gaga again shows us what being a creative genius is all about. The PASSION that she dances with towards the end in the dance studio is infectious. You can see it in her eyes and every move that she makes that performing and the energy of expression is in her veins.

Another part of this music video that moved me – aside from the gorgeous stills, insane fashion, sick dance moves and contagious beat – is the story.  The story she is telling is about conviction, dedication, ambition and that KNOWING that this is her calling (reading between the lines of some of the crazy crap she is mixing in with her script). I eat this stuff up, as I myself have that feeling for my career in fashion.

Gaga goes on to sing “I’m gonna marry the night. I won’t give up on my life. I’m a warrior queen, Live passionately tonight.” The emotion in her voice treads thicker than the lyrics of the song. In her internal dialogue (majority of the 13 minute stretch) and in each verse, her conviction to following her dreams and never giving up is evident.

Here it is, all 13 minutes of it. Feel free to skip to the song if you simply cannot stand the antici . . . .
pation.

and more stills…

the conviction in her eyes!

crystal pumps in the tub.. of course.

Parisian fashion illustration influence

Gaga the Fashion Plate

Praying in the car to get her record!

A date with Interscope. . .

To all of you who are chasing your dream.  Never give up.

Hope that inspires you!
Emily

 

 

 

 

November 30, 2011
Seriously…

Yes, you caught me red handed.

Take life too seriously? Me? Sometimes. Well – a lot of times actually.  There’s just so many things to do, to accomplish, to “change the world” about.  So many people to see, places to go, experiences to have.

Life is short, carpe diem! … Right?

Yeah, well this is my main source of anxiety! This is a good concept in theory yet if literally taken to the pavement you’d be running around and never taking time to smell the roses.

Balance. Yes, it all comes down to balance. Of course we all should have major things to check of on our bucket list but some of the best and most recent lessons I’ve learned – is just to LET GO! Read SpiritJunkie by Gabrielle Bernstein. (I am in the middle of it right now).

Have faith, Let it be, Chill OUT!

Dance a little, have fun. Smile…. A great friend and amazing women just said to me – and I tweeted “When you find yourself smiling, pay attention and that’s the direction that you go in.” – Monica Taylor.  How profound, yet so simple and it should be so obvious.

Let go. Stop controlling. Follow your heart. Listen to your inner voice. Trust your gut. Know that there is a big picture out there and I believe everything happens for a reason. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right?

Well, something to marinate on at least.

GO FORTH, release.  Stop planning. Follow your heart as you would your nose if you smelled an awesome just-out-of-the-oven batch of cookies, apple pie or cinnamon buns.  Ok, I digress however you get the point.

One of my favorite quotes has and will always be :

“Do you want to arrive at your grave peacefully, or do you want to slide in sideways, chocolate in hand, out of breath from dancing all night, (wearing some fantabulous Louboutins) screaming “WOW what a ride”?”

I think I have been taking life WAYY to seriously these last few months, maybe thats why I’ve been having a hard time adding to my blog about inspiration. I think I can officially say its my JOB to be inspired so that I can do my best work.

Make it your job to be inspired. Do what makes you happy. Smile and dance.  When you are feeling helpless, help someone.

Hope that inspires you!

xoxo Emily

 

November 26, 2011
Giving Thanks

This time of year is so magical, its what the holidays are about.  Realizing that after your full work week, your daily cup  o’joe (or green juice) after the worries and the details of your day have come and gone – all you really have and need is family, love and the relationships that will always be there for you.  I heard Latham Thomas of http://tendershootswellness.com speak at Gabrielle Bernstein’s Spirit Junkie 11/11/11 lecture and something she said really resonated with me.  She spoke about how she let her young son make up his own prayers over his food to give thanks.  What he made up was probably one of the most sweet, insightful and grateful prayers for our food I have ever heard.  I was honored to repeat it at our thanksgiving dinner.

It went something along the lines of this:

Thank you to the farmers who grew this food, thank you to the land that nourished and supported this food to grow, (thank you for the Turkey who gave its life), thank you to the field workers for picking this food, thank you to the merchants who bought these crops, thank you to the supermarket workers and owners for preparing this food so that we can purchase it, thank you for our jobs so we can buy this food, thank you for (my mom) our families who prepared this food and thank you God (or whom ever you pray to or believe in) for letting us enjoy this food to nourish our bodies.

So much goes into your thanksgiving dinner, and the daily food we eat. I am so grateful to live in a country where we don’t have to worry about how we will get our food.  I am grateful for all of the systems we have in place to make our lives easier and give us the ability to nourish, feed, take care and clothe ourselves. I am most of all thankful for all of the love, friends and family I have that surround me and for the ability to welcome in abundance when I put my mind and efforts towards it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

November 1, 2011
Activating your “Red Zone”, the art of inspiration.

