Jane Enright's Blog, page 4

Ways to show kindness over the holidays.

Fall is traditionally a season of thanksgiving--a reminder to all of us to count our blessings. For me being grateful includes sharing kindness. Kindness connects and rewards all of us. Not only does kindness help make us and others feel loved and supported, it is also a super awesome way to support our communities, friends, and family to move forward, not backward, and stay positive during uncertain times.

Here are some super awesome suggestions all of us can show kindness:

Provide Encouragement: We all have people in our lives who are struggling with their self-confidence and questioning whether or not they are capable of completing something they would like to do. Being a cheerleader can help them reach their goals. We also all feel better when someone has a kind thing to say.

Share Your Way Back Play Back Pictures: Create a collage or video of your favorite photographs to share with friends and family online so you can reminisce about some fun times and share some smiles.

Write A Love Letter: A handwritten note is a lovely way to show someone you care about what you are thinking of them. If you are busy, or like me your handwriting is atrocious, there is always email.

Celebrate Good News: There are, and will always be, weddings, recoveries, milestones, graduations, new babies, new jobs, accomplishments, victories, and anniversaries to celebrate. Let’s share these moments any way we can.

Be Inclusive: Chances are you might know someone right now who is single, alone, or lonely, Someone who would really appreciate sharing a meal or having some time together over the holidays. Inviting that person to participate in virtual or in-person “friendsgiving time” via Zoom, Skype, or Facetime, is a fun, easy, and safe way to connect. It lets that individual know you are thinking about them. It is also an effortless and safe way to express your gratitude for their friendship. The gift of conversation is a gift of kindness.

Ways to practice gratitude.

Gratitude is an affirmation of goodness. However, sometimes recognizing things to be grateful for in hard times can be a bit challenging.

Gratitude can help us recognize our own sense of self worth too. Recognizing the gratitude for contributions others have made to our life can also help us see the value people see in us.

Research such as studies from Robert Emmons has shown us gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships to bounce back faster after stressful situations.

Here are some Super-Awesome Ideas to Practice Gratitude.

1. Keep a gratitude Journal and add it daily – list things that you are grateful for so that you get into the habit of practicing gratitude and realize what you are grateful for.

2. Say a Kind Word – the simplest, easiest way to demonstrate gratitude is to say thanks to one another. Kind words can heal a troubled soul and we all feel a little better when someone has something kind and compassionate to say.

3. Include others in your plans – chances are you know someone who is wanting to be a part of a group or event. When you include others in your plans it lets them know you are thinking about them and care about them. It is also an effortless way to express your gratitude for their friendship.

30 days of mindfulness

My Super Awesome Life is celebrating November with 30 days of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is about paying attention with purpose, becoming aware of what is happening in your head without getting carried away by it. Being mindful is also an important step towards self- love.

Self Love is not about being self-absorbed or narcissistic, it's about tapping into our uniqueness, connecting to our well-being, and nurturing ourselves so we can find our happiness.

We practice self-love so we celebrate our strengths, become resilient, and truly shine. Self-love is always evolving and ideally, should be practiced daily.

Practicing self-love can be challenging though, especially during times of great change. You need to be patient, kind with yourself, and persistent. Happiness is an inside job.

Here are some ideas to inspire you to become more aware, appreciate yourself, navigate change, and find your bliss.

1. Calm your Mind:
Take time out to clear your mind of your thoughts and just be, even for 5 minutes.

2. Pre-Pave your Day:
Start each day with intention and gratitude. Our intention creates our reality. Recognize that despite life’s challenges, you are in control of how your day will unfold.

3. Recognize Your Accomplishments:
Give yourself an Attaboy/girl note every day and tell yourself something positive.

4. Nurture Your Garden of Thoughts:
Our life is what we create, and there is an inner critic inside of everyone called fear trying to keep us small and safe.

5. Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone:
Try something new; it’s an incredible feeling when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.

6. Follow Your Passion:
You know that thing that gets you so excited but scares you at the same time? The thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work.

7. Cultivate Healthy Relationships:
Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.

8. Treat Others with Kindness and Respect:
We feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we hope to be treated. Good deeds will always come back to you.

9. Have Fun and Get Out There:
See and do things that light up your world. When we are stressed, we often try to lose ourselves in other activities such as work.

10. You Are What You Dream:
Be mindful of what you think, feel, and want: You are what you live, and your life will reflect this.

Boost your creativity

Are you trying to find ways to boost your creativity and inspire you to thrive?

Here are 2 key ways to be more creative:

Accept that Feeling Stuck Is an Opportunity For Growth.

