This post is inspired by a conversation I had with someone very dear to me. It is one of my hardest lessons still, but it gets easier every day :)

Step 1
Learn from the past

Do you remember an event in the past that really made you shake when you thought of having to do it? And then when you experienced it, you went: worried for nothing! Remember this when you next start fretting, and repeat this to yourself: I am using my energy for today only.

Step 2
Forgive

One of the things that keep us from living in the moment, is our negative attachment to the past. Guilt, regret and all of their brethren in emotions are experts in keeping our energies scattered all over the past. Practice forgiveness. Set aside a couple of minutes a day, and review what crept up in your thoughts from your past that made you feel bad.
Forgiveness doesn't judge what happened and it doesn't change the events. You just choose to let go of the attachments.

Step 3
Be gentle to yourself

This new way of living your life doesn't come easy, you have lived your life locked in patterns, and those are hard to break. Celebrate your break through's, write down your achievements, and, after a hard day for instance, write a little encouragement for the you of tomorrow. As always, feel free to mail me your questions if you are hesitant to comment :)

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It is January. Quiet has taken over the land, and it's a hard month to get adjusted to, especially with the busy and cozy December month behind us.

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Today I have another post on the upcoming holiday season. This year we have my side of the family over for a big dinner. This is what I am doing to get ready for a relaxed and blissful day

Step 1
Be prepared
Select a meal where you can prepare most of the food before the big day. This way you won't have to be in the kitchen all day on the big day. You can get prepared for more than just the food. Select what you and your family will wear beforehand, and see that it's all ready in the wardrobe, don't go shopping for presents the days before Christmas day, go this week. Make a list of what you can do beforehand to minimize the stress during the holidays.
Another major preparation is getting the house ready. Do a bit more cleaning during the upcoming weeks, so that you only have to do maintenance on the day itself.

Step 2
Be well rested
The holidays are always busy times. Take the days before to sleep well, go to bed earlier, and minimize the stress in the evenings so that you can get to sleep.

Step 3
Don't forget to smile
This is a wonderful time of the year, smile at yourself in the mirror when you feel stressful, and remind yourself that it's about joy and bliss and sharing and togetherness.

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As always, feel free to email me (address in the sidebar) if you have any questions that you don't want to post as a comment.

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Previous simple steps

Health/healing
Grow your own food
No panic!
Getting more energetic

Bliss
Instant bliss
Slow Down and Meditate
Escaping the funk
be satisfied with your life

Simplify
Clear out your wardrobe
Your vision for your home
Shopping for the holidays

Declutter
Decluttering on your computer
Finding more time
Flash Decluttering
Get rid of clutter
Making room for the festive season

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This post has been brewing for quite some time now. I have been musing about what's keeping people from feeling more bliss in their life. Is it lack of love? Of compassion? I do believe that is a big reason, but there is another aspect. Just now in the bath I realized what that aspect is. It's dissatisfaction.

People aren't satisfied with their life, with their jobs, with the economy, with a lot of other things, and they go through life feeling  out of sorts. Some people take it out on others, you can see that on the world's motorways every single day. Here are some simple tips/steps you can follow to feel more satisfaction with your life.

Step 1
Be aware
Imagine someone walking up to you. The corners of his mouth are turned down, his hands are deep in his pocket, he walks with his shoulders forward. Is this someone whom you would greet with a smile? Or is this someone whom you would walk around, afraid he would pull his fist out of his pocket and whack you over the head?
You radiate every emotion you are having, and dissatisfaction is written on everyone's face, everyone's body. With that posture you aren't very inviting to other people. Stand up straight, and welcome each and every day with a smile.

Step 2
Count your blessings
People who aren't satisfied usually focus on what they don't have, what they wish they have, the one thing that will make them happy once they have it (Of course the moment they have it, they have lost interest, and go for the next thing that will make them ecstatic).
In stead, focus on what you have. Focus on the good that is in your life, big and small. Are you healthy? Smile and be satisfied. Do you have a great meal on the table several times a day? Smile and be satisfied. Make a list of all the blessings, great and small in your life. Next time you're dissatisfied, look at that list, and remind yourself of all that's good in your life.

Step 3
Exercise daily
Every day, write a list of five things you are grateful for that day. It can be small, someone smiling at you, writing 500 words. reading something really good. Be grateful for the gifts you receive, and you will see that every moment of every day is a gift.
Also, choose one person in your life you will do something good for. It doesn't have to be something big. Even offering to get a co worker coffee, or to give someone you love a hug brightens both your day and theirs. Share more of your unique self.

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I have no doubt that I will return to this topic more often. Please write in any question you might have, so I can use it for other posts.

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It's been a while since I wrote one of these, won't bore you with the details as to why :)

The upcoming weeks I will post simple steps that focus on helping you to have a great festive season, stress free and blissful. Today's focus is  on creating a wonderful space in your home for December.

Here we go!

Step 1
Visualize
This should be the first step in any undertaking. What is your vision for your home for the holidays? Do you want to go all out with christmas lights and a tree, and tons of decorations? Or do you want your home to have a calmer glow? What do you want to do to bring light into the cold dark winter months?
Just walk through your home with a notepad, and write down everything that comes to mind while you walk. Then pick one room where you will create the atmosphere you dream of. You can always move on to another when you are done. Not taking the whole house as a goal is a step that will ensure you set yourself up for success. For the rest of the post I will assume you choose the living room for this.

