Keys To A Cozy Simple Life

You can listen to this podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdLuB-3v5bg

As the year 2020 is coming to an end, we are spending time preparing ourselves for Christmas and the New Year. We are taking time to slow down, reflect, and review this unusual year. The year 2020 has served us with unforgettable moments that we desire to bury, but we realize embracing a simple cozy life for 2021 may be the cure.

When I went to the dictionary, the word simple is defined as easily understood or done, presenting no difficulty. I think we can all agree 2020 had enough problems to serve us a lifetime of discomfort. However, when life gives us uncomfortable moments, we know that ease is on the way. And finding ways to live a comfortable, simple life can bring us peace, joy, and gratitude.

Below I am giving five essentials ways to begin to live a better life by embracing the Danish concept of Hygge; less is more and other essential elements to living a comfortable, simple life.

• Embrace a Hygge Life: In 2017, I stumble upon the Danish phrase hygge (pronounce hoo-ga) and it change my life especially during the holiday season. I began to research this concept and found a book by Louisa Thomsen Brits called The Book of Hygge . The book help me unlock the idea of creating a slower life filled with contentment.

• Practice Gratitude: When you are grateful for what you have you will realize how abundant you are. (book reference: The Magic by Rhonda Byrne)
• Set Boundaries: Know what you will & will not accept then make adjustments. Setting boundaries will give you a peace of mind.
• Be okay with pivoting: When things don’t go as plan you have to learn how to adjust and go in a different direction. Pivoting teaches you the art of moving forward despite the circumstances.
• Simplify to uncomplicate: Get clear on who you want to be, where you want to be and how you want to feel in your life. Then add, subtract and multiply all the necessary elements to uncomplicate your relationships & life.

When you embrace these five concepts, I believe you will start to move towards a cozy simple life!

Pursuing Your Dream

 

How many times have you looked at your life and realize you are not living the life you desire? Did someone tell you that your dream was unattainable? Or did you let society dictate to you what was more important in your life?

When we are children, we believe we can be anything we desire to be in life. No matter how ridiculous our dreams may seem, as a child, we believe in our thoughts. As we shift into the teenage years, we start to let society dictate to us which journey will be profitable. We begin to focus on reality instead of the desire of our dreams.

The child inside of us starts to disappear because reality becomes more important than our childhood dreams. Our lives no longer hold enthusiasm or passion; instead, our adulthood has made us apathetic. We begin to forget about the vision we had to live a life full of wonder, passion, and excitement. Our dreams have become faint whispers needing a fresh breath. What can we do to resuscitate our passion for pursuing our dreams?

• The first step to pursuing your dream is to reconnect with your childhood dreams. When I was young, I enjoyed writing, and I remember my Uncle Dave would always tell me I was going to be a famous writer. I remember in 2003 while living in Sicily, my love for writing reignited when I read Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” for open mic night. Four years later, I published my first poetry book. The little girl on the inside of me reconnected back with my lifelong dream to become a writer. It was up to me to answer the call!
• The second step is to write a list of the the things that stopped you from pursuing your dreams. After you recognize the roadblocks begin to write a list of possibilities of following your dreams. (For example: Roadblock: I stopped pursuing my dream of painting because I didn’t think I was a great artist. Possibility: I can start taking art classes at a local gallery to brush up on my artistic skills.)
• The last step is to surround yourself around people who are living your dream. When you surround yourself around like-minded people you are building a community of support. When you have a support system it fosters a life filled with enjoyment, creativity and success.

So pursue the life you desire instead of burying your dreams. Dreams are meant to be lived out loud!!!

Refresh Your Soul….

Every now & then we need something to refresh our soul. So, often the routine of life becomes monotonous. We have to break free to give ourselves a fresh perspective. It is important to open ourselves to something different. For me, art refreshes my mind and helps me to see life in a creative way. What is it you do to refresh your soul? Below are a list of ways you can refresh your soul when you feel complacent.
*Visit your local art galleries
* Explore your local downtown scene.
* Do something different in the middle of the week.
* Meditate
* Book a flight spontaneously.
* Spend some alone time
* Read a book outside your normal genre
* Listen to some music
* Have a stimulating conversation with a stranger
* Plan a road trip

What would you add to this list? Reply in the comment section!

