Checking in on my New Year's "Un-Resolution"

My "Un-Resolution":  I Didn't Improve One Damn Thing.

As the month comes to a close, I'm wondering how many of you kept your New Year's Resolutions. Maybe some are still at it. Maybe some lasted a week, and then your life got busy. Maybe, you were like me, and it was just another day and you are good enough the way you are and you are just going to "keep on, keeping on".

Whatever the case may be. Good for you. Day-to-day living can be stressful.

I feel like most days, if I didn't scream in my head at least fifty times some swear word, it wasn't that bad of a day. I just keep taking one day at a time, try to be positive, handle problems when they come, as best as i can, enjoy the fun moments and let go. I can't do everything, I can't be everywhere, not everything is my problem. I'm doing what I can. Some days it's my best, somedays you are getting what I can give.

It really does come down to: expectations. I am enough.

I can expect things to be different or better or "my way"...  but it gets me nowhere. You are enough, the way you are. No expectations. It's a wonderful thing if you don't have any and you just go with the flow.

Danielle's note:

Here at Mind Key we believe that our bodies and hearts know what's best.  Maybe that's doing nothing right now.  That's what I'm doing.  Because I need a rest, and like the plants hiding under the snow, without rest I won't be able to bloom when the time is right.

Visit us at www.mindkey.me/signup to get more information on how you can follow your path and your dream... in the most peaceful and perfect way for you.

It takes two weeks to create a habit

Start small.  Make small changes.

New Year's resolutions are difficult to maintain.  Gym rats always say that January is the suckiest month to be in the gym.  All of the newbies with resolutions clog the gym arteries with their good intentions. February 1st, they can breathe again because everyone has given up.

Its getting close to February 1st, have you given up on your health goal?

Any habit, based on scientific studies, takes 2 weeks to create.  During the first two weeks, its a choice.  After two weeks, it has become a habit.

So start small.  Replace one soda a day with water.  Replace one crappy snack with an apple.  Take a ten minute brain break and walk outside, or even stroll around your building.  Meditate for 2 minutes a day.  Set reminders so that it is just a thing you do and your brain doesn't have to spend any brain power to remember.  Set yourself up for success instead of letting yourself fail.

I get ideas from a blog I read from a site called Nerd Fitness.  Steve Kamb, the creator of the site and the Nerd Fitness "Rebellion" is an inspiration for all people and nerds around the world.  He took the leap from every day life and has created this site for those folks who are starting their health journey from in front of a computer or from the couch.  He models the site like a video game, leveling up your life, like characters, one level at a time.  In fact, he just published his first book called Level Up Your Life!


In Steve's Blog The Power of Habit, he says:
A habit is built with three parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward.
Its an old blog, but that doesn't change the truth of the words. Check out THE BLOG if you're interested.

Get back on the wagon & create your shining year with Leonie Dawson

“I’m a hippy that gets shit done,” says Leonie Dawson, CEO of Shining Biz & Life Academy and creator of the Create Your Shining Year series of workbooks, diaries, and other resources.

This Australian native has managed to turn what was once a simple idea into a million dollar  business where she is able to keep herself and her children top priority. For the past five years, she has developed her own system to help countless others achieve their personal and professional goals. Her 2016 Create Your Shining Year Workbook is a mere fraction of what she has to offer. She also has a selection of webinars and other online courses that have helped thousands find purpose and contentment in life and work. 

Now, most of us have used planners and journals before. Some of us may have stumbled on a self-help workbook on Amazon and gave it a whirl. Furthermore, every one of us has made multiple New Year’s resolutions and broke every single one of them. Dawson’s Create Your Shining Year offers a fresh approach to goal-setting, planning, self-reflection, and self-actualizing. 

“Dedicated to:

You. 

You deserve a shining, beautiful life that sings to your soul. 

WORLD CHANGING PHILANTHROPY 

A portion of profits from this workbook will go to a range of charities that support the world to become an even better place.” 

This is a workbook meant for you and only you - a Bible of sorts, for everything you’ve imagined doing but never made tangible. However, Dawson wants her “workbookers” to give back as much as they receive from their dreamiest year. Reflection and resolution in regard to charity, family, and friendships are integral parts of The Shining Year Workbook. 

