So today is the first Monday of the new month! July. I simply cannot believe it is here. The months have been going so fast and it seems like it was just New Years Eve.

I am currently sipping my sinfully delicious Island Coconut Green Mountain Keurig K cup and just enjoyed, yes FULLY enjoyed changing my wall calendar page over to July.
{I’m talking about enjoying the little details of this moment. Each month I feel like it is a new school year back in elementary school or high school and how I relished the idea and act of getting and admiring and organizing (ok I’m a bit of a nerd) my new school supplies and tools.}

 

It feels like a rebirth.

I 100 percent believe in treating yourself to little things that you can enjoy to make each new month and day exciting. My gorgeous Gavin Reece Illustrated wall calendar is just that, so inspiring for me as an illustrator to see what’s next.  It pushes me to want to create more.

This month the theme is “Pampered” – Kind of fitting since I will be attending two of my closest friends weddings.  I’m sure we will look like this at some point getting ready for those weddings. I feel pampered just enjoying my delish cup of coffee and leisurely changing my calendar over right now. And blogging. I am so excited to blog again!

On another day, maybe a day in the middle of the month, when I had been zoom-zooming around my home office doing, doing, doing and surely going, working and not being fully present at all.

I feel like the last few months, during the week at least – I had been on auto pilot. So much to do and barely enough time to – dare I say BLOGGGGGG.  The weekends I resolutely did NOT do any work and enjoyed my weekends fully. (This was part of my New Year’s goals to really enjoy summer and the outdoors like I had busily not done the past two years whilst being a good little entrepreneur).

But taking the time to blog, which I fully enjoy; is really a delicacy to me and it actually spikes my creative juices. So you – Yes YOU reading this:

 

What are you NOT doing that you fully enjoy and are passionate about that you COULD be doing today (and dare I say everyday)?

 

Blogging only takes me 30 minutes to an hour. I surely have that every day, yet I find excuses to hold it off till the end of the day. And obviously I haven’t had the time to get to it in a really long, over-due-kinda-way.

Mental note: Slay your creative juice-inducing Giant first.

I have the coveted task of doing a few illustrations today. My favourite kind of tasks. Taking the time out to do this blog, will totally make me more creative and most likely let me create much better art. Where as if I just rush-rushed my way to produce, produce, produce; well it may not have come out nearly as good and nearly as fun.

My job is to make fun stuff that you will love right?

Your job is probably something along those lines too if you think about it.

If you have a desk job (which I have had the pleasure, err sometimes pleasure of working myself many times in many different capacities) you may be like: Yeah, my job is NOT to make fun stuff. Nothing fun here. Nope, sorry.

Well – actually you are WRONG. If you make your environment more inviting for you, and everyone that walks through the door – you will in effect be providing a much greater service to YOURSELF, your employer, your co-workers and your new guests that enter.

Someone may actually crack a smile. And then…. Oh no. Someone may have a better day, or some fun, and then maybe even have a brilliant idea. And thus a new product is born, or maybe your boss just treats everyone a little nicer today (That’s worth it too, right?).

No matter what, there is service in everything.  What are you contributing to?

Figure it out. Make yourself a little ritual.

My on-again, off-again routine of 5 -7 minute daily meditation and 6 page Morning Pages is part of my ritual.  I have decided to get on the “on-again” part of that starting today and my meditation this morning was awesome.

It told me to write this blog…. See where I’m going here?

I have a hard hitting habit of being overly ambitious, 50% of the time it works out in my favor – the other 50% of the time I just majorly stress myself out. (But that means that I probably didn’t stick to my ritual.) So in saying that, my overly ambitions side had just tacked on a few more things to my ritual. Here it is:

 

AM – Morning Meditation / Morning pages / Daily affirmation

Day – 5 glasses of water / Blog or Create something everyday

PM – 1 hour of reading anything I want (book form only) / Work out

 

Overly ambitious in the fact that sometimes I don’t get it all done, and then I get mad at myself / Yet, beneficial in the way that if I actually do this it significantly increases my energy, mood and creativity production.

Create your own (less ambitious if you please) daily ritual.

Choose at least 2 small things directly FOR YOU to do daily.

Your life will thank you for it: You will be more productive at work, happier at home, more loving to your co-workers, your family and friends. Your skin will look better, you will smile more, you will sleep better, you will increase your health etc, etc.

This all works together to snowball effect a better life. Don’t ask me how, look it up. This stuff has been proven and documented.

Ok young squires. Onwards and upwards. Go forth and produce.

Hope that inspires you!

Xoxo

Emily