New Direction

Hello Everyone,

The Inspirational Corner has been on hiatus for quite a while and we are still working on our site. However, in spite of the final touches we have to make, I came to a realization that perfection is overrated. Although, we do not have a simplified domain it does not mean we should leave our readers in the dark.

In the process of simplifying our address it is my goal to continue to give you inspiring content that can uplift and empower you daily. In the last eight months, there have been many changes in my life but they all have been helping me evolve into a better writer.

I will keep you updated on the new direction that we will take for The Inspirational Corner Blog.  In the meantime, continue to Live Bold. Live Loud. Live Authentically.

Sincerely,

Stylicia Bowden, Founder of The Inspirational Blog

5 Tips To Making Life’s Lemons Into Sweet Lemonade!

Sometimes when life throws lemons at you it is hard to  make lemonade. You try to keep a smile on your face while everything around you seems to crumble under your feet. I understand what it feels like to transition through the rough times in life.

In the last eight years since I lived down south I have been doing my best to make lemonade out of the bitter lemons. However, this year has been another defining year of transitioning through traumatic events. When my father passed away this April I felt a sense of hopelessness. I wanted the storms of life to come to a screeching halt but they kept raging. I had to deal with other God forsaken events as the spring shifted into summer. However, in the month of July I have truly reached my breaking point and decided to get away from it all.

When I decided to take some time away I gained a sense of clarity. It help me come back with a sense of peace and direction for the next move I needed to take in my life. I started to understand rough times in life help you grow. However, you have to be willing to take the lemons and use them to gain a greater advantage in life. Lemons may be sour but the bitter moments make life a little bit sweeter.

You may wonder, how can you make lemonade out of the bitter lemons of life? Well below are a couple life tips I learn through my lemonade experience.

1. Breathe. When you go through rough times in your life take time to step back and just breathe.

2. Give Yourself The Time You Deserve. After my father passed I did not feel like I needed to rush through the grieving process. I am still taking the needed time to process through the pain. It is important to give yourself all the time and attention you need to get through the storm.

3. Be Alone. Sometimes you need to be alone to gain clarity so you can get direction on how to move through your rough patch. It is important to be alone to be honest with how you feel about all the things going on in your life.

4. Cry. Crying is a great sign of releasing the stress. Do not feel like you have to be stoic because God gave us emotions to express freely. So allow your self to be a human being.

5. Get Away From It All. Sometimes your environment can be too noisy for you to relax your mind so it is always good to take a mini-vacation or break away from it all. Vacations or getaways rejuvenates your mind, body and soul.

New Things In 2015

Dear Readers,

 

In our attempt to keep our content fresh and innovative the Inspirational Corner desires to create themes each month in 2015 where each article post during the month will embody that theme. For example our theme for January 2015 is newness so our articles that month will reflect subjects on new beginnings, new you, new year etc.

 

Also, the visionary behind this blog Ms. Stylicia Bowden will be giving details on her upcoming book project. She will create a live tweechat centered around her new book. She will also republish her 2012 book The Inspirational Corner by adding up to date content in it. You will see the marketing and promotion for her projects via her social media sites.

 

The Inspirational Corner main vision for 2015 is creating a diverse, loyal and consistent readership community. In order for us to effectively build our readership community we will be campaigning for readers to sign up to our mailing list.

 

We also want to encourage positivity, love and inspiration in our blog. It is important for us to become an international brand in the blogging world. We will work on connecting with bloggers on an international level to create our global vision for inspiration.

 

We are looking forward to a productive year and we hope you share this blog with people who need a little boost of inspiration and authentic reading.

 

Thank You,
The Inspirational Corner