According to Dawson, celebrating and releasing the year before is a vital step to creating your ultimate new year. As with many aspects of life, the positives should be illustrated before the negatives, and this workbook persuades the workbooker to do just that. Dawson calls it the The Very Important 2015 Closing Ceremony. Here’s an example from my own shining year.

“Especially towards the end of 2015, all I can think about was how preoccupied I was. I went back to grad school for special ed. on top of working two teaching jobs. So I haven't had all the time in the world for writing, my crafting, or studying my oracle cards so that I might offer readings. 

I aim to change that in 2016. I also need to physically feel better so I am more energized to do all I want to accomplish, creatively and professionally. It's time to make my creative endeavors a priority.”

“Without energy and healthy living, I am not going to accomplish any of my dreams. I need to learn to say "no" when I need to or want to. I need to shut down when it comes to work and school stuff and tap into my creativity to avoid burnout.”

OK, so I kind of did the opposite of what Dawson intends. I went from negative to positive. But the energy that emanates from the guidance and structure of the workbook reminds you there is no right or wrong way to visualize. If one of the objectives is to work towards self-acceptance and self-actualization, would it make sense to place boundaries on yourself?  

Immediately, the art work stimulates positivity, made by a woman who has developed a fun, whimsical, thorough, and honest system for getting your life where it needs to be. Leonie Dawson has brought together a community of women who journal, collage, color, and doodle their way to a higher sense of self - a fantastic resource for finding what the Mind Key community wants you to find - passion and zest for life. 

DIY Coconut Salt Scrub Recipe

doTerra representative, Jane Morba, offers us a recipe for a coconut salt scrub that can incorporate your favorite essential oils for glowing, more vibrant skin.

What You Need:

1 cup organic virgin coconut oil
1 cup Pink Himalayan (or Epsom) salt
1/4 cup Fractionated Coconut Oil (may substitute grapseed oil)
15 drops of your favorite essential oil

Directions:

1. Melt coconut oil in microwave or over a double boiler.
2. Once melted, remove from heat.
3. Add Fractionated Coconut Oil and Pink Himalayan Salt into melted coconut oil. 
4. Stir until combined.
5. Add essential oils.
6.  Let sit until coconut oil solidifies, stirring every 10 minutes.
Tip: Put in refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
7. Stir until well combined and store in an airtight container.
8. To use, rub on skin and rinse with warm water.

- See more at: The Blog on Doterra.com

Why I love lavender

Lavender is my favorite essential oil.  It always has been.  It was the first oil I worked with, and it is still one of the only oils I use on a regular basis.  My original thought was to create an "essential" essential oil kit for you, but in the end I realized, as I had many years ago, that for most of my essential oil needs, lavender fits the bill.

Here's why I love lavender:

It's gentle, yet extremely effective
It's gentle enough for babies.  Yes, babies… although always check with your health care practitioner, and be careful. I used it constantly while pregnant—and it was one of the only essential oils I did use. Although it's gentle enough for a baby's skin and respiratory system, it's powerful enough to get the job done.  What's the job?  Just about everything.  Which brings me to my next point.

It's good for everything
Do you have a cold? Are you stressed?  Is your skin in need of some major TLC?  What about cleaning—want to fight some germs the all-natural way? Do you need help sleeping? Have a case of the blahs or blues? Have a headache? Nauseous? Stuffy sinuses? Just need a pick-me-up? Guess what? Lavender's your man.  Or gal. Or herb.  One of the main reasons I don't go anywhere without lavender is because she is good for just about everything.  I have a bottle of the essential oil with me in my travel kit, I bring it on airplanes (yes, one of my few liquids in that tiny quart size bag), in the car, to the grocery store… She's an instant cure-all.  And even better, she can be inhaled directly from the bottle like smelling salts, or dabbed directly on the skin, which brings me to my next point…

You can use it straight-up
This isn't like taking a shot, but like hard alcohol, most essential oils benefit from a mixer such as almond oil, or olive oil.  Lavender, however, is special in that almost any decent grade lavender essential oil can be used directly on your skin.  It's that gentle.  That doesn't mean I recommend using it without a patch test first, but then again, you only need a drop, which is about all you'll use for a patch test anyway.

