27 Dec

Posted at 00:00h in Life Vision
By Jessi Kohlhagen It’s been said that New Years Day (and how you choose to spend it) sets the intention for the entire year to come. For this reason, January 1 will always find my family and I wandering outside, basking in Nature. This is our way of grounding, cherishing what’s most important, recommitting to being the best human beings we can be, giving thanks for the limitless abundance all around us, and honoring our roots. However you choose to celebrate, this is a beautiful invitation to step into some of the most meaningful experiences you want to create for yourself… to actually embody them, give them a felt sense in your life, and allow your entire year to grow from that space.
Here are 11 meaningful ideas for celebrating this New Year:
Spend Time In Nature
As I mentioned above, this can be a powerfully healing and inspiring experience. See if you can invoke absolute presence and contentment wherever you stand -- nowhere to get to, nothing to do. Just observe the world around you, from the smallest leaves to the limitless sky above. Go on an adventure. Commune with the Nature that exists all around and within you. See what you see, find what you find, go where you go.
Do A Reflection Ritual By Candlelight
This article would be incomplete if it didn’t include the year-end reflection ritual Lifebookers have come to love so much. It looks something like this: light some candles, brew a cup of hot cocoa or pour a glass of champagne, and settle in for a few hours of open-hearted honesty and reflection by the fireside. Go through the simple but powerfully thought-provoking questions one-by-one, and let this magical process invite greater truth, acceptance and growth into your life.

20 Dec

Posted at 00:00h in Career
Written by Lifebook Member Juraj Bednar In recent months I have met many inspiring people. They are generous, fun to be around and solving the world's problems. Diabetes, partnerships, waste, security, retirement - all of these are huge problems, and I met people that are doing all they can to fix these problems. I think this is the best career move any individual can make; and for me, these people are an inspiration. Many things in this world piss me off, and there are some things I can fix. On the other hand, I met a lot of young start-up entrepreneurs that are working on "apps" that just seem profitable. They don't fix a pressing issue that people have. I think making the right decision in your career is important and "fixing world's problems" is the most overlooked guiding principle in our careers. People study law, business or medicine just because these professions "pay well." Solving pressing problems usually pays well too. If it is something that people care about, they are willing to pay for the problem to go away. The solutions don't have to be perfect. Some products and services solve huge problems, and it took two weeks to implement them! One of the main misconceptions of entrepreneurship is that it is hard, that only certain people know how to create a profitable business and that you need to attend business school, read business books, become part of a startup networking group or a mastermind. It is not true. You need to find the right problem to solve, find the right financial model that works for you and do it. Sometimes, the solution feels crappy. The website could be nicer; the product could be leaner and without bugs. But if it does solve the problem then solve it!

13 Dec

Posted at 00:00h in Character
Written by Lifebook Wisdom Curator, Jessi Kohlhagen I wear a lot of hats in my life (and, if you’re a fellow human of the 21st century, it’s safe to assume you do too!). I’m a wife, mother, careerwoman, homeschool teacher, yogi, maid, chef, chauffer… and underneath it all, I’m a human being who wants to create the best possible life for myself, and the people I love most. If I had to pinpoint the single most important characteristic I employ to be the very best woman I can be in every area of my life, it would undoubtedly be self-discipline. Self-discipline is the key to freedom and fulfillment everywhere in my life. It seems counter-intuitive, I know. Self-discipline implies restraint, control, and limitation — where freedom embodies flexibility, allowance, and even indulgence. But in my own experience, I’ve found that these two traits are inseparable… You can’t truly experience the power (and privilege) of freedom without first activating self-discipline. You can’t have a vibrant, healthy body without applying willpower toward what you eat and how often (and well) you move. You can’t experience the enjoyment of having a peaceful, beautiful home without spending some amount of time organizing and caring for it every single day. You can’t be a rock star in your career without getting your hands dirty and putting in the necessary hours to get the job done well. And we all know you can’t drink the sweet, healing nectar of a blossoming love relationship without daily cultivation and devotion to its growth. Self-discipline is the giver, not the taker, of freedom.

06 Dec

Posted at 00:00h in Emotional Life, Quality of Life

Written by Jessi Kohlhagen We’ve all had terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. An overwhelming workload, a missed deadline, a traffic jam, some bad news, a fight with your partner, a broken goal… crappy days come in many shapes and sizes. But (as with most things in...