SPRING BLOSSOMS

Happy first FULL day of Spring 2021! I hope you have adjusted to the time change from a week ago!

Personally, I love DST and the extra sun. The sun and light have always energized me, I find I am more easily more productive when there is more light. In the darker months, it takes a bit more work to find the same energy to do it all.

This Spring, I have decide to focus my efforts on BLOSSOMING things I have been spinning in my head for a while now and also blossoming my health.

I have been creating, writing and planning more than ever on my personal projects. Not ready to share details on that yet, but I am happy with the progress I am making!

What I can share is the new commitment I made to my mind and body. The last 5 years have been filled with many different major life events and storms (actual weather events and personal ones too.) As you can imagined those events has been distractions. Good life lessons and teaching moments, but they have also been very distracting.

As I get ready to hit another birthday, I physically feel the aches and pains in my body. I have been active all along and logged a lot of walking miles. But I haven’t been as great with the strength training and flexibility. 20 years of drawing, designing, computers and a lot of admin work to run a business has taken it’s toll. My range of motion is severely diminished, and the right hip and shoulder are totally out of alignment. Luckily the carpal tunnel is hardly there, though I have had my bouts with mouse elbow.

3 weeks ago I started using 2 apps to help Open Fit and Down Dog as I wrote about in my previous post……….. the results are amazing. I have been mixing up the classes with walking, yoga, pilates, strength training and even the sound mediations for better, restorative sleep.

The pilates 3 week Flow Challenge with Lisa Hubbard has been amazing. Very small controlled movements and I can feel muscles I have never felt before.

I have tried to free my mind to just enjoy what I can do right now and build on it. 25 years ago, I was doing a lot of yoga and was super flexible and pushed myself hard to do challenging poses. I had a lot of foot and toe injuries plus surgeries that stopped me from being able to practice and I never went back regularly. I would go to a class every now and then if it popped up on my Facebook at an interesting new place.

Since using these apps, I have been practicing almost everyday, and I remember why I loved the classes so much years ago. I got back into the flow and remembered why I loved it so much years ago.

I remembered how my classes blocked out so much and allowed me to focus with control on my activity. Being focused one 1 thing, controlling the breaths, releasing toxins (thoughts, energy, air, etc.) = far greater results than rushing and being reactionary. As I am re-learning and learning from my workouts, I definitely am finding a greater awakening and connection to the brain and re-thinking simple things. Down dogs definitely shake up your brain and help you find a new way of looking at things.

Another thing I have done during this time is to start taking language classes again. I am doing French, Spanish and Italian. I have done 4 weeks of French which I took 4 years of in school. And last week started Italian and Spanish (1 yr in school). Today I will be adding Russian since part of my family is from Russia.

The languages I find open another part of my brain and force me to use other skills. The 3 languages I started with are similar. I can’t wait to see how the Russian fits in. Even though my Russian ancestors are only 2 generations back, I don’t know any of the language. I am excited to learn it, and one day I would love to visit all the countries my ancestors are from (Russia, Ireland and Germany.) So far I have only been to England and France in Europe.

This Spring, I am definitely focused on growing myself and doing NEW things!

X0, Tracy Lynne

SIGN LANGUAGE

Signs, they are everywhere. Most of them are missed or ignored.

You probably thought I was going to write about signing and something to do with hearing issues, but that is not what I want to share at all.

Recently I have changed up my routine a lot and found my mind is quieter, I am doing more and I have more energy. 2020 fatigue and doom and gloom found me in a daze and drained of my creative powers. So the first thing I did was get moving. I signed up for Open Fit and signed up for a 3 week Walking Challenge to motivate myself. I also downloaded the Down Dog yoga app for another experience/teaching approach.

I am doing language classes on-line, art, graphics and more. I know myself and re-discovered I do my best work when I am pushing myself hard and have challenges. All this extra work is a SIGN for my brain to starting thinking differently.

As I explore these classes, I am using my brain started getting moving. For me, that is very energizing and positive. Each night now I do one of the Open Fit sleep-related mediations. I drift off to sleep within 2-3 minutes and lightly awaken with the last sound at the end to close my iPad. Then go to sleep and stay asleep all night long.

This morning it hit me SIGN LANGUAGE (I know I took a long time getting to my point/title). I am doing things that are SIGNALING my brain to end the day and be quiet. I am getting closure for each day sort of like a brain dump. Hmmm, all the things I have been doing in the last 4 weeks are what I have done when I have been my most creative and most productive in the past. Those are times when things had a start and stop to them. The issues weren’t lingering forever.

As I look at life a bit more closely, I realize lately I have been preaching to others about reading signs but not saying the literal words. It has been implied and hidden for me to read the signs I have been sending out. I might be taking 5 languages on-line but I needed to shake up my routine to translate the signs of life into something that would connect in my brain. I needed to dig deeper and do the SIGN LANGUAGE.

