Category Archives: Motivation

m is for music

m is for music

Blog, habits, Inspiration, Motivation

music is such a part of my life. i think it began when i was very young. my dad would play his hifi stereo music loud late at night after my sisters and i went to bed.

i was in an upstairs bedroom and the music would travel through the house up through the floors and in through my bones as i slept. so many years later, i can remember the songs. music was such a part of my young life because of his love for it. it lulled me to sleep so many nights in that muffled, heavy bass kind of way.

motivation

sometimes  i find myself sluggish when it comes to getting something done around the house. i stop what i'm doing to plug myself into my music, and off i go.

so "m" is music for me in a big way. it motivates me, inspires me and entertains me. the Ipod so many years ago to me was the best invention EVER. now i can carry thousands of songs with me in my phone everywhere i go, especially on my walks.

so for "m," i will remind myself to plug in when i feel like sitting down for the day. i can then push myself a little bit longer to get a further along on my tasks at hand.

i hope you have been making your weekly intention habitual and that it has moved you forward in the way you'd like it to. i keep many of these in the back of my mind daily. i can pick and choose what works best for the day. i'm not doing all of them at once, (A - M)  but i definitely have choices of daily intentions to pick from. good luck with yours!

xo

my 2016 post for m was making memories last. i enjoyed creating this blog since it is about journaling and i love to journal! find the blog here.

i have put a collection of some of my earlier favorite blogs in a book on amazon. you can read them on my blog list or purchase the collection here.

love it

L is for Love it

Blog, habits, love, Motivation
L is for Love it

This week my intent is to make sure I'm doing something special each day, and that i love it. Some days that might be something as simple as having a Starbucks iced-chai-latte. Other days it could be a walk on the beach or dinner out.

When I'm planning my day in my head, usually while I'm in the shower, I think ahead to the days' events and projects. I will also decide what activity I will include in my day. One that I will love doing. I'll begin my day looking forward to something special later.

Always having something in my day to look forward to is like that Taco Tuesday idea. Looking forward and being excited about my day makes for a more festive and rewarding day.

To loving it, and enjoying it! L opens up all sorts of choices but I hope you love your day and week no matter your choice. xo

My daily planner literally allows you to plan only one day at a time. With one page at a time. It helps you live in the moment and the day. You enter tasks and activities you want to accomplish during the day. It also asks for your ideal meals to keep yourself accountable, and any exercise you will do. There are other things to list, but it's a planner that you fill out each night for five minutes before bed. You can go to sleep feeling in order and having things under control. I use it and feel accomplishment when my head hits the pillow each night. The days that I don't use it, either by forgetting to or by falling out of habit, I feel I've shorted myself. You can find it on Amazon here.

And my previous blog from 2016 on L for Look for the Lessons is here.

 

 

being quiet is instrumental during stressful days and weeks.

J for Just Dance

Blog, habits, Life's Setbacks, Motivation
J is for Just Dance

My intent for this week is to Just Dance. I've been busier than normal and sometimes it stresses me out, but if I remind myself that if I just dance through it, I WILL get to the other side of it and be through it.

It's a good reminder to not take myself so seriously. There's problems others have that are much worse than my busy days, and I can instead be thankful that I am depended on and needed.

Put up your mirror reminder

I foresee the note on my mirror to say, just dance through it, which could also mean, don't worry so much. Carrying worries around is pretty useless because most of them don't come to life and therefor they soak up unnecessary energy I could be using for something else.

So my intent, my focus, is to not focus on the hard, but to focus on the good.

I also wrote the same idea in my 2016 ABC Blog, and I will share that below under J is for Just Dance. It is good advice worth repeating. I am also including below all my 2016 ABC Blogs if you have time for a good read today.

Another way to translate "just dance"

D = Don't argue

A = Accept the situation

N = Nurture yourself

C = Creative problem-solving

E = Enjoy the moment

"A" is for accepting your present existence
"B" is for be you
"C" is for create
"D" is for do
"E" is for eating and exercising
"F" is for free to choose
"G" is for grit
"H" is for higher
"I" is for intelligence preservation
"J" is for just dance
"K" is for kick crap to the curb
"L" is for look for the lesson
"M" is for Making Memories Last
"A" through "M" summary to Better Choices
"N" is for Nurture
"O" is for optimum
"P" is for moms are pack leader
"Q" is for quiet your mind
"R" is for reorganizing 
"S" is for simplifying
"T" is for being your own teacher
"U" is for utilizing 5 tools we already own
"V" is for visualize your day
"W" is for walking

"X" is for eXpect good things

"Y" is for saying yes, sometimes

"Z" is for a zillion choices

Enjoy and good luck with your J word intent this week~ xo

increase intelligence each day this week

I is for Increase Intelligence

Blog, habits, Inspiration, Motivation

How am I going to get smarter this week and increase intelligence? That question alone will make me think. I could learn a new word & definition each day, do crossword puzzles, read random trivia or meditate. Each day I will have the intent to increase intelligence, in a different way each day.

