the march movement challenge

I've decided during the month of March I am going to challenge myself (and all others who would like to join me) to move each day. There was not a lot of movement in my life during the month of Feb., and my body & mind are feeling it! So, here's the challenge:

Move a minimum of 20 minutes every day in March:

Walk

Run

Ride a Bike

Do Yoga

Lift Weights

Dance

Stretch

Just get your body moving!

It will thank you!

Peace, Love, Lipstick,

& Namaste'

Leslie

*photo from thelandbirdsofsoutheastbrazil.com

karmacoy's list

Here is Karmacoy's list for the Create Your Life Create a List challenge (Thank you Karmacoy for participating and sending me your fantastic list!):

45 things to do before I'm 45:

Personal Growth & Creativity
1. Find a better paying job, possibly with a school board
2. Create at least 2-3 scrapbooks for and with my daughter
3. Design, make and sell (and give away) my own greeting cards and bookmarks
4. Develop a more regular practice for creative writing, songwriting and my blogs
5. Publish one of my children's stories in picture book format
6. Dance more! Maybe sign up for a hip hop class
7. Paint more often. Take a water colour painting class
8. Learn the art of face painting
9. Attend one of Jamie Ridler's Dreamboard Workshops and host one locally
10. Seek some counseling and/or coaching to deal with a few issues

Family, Relationships & Travel
11. Go away on a vacation (somewhere warm when it's cold) with my sweetheart
12. Go on a Road Trip with my Sister-in-law
13. Have a "girls-getaway" weekend twice a year with my daughter
14. Continue to strengthen, explore and discover new aspects of relationship with my sweetheart and deepen our bond
15. Visit my best friend in New York
16. Plan and host a dinner party a couple of times each year
17. Develop deeper, more meaningful friendships
18. Plan and go on a family camping trip
19. Introduce my daughter to 3 new physical activities (skiing, bowling, & ?)
20. Spend more time with my parents

Music
21. Record a cd of Children's music including some of my own songs
22. Go on a music and songwriting retreat of some sort
23. Sing at a minimum of 6 open mic nights
24. Take more vocal lessons
25. Develop connections with other musicians and songwriters
26. Keep up guitar practice, take more lessons
27. Increase repertoire of songs I can play (by 10)

Health & Wellness
28. Become skilled at Menu Planning and organizing healthy meals
29. Schedule at least 2 massages per year
30. Rely less on Grocery Stores, buy more locally and organically grown foods
31. Treat myself to a mani/pedicure at least twice/year and take better care of my hands and feet in general
32. Make healthy, hearty soups more often
33. Cook vegetarian meals more often, try one new recipe 2-3 times/month

Yoga
34. Take more Teacher Training and read 3-5 new yoga books
35. Study more Sanskrit Chants
36. Write a series of newsletters for my students (2-4 per year)
37. Engage in random acts of kindness weekly
38. Show more gratitude by sending Thank you cards for small deeds (1-2 per week)
39. Dedicate more time to class preparation, developing themes and evaluation

Home
40. Find a wonderful new home that will be just right for us
41. Undertake some major de-cluttering before moving and reorganization afterwards
42. Turn each room of our home into an artistic, comfortable living space
43. Start a small vegetable garden and ask for help from garden friends
44. Make my own wine
45. Organize a space for my painting, scrapbooking and other creative projects

If you'd like to join this challenge, simply send me your list at ldgkarma@hotmail.com

Namaste'
Leslie

diana's list

Here is Diana's fabulous list for the Create Your Life*Create a List challenge: (if you'd like to send me your list, and have it posted here, e-mail me at ldgkarma@hotmail.com)

Me:
1. Read Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg.
2. Read Nudge by Richard H. Thaler.
3. Continue to see skincare specialist every 8 weeks.
4. Continue to move forward in my yoga practice at home, in workshops, classes and discussions with other yoga teachers. Find my new edge in yoga.
5. Look at certification for PMP (project management professional).
6. Read The Right to Write by Julia Cameron.
7. Read Tranquilista by Kimberly Wilson.
8. Focus on a Yama or Niyama each month -note it in my plannerpad.
9. Practice non-judgment in every day.
10. Peruse the idea of a blog-look into creating, format, content, etc.

Family:
1. Get together at least once every 8 weeks to spend the day sewing with my mom.
2. Spend time outdoors with husband every week (I can be a party pooper if the weather is not perfect).

