Jedi Mind Tricks for Joy Archives

May 2, 2018 by: Darcy Goedecke

Spirit Animal Meditation

“In Flight” by Darcy Goedecke

Do you know what your personal SPIRIT ANIMAL is?

Spirit animals are symbolic creatures that represent our own spirit and can help guide us in our lives. My spirit animal is a tiger and my spirit flower is a trillium. (I still need to paint a tiger and yep, my cat’s name is Trillium :).

Well in celebration of my new series “Spirit Animal”, I made my subscribers a GUIDED MEDITATION to help you find and communicate with yours!

Listen below!

Music provided by Bensound

This is the first recorded meditation I’ve ever made so please let me know if you have any feedback on it!

P.S. “Spirit Animal” prints are now available! Check them out here!

Thanks so much for following along on this journey of mine! I am so thankful for your support!

Hugs,

April 4, 2018 by: Darcy Goedecke

Why I Paint People of Color

I just had the most amazing conversation with a woman about my painting of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and it brought us both to tears.

It was during my most recent show at Splash Gallery, the “Spring Unveiling”. For this event, each of our 18 artists literally unveils a new piece of artwork and talks about it in front of all the event attendees (WITH A MICROPHONE, OMG).

I unveiled three new pieces, all from my January challenge: “Trash Panda” (a raccoon), “Guinea-corn” (a guinea pig with a golden unicorn horn), and “King” (my painting of Martin Luther King Jr). In hindsight, this seems like a strange collection, but hey.

I wasn’t particularly nervous to unveil them — I’ve been through this a few times at the gallery. That was, until I had the microphone, began talking about the work I was yet to unveil, and turned around to see two African-American women right in front.

Now the town I live in is admittedly very white. All the members of this gallery are white, as far as I can tell. And most of our clientele is white. So here I am, in a room full of white people, with two black women right up front, staring at me from 5 feet away. I wouldn’t have noticed this, except for the fact that I (whitey mc-whiterson), am about to unveil my painting of arguably the most amazing iconic black man in history.

(Face-palm). Just a little nervous now.

As I unveiled the paintings I started talking about the two animal paintings in length but just glossed over the MLK painting because I was so scared what they’d think. I seriously just said, “and my painting of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which was really awesome to make”. LOL.

The reason I was nervous, was because I wasn’t sure if it was my place. I wasn’t sure if it was my place to paint the icon of a struggle I will never know. I wasn’t sure if it was my place to talk about how amazing his message was and how when I think about the power in his voice and what he meant to this world, I undoubtedly start crying. Maybe that’s why I didn’t say more — because I probably would have started crying.

Well the unveiling by each artist finished and right after, those two women were on me. “Oh shit”, I thought…. “Hiiiiiiii”, I said.

One of the woman greeted me, also with a nervous smile, and said she had a question for me… She wondered why I had chosen to paint Dr. King.

The rest of this conversation won’t be verbatim, and I’ve probably forgot half of it because I was so caught up in the moment, the emotions, and just awe-struck by the words coming out of her mouth…

Here’s what I said:

I told her I chose to paint MLK because of everything going on right now. Because I feel like he was such an amazing person, with a very important and uplifting message. I rambled on a little longer and did actually start crying, as I said I would.

Her response blew me away:

She said that she was not expecting me to unveil a painting of Martin Luther King Jr. and she was flabbergasted. For someone who “doesn’t look like her” to paint someone who does, to paint an icon of the struggle people who look like her are going through, made her feel supported and meant a lot to her.

She said it was amazing and wonderful that I used my place of power as a white woman, that I used my artwork, and that I used the platform of this gallery event to speak out for her. That it was important, because we can’t do this alone. We can only heal our past and rise together. I agreed.

She also began to cry, which made me cry even more.

I told her I was nervous to present the painting in the first place because I didn’t know if it was my place, and she said she was so glad I did. That it meant a lot for me to do it.

After thanking each other profusely, we hugged, and I felt like I had just done the most important thing in my life thus far. I made someone in pain, in a world that’s against them, feel supported.

I can’t express in words how much this interaction meant to me, except to say that it was one of the most encouraging, heart-expansive interactions I’ve ever had. And that it confirms for me why I consciously choose to paint people of color.

Because you see, it’s a definitely a conscious choice for me.

I instinctually want to paint white women, because that is who I am surrounded by and who I am myself.

But the thing about me is, I question everything I do instinctually.

