be the change – Page 2 – Holistic Living

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW YOU FINISH

I don't know about you, but I'm great at starting things. I could start new things all the time. Each idea comes in like a brilliant flash of inspiration + I feel compelled to drop everything + jump on it. I've done this often. But bringing these ideas to completion? That's a different story. It's easy to start something. Starting something doesn't require a whole lot of focus or discipline or motivation. That initial rush of a “ohmygod, I have the best idea” is enough to dive into something shiny + exciting + new. Sticking with something though, seeing it through, that takes a gritty doggedness that's harder to cultivate. But not impossible. One of the biggest lessons I've learned (am continually learning) is that it doesn't matter how you…

by Mackenzie 2 Comments

SO…HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WENT?

be the change, live with intention, live your purpose

I imagine that when we leave this life and we move on to what's next, we will have the opportunity to 'sit down' + have a conversation - a debrief, if you will - with our great creator. I imagine it will go something like this... "So. How do you think that went? What did you do with the precious, precious gift you were given?" ... My parents taught me that when you're a guest in someone's house you don't leave a mess behind to be cleaned up. You don't even just clean up after yourself. When you leave, you've made your guests home or lives better. You've made their life easier. When my time on this earth has ended, I want to be able to say, with confidence, "I made the…

by Mackenzie No Comments

ONE YEAR OF SIMPLE BEAUTY

be the change, environment, keep it simple

Part of living simply is cleaning up the crap that's going in + on my body. Some of the choices we are making include: buying organic +/or local as much as possible;paying attention to labels;cleaning with a vinegar/water mix + using old cotton clothes as rags. On Christmas Day 2014 I made the decision to stop using shampoo. The catalyst for this decision was that my hair would start to get really oily within a half-day of having washed it. It is really frustrating to feel that you're getting gross on the same day that you've washed. Over cleaning stimulates an excessive amount of oil because one's body is trying to compensate for the fact that all its natural oils have been stripped away. So I quit shampoo cold turkey. Thank…

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WOMEN + SUCCESS

feminism

I did an awful thing. I completely pre-judged Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. I've read + heard that she is a very successful women. She makes her family a priority + kicks ass in the office. But the mental image + personality traits that I automatically attributed to her, because of her success at home + at work, are nothing like the person speaking in the following TED talk. I assumed that because she is able to manage both a successful career + home life that she would be an incredibly disciplined (likely very true), take no-prisoners, put up with no BS, no nonsense type of person. I have no idea whether she is or is not any of these things. However, the mental image I conjured of this uber-successful woman…

by Mackenzie No Comments

THE INVITATION BY ORIAH MOUNTAIN DREAMER

be the change, grow heal love, live with intention

The first time I read this it sank into my being, + when things start to go south it always comes back up to the surface - particularly the line about spending a night with grief + despair, + still being able to get up in the morning + feed the children. It's been a great reminder to be real, authentic, not to deny ones feelings, but not to let them keep you down. It doesn't interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.It doesn't interest me how old you are I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dreams for the adventure…

by Mackenzie No Comments

ORANGE SHIRT DAY

be the change, grow heal love, truth + reconciliation

Full disclosure : I am a 30-something white woman. I'm not sure how much perspective I really have to give, or that my words really bring anything to the table... Today is Orange Shirt Day, in recognition of the abuse suffered by the First Nations people in our country by the hands of my ancestors. Here is the explanation from the official website : "Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in the spring of 2013. It grew out of Phyllis' story of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the Mission, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening…

by Mackenzie No Comments

MY LAST NAME

be the change, feminism

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2012 ON focusonsimple.co I'm getting married in about four months. + I'm keeping my last name. I may hyphenate, but that depends on how willing M is to discuss it. The less willing he is to discuss, the less willing I feel to compromise + hyphenate. The salient points are as follows: I'm not property +, from what I understand, women haven't been property for quite some timeIt's my name Yup, I think that about sums it up. Here's an interesting article. FOLLOW-UP LATER IN 2012 Without getting didactic up on my soapbox (I tend to get preachy + self-righteous as a sort of pre-emptive defense mechanicsm)...I know that whether women keep their last name or change to their future-husband's can be a particularly touchy subject...I need to remember…

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