ever feel like pushing the slow mo button on life?
sometimes all the things whirl together to seem overwhelming. but really, all we need to do is take charge of the wind funnel by slowing down all the distractions around us. 🌪
today’s mantra: i am in control of my day.
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unicorn city project update:
i’ve been studying the structure, rules, and benefits of non-profit organizations to determine the best route to go for this little project.
the july postcard is in the works…wrapping the design and sending to print.
“if you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. i’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”
John Wooden, basketball coach
the reddit pen pal group has been a fun place to meet people in want of postcard companionship. i have really been enjoying meeting new people through that avenue.
trying to stay true to my goals of spreading love, awareness, and cute critter drawings with mental health messages. 💟✨
are you feeling #lonely this holiday season? stressed? feeling #sad when you think you should feel #happy? wanting to crawl in a cave and come out January 2nd, 2022?
i am feeling like this at moments. we feel societal pressure to keep the smile going and press on. sometimes it’s okay to curl up and regenerate our energy. sometimes we need to kick ourselves in the tail and get out to enjoy purposeful social time. and then we need to regenerate our energies again. 💯
Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.
Dr. Suess
for me, holidays can be tricky. i am a single parent with shared custody. i won’t have my kids for a few days this Christmas and i get sad about that. i want to ‘cave up’ as i like to call it. usually i decline invitations for the big day bc i am usually in a general funk for holidays without my kids – but this year i said yes to a couple invites! i am focusing on the gratitood i have for people who think i’m swell enough to invite to the Christmas festivities. 🎄
👉🏽 holiday challenge for you: allow yourself space to recharge. at the same time, participate! acknowledge the space you are in but don’t get stuck there if you can help it.
👉🏽 spend your time and energy in positive ways this holiday season! recharging the battery and renewing relationships are BOTH positive spaces to spend time in.
👉🏽 realise that holidays look different for everyone. not every person has a traditional holiday experience. be sensitive to all persons who may be smiling big on the outside but feeling #depressed on the inside.
👉🏽 if you have a soul full of cheer and love and you are feeling strong, INVITE! be the invitation giver! your joy is contagious. your talent is needed. you will be rewarded for your kindnesses.
remember, life is a fleeting moment – you never know when it may melt away like this snow person here. enjoy your moments with loved ones. 🤍 time is short. regret is long.
today’s mantra: i will allow myself to progress towards my goals in a step by step time frame – no pressure to achieve the world’s timeline.
So exciting to see folks out there receiving and enjoying their postcards! I am definitely learning A TON. For instance, the last postcard referred to being beautiful. As I was writing them out and sending off, I realized than not every guy out there would love being referred to as a beautiful hooman. LOL. Noted for future postcards. ✅
The process of building this little hobby has been a one day at a time thing over here. I like drawing the characters and thinking up verbiage and generating new personalities. I love when folks comment and enjoy. And that’s that! When other people enjoy the creations – that is the reward for me.
If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you will make progress.
Barack Obama, former United States President
My little project just grew another step forward today! I dropped off postcard sets to a little independent bookstore. The store owner reviewed and I was called tonight to chat about signing a little contract for my profit share of the revenue. 💯 I AM SO EXCITED!
You have to do risky things sometimes to achieve success! The #fear of #rejection and/or #failure can’t hold us back from trying to progress towards our cause. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter manuscript was rejected 12 times. Walt Disney was fired, told he lacked imagination, and told he had no good ideas. Stephen King’s most famous book was rejected 30 times. Oprah was fired from being a tv reporter. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Albert Einstein was expelled from school for failure to learn at a speed congruent with other peers. Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting his life – month’s before his death. Steve Jobs was a college drop out. And the list goes on…
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge
If you want to progress on any goal, you have to put in the time. Baby steps daily will result in big progress in 6 months, 12 months, 5 years.
today’s mantra: i will give love and accept love. 💜
i think every time a heart gets hurt it is given a choice to grow a layer, a callous, a prickly patch. we can either learn and forgive. or, we can build a layer of protection around our hearts. 💔 what do you do?
the holidays bring joy for certain. for many, the holidays also bring hurts to the surface. challenging family situations arise. loneliness can settle in for the course of a month or more. and the general hustle and bustle can send folks with anxiety into a state of “see you in 2022.”
how do you do during the holiday season? are you able to focus on the joyful happy moments? or do you experience a feeling of unrest or #anxiety or #depression during this time?
give yourself the gift of peace this season. hug yourself. high five yourself. love yourself! the time you take to nurture your soul during this season will emanate outwards in love towards those around you. ✨
remember what Buddy the Elf recommends: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” can’t be stressed while humming a jolly tune! 🎄
gift yourself the gift of self love this month. find your happy spaces. do your self care to stay in a place of centeredness and peace. 🙏🏽
Busy, tired momma over here and it’s a Monday so I’ll make this quick.
