O You

Affirmations to Live By

by patricia on September 27, 2012


It is funny how life works.  Often the simplest messages can be the most profound.  Although high school was at times difficult, it seemed smiles filled most days more often than not.  It was a time of true discovery and I was fortunate to have a solid core base of friends that helped me to recognize the limitless possibilities that life was full of.   We often convened at the house of a set of twins.  While some would jam in one room, others of us would dip into the sofa and laugh along with SNL.  It was at this home that I stumbled across my first affirmation….without even realizing how much it would impact me.  The guy’s mom had taped up a little saying that has stayed with me (and several of my friends) ever since.

“I am worthwhile and capable even though I make mistakes.”

As I challenged my world and made mistakes, this could have been my mantra.  In retrospect, I realized that seeing this small note taped to a desk had been one of my greatest gifts.  A reminder that no matter how badly I blew it…I was worthy.  Although this was clearly the affirmation that shaped my life, there are so many others that I think all of us should hold close to our hearts, like:

  • I feel at peace with my body. Imagine is all of us were at peace with who we are.  It is obtainable.
  • I trust the universe to provide for me.  The universe wants all of us to do well.  You just have to show up and do your part.
  • I have all the energy I need to accomplish my goals.  Often people feel too little for the opportunity in front of them.  Know this…you are capable for anything!
  • I am a radiant person full of positive energy.  We are born of light…anything else is created.  You have the power to manifest the energy you want in your life.
  • I attract the love that I give.  You don’t have to be perfect in a relationship…no one is.  But it is important that you are being the person you want to attract.
  • I am at ease with all types of people.  Despite being 99.9% the same, people tend to focus on the differences that set us apart.  Whether it is political, religious or simply life choices that create the diversity, embrace it.  Be open.  That is how we learn and how we learn to love.
  • If something doesn’t work, it is merely a push in the right direction.  If everything in life was a success, we’d lose so many chances to learn about ourselves.  Know that if something doesn’t work out, it happens for a reason.  Learn from it and trust in it.  Some of the greatest lessons grow out of perceived failure. 

Okay, so the last one isn’t a total affirmation but it is a lesson that I try to live by.  AND really that is what affirmations are all about…reminding yourself of all that is good in life and that you have the capacity to have it all.  Do you have an affirmation that you live by?  If you do, please share. If you don’t, feel free to take one of these and start your own collection.  One just might change your life.

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OYou Boot Camp Week 7 – Hope in Finances

by paula on September 11, 2012

With only 39 days left before OYou 2012, we arrive with a screeching halt at our OYou Boot Camp Finance Week.  Suze Orman’s mantra has been “Live below your means but within your needs.” This year, we are stripping it down and going back to basics just to make sure that we have all the steps down…and somewhere in there, we are hoping to find some hope in finances.

So as we move into week 7 just in time to buy our ticket or not buy our tickets to OYou 2012, we arrive a little tired and a little behind.  It seems that this year may have given us an extra day because of Leap Year but all the rest of the months have shrunk just a little in size.  What we were able to accomplish last year seems to be taking a little more effort this year.  Bottom line – this OYou Boot Camp that we’ve committed to still requires the diligence and committment of putting yourself on the list…when some weeks it’s all you can do to just to make it through the week.  Truth be told – it’s kicking our butt! Perhaps this is part of the lesson - sometimes you have to jump off your own to do list and give yourself a break…and sometimes it’s absolutely okay to slip the date…but don’t slip the committment you make to yourself. You are worth more than that…

So, this week we dive into the cold, hard world of finances in search of a little hope. Get ready…last year was a tough one…this was the week we decided we couldn’t make it to OYou!  This year…we are already half way there thanks to the Montage Beverly Hills and their sponsorship!  With that as motivation and inspiration, we feel a little more ready…

Here are our 3 challenges for this week:

  • Financial Close-Up & Back to Basics – Time to emotionally and financially to take a good look at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go in our financial life to learn from the past, access the present and make some plans for the future.  This will be requiring going on a money diet…and seeing the future through the forest.
  • O Magazine Advice – This month, O Magazine has a great article from Suze Orman just in time to do a little financial stretches for OYOU  - 9 Small Financial Steps That Will Pay Off Big in the Future.  It’s time to really take a look at these steps and find at least one or two to implement into our lives
  • Create a Financial Vision Board – Let’s do this!