I could go on forever about this. Instead, I will confirm that the planners some of the self-care and motivators put out are a good start if you are clueless about finding signs and translating them into something usual for you. Writing a list or even, physically writing something, typing it or dictating it into your e-device works too. Walking, driving or other self-reflection time helps. These are a few things I find very effective along with reading a lot of different things.

Structure and routine are great aids to organize your brain for reading SIGNS.

The point is to push yourself out of your comfort zone so you can start reading the signs. Awareness and putting words to your thoughts and experiences is not easy but is key to growth and happiness. These brain dumps so you can make space for new memories (think of them as clearing the memory cache on a computer.) If you are really reading the SIGNS life has sent you, you will find peace with the craziness in the world and won’t let the chaos rob you of the joy of being present in the moment.

I will end this post with my French class this morning. All the lessons were about pausing and changing attitudes in the translation……. throughout my life there have always been signs and coincidences. Sometimes they are obvious, other times I recognize them much later. I have a lot of light bulb moments because I am mastering the art of SIGN LANGUAGE.

xoxo, Tracy Lynne

Be Fearless!

A month in to joining Jamie Kern Lima’s (IT Cosmetics founder) book launch and Believe It workshops and empowerment group, etc. I am realized a big part of what is holding many of us back is we haven’t modernized our definition of fear.

Once that idea popped into my brain, I Googled it and my suspicions were confirmed. The # 1 definition was the one below. My internal example of fear was more like I can’t climb a ladder because I have a fear of heights and I will fall and get hurt. Whoever wrote the example is a bit more dramatic with a cabby murder, maybe that general fear example is better than mine.

Example #2 is from Webster and very similar.

These examples are great but way outdated., but so many people haven’t gotten the memo that in order to achieve goals, we must modernize who we think and fear.

If you are actively working on figuring out how to do more, live happier or the next chapter like I am, you know some of what I am going to say. But you may not know you know it (aka the light bulb hasn’t blinked on for the aha moment which is good because growth omes when it clicks for you and make sense for you to acknowledge and/or take action.)

Last year I read Judi Holler’s Fear is My Home Boy and she has many good points on how to conquer fear and get ahead. This week I read Noa Shaw’s book STOP thinking Thoughts That Scare You and was highlighting the whole book. Noa gave a no fluff, all-action example, and tips for conquering fear in each chapter.

Both Judi and Noa are advanced Fear Fighters who may be a little much for new comers on this the fearless journey, but we all have to start somewhere if we are going to see results. I have been thinking a lot about this subject for a while, more intensely this week and this morning I read comments in my book group and saw a lot of FEAR, and a lot of people being stuck because of fear.

What struck me most was not seeing anyone write I am afraid in their story and comments. But I am experienced enough to know that was what they meant. Then it hit me right after my mom started worrying about something and I had to tell her to stop, stop overthinking it, give something a chance to work before you make up your mind it never will…..we need to modernize our definition of fear.

Fear is all the things stopping you from starting, all the worry, all the overthinking, all things you must buy or do to be ready to even try, and all similar thoughts and techniques we have so cleverly disguised lately.

Bottom line is make a decision and start. Don’t miss out because of the noise in your head holding you back. We do so many silly and crazy things because of FOMO which are kind of a dare, but some how we let noise into our mind, other people, and more in and we let them stop us from starting. And once there is doubt, there is more risk of excuses and negative vibes joining into the pity party and before you know it is a full blown bash and you wake up with a bigger fear hang over the day.

As you go on this weekend, make a list of all those limiting things, excuses your doubts. That friends is FEAR. Once you define your fear in this new way of thinking about, then start doing the work, stop overthinking and start doing. Let that contagious virus you have inside you be success and happiness, they work the same way as fear, but leave you with a great feeling that you are unstoppable instead of dread, negativity and a fear hangover.

My number 1 go to when I want to start or get back on track is to move. I take walks and add in quick burst of exercise to pump me. Even 5 laps around the yard in the am or 10 minutes of dance music help me go. Try it or pick one of your inspiring things. Pick something small so you can easily do it daily, bug complicated goals are more stall tactics and the failure leas you down the bad slide again.

xo, Tracy Lynne

CO-versary

What a 365 day spin it has been!

I don’t know about you, but I am having a hard time when I speak lately knowing what the year I am talking about. 2019 stuff is really getting jumbled the words last year (2020), then I stop myself to remember that it is 1 year plus, and not losing a year even though 2020 felt like it was 5 years long.

1 year ago, was a great event for me at The Honda Classic Golf Tournament in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Golf, Lilly Pulitzer and 400women at an empowerment conference with Bozoma St John as one of our guest speakers. That was right before Boz went to Netflix.