How to use lavender
For skin, I recommend mixing with a gentle carrier oil depending on your need.  Sore muscles or varicose veins? Try grapeseed oil. Sensitive skin conditions? Try jojoba. Scraped skin, an unexpected blemish, or bug bite? Try it direct, just a drop on the affected area is more than enough.  For nausea, use a diffuser if you have one available, otherwise (if you're in a car or airplane for example), I dab lavender on my wrists and breathe deeply.  Alternatively, dab a few drops into a handkerchief or washcloth.  This is my preferred method for a stuffy head or headache, too. 

I gave my daughter a bottle of "perfume" for her fifth birthday—a few drops of lavender mixed with distilled water in a mister bottle.  This turned out to be quite handy, as my daughter was thrilled to use perfume, and I was thrilled that lavender calmed her down when she was a little too crazy.  Use lavender "perfume" on your sheets before going to bed if you have trouble relaxing enough to fall or stay asleep.

There's a  million other ways to use and love lavender, but this is a good start.  If you have any questions on how to use lavender, or any other essential oil, please don't hesitate to reach out.  Find me at www.mindkey.me/danielle, and be well!

Everyday aromatherapy: smells that take me away

I grew up splitting my time between the suburbs and the mountains.  My parents split when I was little and my mom stayed in the suburbs and my day moved to the mountains.

When I’d visit my dad, I always enjoyed the smells of the mountains.  To me, the smell of the mountains is the heavy scent of pine, melting snow in the soil, fresh cut wood, fires from chimneys and Colorado moss growing on the rocks.

Any one of those smells today trigger a calming effect on my mind as well as my body.

Along my current walking route (in a warehouse district of town) on my lunch hour, I pass a small group of pine trees.  I breathe in deeply and smile while passing every time.  My body relaxes and I walk more comfortably after I pass that spot.

If a small group of pine trees in a warehouse district can do that for me as an adult remembering childhood smells, what might essential oils and studied aromatherapy have in store?

Danielle Rose, a practicing herbalist, says that she frequently uses white pine for frayed nerves and to help move through grief.  She says that an infusion or tincture of white pine is also highly beneficial for congestion, especially congestion in the lungs, where grief is often held.  Interesting. 

Visiting the mountains takes me away from the hustle and bustle of life.  Walking next to a stream or river, sitting and closing my eyes for minutes or hours.  Huddling under a blanket and seeing my breath while the snow falls.  Watching and hearing the wind move through the branches and smell whatever it brings to me.

Listen to the water and feel the forest around you.

This is calm.

Angelic Essentials' Tracie Yates tells her "Origin Story"

Guest blogger Tracie Yates, owner of Angelic Essentials, explains her essential oils experience from the beginning.  While new to the business side of oils, Tracie believes they should be an integral part of every well-balanced life.

Tracie Yates

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I discovered the benefits of essential oils 13 years ago.  At that time I was going through a very traumatic time in  my life, my marriage was falling apart, my business was struggling and my rock, my daddy, had just passed away unexpectedly.  A young lady introduced me to the oils when she saw how deeply I was grieving.  She told me there were oils that could help relieve the intensity of my grief.  Although I did not buy this claim at all I decided to give  it a try.  I attended one of her demonstrations in her home. She presented the oil blends of  Joy, Harmony and Peace and Calming by Young Living. The group was  instructed to apply a few drops of each oil over our heart.  Over the next week I was absolutely amazed at the difference in the degree in which I was grieving.  I realized there was something to her claims.

I  bought a starter kit which contained Lemon, Peppermint, Lavender, Peace & Calming, Panaway, Joy and  Frankincense.  I researched each oil to understand their benefits and how to use them.   First I began using Peppermint oil for my migraines, which I had suffered with for years.  I was amazed at how fast it got rid of my migraines but even more impressive was that over time I actually stopped getting the migraines all together.  It was a miracle in a bottle as far as I was concerned.  I also used a blend called Digize which over time completely healed me of acid reflux.  I was able to stop taking prescription drugs for both the migraines and the acid reflux.   I have been hooked on essential oils ever since. 



