May Your Heart Shine Like a Peace Sign

I took this photo of our vintage marquee peace sign for Day 30 of my #100HappyDays challenge.

The idea behind the #100HappyDays challenge is simple and inspiring and that's why I love it so much! 

Each day I get to take a photo of something that makes me happy and post it. Easy-peasy! (Click here to visit my #100HappyDays pinterest board to see the crazy variety of things that have made me happy over the last several weeks.)

The purpose of the challenge is to help people realize that it doesn't take a lot of time to be happy.

As a result of #100HappyDays I'm focused on seeing something good in my life at least once a day. Even the simplest things like a fluffed up bird sitting in a tree or the fact that tasty orange cuties are in season bring me happiness. Focusing on what brings joy to my life, even for the few moments it takes to snap a photo and post it, also brings me peace.

This aligns so nicely with my philosophy that even small amounts of time spend enjoying your Creative Oasis (whatever makes your heart sing and time fly) is time well-spent! 

This is the time of year we often hear the message "Peace on earth ~ good will toward men." Ironically, it's also the time of year that can stress us out so much we end up spending much of the time feeling quite the opposite of peaceful! 

So, what can we do about that? How can we experience more feelings of peace during the Christmas holidays?

When we make our own self-care a priority that helps us handle all of the relationships and responsibilities in our lives with more grace, ease and joy. This in turn helps the people in our lives to also experience more happiness, grace and peace. And so on...and so on...and so on. (If you're of a certain age please pardon the shampoo commercial reference.)

As the Christmas season begins, I invite you to choose an easy-to-do, soul-satisfying, peace-inducing creative challenge of your own. Here are a few ideas to help you begin...

~ Join me for the #100HappyDays challenge 

(www.100happydays.com)

~ Choose one thing you're grateful for each day in December and

write it in your journal, post it on Facebook or simply keep it in your heart

~ Ask yourself "What's one easy way I can help myself feel peaceful today?" 

(*Hint ~ it could be as simple as taking a few nice deep breaths.)

~ Enjoy 5 minutes of "I Get To" creative time 

(Easy ideas: doodling, coloring in a mandala, writing a haiku, stringing popcorn & cranberries)

I wish you many peaceful moments and a season filled with lots of love, laughter and light ~ especially the kind that makes your heart shine like a big ol' peace sign!

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ When I began playing with words to add to my peace sign photo for this post, I was delighted to realize that the "earth and heart" are anagrams. This felt like a special heemeesheemee to me. (*Heemeesheemee ~ my word for a serendipitous occurrence.) 

An Alternative to Cyber Monday Craziness...An Invitation to Create the Christmas of Your Dreams

Like you, I’ve been barraged with emails and ads for Black Friday and Cyber Monday...for doorbusters and price slashers and midnight madness.

Sound more like horror films than the beginning of the Christmas season, doesn’t it?

If you’re already over the over-the-top commercialism and stress the holidays can bring, I invite you to join me for “Create the Christmas ofYour Dreams” ~ a creative teleclass and support group designed to help you embrace holiday happiness, creative joy and good self-care this season.
(*Note: Registration closes Wednesday 12/3/14 at 11am central)

This class if for you…

~ If using your creativity more than your credit cards sounds like a good idea.

~ If you’d like to make at least one handmade Christmas gift or card this season. (Perhaps one of the approximately 738 you have on your pinterest boards?)

~ If you wish you could release the need to meet other people’s holiday expectations. (Hint: Martha Stewart is not my role model!)

~ If you’d like permission to enjoy some good self-care, even when there’s so much else to do. 

(BTW - the top three self-care contenders from my holiday survey were meditation, walking and massage and we'll be discussing ways to weave those into your schedule too.)

~ If you look forward to doing some holiday baking and want to feel that using premade cookie dough & pie crusts is not a punishable holiday crime this is the place for you!

If you can relate to any of these Christmas wishes, then I hope you’ll join me for Create the Christmas of YourDreams.

Once a week beginning this Wednesday, December third, we’ll meet up by phone to enjoy some creative prompts and play and I’ll share simple ways to experience a Christmas season that feels the way you’d like it to feel.

Giving yourself the gift of just one hour of Creative Oasis “me-time” for the next three weeks will help you feel energized and joyful rather than Grinchy & stressed out this month.

For about the price of a mani/pedi ($49.94) you’ll enjoy three one-hour phone sessions, including a packet of interactive creative sheets for each call, lovely e-mail follow-ups.

   

Click the button below to register.

                            

I’m really looking forward to sharing these simple and fun creative coaching tools & techniques to help your Create the Christmas of Your Dreams. (*Note: Registration closes Wednesday 12/3/14 at 11am central)

Just click here to register and I’ll send your first creative packet right away. I’ll even send you the recording of the “Warm-Up” call we had before Thanksgiving if you’d like to get started before our call this Wednesday.

I look forward to sharing this special time with you. I know that together we can hit shift from feeling like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to “It’s a Wonderful Life!”  

All the best from my “let’s all take a nice deep breath” Christmas Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com