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October 3, 2013
Fall Glimmer

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Add a little glimmer to your day for Fall.

We all get caught up from time to time in a mundane routine and work, no matter what it is you do.  Just remember that every day can have a little glimmer in it no matter what is on the schedule for you – especially this fall holiday season.

Relationships: A lot of times we let our social life go by the wayside when we are super busy.  I know as an entrepreneur working late until 3am most nights, there really is no room for 5pm happy hour. If you work a 9-5 you still may need to go to the gym, come home, make dinner, care for a family etc.  If you do have a schedule like that – of course it will be worth it in the end to see your accomplishments come to fruition (work, fitness, family etc.) but in between make sure to take some time for fun.

Step away from your normal routine if you feel drained and uninspired.  Just going for lunch (or a pumpkin spice latté) with a girlfriend will help bring the zing back to your day. Talking with friends also really can rejuvenate you.  Even a phone call will totally help.

Fall is the perfect time to nestle in with friends for coffee, drinks, fun and girl talk to battle the chilly weather blues.

I know I recently felt the blah’s coming on and was so caught up with a lot of work that I needed to finish and thought about canceling my plans.  However, just carving out an hour or two to see a friend really put things in perspective and reenergized me.

Relationships are what life is all about and it is important to have a balance in your life. Friends, romance, family, work; if any one of these four types of relationships are off kilter you will notice it in your energy.

It’s strange to think that this can literally affect your energy but drowning yourself in work or only a few of these types of relationships can bring on the feeling that there is something lacking.

Get creative, get feminine: No need to wait for a dull day to do something special (or sparkly for that matter). Make it a point to really take care of yourself and know that the more you do that the better your work in the world will be.  You will revive the creative juices inside of you by doing something imaginative.

Have girl time with yourself. Take that trip to the bookstore, go candle shopping, do something DIY, break out the glitter and pinterest boards to make some sparkly fall decor, or bake a fun fall batch of muffins.  By enjoying the little things that are feminine and creative, your left-brain will be activated and anything you need to do will get a little easier because you will have a fresh and inventive mindset. As a woman on a schedule, going by the to do list is a fairly masculine energy that we in the millennium have come to accept. It’s so important to tap back into the feminine things you enjoy to reenergize yourself for those hardened tasks.

Nest in: Sometimes our home or office needs a mini-facelift. Whenever things feel stale reorganize your space, purchase a fall scented candle, add some fall decorations and really get into the nesting zone.  When you do this you will feel like you are nurturing your soul.  Cuddle up to those close to you and enjoy your updated surroundings. Visual stimulus really help to provide soothing experiences for our mind, body and soul. Treat your space as a temple. Take it easy when you have to and prep for the fall festivities.

Hope that inspires you!

xoxo

Emily

 

 

January 31, 2013
Do all things with love.

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Illustration of Solar Plexas Chakra Girl from
new book Kick Ass Dreams by Patricia Tomasi

No matter what it is you do. Do all things with love. That is how you create true joy in your life.

The little things are what matter the most.

Maya Angelou once said, “People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”

The feeling behind your intentions will always shine through to those on the receiving end.

Last night I made a blue Rice Krispy treat cake, iced with cool whip, decorated with strawberries, purple icing and sprinkles along with white chocolate dipped marshmallows with purple and blue sprinkles for my boyfriend’s birthday. I put so much love into those ingredients and I know my man felt it.  Just doing little simple things like homemade birthday cake with his favorite colors and twist on traditional cupcakes with all the ingredients he likes is what makes things special.

I love birthdays and especially I love the look on his face when he sees each one of my creations and surprises, it makes me so happy to make him happy.

Bring joy to your life by doing all things with love.

I learned this from my mom when she used to make my sister and me lunches, she would sometimes throw in a surprise in our lunchbox. One day it was a pink and purple pen with a foam “cool guy” head wearing sunglasses and a orange feather Mohawk. Another day it was a love note. Another day she put stickers in our lunchboxes. It’s these little things that I will never forget because of how they made me feel.

They made me feel so special and loved and I know I could feel the love she put into those little surprises.

When you make a meal for someone, cut it into the shape of a heart. Write a sticky note “I <3 U” and put it somewhere unexpected.

Think of any little thing that someone will enjoy and make their day easier.  It took me a while to realize that one but it is a good thing to know.

If you are stressed or seem over whelmed, take the time out to do something with love. Garden for yourself and take care of your plants, pick out your clothes for the next day and make yourself feel special. Give your dog a little massage and make him feel loved. Taking that simple break will really recharge your energy and make you feel good from the inside out.

Studies say that making others happy is the best way to feel fulfilled in your own life.

What little something can you do for someone with love today?

Hope that inspires you!
xoxo
Emily

P.S. Check out Patricia Tomasi’s new book Kick Ass Dreams where all of my Chakra Girls are featured and published! Buy it here on amazon!

December 31, 2012
2013 This is OUR year, breathe it in.