There is an essential oil for just about everything you can imagine and each oil has many uses.   I personally add them to my skin care products, massage oils, recipes, laundry, cleaning products, first aid kits, smoothies and my drinking water just to name a few. I put Lemon oil and Orange oil in my drinking water daily, sometimes I add a little basil oil which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.  The taste is refreshing and it encourages me to drink more water.  

I recommend that every household be stocked with essential oils.   Please take precaution to be certain that you are using the highest quality if you are planning on using them in recipes and ingesting them.  Not  all essential oils are manufactured to be ingested, as a matter of fact most are not.  I use Young Living Essential oils;  However, there are other companies such as DoTerra that also have high quality products that can be ingested.

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Visit Tracie at Angelic Essentials and like her FB page to get great information about essential oils as well as to see possible discounts!

Aromatherapy and Essential Oils 101

As I focus on my meditation practice and always look for new tools to engage in a deeper, more spiritual awareness, I find aromatherapy to be an essential instrument to my practice and overall daily living.  But with so many brands, schools of thought, and opinions, how do we discern the true meaning and benefits of aromatherapy?  Being new to aromatherapy, I’ve reached out to our Mind Key member Danielle Rose, whose expertise in aromatherapy and essential oils provides valuable information.

The first question I asked her, and possibly the most important question when learning about essential oils, is what are they exactly?  Additionally, how do you know we’re buying pure and authentic products?

Danielle explains that essential oils are derived through distillation of plant material--usually the flowers or other fragrant parts of the plant.  A large amount of plant material is required to make a small amount of oil.  The distillation process is most often done via steam distillation. The term "essential" is used because these oils carry the essence of a plant's fragrance, and the term should not be confused with essential fatty or amino acids, which are called as such because they are required by the body for life.

It is important to read the bottle carefully.  They should indicate that they are 100% pure and if it lists any other ingredients, such as perfume, the oils may not be purely distilled.  Essential oils work best when blended with a carrier oil such as almond or olive oil.  Sometimes these blends are sold as such, and are not "pure" essential oils.  That does not mean that the product isn't quality, but reading labels carefully will ensure you know what you are purchasing.  Are you surprised at the high price tag for such a small bottle of essential oil?  This is due to the quantity of the plant material used to create the distilled oil. 

Before all else, the product should be 100% essential oil but there are also varying grades of oils.  Essential oils can be cosmetic or therapeutic grade.  Cosmetic grade is still 100% essential oils and can be used topically or in diffusers, as well as cleaning products.  They should not, however, be ingested. 

Therapeutic grade oils are a higher quality, and are best used for healing, especially from acute disease.  Many therapeutic grade oils can be used internally, drunk, a drop at a time, in a glass of water, or as otherwise instructed by the company or aromatherapy professional.  As with any medicine or food, be careful to know what you are putting in your body and any side effects it may have. Always be aware of your own body and consult a professional.

Essential oils are often used in aromatherapy and topically.  What are the benefits of such use?

Each oil is beneficial in its own unique way and the benefits of aromatherapy differ from oil to oil.  Aromatherapy doesn’t just provide amazing plant fragrances, but the diffused oils we breathe in are also very beneficial to our health. Because of the different plant properties, many oils aid with respiration, insomnia, and much more.  Some essential oil of a plant with antibacterial properties will have antibacterial properties and can be used as such in a cleaning product or healing remedy. Mint tea is good for digestion, and so mint essential oil is as well.  Although therapeutic grade oils can be used internally, the beauty of essential oils is that they can be used topically, or in the air to provide the user with the plant's inherent benefits. It’s important to read what each oil is designated to do as to achieve the desired effect.

Many spas claim aromatherapy treatments.  How do we ensure the facility is using pure essential oils and safe aromatherapy?

