The Day We Honor Our Dads

It's Father's Day; the day we honor our dads.  The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the brainchild of Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, WA, who felt that like mothers, dads a deserved a day, too.  In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson declared it a national holiday and in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed U.S. Father's Day into law, to be observed on the third Sunday in June.

There are approximately 70.1 million fathers in the United States. Surely like us their children are reflecting on them today, paying respect and celebrating the impact they've made on their lives.  Regardless of whether you had the "World's Greatest Dad", like we did, or an absent, abusive, or indifferent father, hopefully you can hold onto the positive life lessons that are yours as a result, as well as a few happy memories of your dad.

After all, we receive valuable takeaways from all the experiences of our lives.  The right, the wrong, the good and the bad; each moment shapes us and our lives, making us into the women we are today.  In recognition of Father's Day, we share a few past posts about what we've learned from our dad...

Life Lessons from Dads to Daughters: If you asked our brothers what lessons they’ve learned from Dad, you’ll probably get a different set of answers, but these are the ones that shaped us most

Tribute to Dad: Here at Soulspring we spend a lot of time and focus on women.  However, dads play an important role in our shaping our character, too.  It's our fathers who join forces with our mothers to teach us about the kind of person we’d like to grow up to be.

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:
"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way." ~Unknown

The Picture of Happiness

Would you look at the expressive face on this cutie! Obviously this little lady is having an amazing day...But, what is it that has surprised her so? What's filled her with joy to the point that her bliss runneth over?

Recently we did a little experiment. We put ourselves in her shoes (or should we say skates) and imagined the moment that this picture was captured...

“I did it!”
“Ice cream?!  For me?!”
“You’re here!”
“Did you see that?!”
“That was soooo fun!”
"Let's do that again!"

A funny thing happened as a result of this experiment. After imagining various situations, and enjoying some laughs in the process, we noticed our own moods being elevated to joyful levels! We donned big smiles, our hearts lifted, our souls jumped for joy.  Just goes to show, the happiness of another is all it takes for us to experience happiness, too.

Now you try it...imagine yourself in this picture. What was it that thrilled you to this jubilant state?  Feel the emotion and let yourself soak it in.  Feels great, doesn’t it?!

What do you imagine the story to be behind this photo?  How do you picture happiness?  Please post your scenarios below and share your joy and happiness!

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." ~Henry Ward Beecher

Pinterest: Worthless Addiction or Passionate Pursuit?

Surely you've heard of the new Pinterest fad, and maybe you've even found yourself addicted, like we have?  For those of you who have yet to stumble upon this craze, let me explain...

Pinterest is sweeping the online world by storm!  We liken it to a series of online bulletin boards.  You can "pin" things you find while surfing the web to your Pinterest boards, and organize them into various categories.  Websites, recipes, images and ideas can be quickly "pinned" and easily organized, along with the link to the source for easy reference later, if needed.  You can also follow others (and they can follow you), and re-pin each others pins, growing your collection even more.

Pinterest is becoming a bit of a "guilty" pleasure in some circles, with many women embarrassed to admit how much time they spend pinning.  If you're a closet Pinterest fan, take heart.  As long as you're not neglecting your family, your work, and your own self-care, we've found it to actually be a fun and empowering pastime.  Let us explain...

Dreams: We all have dreams and goals for the future.  Think of Pinterest as an online dream board!  You can create as many boards as you like, and give them any title.  Your dream vacation can come alive, your kitchen remodel can start to take shape, and your bucket list can become more visual. The possibilities are endless!

Creativity: There are projects for DIY'ers of all skill-levels on Pinterest.  I used to be quite a crafter, but as so often happens with life, I had moved on to other interests.  Opening my Pinterest account woke up the crafter inside me.  The question now is what to create first?! 

Passions: The thing about passions is that oftentimes we're afraid to commit (and fail).  With Pinterest you can create your passionate endeavors in pictures first, explore them from a distance, and try them on for size.  Heck, Pinterest is a passion in itself!  When it feels right to take the next step in your goals, and eventually it will, you're ready to dive in and make it happen.  It may not be today, or even tomorrow, but when you’re ready the inspiration will be there! 