(When I was 19, I noticed I felt like I had to put on makeup to leave my apartment. So I stopped wearing it for a full year)

I actually only recently started painting people again. And when I found myself painting white woman after white woman, I questioned it.

A teacher of mine from college, Lisa Sweet, once said you have to ask yourself if you’re not painting something because it doesn’t matter, or because it’s too challenging.

People of color are neither of those things for me. They’re not too challenging to paint, and they certainly DO matter. So I started painting them.

This was a bigger choice for me than just aesthetics though. I wanted to do it because I realized there are two things I believe:

1. People of color (and all minorities), need to see themselves, and be seen as beautiful, successful, magical, and amazing too.

Just as I noticed those two African-American women in the gallery, I notice when a credit union commercial includes a black family, or a mixed family, or a gay couple, or a person who is differently-abled.

It always makes me smile and think, “Good for them”! We need positive images of minorities in the media. For them to believe in themselves, and for us to believe in them too.

Artwork is no different. I aim to paint beautiful, magical things, so I thought I might be able to contribute to this.

2. I think the more we are included in each other’s lives, the less we notice our differences and the more we can break down the barriers between us.

They say the best way to overcome a prejudice, is to spend time with one of those people. When you take the time to learn about someone’s hopes, dreams, and fears, you begin to see yourself in them.

One of my ways of including people who don’t look like me into my home and reality is through art. I identify deeply with the people and animals I paint. My art is about celebrating their humanity, divinity, and spirit, so I have to put myself in their skin to do it. I have to really see them.

And in turn, I hope my artwork does this for others. I hope that women will buy paintings of women who don’t look like them, because they can see their own spirit and dreams within it.

Even knowing these were my motives, painting people of color still made me nervous. Would I do them justice? Is it okay to be consciously choosing to do this? Are people going to be mad? Why would they be mad? This should be okay. I’m just painting people here! Which again solidified for me why I was doing it. Because it should be okay. This shouldn’t be a thing.

Now, thanks to this amazing woman at the art show, I have my answer. It is definitely okay. It is needed.

I had no idea this painting was going to be so important to another person. And I had no idea how it would change me through her.

So I ask you, what is your platform? Where can you show kindness, acceptance, and support to people who don’t look like you? Where can you use your power to lift another person up? In your work, your talents, your community, your day-to-day life?

We can only rise together. Here is my hand.

Today marks 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and it is also Dr. Maya Angelou’s birthday. Their words and actions are still out here changing lives, and may they continue to forever. Rest in peace, dear ones.

Many people ask if this woman bought that MLK painting after I tell them this story. She did not, she gave me a far bigger gift. The painting did sell a couple days later to another woman though. And prints are now available here if you want one.

If you liked this story, please feel free to share it

I think this is the first time I’ve written about such a controversial issue, and I truly hope I didn’t offend anyone. I was even more nervous to share this post than to make the paintings or talk about them at that event. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, I am always here with an open heart and ears if you want to talk.

All my love,

March 7, 2018 by: Darcy Goedecke

What I Learned from Being Sick

Three weeks ago I got super sick.

Normally I can kick a cold pretty easily. Often times I don’t even get sick all the way. I have my regimen I do when I start feeling the crud: I take special herbs and vitamins, use my neti pot, cut out sugar, increase water and sleep, and manifest my buns off toward wellbeing.

But this time was different and I could feel it.

These last 6 months have been crazy in my business. I’ve packed things in a little too tight to where I’m not getting enough rest and not enjoying life enough. I just move from one task to the next, pushing through thirst, hunger, and exhaustion to get things done.

It was no surprise to me then when this last cold took me down hard. But what did surprise me was what I learned from it — Not just that I need to rest more (yes yes yes), but that I can get more work done by working less.

Let me explain…

Being down for a week (and I was) isn’t really an option in my business right now. Whether you’re employed by a company or by yourself, I’m guessing it’s probably not for you either. Who has that much sick leave?!

So like most of you would probably also do, I tried to work through the sickness. There was stuff that just HAD to get done.

This proved to be a fairly hard task. If I sat at my desk or so much as thought critically about something for 5 minutes, I started to feel really sick and my body would ache.

My body had reaaaaalllly had enough of me pushing her. She was done.

So I yielded. I gave myself deep permission to be sick. I gave myself deep permission to lay on the couch and nap and watch movies and play video games and nap some more. No guilt allowed.

And while healing was definitely top priority, I knew that I still had to get those work things done. So I did the only thing I could do:

I worked in 5-minute increments.