A good spa should provide what they are offering.  If they advertise aromatherapy treatments, they should be utilizing 100% essential oils.  If you are uncertain, always ask. Do not accept a treatment with oil that is not a 100% essential oil.  Practitioners should always be willing to show you their products in the original bottles. If you have sensitive skin or known allergens, be sure to ask what essential oils and carrier oils are being used in the treatment.  You can also ask for a patch test prior to receiving a direct skin treatment. These tests should be done 24 to 48 hours in advance, so you may want to visit your spa ahead of time to get a patch test done on your skin.

Where can we purchase reputable oils?

Many commercial essential oil distributors are reputable.  Asking at your health store is a good way to know what you are getting.  From there you can order online or directly from the company.  Companies such as Young Living or doTerra offer therapeutic quality oils at affordable prices, and their distributors are well trained and often members of your own community.  Check Facebook or do a local search to find one near you. Distributor for doTerra Jane Morba tells us that there are a number of good diffusers on the market.  The doTerra kit comes with a diffuser, which has a soft sound and illumination, and is good for people with children.  The key is to use a pure and certified essential oil, regardless of what diffuser is purchased.

With this information we can truly make 2016 out healthiest year yet.  Nature has always provided us with a way to heal and renew.  Aromatherapy is one of its many tools.  This year, why not resolve to come closer to nature and discover one of the many ways we can enrich our body, mind, and soul?

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Making Space: Your weight loss plateau

I was in a yoga class not that long ago… and I heard the instructor say something I hear over and over again in yoga classes… "Breathe space into your body, in between the bones and joints."

Breathe… a key element to yoga and to life… but it was the "making space" that hit me this time.

My weight is something I've struggled with since having children.  Those few extra pounds reveal themselves in places I'd rather they not.  Skimming Louise L. Hay's book, "You Can Heal Your Life," shows us where aches, pains, and even weight will settle when we mentally allow it.  I won't tell you where my weight settles, because that will be too telling of my own personal demons… but I will say, the woman is almost always right.

That said, why?  Why, despite eating, and exercising, and meditating, and all the rest, do I continue to hold weight in these places?  Why when I try to address the mental invitations (as Ms. Hay suggests) do I still struggle with the issue of weight?

Because the body is making space.  Making space for me to hold the anger, the self-doubt, the fear, things I've cultivated and held onto more tightly since becoming a mom and realizing my mental state, and my life, had instantly become far more pivotal.  Because we need some place to hold these emotions, so we hold them in our body—energetically of course—but the body is incredibly sensitive to energies… particularly our own.

And as emotions are not purely energy—they are also guided by tangible things like hormones, chemicals, and other physical impulses—when we store them in our body they do tangible things.  Sometimes this results in stress, illness and chronic pain.  Other times we store them away differently, and they attach to our cells, encouraging them to duplicate, to remain, to make more space for them to live.

There is a great deal of scientific evidence that shows how much we hold in our fat cells.  Nutrients, toxins, everything we don't or can't flush out of our bodies, or that our bodies think we may need, is stored in fat.

So as you are reaching your diet or fitness plateau this year, don't give up on your resolution—instead, consider resolving to dig deeper, to make more space for the things you are holding onto.  To find a pretty place—albeit mentally or energetically—to hold all those things you've been holding onto, and perhaps hiding away because they're scary to face.  Recognize that our bodies need to grow larger to hold all the things we hold onto, and that by letting go, we can let go of those storage spaces as well.

Only then will we feel lighter, and healthier.  Only once we stop carrying our baggage, can our body let go and allow us to be the us we know we are underneath it all.



Connection between mental, emotional and physical health

Mental and emotional health play a larger part in your physical health than you might realize.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as a: state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. They say that there is no health without mental health.
Googling the words "mental health physical health" returned about 197,000 results in under one second.  There have been thousands if not millions of studies surrounding the connection.  I can vouch for the connection in my own life.  

