“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
Marcel Proust
Here is the audio version of this post. Snoring compliments of Zen Louis Kovner. Thank you so much for listening. I am grateful.
In this month of giving thanks, many of us get inspired to focus on gratitude which is awesome. What is even more awesome is when we learn to bring gratitude into our every day lives. I know I write often about this topic, because it literally saved my life, so yes, I’m a little passionate about it.
Just like any habit or practice, we first have to really want it and see value in it. For me, the incentive was to live. For you, it may be different. No matter the reason, I can tell you that gratitude can be the best medicine.
So how can we incorporate gratitude 365 days a year? My solution is a gratitude list. A simple mental or physical exercise that allows my mind to focus on all the gifts that I have. Whether you make a mental list or keep a journal, try to make one list a day. Try it for a week, then a few weeks, then a month, then 2 months, next thing you know you are in the habit of finding something to be grateful for, even in the darkest of days.
Here are some of my favorite quotes on gratitude. The last one, by Melody Beattie, is tattooed on my left arm, which gives me a daily reminder of why I chose life.
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
Epicurus
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
Meister Eckhart
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
John F. Kennedy
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
Thornton Wilder
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
William Arthur Ward
“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”
Jean Baptiste Massieu
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melody Beattie
Let’s celebrate giving thanks this month, but come December, how about we keep that gratitude going, next thing you know, it will become a way of life. A life worth living and seeing in a whole new way. What are some of your favorite ways to get into gratitude? You can share in the comments below. I’m listening.
Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.
This week I celebrate my 47th birthday. For me, birthdays give us an opportunity to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the coming year. I also see birthdays as a way to give back, both to ourselves and others. To close our eyes and make a wish as we blow out our candles.
This year, I have three wishes both for me and for you. These are not wishes of material goods, I have long lost my desire to collect things, but wishes of empowerment, awesomeness and self-love. When I wake up Wednesday morning, I will be setting my intentions for the coming year, and making my three wishes, will you join me?
Wish #1 Do Something Awesome For You
This is the one I want most for you. As givers and healers, you spend countless hours each week helping others look and feel beautiful. It is imperative that you feed your own soul in order to feed others. Just like the lovely flight attendant tell us every single time we get on the airplane, “Put your mask on before assisting others”. Take a day off, get a massage, go to the beach, read a book, watch the entire season of Orange Is The New Black, whatever, just please do something awesome for you this week.
Wish #2 Do Something Awesome For A Teammate
It is so easy for us to get so wrapped up in our own stuff, drama, family, life, whatever, that we many times forget that part of our purpose on this planet is to help each other. There is nothing more beautiful than being helpful, particularly when it’s unexpected. Sweep their hair, clean their bowls, hand them foils, bring them their favorite Starbucks, whatever you can do to help lift the burden of another, do that. When you do this, you will be filling two hearts with joy, not just one.
Wish #3 Do Something Awesome For A Stranger
We have all heard the amazing stories of people helping strangers. You know, paying it forward and stuff. And it’s something we can do every day. All three of these wishes we can do every day. How awesome is that? Whether it’s a smile, opening the door, paying for a meal, a cup of coffee, a pack of smokes, allowing a car to pull in front of you, whatever, the feeling of random acts of kindness is one of the best feelings in the world.
So those are my birthday wishes and I hope you join me this week as we create awesome in our world. I would love to hear about your wishes so please share them with me via email or on Facebook, Twitter, whatever, I will be sharing mine throughout the week as well.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King Jr
Here is the audio version of the post. Thank you for listening. <3 Look For The Helpers
It is so interesting to me how this world works sometimes. How in the blink of an eye, everything changes. That is what happened as I was boarding my plane yesterday afternoon. My heart was full, after spending the weekend in San Jose at the Spring Style Show, sharing my passion with the people that I love. Then I saw the heartbreaking news. And everything changed.
My Love + Prayers for Boston
I had another blog planned for this week, and normally I post it on Monday mornings. But this week, I chose to wait till this morning. As I turned on my computer, my heart told me my previous blog could wait. There was something more important I needed to share.
So today, I dedicate this post to the people of Boston, to the precious lives that were lost, to the beautiful souls injured, to their families and friends, to this community of Passionistas who choose light over darkness, and love over hate.