With lonnnnnnnng breaks in between.

I oscillated from the couch, to my computer, to bed, back to the couch, to my computer again.

I did a lot more sleeping and relaxing than working, and a surprising thing happened: even though I worked less hours and took way more breaks, I actually got a lot more done than I normally would!!! I was like “daaang, I’m good!!” (high-five self)

Here’s why this worked:

I made quicker decisions and didn’t over-work a task because I knew I only had 5 minutes to do it.
And because I knew I only had 5 minutes, I wouldn’t let myself get distracted by shiny objects (notifications, other to-do’s, new ideas).

I got my shit done and then went and laid back on the couch.

This idea isn’t new.

It’s a method I’ve heard of many times — working on things in small, uninterrupted increments of time… Even with long breaks in between.

But I never really allowed myself to try it until it was the only option.

Usually my approach is to just push through thirst, hunger, and exhaustion to get things done.

And deeper than that, I realize I equate that push feeling when you’re busy and stressed, to the feeling of success and accomplishment.

I knew that wasn’t right. I knew there was another way to get things done, but I wasn’t quite ready to try it.

Is it weird to say I’m happy I got sick?

It sucked, but it totally showed me a whole new possibility for how to approach my work. A way where I can actually enjoy my life, and even get more done in my business.

This method has continued to work too.

Since I was sick few weeks ago I have still been trying to work in short periods of time and take breaks in between to recharge or work on other stuff at home.

The days I do it, I get SOOOO much stuff done and feel really accomplished, relaxed, and even happy!

If you try this method, here’s the four keys I’ve found to success:

Prioritize your to-do’s. Check out a book called “Eat that Frog” if you need tips.
Minimize Distractions – Turn your phone off and stay away from Google. You must be vigilant in staying focused on the task at hand until it’s complete.
Give yourself a limited amount of time to complete your task. This creates the hustle and pressure to make fast decisions. Even if it’s a longer task, like writing this blog post, complete it in shorter increments. I like to set a little blue bird kitchen timer I have.
Take breaks! This part is really important! Just try it! When your time runs out, take a break. Get up and walk away from your project to drink water, stretch, read a few pages of a book, or sit on the couch and do nothing — whatever will make you feel rejuvenated!

The work we do in the world is so important, but so are our lives and our hearts.

I hear so many women talk about how they’re too busy to take any time for themselves. And I get it, I was just there.

But will you at least try it for a day? I think you will be surprised at how much you get done and how refreshed your heart feels.

Give yourself permission to sit on the couch, to take a bath, to cook a meal without thinking about work. To laugh, to giggle. To appreciate the softness of your flannel sheets, the smell of your lover, the sunshine on your face. Notice the way the fur on your cat floats in the sunlight. And just be. Sink into your heart like snuggling into your favorite blanket. Soft, warm, and thick with the scent of home.

Everything will be alright. In fact, it will be grand.

There’s more than one way to do this, and we here with you, learning too.

Did you find this article useful? Please feel free to share it and sign up for my newsletter if you’d like to receive articles like this in your inbox!

Lots of Love,

November 2, 2017 by: Darcy Goedecke

Why you should stop “multi-thinking”

Photo by Nostalgia Captured

As per my agreement, I have written every day this week. Woo!

But man, it’s been SO hard!

I’ve really enjoyed adding the daily practice to my life — writing in the mornings, painting in the afternoons. (la la laaaaa)

But the actual act of writing has been frazzled, disjointed, and frustrating.

I’ve been super busy AND have that PMS-induced anxiety, fatigue, and Rage (with a capital ‘R’) in my heart that makes it hard to organize my thoughts, let alone write them down coherently.

So writing has been particularly challenging this week.

But still I persevere. Still I show up and sit my butt down each morning and write. Knowing that the most important thing to the Muse is just that I’m here. Knowing that someday the ease and flow of words will return.

To help, I’ve been using all my tools: This Easy Stress-Buster, a Heart-Opening Trick, Mind-Wine, and my new fave: Stop Multi-Tasking, or multi-thinking, as I like to call it.

I call it “Multi-Thinking”, because for me it’s not about trying to do multiple tasks at once. It’s about trying to do a single task while thinking about a billion other things.

Multi-tasking used to be seen as a strength, but now we know that it’s actually impossible for your brain to work on two tasks at once. You just end up doing a crappier job.

And multi-thinking is the same thing. There’s no reason to be thinking all the time, it just leads to a clouded mind and more stress.

