Articles Tagged with: Ocean

How to bounce back from mercury retrograde and fight overwhelm to have the best summer ever.

FOURTH OF JULY – INDEPENDENCE DAY EDITION

I’m not sure how many of you follow astrology or believe in this sort of thing. For me, I know OF mercury retrograde and I know that that is a time period when technological things and agreements can go ary. I do know that as human beings, we are made up of 90% water, and I believe that the moon being able to affect the rise and fall of the tides may in some way affect the our body that is made up of water. That said, astrology is something that I find perpetually intriguing and if I can understand it better or use it to my advantage I’m all for it! If you are too then read on!

I am not an astrologer by any means but to say I am on and off again obsessed with Elle.com’s Horoscope section is an understatement. I adore the Astro twins and always heed their advice. However it was brought to my attention that there is a shadow period after mercury retrograde which I had no idea about.

If you are feeling cloudy and overwhelmed, there may be good reason. Being that I write a blog about inspiration, I am all about getting OVER the overwhelm and helping you create a life and career that you are inspired by.

Here’s how to know if you have been effected:

Mercury is the ruler of communication and mercury retrograde happenings include any kind of technology mishaps from emails bouncing back, calls being dropped, verbal miscommunications and unclear plans. If you keep trying and trying to make that connection but your phone restarts, your computer is on the fritz and your intended point came out as fuhckuzt – don’t stress – you have been mercury retrograded. It has been warned that you should not make major decisions or enter into contracts at this point, but now that mercury retrograde has ended as of July 1^st, we are now in the much unknown shadow period where it is the “light” version of all the affects of retrograde. Things will start to fall back into place but the lighter effects of retrograde may still make a dent (as opposed to a heavy mark) in your plans.

What to do about it:

Cut yourself some slack and know that this is something beyond your control. Stay in a heightened sense of zen when faced with transit delays, computer problems, or dropped calls. Know that this is your time to “repair and restore.” Take advantage of this time to suss out unclear plans, take inventory of what you are grateful for (says my friend and a professional confidence coach Maureen Saladino), explore your goals for the next few months and hone in on what you want to accomplish.

Coming off a big project or event, it is likely that a clean slate can prove the cause of overwhelm, not knowing which option to choose in a sea of many. Stay in tune with your inner guide and determine the plan that is right for you.

Summer, like summer vacations back when you were in school is the time to expand into freedom, let go, sink into surrender and decide on the fun summer activities that will make your heart strings flutter.

Revel in the freedom and openness that this time creates and sink your teeth in with a relaxed way of being. Know that whatever choice you make will be the right one.

It is Independence day this week after all –
Hope that inspires you!

xoxo

Emily
Follow me on Instagram @EmilyBrickel and my new account for all things fashion illustration @EmilyBrickelillustration

July 4, 2013

Fireworks

Fourth of July is probably my most favorite holiday of all time! Something about the fireworks is always so magical, like the end of a Disney movie I always feel like dreams do come true. The fact that the fireworks are just so much “larger than life” and breathtaking makes them seem so ethereal!

Over the years I’ve had fights with ex-boyfriend on the 4th – and then the fireworks started and time stood still and nothing else mattered. I feel like fireworks shine some perspective on what’s petty, what’s not and what you deserve.

I remember being really little and after watching the Macy’s Fourth of July spectacular fireworks on TV with my family it would get to be my bedtime, but I was always so worked up from the splendor of the fireworks that I sat up in my (top bunk bed) and looked through my kaleidoscope to provide a visual as the booms of the neighborhood fireworks went on for hours. I would dream of all the amazing things I would do in my life and feel so overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation.

Till this day, fireworks do the same thing for me! My boyfriend, my friends and I all love the fireworks equally and have been planning trips months in advance to make sure we get the best views in town!

I always say, it’s not the Fourth until I see fireworks and I have on occasion, stopped at nothing to see at least a peek of them.

Fireworks are so fitting on Independence day because they celebrate our possibility, they symbolize bravery, potential, heart break and the American spirit to rise back up and make our dreams come true.

“You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine. Just own the night, like the Fourth of July!” Katy Perry – Fireworks

So with a lump in your throat and starry eyes, I hope you enjoy the fireworks this, and every year with the same inspiration and wonder that I get from them!

Hope that inspires you!

Xoxo

Emily

June 27, 2013

Endless Possibilities

Summer is here and with every infinity pool and every ocean comes the feeling of endless possibilities.

A clean slate for the taking, something about the water feels like all your cares will be washed away and you will emerge anew.

It’s a time to relax and a time to rejuvenate yourself from whatever is weighing you down.