Between July of 2012 and March of 2013, I lost 40 pounds walking, dancing with my kids and the Xbox, and riding my bike.  I felt pretty good, even though I still wanted to lose about 20 more pounds. I plateaued, like most people do.  I continued to work hard and had even progressed to riding my bike for miles and miles on an almost daily basis.  I changed up my workouts and diet a bit.  I paid for and saw a dietitian who said I wasn't eating enough calories for my activity level and measured metabolism level, so I changed that too.  I made a lot of changes to break the plateau and I worked hard.  My weight stayed relatively stable (within 10 lbs) but never went down, and at the end of 2014, my hard work stopped working.  My plateau turned into an upswing and I gained it all back, no matter what I tried.  Eventually I pretty much gave up and the pain came back and no one could/would find any reason.

In 2014 and 2015 my emotional state has been difficult to explain.  I've see-sawed up and down, in and out of depression and frustration with the whole getting old process.  My body is breaking more often than it used to and it makes me sad.  I developed arthritis in 2010 and am in what some would call chronic pain with arthritis and back pain based on muscle memory from a very old back surgery.  It sucks and it does nothing good for my state of mind.  As I'd get more depressed, I started taking medication and would feel less and less like myself and, feeling less like myself, would do less "myself-like" things.  I used to ride my bike all the time.  Over the last year I've cringed just looking at it.  I got discouraged and stopped being active, feeling that it wouldn't do me any good anyway, so why even try?


Sounds pretty crappy, right?  It has been.  Its a round robin.  My health would take a downturn (pain and listlessness) and my emotional and mental health would turn down as well (I can do nothing about this because no one listens).  The cycle has been hard to break.  I have to say.

Throughout this time, I've seen an acupuncturist at least once a month.  Dave Kaplan with Colorado Acupuncture Studio has been wonderful.  Being a therapist for my mind as well as my body and listening more than any traditional health professional has ever done.  He and I are working together to bring me back from the emotional and physical abyss.  I'm working on starting 2016 with a new outlook and on being kind to myself during the transition.

Do you have stories concerning the connection between mental, emotional and physical health that you could share?  What have you decided to let go of in the New Year to make way for better overall health?

How Affirmations Can Keep Us On Track To Our New Year Resolutions

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them

~Albert Einstein

Hi everyone, my name is Barbara Steingas.

Just after graduating college, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an autoimmune disease deemed incurable by traditional western medicine. The first several years I followed the gastroenterologist’s advice and took the prescribed medicines that were supposed to control my symptoms. However, I continued to spiral downward until I was a walking skeleton from not being able to really eat, and had excruciating vaginal-rectal abscesses. As a last resort, the gastroenterologist suggested a new treatment option: take an immunosuppressive medication, but due to my frail state, the doctor said there was a high risk that if I contracted a cold it could potentially turn into a deadly case of pneumonia.

I was already basically on a death path, so I didn’t feel this was the right route for me to take. It was then I made the decision that would change my life around: I no longer believed that my condition was incurable and I affirmed that there had to be a way back to health. It occurred to me to think of it like a puzzle and all I had to do was find the missing pieces to restore my health. Eventually I was able to accomplish this, yet it took a lot of time, money and effort.

My goal is to help streamline the process for others so they may find the pieces to their healing puzzle faster.  I hope to continue posting here, and on my personal website with the keys to these puzzle pieces.

 Before getting to the body strategies, I’m starting with the mind/emotion strategy of affirmation stating.  Hopefully, this will save you the self-sabotaging encountered by not being in the same mindset. 

Do you ever wonder why so many goal resolutions fail after a couple of weeks to months? To me it’s because the way most of us were taught to state resolutions involve stopping or giving up something– like saying “I’m no longer going to be fat anymore so I’m giving up eating chocolate.” It focuses on the problem and what you have to give up and that isn’t very motivating or exciting. By speaking resolutions in this way, we are basically wishing, hoping or trying. In the movie Star Wars, Yoda tells Luke Skywalker that in order to lift the space ship out of the water, which seems impossible to Luke, he must not try, just do (it). In other words, he has to believe he can do it.