I want to be present, clear-headed, and flow through my day, rolling off obstacles and getting shit done. Ba-bam!

I mean, it’s okay to think about things…. But I personally obsess. I’ll think about the same thing over and over again, without any real purpose. I’ll think about dozens of different things while I drive twenty minutes to downtown, none of which are related to driving or anything around me. (Who needs a phone to be a distracted driver)?

And it doesn’t ever get me anywhere. I never come to a new conclusion or have a brilliant idea by over-thinking. No one does. The best ideas are born in mental silence, in nature, or while you do the dishes. Over-thinking just raises your anxiety and makes you feel frazzled and overwhelmed!

While you may or may not deal with PMS, mental and emotional overwhelm is probably something you experience.

The hormones just make it extra strong and hard to get out of… And it was there, in the depth of the shadows of the Mount Doom that is PMS, I realized that if I quieted my mind, and focused on whatever was in front of me… The road, the toaster reheating my gluten-free pancakes, the coconut shampoo in my hair… that my anxiety lessened and my mind cleared.

How to stop multi-thinking.

Catch yourself multi-thinking
Tell yourself to stop multi-thinking
Take a deep breath and focus on whatever’s in front of you. Either move with purpose or sit in stillness and breath.
Keep reminding yourself to stop-multi-thinking when you feel your mind drift.
Give yourself a pat on the back for however long you make it.

For most of us, learning to clear our minds and not multi-think is a tough task. It can take patience, persistence, and gentleness.

But even just giving myself the simple reminder, “Stop Multi-Thinking” , is helpful when I find myself distracted or obsessing about something.

I may have to say it over and over again, but even just a few minutes of silence is worth it. Even just a few minutes can make your life easier and your day better.

As one of my favorite movie characters said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it” ~ Ferris Bueller.

And this is also the other purpose of not multi-thinking — actually enjoying the moments of your life. The cat on your bed, the fuzzy socks on your feet, the friends at your table.

Living your life, and not just thinking about your to-do list. Cuz I’m telling ya’, you won’t get it done any faster.

Did you enjoy this article? Please consider forwarding it to a friend or sharing it online :)

Oo-bown-bown. Chicka-Chicka,

P.S. Speaking of PMS, have you seen my friend Devon Perrino Loftus’ Moon Cycle Bakery Kickstarter Campaign? She’s launching a subscription service that bakes and delivers (OMG YES) sweet, healthy, hormone-balancing treats to women for right when they start their cycle. I pledged and am so excited. There’s only a week left for her to reach her goal so go check it out! (And yes that’s me in the video)! I have a few of her treats in my fridge for extra help this week! They’re chocolatey amazing-ness!

October 25, 2017 by: Darcy Goedecke

Diving Deep – My New Writing Journey

More and more I’m drawn to write.

I can feel it, calling to me. Tugging at my shirt hem.

A warm whisper drawing me near. A temptress that until now, only comes to call on my doorstep and rarely stays past tea.

But I desperately want to make a home in my heart for writing. I want to snuggle into its velvet love-seat and find Myself there each time.

I want to write every day and make it a practice, a ritual, an act of devotion.

But I’ve written to you so little this past year and it leaves me feeling stagnant and stifled and honestly, a little nervous to begin again.

Nervous that you won’t like what I write about, or that I’ll be a bother, or that my voice will slip away from me again, as it has these past years.

This is what happens when you get out of practice with your craft. Your biggest obstacles become the irrational doubts you whisper to yourself in the night.

But through great friends and new inspirations, I find her, the Muse, calling to me again and again.

Write! Write! Write!

Ideas swirl inside me like colorful galaxies of glitter. Pinks and emerald greens and gold. Waiting to be plucked from the stars and strewn down like watercolors on the page.

And through years of creation, I know that if I do not heed her calls, the ideas will fade and slip away from me, and I will feel empty and unexpressed. A failure of a vessel.

It’s a burning emotion that I must constantly stave off in both my painting and writing practices. And a difficult task with as little writing as I’ve finished this year.

My main fear in writing has always been that of being a burden or a bother. Of taking up space. Of sucking. And I’m just realizing as I write this, that this fear is now met with a new, paradoxical fear of not writing enough, of not being in service enough. Of not taking myself seriously. Of not doing the work I am called to do.

For my biggest fear in life is that I will get to my end, having not sought out the things in my heart. It is why I do so many things that I do and why I follow my passions with so much faith.