Look For The Helpers
You see, no matter what happens in this world, in our lives or in our business, what matters is how we respond. And over the last 12 hours, we have all been witness to so much love both online and offline, but we have also seen so much hate. I choose love. I choose to “look for the helpers”, as Mister Rogers so awesomely said.
Within moments of the tragedy, helpers were everywhere. Google Person Finder helped people locate their loved ones. Over 1000 residents opened their homes to those affected. Southwest Airlines stepped up to help people get home safely. Airbnb immediately took action to help those in need.
Choose Love
We have a choice everyday when we wake up, a choice about the energy we bring to our world. In the salon, in our community, and our family, both online and off. We have a choice to be hateful or loving. Our world needs more love. Our businesses need more love. Our families need more love.
As my hero John Lennon said; “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Love is the answer, it always has been. And today, I choose to do my part to bring more loving energy to myself, my family, my friends, my business and my world. Will you join me?
As I sit here and write this, I am still numb thinking about the tragic events of December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary. Like many of you, it’s been difficult to find the words, to go about our everyday lives, knowing that there is so much suffering happening. It sure does put things in perspective.
This post is in honor of the beautiful, precious and innocent children and teachers we lost and for the survivors and the families, whose lives are forever changed.
How Will You Use Your Voice?
When events such as this take place, we all have different ways of coping. Some lash out and get hateful and mean, as many of us have seen on the social web.
But the social web can also be very empowering, used for good and a beautiful example of this is Ann Currys #26Acts movement. An idea, a hashtag, and taking action. Those three simple yet powerful things have launched a movement for good around the world. Simply awesome.
It’s moments like these that make me proud to be part of the human race and stands as a great reminder that there are so many good people in this world who are standing up for love and using their voice to make a difference.
I Believe In Love
You see, I believe in love. I believe that love is more powerful than hate. And I believe that the more love we put out into the universe, the more love there will be. And in our heartbreak and pain, we have a choice. We can get mad and hateful, or we can get empowered and do something good, like Ann Curry did.
I believe that if we all made a choice every morning when we woke up that we would be more loving, more kind, more compassionate, and more careful with our words and actions, our world would be in a better place. It begins with each of us.
Are You In?
I am participating in #26Acts. As of today, I am at #6. And each day I will find more ways to help make another life better. I am making a difference. I am doing something. And it feels good. Will you join me?
To learn more about the #26Acts movement, click here and become part of something greater than yourself.
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
Charles Dickens
As all of you know, Hurricane Sandy was an incredibly devastating event that destroyed many lives, homes and businesses. And even though the nightly news has moved on, we have not.
There is still so much to be done to help our own. As we first wrote about on October 31, there is a fund in our industry to help beauty professionals during disasters. It’s called the NCA Disaster Relief Fund.
While the Fund has been around since 1955, our very own passionista Gordon Miller, former Director of the NCA, lead the effort to raise over one million dollars during Hurricane Katrina. Now with the devastation of Sandy, it’s time to step up again and give back.
We are so honored to be supporting a fundraising event on December 9 in NYC called Hairdressers Helping Hairdressers. We are asking each of you to get involved any way you can.
How you can help:
ATTEND
Purchase a ticket and hang out with some of the coolest in the biz. While you are there, please consider bidding on some of items being offered in the Silent Auction. One of those items is a Month of One-On-One Mentoring with us. Yay!
DONATE
Donate whatever you can to the Disaster Relief Fund. A day of tips possibly? Every penny counts.
SHARE
Post, tweet, share, comment, like, re-tweet, pin, repin to spread the word. Be sure to use the hashtag #hhh on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
A great big shout out of awesomeness to all the people and companies helping make this event come to life. We heart you.
behindthechair.com
Betty Dain Creations / Colortrak
Canoe Studios
DePasquale Companies
Goldwell / KMS
Hairbrained
InSync
Joico / Zotos International
Kerastasse
L’Oreal Professionnel
Matrix
Modern Salon
NickEd
Oribe
Passion Squared
PBA
Pivot Point International
Pureology
Redken
Sally Beauty Holdings
Salon Centric
Sassoon
Ted Gibson
The Temple: A Paul Mitchell Partner School
TIGI
Wella
Zotos
While we are only two passionate people with a new baby company, we are doing what we can. Will you join us? Click here to get involved.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