Home:
1. Cook two meals each week from one of my cookbooks-learn to cook new and healthy dishes.
2. Keep clutter to a minimum and get rid of one thing for every other thing brought in.

Financial:
1. Spending hiatus on anything that is not a necessity (food, tp, a bill or automobile fuel). This means no purchases of anything for fun-we learn to live creatively without it. One exception is a new tv stand. It is a planned purchase and unable to buy before the holiday.
2. Pay off $10,000 of debt-credit card, loans, whatever (I will determine exactly what this coming weekend.) This is in addition to our regular monthly payments that we have been making.
3. Save $4,000 for a Christmas vacation in 2010.
4. Develop a monthly budget and stick to it--this includes a weekly allowance for me and my husband.
5. Pay bills every Thursday night according to budget (avoid late fees).
6. Read Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach

Business: (this includes my work life and where I want my yoga teaching to go)
1. Develop a system to keep track of yoga classes, payments in by students and out for studio rental, yoga curriculum, etc. (use computer with back-up system).
2. Develop an official business plan for my yoga teaching--where will it take me?
3. Read Basic Black by Cathie Black.
4. Read Getting Things Done by David Allen.
5. Read Zen of Business Administration by Marc Lesser.
6. Use 2010 Planner Pad DAILY-actually use it as intended to keep track of projects, deadlines and 'to dos'.
7. Begin using time two evenings a week to catch up on work and prepare for the week ahead. These evenings will be Monday and Thursday.

Once again, a BIG thank you to Diana for sending this list. It's always inspiring to see what great plans other fabulous ladies have for creating their lives!

Namaste'
Leslie

my list

35 things to do by my 35th Birthday:

Connections
1. Connect with more like-minded women
2. Increase communication with Hubby and continue to strengthen our marriage
3. Spend more time with friends: plan dinner parties, shopping trips, spa days, yoga party, etc.
4. Host our 2nd and 3rd Annual soup and wine tasting party

Personal Growth/Learning
5. Learn more about nonviolent communication and mindfulness based stress reduction
6. Learn more about digital photography & Photoshop
7. Participate in an on-line teleclass w/Kimberly Wilson
8. Learn more about and do more vlogs

Health/Wellness
9. Get a Thai Yoga massage
10.Integrate more natural/organic beauty products and phase out most unnatural ones
11.Keep a daily food journal and practice mindful eating
12.Get a minimum of 3 facials and 3 massages per year
13.Use my plannerpad on a daily basis-keep a food diary, write affirmations, reasons I'm
grateful, and plan fun and adventure time!

Creativity
14.Learn how to knit more than just scarves
15.Make & send home-made cards
16.Design t-shirts & get them made
17.Change blog layout (learn more about designing blogs)
18.Design and decorate my NEW, fabulous home so that I love, love, love it!

Adventure
19.Eat at every restaurant in town (locally owned-not fast food or chains) where I haven't yet
eaten
20.Travel (out of state) at least twice
21.Spend time reading and sipping coffee in every coffee shop in town
22.Plan and go on a family float trip
23.Get professional photographs taken-individual and w/Hubby

Yoga/Business
24.Go to a conference or workshop w/Seane Corn
25.Grow my yoga business (include more on-line opportunties, more classes, workshops, etc.)
26.Read 5 Business related books
27.Present a yoga/personal growth workshop
28.Learn more Sanskrit
29.Read 5 yoga books
30.Audio record at least 3 yoga classes and make them available on-line
31.Research coaching certification options
32.Teach a Hot yoga class
33.Write a yoga/personal growth newsletter at least 2 times a year

Financial
34.Donate a minimum of $500.00 to local charities
25.Save more $

Namaste'
Leslie

goodbye 2009 hello 2010

I cannot believe 2009 is almost over. As always, the year has flown by incredibly fast! I am excited about all that is to come in 2010: so many possibilities...

Today, I finished my list for the Create Your Life*Create a List challenge. I ended up with a little longer list than I had planned. My list has 35 things to do by the time I'm 35. (Originally, I was going to do 30 things, but I just couldn't stop at 30). I have also separated the items on my list into 6 categories:

Connections
Personal Growth/Learning
Health/Wellness
Creativity
Adventure
Yoga/Business
Financial

I will post my complete list tomorrow. Also, if you are participating, I would love to be able to post your list here, too. I think it is fun and inspiring to see what others are wanting to create in their lives! Feel free to e-mail me your list at ldgkarma@hotmail.com

I hope you have a fabulous New Year!