Feeling stuck can also help you find creative ideas and solutions to challenges you never thought possible. For example, not meeting friends in person during this pandemic has enabled us to open our worlds to new ideas that can help us keep connected like never before.

Use Outside in Thinking To Change Your Perspective.

Outside-in thinking can help us see the big picture and brainstorm creatively about what comes next to solve a problem and create new opportunities. For example, being in a job you don’t want or experiencing a job loss can be an opportunity to evaluate what you do want in a career or occupation and start exploring options.

How do you embrace your creativity? For more inspiration check out my blog post

Change your mindset, change your life.

Now more than ever it is important to keep perspective and remember our life is what we create.

Being a positive thinker, and trying to stay mindful, will help you attract more positive into your life, no matter what the situation. It can also make the difference between having a super awesome life, or a super rotten one, while all this upheaval plays out.

Your life is as good as your mindset.

How can you change your mindset you have about your life to a good one?

Follow the below Super Awesome tips to inspire a positive mindset and outlook on life.

Acceptance – Accept that change is happening is the first step. To fall forward with positivity, try not to resist or deny the change is happening.

Focus – Focus on your basic needs. By doing this you will have more energy to take care of others and do more.

Look at the Outside In - When there is a sudden unexpected change, it can be difficult to find calmness and clarity of thought. Listing the Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, and Threats of situations can change the way you think.

Mindfulness - Mindfulness is a tool we can use to successfully navigate change. Taking things one day at a time and staying in the present can help reduce depression about the past, and anxiety about the future.

Practice Gratitude - Start each day with intention and gratitude. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it is as simple as you are still breathing today. We may not be able to control what happens, but we can control our reaction to it.

Have Fun - Find time to bring balance to your life and enjoy things like chatting with friends, trying a new recipe, taking an online course, watching a funny movie, or reading a book that inspires you.

Toronto International Festival of Authors

I am so honoured and grateful to be approved as a member of the Writers Union of Canada.

Vetted by your peers, W.U.C is a super awesome resource for new and established authors to access publishing and writing resources and ideas.

A shout out to my fellow Canadian authors to check it out!

Fall Forward into the future

As we journey through fall, many people begin to reflect on the year that was. We consider our successes, our challenges, what we want to embrace, and what we want to steer clear of now and into the new year.

Usually, obstacles are considered something to avoid. This is because obstacles can seem so discouraging. We often assume challenges can lead to negative outcomes. However, obstacles and challenges can also be beneficial.

Overcoming fear of failure and making mistakes can reveal new ideas and open up opportunities to learn. Taking risks can push us to think out of the box, acquire new skills, and accomplish more than we ever dreamed possible.

As you ponder your goals, consider that failure does not have to be the opposite of success; it can be a part of it. Turning challenges into knowledge can be the lessons and stepping stones toward future success. Having Embracing challenges can support us to fall forward, not backward, and help us fall into the future so we can land butter-side up in the game of life.

Need some inspiration? Check out Denzel Washington’s Fall Forward video motivational video love this!

National Book Month

I am a huge reader and am always looking for new books to inspire me. I can spend hours getting lost searching for that perfect book and end up buying 5.

Anyone else like that?

In honor of National Book Month, Right now She Writes Press and SparkPress is offering an anniversary eBook sale.

From Friday, October 15, through Monday, October 25, you can help us celebrate and support your fellows author by checking out our anniversary sale: 55 eBooks from the Fall 2020 list on sale for just .99 each on Amazon, Nook, Kobo and more!

Check out NewInBooks and BargainBooksy landing pages for more information.
Its time for us all to get those special books we had our eyes on.

To read more books available, click here for the full list.

How Creativity Positively Impacts Your Health

I recently read a super awesome article and it said: "Creativity helps us perceive the world in new and different ways. It helps us create works of beauty, problem-solve, and refresh our bodies and our minds."

I've found that when I'm having fun, and am being creative, it has a positive impact on my health. Turning to creativity has been proven in extensive research to relieve both stress and anxiety. Expressing yourself through artistic and creative activities is like a prescription for your mental health for a number of reasons.

Do you find a link between your creative self and health? To read more, click here for the full article.

#ButterSideUp is an Eric Hoffer Award Finalist!

Super awesome news! Butter Side Up is a 2021 finalist for the #EricHofferAwards. I’m so honored to have made it as a finalist, and even more so, to be in such excellent company with other #writers. ⠀
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Click here to see my fellow award finalists. Thank you for the honor, Eric Hoffer Book Award judges!