I can easily fall into the rut of doing the same stuff each day that's required, but between making my home a happier place and having intent for improvement each week, the rut can disappear.

Improving by working on my memory and doing things in a new and different way will change the same old same old to something more interesting and new things to look forward to.

So I is for "Increase Intelligence." I hope your intent this week is engaging and successful. And that you are still in the game. Have the best Monday! xo

P. S. My blog I wrote back in 2016 was also about improving intelligence and memory. You can find the post here.

Find my books for improvement in many areas of your life on Amazon.

Setting goals with www.backtobeingawoman.com

G is for Making Goals

Blog, habits, Inspiration, Motivation

"G" is going to be really easy. For me, it will be for making more Goals. I work on my To-Do's religiously, but my goals tend to come second to them, which might be a bit backwards. My To-Do's are those things that need planning and scheduling and have deadlines. To-Do's are more like duties. Goals are more like luxuries.

Meeting Goals

I'd love to meet some of my goals that sit out there waiting patiently, floating on by, pacing the air. They never leave. They just wait. And in some cases, wait and wait and wait. Goals are so easy to put aside. This week, it's going to be all about putting them out front, written down along-side my To-Do's, which btw I'm really good about putting down each night (see my one-page, one-day-at-a time planner here).

Putting a deadline on a couple of my goals will give them the attention that they deserve. I foresee a fun week ahead.

How about you? G is for...? good? great? grand? good night's sleep? The more I type, the better "Goal" sounds.

No matter what you put out in front of you this week, good luck!

 

My most recent LunchBox jokes are here. Print, clip & add to their lunches.Lunch Box Jokes 
 Get to the root of who you are and to the things that you'd love to be doing. #Live Simply #Live Elegantly Your Life Journal for $14.99 for the paperback on Amazon and $9.99 for the ebook, helps you put your head and home in sync with you and your life so that you can begin creating and living a life that you love. #Live Simply is part memoir, part journal to get you out of distraction and into a frame of mind that helps you to focus on living a happier and more fulfilled life. It was my summer baby two summers ago.
Katherine did an ABC Blog Series for #BetterChoices2016 in order to make 2016 your best year. Follow her blog at www.backtobeingawoman.com and read Blogs A to Z to make your 2017 a love fest of creating a life you love. Get the blogs as soon as they are sent out by signing up for her newsletters.
Find previous ABC Blogs here.

"A" is for accepting your present existence
"B" is for be you
"C" is for create
"D" is for do
"E" is for eating and exercising
"F" is for free to choose
"G" is for grit
"H" is for higher
"I" is for intelligence preservation
"J" is for just dance
"K" is for kick crap to the curb
"L" is for look for the lesson
"M" is for Making Memories Last
"A" - "M" to Better Choices
"N" is for Nurture
"O" is for optimum
"P" is for moms are pack leader
"Q" is for quiet your mind
"R" is for reorganizing 
"S" is for simplifying
"T" is for being your own teacher
"U" is for utilizing 5 tools we already own
"V" is for visualize your day
"W" is for walking

"X" is for eXpecting good things

Follow me on Facebook  and  Twitter
Books by Katherine A. Rayne on Amazon.com.
Lost in Thoughts Adult Coloring Book An Adult Coloring Book that interviews you with each illustration.
Back to Being a Woman (Without Changing the Man) Turn relationships into Elationships.
#Living Simply #Living Elegantly Your Life Journal Get your head and home in sync.
There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel. You A compilation of my blogs that all women can relate to.
Daily Planning with a Purpose: Feel Accomplishment Everyday  365 pages for daily planning
Visit my website at www.backtobeingawoman.com

 
Eating Healthy Food

F is for Food, of course

Blog, habits, Healthy Living, Inspiration, Motivation
Food

F is for Food this week for me. I know I did E for Eating last week, so it might seem like a repeat, but food is serious business. I watch our technology in the world improve with major growth; smart phones, computers, televisions, automobiles, Alexa's in our homes, advancement in medicines and treatments. Meanwhile, I watch our food intake seemingly go backwards.

If we are able to make everything in the world faster, better, stronger, more logical and more sophisticated, how is it that our diets continue to get worse, more toxic, more sugary, more gluten, more chemicals and less healthy?

What would our diets look like if we were to strive for better, healthier, stronger and leaner, instead of faster, easier and more processed? And then what would WE look like with better diets.