Namaste'
Leslie

sneak peek at my list

I have been working on my list for the Create Your Life*Create a List challenge. I am now up to 24 things on my list--only 11 more to go. I can't encourage you enough to make sure your list is a reflection of what YOU really want. When that little voice creeps in and starts to tell you to be worried about what other people might think of your list, squelch it! This is YOUR life, so it should definitely be YOUR list!

Here's a little sneak peek of some things I plan on doing by my 35th Birthday:

*Read at least 5 business related books
*Learn how to knit more than scarves
*Present a yoga/personal growth workshop
*Audio record some of my yoga classes
*Host another soup and wine tasting party

How is your list going?
Namaste'
Leslie

invitation to challenge vlog

I was having difficulty uploading my newest vlog directly to this post and maintaining a good quality resolution, so click here for my newest vlog.

Namaste'
Leslie

p.s. Feel free to spread the word about this challenge on your own blog, if you'd like! I'd appreciate it. :)

Create Your Life*Create a List challenge

How is your list making going? I now have 10 items on my list of things to do by the time I turn 35....only 20 more to go! It's somewhat challenging to remind myself that this is MY list, and I shouldn't worry or let what others might think be of any influence on my list. It can be so easy to live/create our lives based on cultural/societal pressures and, while often well-intentioned, the pressure of family and friends. I just try to keep coming back to the question: What do I really want in my life?

So, far I have eight other fabulous women who have committed to participating in the Create Your Life*Create a List challenge. I'd love to have more of you along for this journey. I guarentee you'll move closer to creating the life you truly desire if you join! Click here for more details!

Namaste'
Leslie

Create Your Life*Create a List challenge!

I just finished reading the fiction book The Next Thing on My List, by Jill Smolinski, and I am now feeling incredibly inspired. (I will not give any details of the book away here that would ruin it for you, if you plan on reading it, so it's safe to proceed.) Essentially the book is about a woman, June Parker, and her journey to start living a purpose-driven and fulfilled life. June's journey involves surviving a car accident, in which her new acquaintance and passenger, Marissa, dies. After this accident, June finds Marissa's list of "20 things to do by my 25th birthday" and sets out to finish the items on Marissa's list by her would-have-been 25th birthday.

I have always been one to love lists and after reading this book, I have definitely been inspired to write my own list of 30 things to do by my 35th birthday. I am also excited about the idea of other fabulous women joining me on this journey! I would love to see what types of things are on your list, as well as, hear about experiences you have as you start to get things crossed off your list. So, if you are interested in participating, here's the skinny:

1. During the month of December begin working on your list. Think both big and small. Be creative. Be brave. Include simple pleasures and indulgences, as well as things that scare you and push you to your toward your discomfort level (in yoga this is referred to as your edge). Let go of any tendency to judge or worry about what others might think of your list. This is for YOU! (Some items on Marissa's list included: Kissing a stranger, changing someone's life, running a 5K, riding in a helicopter, going on a blind date, getting a massage, watching a sunrise).

2. Include as many or as few items on your list as you want; however, as I will turn 35 in just under 2 years, I decided to go with 30 things to do by the time I'm 35. (I would suggest you plan on finishing your list by December 2011 at the latest--as if you draw the process out too long, you may lose momentum)

3.Complete making your list by Dec. 30, 2009. Once your list is complete--type it up, make it pretty, and display it in a place where you see it daily.

4. E-mail me your list (ldgkarma@hotmail.com). If you would rather I not share items on your list, or mention you, just let me know in the e-mail. If you are ok with me including some or all of your list on my blog, let me know!

5. Jan. 1, 2010, start completing items on your list. Feel free to e-mail me updates on how things are going! (Once again, please let me know if you are or are not comfortable with sharing these updates on my blog!)

So, you may be asking yourself, why would I want to participate in this challenge? Here are just a few reasons why:

• Creating your list will help you define what is truly important to you, and propel you to take the actions necessary to reach your goals.
• Life is way too short--this will give you direction to live it to the fullest!
• Sharing the list with others will make you more accountable.
• It will be a fun adventure!
  

So, grab a piece of paper, and a pen, (and maybe a few of your best girlfriends) and join me on this challenge! If you'd like to participate--leave a comment or e-mail me at ldgkarma@hotmail.com

I'm looking forward to this adventure with you!

Namaste'
Leslie