So I’m sure you may have noticed that the last two months my blog posts have been less frequent. A lot of mental shifts are occurring for me lately, and major work and career shifts that I am cultivating now have been taking up most of my time.  The point of me mentioning this is significant because, like many creatives (and all people for that matter) – we tend to focus our energy on getting things done, knocking off the goal check list and assuming that time spent should primarily center around the tasks at hand.  Not completely true. This post is about how to tap into your creativity.

The American culture, and especially our corporate culture denote that to be efficient and productive we must; Go, Go, go (for lack of a better term).  As part of my ever-evolving studies on productivity (I am a self proclaimed process junkie always concerned with the how and with really successful individual’s daily routine) and the question I always ask myself “does studying productivity make you less productive?”, I inherently KNOW in my gut that maintaining your craft and analyzing how you do it, will, in effect essentially make you more productive as you get things down to a science.

One method I had been ensuing was the oh-so academic, basic and systematic technique of COLOR-CODING, yes color-coding my tasks.  This is such an entertaining process for my creative mind, using different color sharpie pens to determine what is URGENT (any shade of fuchia, red or pink – in order of importance from darkest to lightest), FUTURE (bright green to signify how I can make money in the future), PROJECTS (orange, to alert me and help those stand out among my list), and MAINTANANCE (blue, teal or purple in order of importance and from darkest to lightest again) based tasks.  Maintenance has sometimes fallen by the way side.  Read on for how that can be detrimental to your success.  Color-coding and hand writing not only activate your left and right brain simultaneously, it has also been proven that writing things down help support your short and long term memory – keeping your to do’s always in the back of your mind.) It works for me.


But anyway, I digress.

As equally important as the process is, what The99Percent deems your “Red Zone” is also one of the most effective ways of increasing your productivity and keeping you inspired.

This blog is about inspiration – and I have not been writing so frequently because I have not been so inspired! This is part of my job as a creative (and inspirational blogger of course). So how do I up the anti on this elusive, yet core feeling of being inspired.

This is how: “Activating your Red Zone” an article in The 99percent by Todd Henry (thank you Todd).

These topics fall into my maintenance category.  I think we all tend to underestimate the importance of maintenance.  In this Go, Go, go mindset – maintenance seems like an after thought.  However, by treating maintenance as professional athletes, models, racecar drivers and even the winners of this Halloween’s annual largest pumpkin grow do – you are keeping your biggest asset (your mind, body, spirit and your creativity) in tiptop performance mode.

Just think about what would happen if a racecar driver failed to maintain their vehicle’s parts, if a model failed to maintain their physique and beauty rest, if an athlete failed to practice their game or if the pumpkin grower did not care for their crop.  Their output; zilch, zero, find a new profession because your screwed!

Lets just watch this short video to illustrate my point. Continued maintenance will produce amazing results. Watch this fun video then read on to get the productivity-making tips.

You may be smiling from this creative marketing campaign, but let me go further to drive the point home.
Maintenance can be like pedaling that bicycle. Do you see the vibrant energy created from that small action of pedaling?
Just like how exercising your body stimulates energy and produces endorphins, creative maintenance produces GENIUS!

Creatives out there, entrepreneurs; hear my call. Maintain your creativity.

And now the juiciness taken right from the mastermind Todd Henry himself. (Click this link for complete article).

“1. Activities that increase your capacity to generate and make ideas happen, such as study, skill development, or research. When we stoke our curiosity by filling our mind with inspirational or challenging thoughts, or hone our craft by intentionally developing our skills, we gain a sturdy platform to build on. Unfortunately, these are often the first activities to get tossed out when we’re in crunch time, and by eliminating them we are borrowing a little bit of time now against the quality of our future work.

What are you doing to stretch your mind, seek inspiration, and fill your creative well? In other words, what are you doing today to increase your capacity to do great work tomorrow? Make sure that these activities find their way onto your calendar, even in busy seasons.

2. Activities that feed your creative soul, like spending time with friends who inspire you. When we get busy, it’s easy to default to engaging only in relationships of obligation or convenience. This means that we are missing out on a key source of creative inspiration. Setting aside time to connect with others, to discover what they’re working on, and to hear what’s inspiring them can expand our perspective and fuel our motivation to do better work. Who inspires you, and are you protecting time on your calendar for them, even during busy times?

3. Activities that provide creative traction, like clarifying objectives with your manager or client. Sometimes we are so anxious to jump into the work that we fail to clarify what’s really expected of us. Taking a small amount of time now to set objectives can save a lot of pain later as we try backpedal out of a mess. Set aside time on the calendar each day to re-align and ensure that you’re working on the right problems. Creatives and teams that regularly clarify their objectives are more productive and are less likely to experience the relational tensions that can kill workplace creativity.”