We hope you follow our journey and are inspired enough to join us.  Welcome to week seven of our OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge. We’re over half-way through…now, it’s all down hill! Take the time to pay attention to your life and your finances which in turn will take care of your mind, body and spirit.  This week we are focusing on the green stuff…because while money doesn’t make the world go round, it definitely buys you a better seat on the marry-go-round…and doesn’t everyone deserve to live your best life in your best seat possible?

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Finding Eco-Beauty at Home

by patricia on August 24, 2012

There is no doubt that the beauty industry is tough but extremely lucrative.  Everyone is looking for a quick fix to the little imperfections our mirrors expose.    Keeping up with the hottest new trick can bleed you dry.  But this week in our OYou beauty boot camp, we are sharing a few eco-beauty tips that won’t empty your wallet.  We all have areas we’d like to tighten, plump or erase…and now you can with a few suggestions from us.   Some of these we’ve tried and the others are now scheduled for our spa day.  Give these a try and tell us what you think.

Luscious Lips – We recently discovered a simple way to moisturize and heal dry, chapped lips.  Begin by washing your lips.  Glaze your lips with lots of honey.  Don’t use the raw honey because it can cause irritation.  Take a piece of plastic and place it over your lips.  Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wipe off the excess honey.  Use your lip balm seal it in allowing it to keep working.  Best kissable lips ever!

Saggy Skin- One of the easiest tricks we have been using for years is the egg white facial.  Spread uncooked egg whites onto your face and throat and leave for 15 minutes being sure to avoid your lips and eyes.  Simply rinse and you will love the results!

Natural brightener or lightener- This is a great exfoliant and mild bleacher, but keep in mind that it can make your skin sensitive to the sun.  Use a tablespoon of yogurt, a half teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon full of matcha green tea powder.  Mix it well and apply it to your face and throat avoiding the eyes.  Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash with warm water.  If you do this mask a couple of times a week, you should see results within a month.

Puffy eyes- All of us have suffered from puffy eyes.  Take a couple of spoons and put them in the freezer overnight.  Let them thaw a little in the morning,  apply the back of the spoons under your eyes to redistribute and remove water retention from the puffiness.

Blemishes- We all have had a blemish pop up a few hours before we are heading out the door for a big night.  Fight the inflammation by mashing a little avocado and applying it to the area.  It totally helps with the redness.   Now if you are dealing with one of the nasty puss filled ones (yeah I know…totally gross but real), try using Calendula oil.  It is a great antiseptic and really gets below the skin.  Apply it daily and in no time you will be blemish free.

Fine lines- Take a few organic green grapes.  Cut them in half and squeeze the juice on your line and let them dry.  After 20 minutes wipe your face clean.  Fine lines will slowly melt away.

Summer Scrub- By the end of the summer our skin really needs a little love.  Try mixing 2/3 cup of ground nuts, 1/3 cup of oatmeal and enough yogurt or milk to form a paste.  Slather it all over your face and let it dry.  Then remove it with warm water. You will love it!

If you have any tips, please share.  We always love hearing new ideas!

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Mastering the Art of Organization

by patricia on August 17, 2012

In every family there are honorary distinctions that are handed down by those who know us best…family chef, tech guru, the peacemaker.  These are the family members we turn to when the need arises.

In my family I have been bestowed with the honorary doctor’s degree, silly shenanigans and the organizer.  However I think it is important to distinguish that I can organize well, but I don’t always practice it.  I’m like the plumber who does an awesome job but has leaky faucets at home.  In a pinch I can access a space and have a photographic outline in my head of how I can make everything fit.  I am the one who gets the ooohhhs and ahhhhs as the family watches me pour a pot of soup into the perfect picked container.   It is actually quite funny watching them stand around to see if I have done it once again.  Their confidence is so high that rarely does the dishwasher get started without a once-over from me to see if I can squeeze a few extra pieces in.   I hate wasted space.

You may be able to already foresee the issues that this can create in real life.  Although suitcases may still sit at the rear of the car as everyone watches to see the miracle occur, I recognize that my skills are far more detrimental within my home.  You see…when you can find a space for everything, space itself becomes an issue.  Now I’m not living wall-to-wall or anything but the items I own don’t really have the space or the attention they deserve.  The skill my family admires so much actually drains me of my peace.

This week’s boot camp, focusing on organization and lessons from Peter Walsh, has allowed me to have these conversations allowing me to realize what  I need and what is truly important in my life.  I seriously need a personal edit.  My goal this week is to find a way to remove items to allow air a chance to squeeze into my space.