Staying dedicated to this UC cause – it is a fun hobby. Focusing on the fun part. Building a side business outside of my regular job in addition to being a single mum is difficult! Doable, but difficult. I won’t give up on this one like I have on every other project I’ve attempted. 💪🏾
So, if you are reading this, tap the link under the photo if you are feeling jolly. Head on over to Etsy. For less than the price of a coffee, you can have one of my original postcards in your home. That would be rad!
Well, I hope you are having a swell day! Remember, take care of you first so you have energy for all of the other tasks this day will bring.
today’s mantra: the world is a better place with me in it.
have you found your purpose yet? it’s a magical thing when you reach a point where you feel whole, confident, loved, and full of purpose. i know what it’s like to flounder around full of insecurities and anxieties. and, when you are the parent, sprinkle a bit of mom guilt on top bc at this point if feels like we should know everything so we can pass the wisdom on to our kids, right?
reality = we are not perfect beings. we are allowed to have stages of floundering in life. sometimes we are strong. sometimes we are weak.
Our primary purpose in this life is to help others. And, if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.
Dalai Lama, teacher of wisdom
during weak moments, i like to retreat to my cave of wonders, my creativity corner, my bedroom. (all the same place BTW.) crowds DO from time to time stress me out.
Frogan the Gizard (thx for the name kidz) here is ALWAYS scared of crowds. he runs away at the first sign of movement. he struggles with #socialanxiety . sometimes it is so bad that he sits in his closet in the dark. with the door closed. sometimes he is brave – he ventures out for shopping, food, or maybe a movie in a dark theatre where chance of being sighted is low.
Frogan is working on finding his purpose. He is awkwardly taking steps out of his literal and proverbial closets to come OUT. He makes baby steps forward, a couple backwards, and then forward again. and that’s progress!
When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.
Wayne Dyer, author
it took me some time to see my worth. i have spent years with #fear of #abandonment . i still struggle. but what has helped is hard work on myself, others believing in me, and, eventually, me believing in my worth to the world around me.
you have a purpose! have you found the calling that sparks joy within you? it will help lead you from your #dark #scary places.
. . . . . . would you like sparkly, uplifting #mentalhealthmail delivered to your post box?! 🦄✨ check out my links in the bio for info. . five dolla a month • original #art • support small biz • #GRLPWR • #womeninbusiness • #mentalhealthmatters • #singleparent
today’s mantra: i will work on my broken parts so i don’t continue to live my life in broken pieces.
the saying goes, “if you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on those who never cut you.” i had never heard that saying prior to a few years after my divorce. it is one of the truest statements i’ve ever tried to conquer.
if you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on those who never cut you.
unknown
how do we #love again once we have been hurt? i jumped right into #dating apps after my divorce. i swiped and swiped and swiped and dated and swiped. i was trying to cure the lonely with friendly voices. however, i hadn’t put in the work to heal. it took me years to figure that out. nearly close to a decade honestly.
and now? i know. and i am okay waiting in a space created for my healing. #divorce is a #trauma of the heart. if you have or are going through it, hugs to you. seek #therapy . seek out a good friend or two. try not to involve everyone in the details of your ups and downs – only trust the trusted. it is your #healing journey – make sure to involve the right support team.
If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.
Carlos Santana, singer songwriter
pain is real. it hurts. it can not only hurt us. it can affect our loved ones – for years – if we do not fix the broken parts inside us. we must put in the work on ourselves so we can more fully love others around us.
how are you doing on the #selflove work? are you putting in the time? invest in yourself and your future relationships. 🤍 #dothework
👉🏽 write down 10 things you love about who you are.