This was followed up the next week by working a convention at the Swann and Dolphin Hotel at Disney World in Orlando. In that week between events, panic had already started and life was starting to change. People were taking about the big C and fear was growing daily. My first hotel night had the pool and bar area bustling all day and night with lots of noise and happiness. 4 days later there was silence and people avoid the elevators and already distancing before it was a thing.

I stayed at the hotel but driving to my family’s home an hour away. Everyone else flew or drove from other states and Canada. Everyone was getting calls from family urging them to skip things and get an early flight home, wash and stay away from people. There was real panic in every word.

Now as I think about the anniversary of this crazy time, I think about the many things I did and learned while being locked down. Like many it was tough and we lost friends and family too. Luckily we did not get COVID and today my dad got shot #2. My mom is too ill with many things and active shingles right now.

I did have my down times throughout the year. And I accomplished many things including starting this and making 2 websites, learned other work skills (real level up work and learning) started taking French classes and started all my design classes I never had time for, started online fitness classes, cooked tons of meal and tried new recipes, crocheted hero frontline worker bears for those risking their lives at their jobs during this time and I wrote a couple of books I am now illustrating.

Thankfully due to a garage mishap, we did get to take a short trip to Sarasota for a few days while the toxic fumes were fading. A nice safe hotel trip to one of my favorite hotels and cities.

Cheers to making it through the last year and prayers to remember and honor those we lost during this time.

I declare we should start a new tradition March 1st to get the ground running on being happy and getting motivated to have a great year. I know officially it all starts a new Jan 1. The cold dark and gloomy days of winter are hardly a good motivator to get going on al the NEW stuff. march 1 seems like a great time to re-charge the RE-NEW/YOU.

xo, Tracy Lynne

roof top pool The Westin Hotel Sarasota, FL August 2020
new fav painting from artist Anthony Fife or RenziTate Furnishings
Splashing in the Gulf of Mexico, Anna Maria Island, FL
am walk around the bay front in Sarasota, FL
bay front park in Sarasota
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota

Life Shouldn’t Be Like A Junk Drawer

Today, it hit me that navigating life is like how you handle your “junk drawer”. That crazy mess of a place you keep tossing all the odd and misfit things into because it is convenient. And 1 day you will get to cleaning it out.

Right now we are in an extremely stressful time. We have lived most 1 year of the “PANI”, it is such a part of our life we now give it comedic labels to cope. Add to that the hate and political mess during 2/3 of the time, with a side of natural disasters including TX freezing over last week.

Now is not the time to surrender and give into a junk drawer that can’t even close anymore.

Below are a few tips to clean up the JUNK:

  1. Take 5 or 10 minutes a day to start cleaning up the mess. Add it to your shower time or dental care routine. Use those precious minutes in the “REST ROOM” to actually REST and focus on finding inner peace and happiness.
  2. Try taking the trash out 1 or 2 times a day to the can outside. The extra steps and breaks add up. If you don’t have actual trash, take out pretend trash. There are lots of Tik Tok videos cruelly giving dogs pretend treat for laughs, skip teasing the dog and take out your “Pretend” trash. Except your pretend trash isn’t really PRETEND, it will be REAL TRASH in your mind.
  3. Write a JUNK list, and then break it down into smaller do-able steps, and start tackling it. Go old school with the list and write it down or type it out in an email, use Word or notes in an already existing app on your computer, tablet or phone. DON’T be tempted to get a digital planner, pretty book, stickers, etc. to start working on the JUNK. Those are stall tactics and waste time and money. If your budget is overflowing, then still save the money and make a donation to a charity or do a PAY IT FORWARD. The key is momentum and avoiding starting.
  4. Make a small bit of time each day to do the classes you bought this year, last year or years ago. I personally logged back into on-line programs I bought almost 2 years ago, some even longer ago and never did …….. I am now doing those classes and learning a lot. Even if you figure some stuff out on your own, go back and take the lessons. You will clear the money wasted thoughts from your brain, and you will also get access to someone else’s ideas and insight into thinking and doing. That important human connection may just be the light bulb aha thing for you in many ways. At the very least, you can lessen any guilty feelings you may have by telling your family you have school if that is what you need to set a boundary and schedule some YOU time.
  5. Don’t toss more junk into to the drawer that can’t already close. The extra weight may be the one thing that is going to make the drawer break and crash down to the ground spilling the stuff everywhere.

Yesterday, I started cleaning the physical junk in the house. Kitchen reno part 2 is starting in 2 weeks so we need to empty everything out. And I needed to help my mom clean out her closets. In the 3 hours I devoted to cleaning out the junk, I registered 13,000 steps on my smart watch, we found $150, found stuff we couldn’t find in a long time and kept buying more of the same stuff which got buried and a lot of people benefitted form the items I dropped off for donation.

Challenge yourself and start cleaning!

xo, Tracy