Inspiration: Speaking of inspiration, there's no shortage of it on Pinterest.  From art to fashion, decorating to photography...I say pin whatever speaks to you...The fun, the interesting, and the silly!  When you're feeling stuck or bored, visit your Pinterest boards and you'll feel energized, renewed and inspired by the pictures, colors and textures you love.

Self-expression: Whatever your interests, whatever you love, whatever catches your eye, can be pinned to your boards and shared with others via Pinterest. One popular item pinners pin is their decorating ideas.  There's also art, jewelry, fashion, and more.  Not only does sharing your personal preferences express your style to others, it clarifies it to yourself, too.  Turns out I like the warmth of wood floors and the casual feel of painted cabinetry. I prefer country living to city-life.  I'm a sucker for a good quote and baby animals.  How about you?      

Self-discovery: You might just be surprised to discover a new interest through Pinterest. For example, it had never before crossed my mind that it was possible to make your own cleaning supplies or personal care products.  Turns out there's people doing just that!  Whether to save money, or avoid exposure to harmful chemicals, many are pinning their recipes and formulas to their boards and it caught my attention.  It's something I plan to try soon and I'm ready with my instructions for an all-natural microdermabrasion application (guaranteed to make my skin glow), a natural body moisturizer (chemical-free, fragrance-free, color-free and preservative-free), and several recipes for homemade hand soap, window cleaner and laundry detergent.  A few less toxins on my body and in my house suddenly sounds like a good thing.

So don’t hide your passion for Pinterest, in fact, we say pin with pride!  And please follow Soulspring Groups on Pinterest for empowering ideas, inspiring words, our favorites from the web, and the products we love!  Feel free to comment, repin, and @mention us if you think run across something you think we’d love.

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:

"I pin because it makes me happy."

The Most Important Thing You Can Do

I absolutely love when a life lesson jumps out at me during the day.  It’s like a little surprise; a gift that makes you stop in your tracks and brings you into the present-moment.  What sparks that moment is different for each of us…it could be a sight, sound, phrase, or smell that resonates with us and tugs at our soul.

I was lucky enough to receive one of these gifts a while back when I was watching an interview of Sherri Shepherd.  I was surprised to hear that she actually started out her career-life as a paralegal (yeah, took me by surprise, too!).  She shared how while in that career she felt stressed and unfulfilled, but didn’t really feel motivated enough to make a change. 

Then one day she receive that surprise “gift” I referenced above.  It came in the form of a story about a woman who was dying of stage 4 cancer.  The woman was being interviewed on Oprah and she shared that death is really the only thing that’s guaranteed, but how we live life is the most important thing we can do.  Sherri heard this and was moved at the thought.  We only live this one life; why would we choose not to live our dream life?

Sherri quit her job and pursued acting and stand-up comedy full-time.  

I love stories like that; a few simple words lead to an inspired moment and a leap of faith.  It’s fairly simple, yet not so easy to do.  We know we always have a choice…so why wouldn’t we choose to live our dreams?  Why would we wish for something other than our deepest passion?  Why wouldn’t we try with every ounce of our soul to make this life the life we want?

There’s no lack of excuses, but they all lead to the same regrets.  You know what you must do…It’s time for you to finally take that leap of faith; or at least a tiny step in its direction.

Becky,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:“You have exactly one life in which to do everything you'll ever do. Act accordingly.” ~Colin Wright

Clutter and Chaos: Is Your Stuff Holding You Back?

For the last few weeks our blog posts have revolved around the theme of spring cleaning and clutter.  Spring is traditionally a time for clearing out the old and freshening up our physical surroundings, but what about our lives?  The unfinished, unused, unresolved, tolerated and disorganized in our lives can really weigh us down in every way, stealing our zest and enthusiasm for life and living, not to mention blocking us from our passions and dreams.