When it comes to your dreams, the summer is also a great time to create a version of your endless possibilities.

Summer vacations leave room for a space between the day-to-day and your mind to wander to the “what if’s”.

Just like a shower or soak in the tub, it’s a state of meditation where your “anxiety voice” can calm down and your inner guide can tell you what to do.

It is in the meditation – either sitting in actual meditation for 5 minutes or any form of soaking in water – that solutions arise to scenarios where you hadn’t known what to do.

This can be applied to relationships, to your career or to any one of your next moves.

“Everything is figureoutable” as Marie Forleo says, and soaking in a meditation is the first step to getting there. (The second step is Google!)

Take a breath.

Take the first step.

Whatever your intuition is telling you is the key to what is right for you right now. Not the anxiety voice (aka the ego voice which my mentor Gabrielle Bernstein says “Speaks first and loudest”), but the second voice you hear, the heart voice, the one that’s speaking from your soul – the one you are usually too afraid to listen to.

“Whatever it is that you most admire in others and aspire to be is what you have in yourself, but have not yet cultivated.” Says Mastin Kipp of the Daily Love.

What are you waiting for?

“May you ALWAYS do what you are afraid to do”.

Hope that inspires you!
xoxo
Emily

May 16, 2013

Expand Always, in All Ways.

Illustration of Song Of Style

The introduction line of one of my favorite characters from the show Million Dollar Listing New York on Bravo goes something like this: “My motto is to expand always, in all ways.” And every time I hear that, I love it!

It’s totally true that if you get caught in repetitively doing “what works” you will get fixated in the mundane and actually become ‘stuck’ – even if doing “what works” is what originally brought you success.

The formula for success is not necessarily doing the same thing that gave you ONE success over and over, but it’s in taking risks, leaps and in giving it your all that you got there in the first place. And, in retrospect, it’s trying NEW things that will get you there again.

Expanding always, in all ways in your life is what will get you to live the life of your dreams!

In the process

Give yourself “permission to suck” when trying new things and know that

Mastery is a life long process. Each day you will get better and closer along on your path to “mastery” but you will never actually get “there” because each new step is the beginning step to your next phase of learning.

“There” is an illusion. Getting “there” is actually being “here”. Make the most of where you are right now because taking the right action “here” and “now” will become your tomorrow.

One of my allllll time favorite quotes (probably because my amazing, extremely educated, and multi talented grandfather who was a college Professor of Education, Cantor, Rabbi, swimmer, volunteer at multiple soup kitchens, and dedicated family man all at the same time and all while being retired from his previous career told me this one…) “He who knows all, knows that he knows nothing.” – Socrates.

And that my friend, is the truest of the truth. Just think about all the things that go on in our world, in our solar system, in our UNIVERSE that even the most ingenious rocket scientists have yet to figure out. We all obviously have much to learn. We all have room to expand!

My mantra, and my mantra for you is this:

“I expand in abundance, love and success today and every day as I inspire others to do the same.”

This is from my new favorite book “The Big Leap” By Gay Hendricks, which if you have been reading my blogs; you know I like to rave about. This mantra WORKS. It really puts things into perspective about what our main goal is as human beings. Other than that, it also has this calming effect whenever I repeat it to myself. It kinda makes me realize that I am hooked up, I am taken care of and that this is my purpose to expand in these ways. When you realize that, you can revaluate what you have been centering your thoughts or worries on.

Unleash your inner demons.

In what ways are you not expanding? Get it out there. Talk about it, journal about it or just plain vent about it some how. When you do it – go deep. I recently did that last week and let me tell you, I released some more blocks I didn’t even know I had. This lead me to live even more fully, more passionately, more happily and more abundantly.

Do more fun stuff!

The way to expand in love, abundance and success is really to enjoy doing everything you do. When you are having fun, you are immediately expanding in love because you love what you are doing. When you love what you are doing it creates more wealth in your life, in all kinds of ways (financial and not financial), and when you have more wealth or abundance in your life that equals success.

Regroup

Taking time for “Morning meetings” with yourself are key to success. Sometimes there is just so much going on in your day-to-day life and you have tons of things to do. Tunnel vision grasps you by surprise and when that happens, good luck getting the important things done. You will tend to focus on small, detail-oriented tasks that seem super important at the time, but in the long run will not create the life you want to live. Taking your morning meeting seriously, just as seriously or if not more seriously than the one you may have with your boss will refocus you on your life’s big picture and will help you achieve your goals for expansion in your life.

That’s it for now but I hope all of that inspires you to live the life of your dreams!

Thanks to Mastin Kipp and Gabrielle Bernstein for some of these pieces of advice that I picked up along the way.