A Land With No Starbucks

A Land With No Starbucks

August 3, 2015Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

“Sometimes we are so focused on the things we want, we miss out on the things we need.” Unknown

When I first saw my new favorite place on Facebook, the home of my Aunt & Uncle, I had no idea if I would ever get there, nor less did I know the impact it would have on my state of being.

You see, I have been so wrapped up in life, and moreover, my business, and have not had a real “off the grid” break in years.

So when the opportunity arose, my Uncles surprise birthday party, and knowing I would get to see a big part of my East Coast family, I was all in. No, it was not the ideal time to take off, no, it was not in my budget, but yes, it was the best decision I have made in a long time.

Little did I know, I would be arriving in the land of no Starbucks (or Coffee Bean, or Uber, or cell service) and boy, what a shock to my system that was.

Many of us get so hung up in what we want, or think we want, or think we need, that we can lose sight of what we really need; love, connection, family, air, reflection, relationships, you know, the stuff that matters.

So how does one live in the land with no Starbucks? Simply. And beautifully. And purposefully.

While I did prepare a bit by bringing my travel French press, I did not have any espresso to put in it. Thankfully, my cousin was in a much more populated area when I inboxed her asked if she could stop by Starbucks so at least I could have my morning espresso, and she graciously obliged my addiction.

But my routine of what I think I need and want went sideways from there. What do you do when you cannot make a phone call? Or have no wireless connection or limited connection? You breathe. That’s what.

Many forget the day of having nether of those things, and yes, we all survived. Generations of awesome humans survived with far less than what is available to us today. And while I LOVE the social + digital web, as being a core of my business, and love how it can empower the people I love, I realized how much we are tethered to our devices, and missing out on so many beautiful things, like life.

I am not one to say put down your devices, I would never and will never believe in that, but what I do know now is that we all need to disconnect. And I can speak for “us all” as I work with people every day who are stressed, filled with anxiety, “too busy” to do important things, overwhelmed, etc.

Think of it this way and play a little game that goes like this…
Want: Starbucks + cell service
Need: Rest + recharging our batteries

Want: To do everything on my to-do list today
Need: To create awesome, quality work

Here is my challenge to you (and to me). Put down your devices. One a week, or a few times a month. And if you cannot seem to disconnect on your own, travel a few times a year to a place you are forced to, like I was, and just be present. Look up. Look around. You will not even believe how beautiful a land with no Starbucks can be.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

PS: A huge shout out of love + gratitude to my entire East Coast fam for making my week “off the grid” so awesome. I love you all so very much and cannot wait to come back (travel French press included)!

4 Tools For Replenishing Our Soul

November 2, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.  -Patti Digh

 

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

We all have those days or weeks, or maybe even months. Our to-do list is totally out of control. Literally. We have somehow become sucked into the vortex, the habitrail of life, and find ourselves feeling like “I can’t even”! And then the victim mentality begins to sink in, the why me dialogue begins in our head. #ugh

Have you been there? I have. And it’s one of my least favorite places to be. It feels like failure. It feels like I have let myself down. I know better.

So, what do we do when this happens? Here are some of the tools I use, and a list that I must revisit more often than not, with the help of my therapist most times. Love her. Thank GOD for her.

1. The Stop Doing List
Now this can be in your head, or written down, whatever your style is. Truth is, there are a few things you are doing right now that do not add value to your life or your business, but it’s many times hard to be objective, until you are desperately burnt out.

Instead of waiting til burnout sets in, set a day each month, to focus on your stop doing list.

2. Just Say No
Ugh. I know. We live in a “Yes I Can” society. And most times, that is awesome, until it depletes your soul. Than it’s not so awesome. When we slow down enough, we can be more mindful of what to say yes to and what to say no to.

3. Step Away From The Car
Metaphorically speaking, of course. But truly, we must from time to time remove ourselves from life. Whether that means taking a long weekend, a day at the beach, a personal development workshop that is not related to our work, turning the phone off for an hour, whatever it is that will allow you to disengage to gain clarity.

4. The Gratitude List
Of course you knew this would be on the list. Why? Gratitude helps our minds gain perspective. We so often lose perspective when we get so hyper focused on our own “problems”.

When we shift our mind into gratitude, things change. They can change our thoughts, our mood and our actions. And even more awesome, studies show a grateful brain can positively affect insomnia, anxiety and even depression. Sign me up!!

So, go ahead and cry. Throw yourself on the couch. Do whatever you need to. But then, pull yourself together by practicing some of the tools above, and get back to creating awesome in your business and your life.

A big shout out of love & gratitude goes to my therapist Nancy who inspired this post. And yes Nancy, I feel better already. Thank you.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Give

Three Wishes

October 7, 2013Nina KovnerGIVE BACK, MY TRUTH

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

Mother Teresa

Give (image via last.fm)

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.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)