New Years Eve IllustrationHappy New Year and Happy 2 Year Anniversary to my blog on January 1st!!! Resolutions do stick sometimes, huh.

What an exciting year it has been!

I am proud to say this is also the 6-month anniversary of my weekly Newsletter (subscribe here to get in on it)! It is a promise that I have made 6 months ago to deliver weekly illustrations and blog posts to you, and it is something I have taken seriously and proudly kept up, every week for 6 months!

Thus far I have created 23 new illustrations for my blog alone in these last 6 months, and at the end of the one-year anniversary of these newsletters will have created 52 blog illustrations – and that does not include illustrations I have done for clients!

Some of these illustrations have gone on to become products for my online store that launched only a month and a half ago!!! It feels like it has been at least a year! That is another one of my exciting business moves made this year!!! That’s right I am celebrating! And you should celebrate all of your accomplishments this past year too!

I can honestly say that creating this blog for you is probably my favorite thing to do all week.  I look forward to it coming out every Thursday via email. To express myself in writing and create a beautiful illustration each week gives me so much joy, especially because it is created with the intention to inspire, and if it has inspired at least one person then I have done my job.

I wanted to say a big thank you to YOU for taking the time to read my blogs and view my illustrations! Your support inspires me to keep moving towards my dreams – and with that, on with my blog – a blog dedicated to inspiring you BIG time to live your dreams in 2013 and beyond.

Hope you enjoy….

“Imagine that anything is possible, and name the most amazing thing that could happen in 2013.” – Marianne Williamson.

What would it be?

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” – Oprah Winfrey.

What would you ask for?

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”  – Oprah Winfrey.

Are you up for that adventure?

“Imagine if you were not afraid to fail. What would you be doing right now.” – Oprah Winfrey.

Now take this New Year, and run with it. Do it. Live it how you want to.

What would you do differently?  What would you do more of?  What would you do less of?  Who would you not spend time with?  Who would you see more often?  What would you say that has thus far been left unsaid?

What would you say NO to? What would you say Yes to?

It is a brand new year, a year that many of us have gone through hoops of fire to get to. What would you do with this newfound gift? What would you do if you had another chance to get it right, if you had a clean slate?

If you are on the right path, how can you give more, serve more and be more of that?

This is OUR year. Breathe it in. 

This will be a year of significant change. I can feel it in my bones and it’s inspiring.  The climate of our society, of our economy and of our trust in humanity is being tested.  We, as individuals must rise above the challenges and “Be the change we wish to see in the world” – Ghandi.

Change yourself.  You are in control.
Forgive and let go.
Take care of this moment.  Without action, you aren’t going anywhere. See the good in people and help them persist. Be congruent, be authentic and be your true self. Continue to grow and evolve.

These are Ghandi’s fundamentals for changing the world.

“To the world you are one person, but to one person you may mean the world.” – Unknown.

Every little bit counts.  Seconds make up minutes and minutes make up hours.

Do you have the guts to see it through?  Can you hold yourself up to the standards you have set for yourself in your heart?

If you are the author to the story of your life, what does 2013 hold for you?

Let me know! You can leave comments below to share your goals and visions for 2013!

Hope that inspires you to live an inspired life!

Happy NEW YEAR!

Xoxo

Emily

 

November 23, 2012
Black Friday Weekend Sale!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Black Friday and happy sale weekend!

25% off Coupon code below!

Double your happiness factor this Thanksgiving all weekend long!

The effects of gratitude can be overwhelming and Thanksgiving is the time to have it. This year we have tons to be grateful for, surviving the Super Storm Sandy with our lives, maybe even our homes, and if we were really lucky, maybe even our belongings.  Others were much less fortunate and if you are reading this now, you are blessed with a computer, Internet, heat, electricity and more. You may have family who love you, are healthy, you yourself may be healthy, and have enough finances to provide these things. Maybe you have a few of these things or maybe you have much more.  Maybe this year is better than last. Maybe last year was better than this, but we are still fighting the good fight. We are still here and alive. While we may not all be billionaires (yet), we are among the very privileged to not be living on the street or living in a war zone.

Taking the time to be really grateful for all of these things, and the bountiful feast we are about to take part on for this Thanksgiving holiday. It is important for ourselves, for our family and as Americans.

Being grateful will shift your mindset when you are running low on energy and feeling stressed over the holidays.  Yes we all have tons of things to do, maybe tons of things to cook, to organize, travel arrangements to uphold and more. Perhaps your family is or will get on your nerves.

Take a five-minute break and through these times of stress remember what you are grateful for. Write it down if you must.  If you are feeling really down, and this can be done any time of year; set your alarm clock for 5 minutes and write down all that you are grateful for.  You can read this right? You can see, you can hear, you can smell, your arms and legs may or may not be functioning, you may or may not be in full health. You have a roof over your head, you have a lot of things to write down on your list. If you are alive, celebrate that. Continue your list until the 5 minutes are up, read it through and this is scientifically guaranteed to boost your happiness quotient.  After that share some smiles to strangers or lend a helping hand.