This isn’t a new topic for us, as we’ve shared about clutter and how excess physical, mental and emotional “stuff” can hold us back in life.  In keeping with the theme and the time of year, we share a few of our most read clutter and chaos posts from the past.

Enjoy,

The Soul Sisters

Stop the Clutter!: What clutter do you have in your life and what kind of impact would just 10 minutes make?  Read More>>

Spring Cleaning Your Life Continues with the Junk Drawer: Our lives sometimes become a “junk drawer”. We allow others to stuff us full with their schedules, their needs, and their plans. It's time to clear the junk.  Read More>>

What Does Your Purse Say About You?: The disorder that can pile up and make your life feel unorganized and overwhelming can be hiding in the most common places.  Let’s start with my purse.  Read More>>

Spring Cleaning Tip: A Lesson from a Diaper Bag: How a diaper bag inspired me to look at things in my house a little differently.  What are you holding on to, and for what reasons?  Read More>>

Soul Searching Questions: Should It Stay or Should It Go?

Our regular readers are familiar with our Soul Searching Questions and the personal contemplation our questions can stir.  For this post we’ve designed a series of questions meant to encourage reflection of the items that surround you in your life. 

With our busy lifestyles and a trend toward commercialism, we buy, buy, buy and keep, keep, keep.  Soon we find ourselves surrounded by stuff and weighed down by our piles, disorganization and mess. 

If you are finding clutter to take a stronger hold on your life than you would like, work through these questions with a certain pile, collection or category of stuff in mind.  See where your answers lead...

• Does it lift my energy to think about it or look at it?
• Do I love it?
• Do I need it?
• Does it reflect who I am now in my life?
• What positive and or negative thoughts, memories or emotions do I associate with it?
• Does it need to be fixed or repaired, and am I willing to do so now?
• If I moved tomorrow, would I take it with me?
• If it is time to let it go, am I going to throw, sell, lend or give it away and when?

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:
"Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough."   ~Author Unknown

Spring Cleaning and Clearing Life’s Clutter

In last week’s Soul Sisters Blog post we shared about how you can lose 10 pound fast by tackling the clutter in your life.  Timing couldn’t have been better; I don’t know about you but we’re in the midst of our spring cleaning!

So why are your Soul Sisters harping on you about your piles?  Clutter wreaks havoc on personal empowerment!  It makes life more chaotic, making us feel overwhelmed and restricted.  These feelings can lead into depression, guilt and loss of esteem and confidence.  Yes, clutter IS NOT a power-booster.

But one of the hardest things about clutter, which ironically also often leads us to fall into a cycle of chaos, is the question of where to begin.  In the above video, Ellen offers some tips: “Ellen Degeneres' Spring Cleaning Tips For People Who Aren't As Good At Spring Cleaning As I Am".  While it’s always best to start any difficult chore with a laugh, we think our tips might be a little more practical.  You decide...

Where to Begin

• Understand what clutter is.  Remember, if you do not love it or use it, it's clutter.
• Approach de-cluttering your environment with the right intention; as you clear the old, you make room for the new to come into your life.
• Start small, with just one drawer, one closet, or one room.  See how it makes you feel, and how you begin to open up emotionally, as a result.
• Give yourself a set amount of time and a deadline.  You would be surprised by how much you can accomplish in just an hour of focused de-cluttering time.
• Sort things into categories (Keep, toss, donate, sell, etc.). 
• Bless each item as it's put into its appropriate category.
• Follow through with putting away, tossing, donating or selling each item within a week's time to avoid it turning into another kind of clutter!
• If you find yourself struggling with parting with your things, don't be afraid to seek out the help of an expert.

Releasing your clutter allows you to let go of old life patterns that no longer serve you, and create new and open pathways for fresh opportunities and prosperity to come into your life.  Without the clutter, these new experiences can support who you are now and the woman you are becoming.

Clearing the clutter allows you to loosen the hold material things have on you, opens your energy and sparks a sense of freedom!

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:

"Anyone who has ever cleaned out a closet and taken stuff to Goodwill knows how liberating it is.   You feel lighter, your mind feels clearer."  ~Cecile Andrews