Step 2
Clear
Get some boxes, and remove everything that doesn't fit in your vision for your living room. Box trinkets, frames, anything that doesn't go with the vision you have made for your room. When you do this you remove things that didn't do much for you, but still are in the room because they always were there, and open yourself up for decluttering them later. Put things you want back in your living room in January in a separate box. Tape the other boxes shut. If you haven't touched them in a month's time, just declutter the contents.
Then clean the space, and maybe do some furniture reshuffling, until the room just feels welcoming and comfortable when you walk into it. When you remove frames you may run into the wallpaper colour being different behind it, because the sun bleached it out. What you can do then is get a picture that fits right with the season, and put it in that frame. That way you keep the festive theme throughout your room.
Just remember, an object is just an object. They don't have memories, you have them. If you for instance have a really ugly china sculpture that you keep around because it was from your grandmother, just take a picture of it, and then declutter it.

Step 3
Decorate
Now your living room is a blank canvas, you can get out your decorations, and start putting them around the room, keeping the vision you have in mind. Then sit in your favourite chair and enjoy your wonderful and festive room.

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It is autumn, trees are showing us one last, colorful, spectacle before dropping their leaves, the air is crisp and fresh, and nature shows us a fabulous spectacle of clouds. It is a time to put away the flimsy clothes of summer, and to get the sweaters out, ready for winter.

It is a perfect time to let go of what holds you back. Get rid of unwanted things around your home (you can use my decluttering tag to find some tips), and create a comfortable space for these cold winter months coming up.

You can also let go of aspects of yourself that you no longer need in your life.

I love to do the following ritual:

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Everyone of us has those moments when nothing seems to work, and you feel like you are dragged through life by the collar. On those moments it is always good to remind yourself that life is truly blissful. Here are some simple steps to increase your bliss and let the sunshine in again.

Step 1
Count your blessings
When you feel you are stuck in a rut, nothing helps better than this. Look around you. What is good in your life? What fills you with joy? What could you spend 15 minutes on today to make you feel blissful again?

Step 2
Go through your bliss book
This should be a simple step for every single one of my 3 simple steps. Get a pretty notebook, and use it for all the things that make you happy. Received a note that makes you smile? Put it in your bliss book. Something you did made you feel really good inside? Write it down. A picture makes you giggle? Paste it in. As I created this link I realized I promised to share some pages from my bliss book. Will take some photographs later this weekend.

Step 3
Create a sacred space
Make a space just for you, a place where you can just sit and be yourself, surrounded by things you love, things you love to look at. Just sit there, and do some breathing exercises, or start Meditation

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I know, I am late. Health issues kept me from posting this last week. Will do better this coming Friday :)

This post is inspired by my journey of these past few years, culminating into this post.

Step 1
Find your natural rhythm
Nothing wears you down like going against your own internal clock. Find out what your rhythm is by trying out different sleeping routines, going to bed an hour earlier each day can give you ten times more energy. Find out what going to bed early and getting up early does for you. Journal constantly during this test time, it helps. I have found out that I function better when I go to bed before 11 pm. I am more energetic, and can do a lot more during a day.

Step 2
Rock at setting goals
One thing that wears you out easily is having a constant to do list in your head. What are your priorities? (also see these simple steps: Finding more time). Keep your focus on what is truly important for you and then set 3 simple to achieve goals for the day, write down the rest. You will find out soon enough what truly is important to do on that list and what is really not. Don't fall in the failure trap. You start anew every day with this, no looking back, no looking forward.

Step 3
Listen to your body
When you are feeling sick, take time to heal, when you are injured, rest, when you are really tired, go to bed. Focus on what your body needs, not on what your mind needs. This will give you more than enough energy to do what you need to do.

As always: questions, remarks etc, post a comment, or mail me at tamlynleigh @ gmail [dot] com.

Previous steps

Health/healing
Grow your own food
No panic!

Bliss
Instant bliss
Slow Down and Meditate

Simplify
Clear out your wardrobe
Decluttering on your computer
Finding more time
Flash Decluttering
Get rid of clutter
Your vision for your home

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I am back from my journeys and that means that 3 simple steps is back!

It may surprise you that I chose this subject after the veg growing season is over, but when you are a beginner, it pays off to prepare for growing, even if you only start sowing in march :)

Step 1
What are your favorite vegetables?
Planning your garden should always start with this. Try out different vegetables this coming winter, and write down which you liked and which you didn't. This is your source list for your own veg garden.

Step 2
Plan
This is a very important step. Do you have a garden? A balcony? A windowsill? You can grow veg everywhere, just plan now for a good harvest next year. Need to clear away plants from part of your garden? Need to replant a shrub? Dig them up now, and replant them, then work on clearing your soil. It may be a good idea to get a soil tester so you can see what you need to add to make your soil good growing land.
When you are going to grow your veg in pots, start collecting them (you can use big food tins (from restaurants etc) for free planters). Get a cheap greenhouse (I have a small greenhouse in my garden, also use old pie dishes (the plastic ones you get your pies in in supermarkets) to sow seeds in. Plan what is best for you, and invest in some good compost, that will easily be earned back when you have a good crop from your soil

Step 3
Gather information and then get your seeds
Read up on the foods on your source list, the ones you would like to grow, and plan for high yielding crops. Also realize that when you grow your veg on your balcony, you can't grow some veg, simply because the yield from one planter isn't enough for even one meal (some species of beans come to mind). Get cut and come again salads then, you can keep eating from them all through summer.
Find a supplier for seeds, or find people who are willing to share the seeds with you (seed swaps, or suchlike), read up about the veg you want to grow and find the perfect location to grow it at. Be creative and maybe this time next year you enjoy the veg that you love, grown in your own big or small garden!

For more questions, don't be afraid to email me. I don't know everything about growing your veg, but I have fallen into all the beginner traps :)

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