Although Thanksgiving is the time to be grateful, we should remember to be grateful all year round. Get yourself or someone else a Gratitude Notebook. Decide that in this notebook you will only write positive things, affirmations, goals, dreams, what you are grateful for and your progress. Refer back to your notebook entries anytime you feel down.

“Give that which you wish to receive.” Deepak Chopra. Give love to get love, give gratitude and respect to get gratitude and respect. Give compliments and well wishes and receive it back.  If you are feeling down, help someone. Make someone else feel better. It can be as simple as sending holiday cards like these –  send gratitude to those you love and write a quick note about what they mean to you.

To share my gratitude with you for subscribing to my newsletter and for supporting my dreams and my journey, I am offering you a Thanksgiving Sale discount this weekend!

Get notebooks, holiday cards and custom illustrations all 25% off this weekend for Black Friday, Small business Saturday, Sunday and Cyber Monday get 25% off with discount code: ThanksgivingSaleWeekend2012 on www.EmilyBrickelIllustrations.com

And if you so desire, I would love it if you wrote an email back to me about what you’re grateful for and how I can serve you better!
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope that inspires you!

Xoxo

Emily

October 25, 2012
Just Believe…

 

Click here: to see my top picks on PeaceLoveThreads.com 

In Illustration: Cutoff Comet Sweater and Senderkis Box Hand bag available on PeaceLoveThreads.com use code PLTAutumn2012 for 10% off! Also available, My illustrated notebooks! 

What I know about life…

No matter how old we are or how young, there is nothing more powerful than our own mind, and our own power of creation.

When you express yourself your power grows. The more you let yourself feel it and practice it, the more mastery of it you obtain. Use it or loose it.

Ask yourself “What is it that you really want???… Do it. There is no way to convince anyone of your greatness. You have to know it on the inside and DO IT… Knife fight your way to your dream.” – Lady Gaga, The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet.

Try harder, try a different way.  What are the stories you are telling yourself about why you can’t or are afraid to move forward.  What journey of a thousand miles are you creating in your head that can only be taken one step at a time?

Try until you make it.  Don’t stop when it stops being easy.  Take your power back, schedule time to work on it, to take your one step each day. Work through it when you are not in the mood, push on and you will get in the mood.

Be gentle with yourself, Rome was not built in one day, or month – or year.

We are on a lifetime JOURNEY to learn what we are meant to learn. Lessons will keep coming up until you understand them.  Things happen to slow you down, so you can actually slow down and think!!!!! To maybe gain a fresh perspective or a big picture view, we can only see this from the slow lane.  Once we know where we are going we can speed up again.

Believe in miracles, there are forces around you that you cannot see or hear. If you tune in to your intuition you will notice them. Pay attention. You are being guided and there is some kind of force greater than you, even if you can’t see that yet or don’t know what it is.

Remember when you were younger, what did you believe then?  Did you think you can conquer the world?  You can, you just have to scuff off all the grime you have heard by people who don’t listen to their intuition or worse yet listen, but don’t do what it says.  Maybe you have become one of those people.  Unlearn it. Go back to your true self.  Stop making yourself sick. You are in this lifetime to get it right, to find happiness.

Don’t listen to anyone’s advice but your own for a while, your inner voice – it is your inborn compass to decipher what works for you and what YOU should be doing as opposed to what others tell you that you should be doing.

“Authenticity is sexy.” – Gabrielle Bernstein, best selling author of Add More –Ing, Spirit Junkie and revolutionary leader.

Go inward. Stop. Take inventory of what you want, what kind of impact do you want to have on the world. Course correct. Where are you NOT on this path? What gives you stress? How can you remove what you don’t like and add what you do like? How can you see it differently?

Thank you to all my mentors Gabrielle Bernstein, Marie Forleo, my Mom and my internal guide for helping me grow and learn and challenge myself, every…single…day.

Celebrate life.  I have had a major breakthrough by slowing down when I got sick and by seeing things differently.  How can you do the same?  Ask yourself – What do you need in this life to be fulfilled and what no longer works for you?
Celebrating right now!!!! Live every day as if it were your last. If today were to be your last, what would be your legacy?

Thank you, and as always –

I hope that inspires you,

Xoxox

Emily

P.S. I am proud to support my friend and entrepreneur Tash Moore and her partner Christine Okoye of PeaceLoveThreads.com, a newly opened ecommerce boutique – they are working their dream to the max and I hope that inspires you to do the same! Check out their store and purchase the sweater and purse in the illustration above from their website with the 10% off code! How cool is that!!!  Wanna know what else is so cool? They are going to be selling my Illustrated notebooks on their site!!! Check it out here for details! www.PeaceLoveThreads.com/emilys-picks. This link will be live as of Friday Oct 26 2012 at 1pm.

xoxo

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