Affirmations help us believe and keep us focused on the result thereby creating the way for us to become what we want to have occur. The most powerful ones start with “I am.” Like “I am able to lose weight easily.” When I began to believe and say, “I am healthy” rather than what I was saying, “I don’t want to be sick anymore,” that’s when I truly began to transform and started to gel the pieces of my healing puzzle together. Focusing on getting healthy and feeling good again was very motivating and kept me on tract, especially through the challenging times of my journey when it didn’t seem like I was making any progress and began to have doubts. By repeating the “I am healthy” statement over and over again held me to my resolution that I could find my way back to health.

It was also my late husband’s unconditional love that gelled the pieces of my puzzle together and I attracted him into my life by stating a New Year’s affirmation that 1994 was the year I was going to meet my soulmate. Four months later in April is when we met! It can take time for your result to be achieved because it can be difficult to stop the running of your old programs, but if you stay persistently consistent in affirming your new goals, you will eventually start to see changes.

Write down and state one or a few “I am” affirmations for goals you wish to have occur this year. Our brain is the computer that runs the programs that control the body, so ask yourself, “What programs am I running?” Are they positive and empowering for what you want to achieve (i.e. I deserve and can have better health), or victimizing and disempowering thereby further perpetuating what you don’t want (i.e. saying things like I’m tired/sick of being chronically ill)? Don’t beat yourself up for the latter ones. This first way to spark change is to identify the cause of things. Then we can have the power to do the strategies that can change it. By using these “I am” affirmation statements, you are setting a foundation towards achieving your goals.

Feel free to leave comments or contact me with any questions. In the meantime, I wish everyone happiness & health!

~Barbara Steingas

Why I'm a part of the Mind Key Community, and you should be too. A NewYear's Resolution

Sarah Loukos looking at both Mind Key Anthologies
 as the audience enjoys another artist story.

Last night, in a small town library, seven artists sat in front of a group of people who wanted to listen and learn about our Anthologies. We read from the book, talked about our art or our writing and what our past was like and how living your happiness is what really motivates us to keep doing what we are meant to do in our hearts.

The average age that came to listen was 70 years old.

Now, mind you, I'm not complaining, I'm so happy that at 70+ years old, they are still searching and growing and are full of life, they want to live happy. They chose Mind Key to learn something and to hear our stories.

So, what were you doing? You were busy.  So am I .



Gene Myers reading his poem
 from the Mind Key Anthology.

Being 40 something with a husband and child, job, house, and life, doesn't give time to "make time for your happiness." Everyone is busy, but the amount of time you spend on social media, checking email, watching mindless TV, you could have taken a small amount of time for yourself. You could have seen what going in your own town library and met a new group.


I'm more isolated, I'm less connected, more depressed then I have ever been. All I see are tired moms, running their kids ragged to events and sports and other things no one really wants to do. Even my single friends really don't have much motivation. Not one of my childless or single friends came out to the Mind Key reading from 6:30-8:30.

Again, I understand, you are tired and busy and hey, maybe this isn't your thing. But, you complain, there's nothing to do, no where to go, your job sucks, you're tired.


Sarah Loukos and Jefferson Harman talking with audience
 members and signing autographs of the Mind Key Anthologies.



Kely Luzio-Cardona sharing her
 passion and happiness to our audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A simple New Year's Resolution: Use the joy of Human Connection to find inspiration

I had more fun and connected with people, who, yes, we are all a part of Mind Key, but are all so different, and the wonderful people who came out to hear us read and talk to us after, who bought our book, asked for autographs. It was lovely.

I'm begging you, get off your phones, get out, log off of social media and join a group. Human Connection is so inspiring and so important.  I'm inspired by the one night I had at a local library.



Rachel Bertoni talking about her passion
 in her art of jewelry making and fine arts.

Find your inspiration, self, and joy. Connect with the actual world. Not the cyber world.









Making a 365 resolution--is it right for you?

What is the difference between a resolution and a #365project?  Not much, other than a #365project is something you resolve to do every day for an entire year.

Writing coach, Marisa Goudy

Today I want to share writing coach Marisa Goudy's experience with #365projects.  I've done this a million times--usually promising to write, walk, or do yoga everyday.  Usually, these resolutions fall flat--whether they're made on January 1st or in the middle of the year.