Being known as the family organizer is great, but I don’t always want that to transfer the same way into my living space.   In order to breathe easier, my home can’t feel constricted.  It is time to let the energy and air flow through my home…and into my life.

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10 Simple Tricks to Living a Less Cluttered Life

by patricia on August 14, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge: Organizing Your Life – Week 3

There are days that I feel swallowed up by certain spaces in my home.  You know those areas that no matter how often you clean, clutter just appears. Overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, I often turned away pretending I don’t see it….knowing that by doing so I rob myself of the peace the space could bring.  Eventually I break down and take care of my space, but not without my body resisting.  It is as if I am honestly repelled by clutter. I have always been drawn to clean lines and structure.  I am not a neat freak; however I do wish that organization came easier.  This week with our Peter Walsh organization challenge I realized what is holding me back…my stuff.  I have way more than I could ever need.  So this week I am challenging myself to trim down the amount of stuff that intrudes on my space. 

Here are some quick and easy steps you can make towards a clutter-free life:

  • Closet Space. Choose one section of your closet to tackle.  Sort out the clothes that you can donate.  If you are having a hard time deciding on whether to get rid of it, place it in a special area of your closet.  In the next 3 months, put the items you wear back into the regular mix.  If it doesn’t make the cut, get rid of it.
  • Loose Papers. Many of us have phone numbers, recipes and sticky notes lying around the house with information that we don’t want to lose.  Pile them up and sit yourself down.  Email all of the information to yourself and recycle the excess paper!
  • Clutter Buckets. Baskets become a catch-all for all sorts of items that people are too tired to return to their proper place.  Empty them out and donate them.  If it isn’t there, they can’t fill it up.
  • Ask for Help. Call a family meeting and have everyone take 5 minutes to go around the room to grab whatever they personally left behind.  This works great with laundry, too.  A couple of loads of towels can be folded in no time.  If everyone helps out, it will save you a ton of time!
  • Dishes.  In order to save time on dishes, have each person rinse their dish and have it dishwasher ready.  If the dishwasher is actually empty, remind them to go ahead and load their dish. By doing this, the whole family will cut down on kitchen clutter and dishes won’t be so overwhelming.
  • Magazines.  Take 15 minutes to walk around and grab old magazines and take them up to your local hospital.
  • Medicine Cabinets.  Go through your cabinets and containers that hold all of your medicines and first aid supplies.  Get rid of anything that has expired or doesn’t work…even the 10-year-old band aids that many of us hold on to.  It is time to get rid of them!  (Learn how to dispose of the medicines properly.)
  • Mail. Sort your mail into two piles: things to keep and thrash.  Throw away all the inserts and junk mail before it hits the table.  This will help you to eliminate the piles of junk that accumulate on your desk.  I try to sort mine before it even makes it in the house leaving the junk mail where it belongs…in the recycling bin.
  • Kitchen Help.  Peter Walsh has a great idea for de-cluttering your kitchen drawers.  Take all of your kitchen utensils and place them into a box.  Pull them out one by one as you use them.  After four weeks donate whatever is left in the box.  You don’t need it!
  • Teach your Children.  If they learn how to sort and organize at an early age, you will save yourself time having to clean up after them…and they will have a chance at a lifetime free of clutter.

Photo credit: Wall Street Journal

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Get Moving in Your Daily Routine

by patricia on August 8, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge: Get Moving, No Excuses – Week 2

If you want to see change in your life, you have to make it happen.  Earlier in the week we discussed ways to steal a little time back in our lives…helping us to eliminate the well-crafted excuses we all use to avoid exercise.    The reality is that in order for us to get healthier, we must keep moving.  That is the most important thing.   Here are a couple of ways we all can integrate getting fit into our daily routine.

Go shopping a little longer.  Next time you head out to the mall, Sams or Costco, show up to the store 30 minutes early.  Take that time to walk the entire store at a brisk pace before you do any shopping.  Plus what a great excuse…”I have to go shopping because I need to get my workout in for the day. “

Turn on the Tube.   Many of us have out nightly TV favorites.   Instead of sitting your bum down in your normal chair, pull in the exercise bike or get on the floor to do leg lifts.  Too much of a commitment?  Then begin by getting up each time a commercial comes on and do jumping jacks.  It is that easy to get moving!