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unicorn city news update
recently, i ordered a postcard box from Etsy to shop comps – it was cute enough but sort of underwhelming. the products were dollar store products – no probs bc it served it’s purpose. when i tackle a box subscription, i want to ensure to deliver quality cuteness. the package i ordered was magical in it’s own way…
also, i ordered a diff original watercolor art postcard – love this one. the message was typed on a typewriter. framed it on my desk.
i made another couple postcards to have sent my way as testers. it is almost time to get the December postcard sent out. very much excited about that! trying to decide what message to send.
The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.
Oprah Winfrey, inspirationalist
NEWS!!! an e-calendar has been born! some work friends showed me the ways of the e-calendar this Fall. i was VERY MUCH a paper planner sort of person. but now, not so much! i have begun to live de-cluttering my space by going with electronic bots on the good notes app vs a million baby yellow post its everywhere. #iykyk
the calendar is cute and evolving! i love it of course bc all of my little unicorn city characters are in there as stickers. i added original quotes by Claudius T. Sprout as well as mental health quotes. Here is a link if you would like to check it out! I am working on the 2022 calendar. Testing mode…every day i think up a new think to improve it.
the e-cal has a habit tracker for each week. last week the habit i wanted to improve on was walking 30 min daily. i have walked 6 of the 7 days and am about to pop out on walk 7 of 7! it feels good to be doing good things. hopefully my efforts help others some day – for now they are helping me lol!
what is something you dream of doing? are you doing it? if not, what holds you back? take one step today in the direction of your dreams…you’ll be that much closer.
today’s mantra: i will find myself as i lose myself.
isn’t getting lost the best? just driving down an unfamiliar road with a full tank of gas with a little cash in the ole pocket…sounds lovely…
Some journeys lead us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.
C. S. Lewis, author
we previously talked about creating space for ourselves even in busy moments…getting lost is the same sort of concept but different also. let’s get purposefully lost. let’s create space in our schedules for nothingness. meditating. sitting. driving down an unfamiliar road.
👉🏽 get lost today. whether it is by spending some time connecting to your third eye or by breathing deeply of a new forest path – go get lost.
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the unicorn city news update
little by little i am making progress on my goals for the unicorn city. i fully tested the recycled postcard look and design – even sent out my first batch in that style. it was cool but lacking the vibrance of the color postcards i have been testing. after asking friends, fam, and social media folks, colorful postcards win by a 100% margin. so many possibilities for design!!! so, buh bye brown paper look! annnnddd cue MORE RAINBOWS! 🌈
i started the #13dayzofgratitood series on insta…it is visually becoming A LOT. i planned to add a character per day…we shall see how it turns out. it is serving it’s purpose of keeping me drawing, getting us past the black friday anxiety fest, and a way of expressing gratitood this week.
my one goal right now is to build a postcard subscription service. there is a crafter’s fair coming up soon…i registered for my seller’s permit last week! that was a fun step in a more business-y direction.
my pile of postcard misprints is LARGE. my printer and i have become better friends – we understand each other a bit better than we did a month ago. i have learned that home printing is spendy – ink, errors, etc. i have learned that I want to work towards sending my designs to an actual printing service while also having the ability to print some glossy cards at home.
Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
i have sold a few subscriptions so far which really has given me hope and drive to continue! i really love this project – so much love to spread. the drawing and writing is a form of meditation for me. i feel like A.A. Milne writing for his son. i feel like i am writing reminders and support for my children and myself as i spend time on the designs.
the unicorn city is alive and well! hopefully you feel it’s arms giving you a big hug wherever you are. 💜
today’s mantra: i will share good energy and receive good energy in return. 🙏🏽
the flow that we send out into the world comes back to us in full force and then some. have you felt it before? one little #raok can trigger SO MUCH GOOD! ✨
Be kind whenever possible. It’s always possible.
The 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader
can you feel down in the dumps if you are helping another hooman? well, yes, BUT performing a random act of kindness may be just the ticket to add a bit of sparkle to your day as well as someone else’s! 🤍
👉🏽 today’s challenge = test the theory. smile big and say hello! buy coffee for the person behind you in line. write a lunch note for your kids. send a sweet, no response needed love text. share how it goes?? would love to hear.
No act of kindness – no matter how small – is ever wasted.
Aesop, Greek fabulist
your light is needed in the world! 💡 wherever you are, you are important and wanted and loved. never underestimate your power to share goodness. 🌈
the unicorn city 