Two years ago, the same year her second child was born, Marisa successfully completed her #365project... and riding high from this success chose something more meaningful for a #365project in 2015.  This time, however, the resolution fell flat.

"As both a #365project success story and a #365project drop out, I know plenty about what it takes to make it work and why it might not. And I know what makes a project fulfilling and worthwhile… all year long," Marisa said.

CLICK HERE to read Marisa's story about what elements make a resolution or 365 project a success, and how a #365project can help you find meaning in your own story.

TONIGHT: Live readings and discussion on how to live your passion

This evening, members of the Mind Key Project will be reading poetry, essays and fiction from the Mind Key Anthologies at the Kinnelon Public Library in NJ and there are still spots available for YOU!! 

 

The Mind Key Anthologies are a compilation of art and writing intended to help others discover happiest and healthiest self by following their passion—not just in their free time, but for a living.  The theme of being inspired by art and bringing that inspiration into everyday life runs through each of our publications. The contributors are healers, writers, artists, psychics and more, who are on a path of professional and personal self-discovery and healing.  They each enjoy providing resources to help others do the same.

Mind Key's inaugural book, The Mind Key Project: An Anthology, debuted in June of 2015, introducing art and writing to inspire and encourage passion and zest for life (pictured above.)

Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance (at left) explores both the light and the dark sides of the human experience and how the two are needed to define one another.  Photography, art, poetry and prose combine to illustrate the experience of light and darkness, encouraging the reader to explore their own personal dichotomy.  The cover image is a feature of Kevin Dyer, a professional fine artist who pioneered the medium of paper casting over his 40 year career in the publishing industry. 

To experience samples of the interior of the books, and read reviews of the writing, visit www.mindkey.me/anthology.


The below contributors will be speaking this evening at the Kinnelon Library, and reading pieces from the books:


•   West Milford resident and practitioner of traditional and alternative medicine MD, Kevin Hall, whose essays on love, fate, and growing through the darkest moments speak about his experiences in traditional medicine and how he began training in and utilizing alternative and energetic practices to heal others.


•   Gene Myers, an editor and columnist at the Suburban Trends who is passionate about music, poetry, and how they work together as a whole.

•    Special needs educator at Chancellor Academy in Pompton Plains, Tara Ann Lesko, has contributed to the Mind Key anthologies in several ways.  She is a poet and is also writing a memoir about healing and the role food has played in her life. She will share some of her stories of challenges and breaking the mold of what is considered "normal." 


 •    Kely Luzio-Cardona, photographer and owner of West Milford’s “That’s It! Art Studio,” specializing in art and crafts to open creativity finds beauty in everything and helps others discover the creativity in themselves and in the special moments of life. 


•    West Milford tarot card reader, Sarah Loukos, is a professional at Scanlan Funeral Home in Pompton Plains, and relies on art and nature to bring her grounding and peace.

•    Professional dream interpreter and radio personality, Jefferson Harman, knew he had special abilities as a child and eventually overcame fear and judgement to share his talents for a living.

 
•  And me, Mind Key founder and health and life journalist, Danielle Rose.  I am a mother and writer who believes in faeries and the magic in the everyday.  I will talk about my young adult novel, Chimera, which is being readied for publication.  Writing the novel had a large part in the healing and rediscovering of myself.  Chimera also played a large role in the the creation of Mind Key.  I'll share my belief in never having to work in a job I hate, or dedicate any portion of my day or life to a project that doesn't resonate.


Also contributing are West Milford’s award-winning conceptual photographer, Elisabeth Ladwig and Sugarloaf resident and jeweler, Rachel Bertoni of Bertoni Gallery.

The Mind Key Project does much work online and in the community and are preparing two new anthologies for release in 2016.  We encourage other writers and artists in the community to join us and share their passion by submitting work to our next anthology.

There's still time to sign up for this FREE program.  Visit kinnelonlibrary.org and click on "Programs" or CLICK HERE to sign up for "Do You Live Your Passion?"

Details:
Kinnelon Public Library
132 Kinnelon Rd,
Kinnelon, New Jersey 07405
(973) 838-1321
6:30 p.m.

Visit our event on Facebook to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/1553942388231166/