It's Time...

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Photo by: Austin Chan @austinchan

to bring your daydream into reality. Everyone has something they are envisioning in their minds as they do their every day stuff. Maybe it’s writing a book, a career change, a product idea or a performance piece. Whatever the daydream is, it can be attained through small steps starting with research. Next, it’s important to set non-negotiable time blocks aside to explore the necessary shifts in your lifestyle to bring the daydream to life. During this “day in the life of” process, it may be discovered that you don’t really want to do all the work required to have the daydream part of your life. This is your life and your design of everything in it so you get to decide what parts of that daydream get to take up space and your time. You can call it your Franendream or something more clever. It will probably be better than you envisioned in your head since you took the parts that most inspired you. Keep attempting to bring your daydreams to life since you’ll never know what could be if you don’t try to make it happen.

Your Fear Can Kill Your Dreams

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Photo by: Thought Catalog @thoughtcatalog

Photo by: Thought Catalog @thoughtcatalog

The opposite of fear is joy. Who wouldn’t want joy in their everyday lives? How much would a fearful person pay for clarity? Probably a lot. Here are 3 steps to creating clarity to achieve joy in your life.

  1. Write down 5 things you are grateful for in your life.

  2. Write your 3 favorite things to do; hobbies, activities, experiences (Things you would do for free and when time ceases to exist.)

  3. What scares you most in life? (Choices you made, those you didn’t or ones you’re hesitating to make for any number of reasons/excuses.)

This exercise is to help you create/design your most joyous life. Itty bitty baby steps in the direction of your vision are perfectly fine. There are many ways to make shifts in your life, schedule and budget to softly accommodate the path toward your life filled with clarity and joy.

Everyone you’re putting ahead of pursuing your dreams because somehow their needs are more important than your happiness, will benefit greatly from your actions. Their “needs” are simply serving as an excuse for you not following through with your personal interests. This does not mean abandon all adult responsibilities and dependents while bankrupting yourself. The moment you realize that your desires matter, is the moment just before your first step toward your new life. Wouldn’t it be nice to be an example of what a purposeful life can be by following your passion and dreams?

A great book recommendation on this subject is “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She explains how she has changed her relationship with fear by coexisting with it and tell it what to do. Her fear has to “sit in the backseat and cannot control the music.”

Create A Fall Experience

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Photo by: Steven Aguilar @eysteve

Photo by: Steven Aguilar @eysteve

The weather is pretty perfect on the east coast so creating and planning a seasonal adventure or activity should be high on the priority list.

Make a list of the farms, farmer’s markets, craft fairs, wineries, breweries, flower farms, petting zoos, horseback riding, hiking or biking trails and beaches nearby to create a fun day outdoors. Try to create an adventure that you’ve never experienced before. You’ll be surprised at how many new activities are available near you and wonder why you haven’t made the time to create a new experience. Create a plan and enjoy the personal growth through a new adventure. Bringing family and or friends along can make it more memorable.

Weekend Design Project

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Air Dry Clay Project

It’s Clay Time

Hands are a gettin’ dirty!

Take some time this weekend and play like a child. No rules, no restrictions, no experience necessary, just random, in-the-moment playful exploration. Choose from air dry clay (dollar store or 5 below), polymer clay (any store with crafts) or make your own from the recipe link below.

Put on your favorite music or listen to classical music as it helps the mind stay focused in the present moment. Let your hands work through the clay, kneed it, roll it, fold it, sculpt it, cut shapes… Allow the clay to communicate with you and ask it what it wants to be. (I know that sounds hippy dippy, but it works. You can say it in your head and no one will ever know). The point is to move your hands through the clay and create something, anything. The whole body will be working in unison as a mini creation comes to life. Each time you look at your finished piece, you will be reminded of the time you allowed yourself to play and create like the child you once were. You know you’re in there, just let go.

Some ideas for air dry clay or polymer clay would be a jewelry dish, a pen holder, figurines, a bowl for coins, rocks, sea glass or my favorite, “Cape May Diamonds,” (quartz crystals found on a beach in Cape May, NJ.)

  • Here are a few tips for working with clay. Air dry clay and polymer clay are not food or liquid safe. As far as I know, there are no safe glazes that would make air dry clay or polymer clay items food safe. It is to be used as a modeling clay for decorative items. Polymer clay can be baked in the oven to harden. Do not use a rolling pin or utensils that you use for food. Acrylic or wood rolling pins are inexpensive and found at any of the stores listed in this post. Add small amounts of water to the clay in order to smooth out bumps and finger prints. Small amounts of water are also used to thin out a thicker part and even the weight of the item.

Feel free share the finished piece on Instagram @natalinidesign or natalini Design & Wellness Group on Facebook.

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