What is one word that would describe summer for you?

For me, I think of SHINE! Perhaps it is because of the warm sunshine, or that every living thing seems so alive and free.

One of those things that I keep free and flowing during the summer is my hair. You see, those who have naturally curly or wavy hair will totally understand; no matter how hard you try to straighten your hair, heat or moisture cause it to go back to its flowing state. Therefore, in the summer, I spend less time straightening my hair, as there really is no point with the humidity and my love of being in the water.

Happy Start to Summer! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend celebrating its arrival.

When I think back to my summers as a child, the term ‘care-free’ comes to mind. Being out of school, you can sleep in, go to camp, and pursue more activities you enjoy outside the classroom. How do you have fun in the summertime?

Summer has always been one of my favourite times of year, as it makes people get outside more and enjoy the sun and warmth. Especially in Canada, summer is the season for refueling after a LONG winter.

Last night, I returned home from spending five days at a narrative therapy conference in the beautiful city of Vancouver.

Called Therapeutic Conversations, the conference was empowering. The souvenirs from my travels were a full heart, a journal filled with notes, and a camera of precious memories!

The word that summarizes my experience is: gratitude. Some conference goers (myself included) took part in an exercise on the first day about connecting with and appreciating our bodies. During this time, the facilitator asked us to focus our thoughts on our knees, and to thank them.

Ever heard of the common empowerment phrase “Say Yes to Life”? What does “saying yes” mean to you? How do you apply it in your life?

I heard the phrase a couple years ago and wanted to adapt it into my life as a way to be open to new possibilities.

To me, I initially thought of it as a way to overcome one’s fears about trying new things. People would present me with opportunities and I would say yes.

As you may know, I have been reaching out and asking people I admire what daily practices (i.e., record worthy practices) they perform in their lives to feel better about themselves. I encourage you to sit back, put away your distractions for a few minutes, and reflect. Think about how you can apply the record worthy practice, which is shared below, in your life.

Today. Anne-Sophie Reinhardt shares her record worthy practice with all of us.

I'm excited that today, Dawn Brown, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. Dawn was the Director of Student Life Services and head of Career Services at Carleton University (where I obtained my Bachelor's degree) in Ottawa, Canada. I am really inspired by Dawn's message of hope, so I asked her to be part of this series; she is a mentor to me. As said on her website, "she credits those she has met on the road and seas with inspiring her by allowing her to see life through their eyes." I had to ask Dawn to inspire fellow writers by asking her to speak from her heart!

Today, Amanda Christian, is sharing her thoughts on perseverance with us. Amanda Christian is the hiking yogi buddy you always wanted but never had. She’s a soul-engineer, a maximizer and a modern day voyager with lots of strange ideas. Strange ideas that just might be what you’ve been waiting for. As a miracle-fueled yoga instructor + creator of weekly Soul Workout YouTube videos, she’s been featured on MindBodyGreen, Purpose Fairy, and Tiny Buddha. Think of Amanda as your chia-drinking, mountain bike-riding, bubble-blowing miracle maven illuminating the path to personal power and miracles.

We live in a society where accessing information has become easy and fast.  If you want something, you can get it almost immediately online.

This instantaneous access has made individuals impatient if they have to wait for something.  Some aspects of life can’t be rushed.

If you want to achieve greatness, you will have to put in the hard work to get there.  This time and effort can’t be rushed.

Since spending time on the West Coast, I have picked up a saying that has really manifested into my way of life.

The phrase is, “No Worries.” I find it is very commonly used in my vocabulary.

The saying reflects my laid-back west coast lifestyle. Being laid-back does not at all mean a person doesn’t work hard. The laid-back lifestyle has nothing to do with the amount or intensity of your work. Rather, it means that you don’t let small things upset you.

Someone is late or has to reschedule. Things don’t happen as planned. I say: “No Worries.”

Sometimes we think we are the only ones who are going through issues.  However, every generation goes through similar stages in life.

I came upon an assignment I wrote for a class in high school, called “The Young Adult of the Past and Present.” For the assignment, I had interviewed one of my grandmothers.  The original document has been changed only to take out personal information.  

My grandmother has lived in the same city for her entire life; she was born in 1921.  I chose to interview her because I think she has had a really interesting life. I wanted to find out how she was socialized to handle three developmental tasks: 1) separation from family, 2) development of intimate peer relationships, and 3) choice of career.

I had this powerful dream the other night which I have to share with you.

It relates to a situation I have been going through over the past year.  I find that if you have been thinking about something a lot, your mind has a way of incorporating those thoughts into your dreams.

When I was growing up, the Disney princes were what us young girls thought of as our "dream" guys.  Huesmann (1988) suggests that when children view television, they learn about many aspects of society. They gain knowledge of the attitudes and behaviours that are acceptable to society. The children learn from television by copying the behaviours that are portrayed on it. Therefore, if a behaviour is shown on television to be acceptable and valued by their society, the children will learn to emulate that behaviour.

If you haven't seen Beauty and the Beast, you should watch it, as the movie is a classic.