I always have snacks (read: junk food) in the house. There's also snacks that I refuse to keep in the house because I might eat all of it in a single sitting. My daughter asked for some delicious bakery cookies a while back when we were in the grocery store. I told her no and she asked why not. I told her it was because I'd eat them. lol. But truthfully, I still could eat healthier. Even when I'm eating healthy.

It's a matter of mind frame, but so hard sometimes. So that's my F word this week in order to further motivate my choices each day.

I found F to have an abundance of choices: fun, family, food and festive. So whatever you choose, choose in the best interest of you and your week. Have fun with your family, eat good food and make each day festive!

"Eat less sugar. You're sweet enough already."  (i love that but have no idea who said it.) xo

Click to get my blogs regularly~

 

 

eat healthy to live healthy

E is to Eat (smile)

Blog, habits, Healthy Living, Inspiration, Motivation

eat is such a good word! 🙂 last week, i did my d word as "done." i planned to not begin another project until the last one i began was finished. what that meant for me was that i didn't get a whole lot "done." i'd remind myself when starting a project that i wouldn't have time to finish it at that exact moment. it allowed the procrastinator in me to really shine.

 

i definitely didn't finish as much as i wanted, so now maybe i won't be as hard on myself. if i take a few turns to get something done, it's not the end of the world. i love when that happens. one more discovery that i'm okay as i am. (chortle)

 

this week's word

 

so this week i have new words for e. mine is to eat for energy. i am probably choosing that because this past friday i made my favorite soul food of peanut butter cookies fresh from the oven style. then i ate too many of course and felt sick afterwards. i think i was trying to make up for lost time with something that i love and hadn't had for awhile. omg. chill on the cookies. i won't be making them for awhile, but they were really good. i have no regrets.

 

so this week, energy please. i love salmon, walnuts, spinach and avocado's almost as much as i do peanut butter cookies. i'm adding them on to my grocery list this week. and already i'm salivating. i really love food.

 

your "e" word

 

so what is your e word going to be this week? electric? energized? euphoria? epiphany? excitement? exercise? e is a really good letter to motivate you...so many great words. so have an exciting, energized, electric epiphany this week, and enjoy!

 

"a goal should scare you a little and excite you a lot." joe vitale

 

catch my blog right away each monday in your email. join the click here. ♥

xoKatherine

 

“d” is for getting it done ~

Blog, habits, Inspiration, Motivation

good monday morning! i'm going to get things done this week. that is my "d" word.

i hope you had a relaxing weekend like i did.

my weekend was just the right amount of fun and "done." usually i know my word days before i do this blog, and then i jump into my word right away. that's what i did this weekend. d is for done!

i am a gemini.

i'm not a big follower of horoscopes, but the description of a gemini is me to a T.  "gemini jumps from one project to another." yes she does. so my "d" word is done. i'm going to try to get anything done at home that i begin. instead of jumping from one task to another, i am going to try the "touch everything only once" rule. when i pick it up, i will put it where it belongs. when i decide to do a project or a task at home, i will finish it before i start the next one.

so since i jumped into my word before monday, i have already finished two projects to completion. a miracle. this really works!

okay, tribe. what is your "d" word? make dit happen!! (lol)

"nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment." Thomas Carlyle

"goals give us a clear picture of what we want to accomplish." Roberto Zoia

"the best view comes after the hardest climb."  author unknown

(receive my monday email to keep up with each letter by joining my click here.)

www.backtobeingawoman.com

intention – letter “b”

Blog, habits, Inspiration, Motivation, passionate life

it's monday, which means that it's time to come up with a new word for your intention this week.

we are now on letter "b." think of a word that you want staring you down each morning in your mirror or on your refrigerator door. "b" is a great beginning letter for your intention this week. bold, beautiful, big, or bust-out. i chose a "b" word before i began writing letter "a" blog, because it was around the holidays and i knew "budgeting" would be a necessary word after the holidays.

budgeting needs to be at the forefront of my day this week. it won't be too hard to stop spending money. i became tired of spending money on everything that we shop for at the holidays, but i would like to scope out a new budget and get leaner on my spending throughout the year. it turns out that not only do i have way too much stuff, but it's so hard to part with it. so the less i buy, the less i'll have to part with. ha.

so whatever word you choose, use it as your mantra this week and stick to it.

habits begin to form after a daily practice. see if your "a" word can even continue into this week with you, along with your "b" word.

here's to "appreciating" my newest intention; a new "budget" for me! good luck with yours. xo
 

My most recent LunchBox jokes are here. Print, clip & add to their lunches.Lunch Box Jokes 

Get to the root of who you are and to the things that you'd love to be doing. #Live Simply #Live Elegantly Your Life Journal for $14.99 for the paperback on Amazon and $9.99 for the ebook, helps you put your head and home in sync with you and your life so that you can begin creating and living a life that you love. #Live Simply is part memoir, part journal to get you out of distraction and into a frame of mind that helps you to focus on living a happier and more fulfilled life. It was my summer baby two summers ago.