Keep it Close.   Many of us live within a mile of at least one of our regular haunts.  Whether it is the bank, Starbucks, the grocery store or a local restaurant, try to ditch the car and either walk or ride a bike when you can.  A casual mile walking usually takes around 20-25 minutes.    Not only will you save money on gas, you will be helping both the environment and your overall health.

Dance through your Day.  Whenever and wherever you can…dance!  Trust me it makes vacuuming and simply moving around the house so much fun.

Walk & Talk.  The next time you need to make a call to friends or family, step outside and walk around while you chat.  A 15 minute walk can add 2,000 steps to your workout which can be an entire mile.  Imagine if you took all your calls that way!

You would be surprised how easy it is to add an element of exercise to almost any task.  The more you move, the better you will feel.  So get creative and try to remember to always keep moving!

Photo Credit: Arca Universal

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OYou Boot Camp Challenge Brings Buckets of Inspiration

by patricia on August 3, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge – Week 1

Change doesn’t always come in waves.  Inspiration is often sprinkled throughout our lives.  Yet these droplets can make a tremendous impact on our lives…if you catch them.  Last year during out first OYou boot camp, I created my very first vision board.  So it doesn’t surprise me that when I tackled the same task for the second time, I was overly excited.  In fact, I was a bit all over the place.

My dining table resembled a go-back cart at Barnes & Noble.  With four piles of magazines lining the center of the table, my excitement grew.  What did “I” want my life to look like?  It was finally time for a much-needed, self-focused moment.  Typically filling my days with the wants and needs of others, this was special for me. 

My family filled in the empty seats around the table and for the next three hours, we laughed and talked and shared creative and inspiring cut-outs from the piles that sat before us.   I was completely lost in the moments and it was spectacular.  Wrapping the first night with piles of photos and sayings, I decided to wait to complete the process.  However, my dreams and hopes filled my thoughts until I was able to carve out enough time to make it back to the table.

Laying out my dreams before me, some small and others a little crazy, I didn’t know where to begin.  It had been a long time since I allowed myself to dream so big and honestly I was surprised.  My photos weren’t of fancy cars, big houses or jewelry.  I wasn’t looking for lots of money or super success.  My desires were so much simpler and honestly VERY doable.  I realized I didn’t need much in my life to be happy.

With that in mind, I divided my clippings into piles…feeling the need to hone in strongly on each vision board.  Yes, I said “each.”    By the end of the night I had five very specific vision boards.  What surprised me is that the process left me feeling more centered and focused than ever.   This experience was completely different from my first vision board.   I wasn’t worried about making my dreams come true…I was confident they would.  In a week filled with soul-searching, this task couldn’t have come at a better time and I did my best to catch each and every inspiring sprinkle.

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5 Ways to Search for your Best Life

by patricia on July 31, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge – Week 1.

So often we wait for a sign…something to reaffirm that we are heading in the right direction.  However, we can spend our whole lives waiting.  Imagine that opportunities run parallel in your life.  Without reaching out or turning a corner, you may never come in contact with them.  In fact, the comfort of the narrow road we travel often limits our experiences.  With this week’s OYou challenge of searching for our best lives, let’s all reach out a little to our parallel paths and maybe we just might find something that sparks our interest! 

Here are a couple of things you can try in your search for your best life.

  • Self-Discovery – Take a moment to write down all of the things you are good at, all the things that make you happy and all the things you would try if you didn’t fear failure. When two (or even all three) of these things come together, pay attention. It can change your life.
  • International Food Night – Make it a point to venture out this week and find an Indian, Greek, Ethiopian, French, Thai or any International restaurant. It is a great way to experience a little of the world without needing a passport.
  • Give a Little Bit – Find a local charity that interests you.  Give them a call and offer your services for a few hours, a day or even a few hours throughout the week. Use your skills to help your community…pack food bank bags, walk animals at the shelter, paint props for local children’s theater groups, offer free haircuts to a battered woman’s shelter, music lessons to the local children’s shelter or simply offer to do office work.  Every little bit helps and you may find that you benefit the most from the experience.
  • Get Creative – Sign up for a local painting class or simply grab your camera and head out to experiment with your own inner artist.
  • Share Your Story– We all have something that we can’t read enough about, whether it is fashion, holistic medicine or current events.  This week, take one of the headlines and use it for inspiration.  Sit down and write.  It doesn’t have to be polished or flow smoothly.  Simply write and try to capture what it is about the subject that captivates you.
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