These may seem like simple no-brainers – yet I myself am guilty of thinking I must push forth and produce.

I did not say it! He did! My left-brain feels guilty just thinking about doing these things. My right brain is jumping for joy.  Balance is KEY! As my spiritual guru and life coach Gabrielle Bernstein preaches, balance is essential to fulfill your dreams and goals.  Take this advice. Seriously.

Today I will be lucky enough to visit one of my new clients BeWellWithArielle at her beautiful Manhattan apartment to do creative direction for a photo shoot for her Reiki infused jewelry.  This lovely lady lives and breathes balance and she inspires me everyday!  Her zest for life and creative soul will help us inspire each other to better both of our work, and then perhaps we will go to yoga! What will you do TODAY that will benefit your passion, service to the world and dreams tomorrow?!

I hope this inspires you!

Xoxo Emily

 

 

October 1, 2011
“Progress Not Perfection”

“Progress Not Perfection”. A quote shared with me by my new friends, Entrepreneur Arielle Fierman, creator of www.BewellwithArielle.com. and Kimberly Lewis, entrepreneur and designer for www.KimberlyLewisHome.com. This saying rings so true to me, as an admitted perfectionist – I accomplish tasks only that which I am 100% satisfied, as opposed to knocking more “future based” things off my check list that I feel are not perfect. I am working on this…

On the Topic of getting work accomplished and moving forward, this may not be so conducive.

I constantly refer to www.the99percent.com by author and entrepreneur Scott Belsky, as well as his book Making Ideas Happen for guidance on this subject.

Sometimes, when launching a new business, finishing a project or making a dent in a long term goal; the answer is PROGRESS, not Perfection.

DO, get it done, and don’t over analyze. You can always go back and fix it or update it.

Starting a new business? Design and order business cards NOW- not after your third draft of different layouts. You need these cards to entice clients for your new business. Would you rather meet some potential customer and hand them your basic yet effective hot-off-the-press cards or get stuck in an elevator with a target consumer and say “oh, I don’t have my cards yet”. (Thanks Arielle for the advice).

Aiming to write that 800 page novel, finish that financial plan, or tackle any other huge fete? Progress, not perfection. START, do one hour a day of the first step for the task at hand. Life is short. Would you rather have NEVER started, because it has to be perfect, or feel you must finish it in one sitting? Bah. Just Do It, as the famed Nike slogan proclaims- Just DO It.

Facing a similar undertaking, I recently had the MOST amazing surgery ever!! I have just undergone PRK laser eye refraction surgery – quite different than LASIC. My amazing Dr. preformed the surgery– Dr. Hatsis of Hatsis Laser Vision in Rockville Center, NY. Since LASIC is a more “instant gratification” type of surgery where you walk right out and see perfectly, PRK has a week to two weeks recovery time with your eyesight getting better and better for up to six months!

Being out of commission for a week was hard enough, but sticking to this mantra “progress, not perfection” was really helpful. When every day my eye sight was improving slowly but surely, each day I could spend a little more time getting computer work done, yet some days none at all. The recovery and resting of my eyes, though going against my less than patient nature, was actually more progress than I could get by straining my eyes. The lesson here: listen to your body. Your body knows what progress you need, be easy with yourself and trust it will all get done. PROGRESS, seeing better one day at a time – not perfection, expecting to be healed over night or expecting results of a different procedure.

Patience also comes to mind. Ah, yes patience. The kiss of death OR success of any goal in life. Knowing when to wait and when to pounce is key. Understanding Progress vs. Perfection is a mixture of listening to your instincts, understanding deadlines, and knowing that Rome was not built in one day.

Hope this inspires you. Rock on.

September 8, 2011
Make more decisions in every day…

photo: Kirlian image of the body’s biological and energetic exchange – http://www.kirlian.org/kirlian.htm

This post is completely inspired by this morning’s The Daily Love – Mastin you are such an inspiration all the time.

The following is a passage from todays Daily Love email – If you don’t already, I highly suggest you subscribe to this. www.TheDailyLove.com @TheDailyLove @MastinKipp

Right now this is so valid in my life. As life becomes more and more chaotic, tangled, and perhaps not quite as you had imagined, it is so easy to get overwhelmed by your goals and feel helpless. I know that I, and I’m sure many of you have felt this way at one point or another.

When so many options and uncertainties lay ahead of you, it’s easier to be afraid of what’s to come than realize that in actuality your road is open to all kinds of possibilities, maybe some that you hadn’t even known to exist.

The beauty of living is knowing that when things open up in your life you have the power to choose which direction you would like to take.

Please read on for this very true and amazing reminder from The Daily Love Todays Quotes:

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