Katherine did an ABC Blog Series for #BetterChoices2016 in order to make 2016 your best year. Follow her blog atwww.backtobeingawoman.com and read Blogs A to Z to make your 2017 a love fest of creating a life you love. Get the blogs as soon as they are sent out by signing up for her newsletters.

Find previous ABC Blogs here.

"A" is for accepting your present existence
"B" is for be you
"C" is for create
"D" is for do
"E" is for eating and exercising
"F" is for free to choose
"G" is for grit
"H" is for higher
"I" is for intelligence preservation
"J" is for just dance
"K" is for kick crap to the curb
"L" is for look for the lesson
"M" is for Making Memories Last
"A" - "M" to Better Choices
"N" is for Nurture
"O" is for optimum
"P" is for moms are pack leader
"Q" is for quiet your mind
"R" is for reorganizing 
"S" is for simplifying
"T" is for being your own teacher
"U" is for utilizing 5 tools we already own
"V" is for visualize your day
"W" is for walking

"X" is for eXpecting good things

Follow me on Facebook  and  Twitter
Books by Katherine A. Rayne on Amazon.com.
Lost in Thoughts Adult Coloring Book An Adult Coloring Book that interviews you with each illustration.
Back to Being a Woman (Without Changing the Man) Turn relationships into Elationships.
#Living Simply #Living Elegantly Your Life Journal Get your head and home in sync.
There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel. You A compilation of my blogs that all women can relate to.
Daily Planning with a Purpose: Feel Accomplishment Everyday  365 pages for daily planning
Visit my website at www.backtobeingawoman.com

 

New Year New You – Letter A!

Blog, habits, Inspiration, Motivation
hello, 2018! i'm glad to say that i have no resolutions for the new year. these last few years i already feel like i'm on the "i can do better than this" train, whether it's march, june or january. i find taking one day at a time serves me better than putting huge goals out there, but there's always room for improvement. since i'm far from perfect and want to strive to do a bit better in any area in my life, i'm doing a week at a time. and it just happens to be the new year, too. fancy that.
(get weekly emails delivered personally to remind you to stay on task each monday. join my click!)
having a village to go through it with me helps me stay on top of some of the things i'll work on each week, so i'm inviting you to do it with me...(strength in numbers!).
 
i'm going to do that alphabet thing again, but in a different way than the blogs i did in 2016 (i'll be sending those out as well each week as a side note and a form of encouragement). my focus this time is giving you more control and choice over what you concentrate on every week.
 
the key words that i want to embed this time around are "intention" and "control," because when we get to choose what we set our intentions on, we can be more successful at making them happen, versus me choosing your focus word each week.
letter "a"
 
so this week is letter "A." choose a word that starts with "a" that you will focus on for the full week. for example, if you want your week to be "Amazing," then give yourself an intention each morning that "today will be AMAZING." write it down and post it on your bathroom mirror in plain sight, or set a reminder on your phone each day. plan for an amazing day each day.
and don't wait for amazing things to happen. it's up to you to make them amazing, or see the amazing in your moments throughout. you can't control if you get a flat tire, but you can control how you react to it. remind yourself how amazing it is that you know how to change the tire and fix the problem. remind yourself that it's so amazing that you can just call someone or a service, and they show up and fix it for you. how amazing is that?! awesome, actually.
so choose your word, and give the intention each morning that's what your day will be like.
 
my word will be "appreciation" this week because i want to focus on appreciating what already exists in my life and what i already can do. so in the morning when i'm putting on my make-up, i won't focus on the dark circles under my eyes or my large pores...lol. i will focus on the pretty blue in my eyes and that i have my sight, albeit with a need of contact lenses. how lucky can a girl get?!
begin with a new letter each monday
i'll be sending out a reminder each monday on facebook and in my emails so that you remember to start your week with a new intention and a new focus. it's also about creating habits. a habit to look for the good that already exists and to watch for the good that comes your way. we can get in the habit of seeing the bad or not appreciating the little things, but focusing on a positive word and intent can turn your whole day and week and hopefully your whole year around.
 
so what is your word of intent this week? if you get nothing else accomplished this week, just make sure that each day is that, whether it's amazing, appreciated, awesome, active, etc. look for that in each day as well. good luck with your first week of 2018!
happy new you! xo