And it is because of all this — The inspiration. The new bellow I hear like an elk in the night. The light breeze of Time chilling my back. These tumultuous, but strangely creative times, pregnant with an uncertain future — that I must pick up my pen again, and write with more fervor than ever.

For I have wet my toes in the starlit lake and felt the cool crisp water reflecting a full moon’s gaze… And I now crave to slip below the surface and tumble in the mystery of midnight waters. Probably naked. Probably both scared for my life and exhilarated.

So I dive.

And I will start by publishing articles weekly, vs. monthly. (or bi-annually, ha!)

While this seems like a big leap in my mind, it’s not in my heart. It feels necessary, and expansive, and fun. Like a thoroughfare to a new time in my life.

I’m sharing my new goal with you to give myself some public accountability, and also to invite you to swim along with me.

If you’d like to receive my new weekly writings (or a monthly round-up) on creativity, life, love, and laughter, then I invite you to sign up for my newsletter here.

If you’re already a subscriber and would like to switch to receiving articles weekly (instead of monthly), simply update your preferences at the bottom of any of my emails.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following along with this journey of mine, in any way that you do. It means the world to me that you take the time to look at my art and read my words. That my truth is heard by you, and that sometimes, it makes a difference.

Much Love,

PS. I’d also like to send a special thank you to the women artists around me who’s passion, drive, and creativity inspired me to take this dive:

OG Mama Wildling and my first writing friend(!): Devon Loftus
Accountability Partner and all the crystals and kittens: Lisa Ellefson
Makes my heart squishy wide open: Cortney Kelley
Giggles and flowers and hugs: Carissa Dickson and Iana Franks
Dream-chaser, joy-seeker, and entrepreneur extraordinaire: Kristina Wunsch
And my go-to going crazy relief and passion-chaser: Holly Anderson

You guys are stars. Thank you for having the bravery to follow your dreams and do the work in your hearts. It gives me strength, inspiration, and all the warm and fuzzies to call you my friends.

July 27, 2017 by: Darcy Goedecke

Stop should-ing on yourself

How to stop should-ing on yourself and actually take some action.

I am a huge list maker. I keep them on paper, in books, on my phone, on my computer, and in my brain.

Lately, I’ve been really trying to focus on the creation end of my business, and all the office work seems to have fallen by the wayside. As well as a lot of house work.

Today’s my day off. I should be relaxing, but instead I’m feeling the pressure of all these undone things weighing over me.

I don’t know what to do, and can’t get myself to relax, so instead I anxiously work on some to-do’s. Mow the lawn, get my books up to date, review my upcoming bills.

But it doesn’t help. I still feel so far behind and pretty half-assed at the things I did complete.

IT’S ALL AN EXPERIMENT

My anxiety’s only getting worse, so I decide to journal in the garden. Journaling really helps me dump out all the thoughts and judgements that are banging around in my brain. It creates some space and silence, which is where pieces of advice whisper in.

While I was journaling, I remembered something my amazing life coach and massage therapist, Tessa Brauer, told me earlier today. “It’s all an experiment”. I don’t even remember what we were talking about, but I had done something and it didn’t go the way I wanted. “So try something else”.

It’s a frame of mind I know well from working with her, but I forget to embody sometimes. That we are not stuck with the choices we make. If something’s not working for us, we can try something else. Again, and again, and again.

(Most of us just keep trying the same things, hoping for different results. Which is Einstein’s definition of insanity).

TRYING SOMETHING ELSE

Since starting my art business in 2015, I’ve been REALLY good about keeping my books up to date. Doing taxes was pretty breezy, I have to say. This comes from me being a Capricorn Extreme, and also my excitement to own my own business and feel professional.

In November last year, my world shifted and I’ve been very bad about keeping up my books ever since.

I feel really guilty about it and frustrated with myself. That I can’t organize myself well enough to track that any more.

And this just makes me do my books (like I did today), from a place of anxiety, judgement, and lack, which equals no fun.

And it’s SO important to me to be in a happy state when I do things. I believe our thoughts create our reality, and our emotional state snowballs into our predominant state, which affects the things we attract and the health of our bodies.

So I realized, my choice to not do my books anymore (and the ensuing anxiety), was simply part of a life experiment.

Before, I did my books all the time and it made me feel pretty good. It wasn’t that hard, but was a little distracting at times. Then I stopped doing them, and now I feel totally disjointed from my finances and like I’m probably missing a ton of data that I’ll have to find later.

Okay, so that didn’t work. Cool. Let’s go back to option 1. Maybe tweak some things.

SHOULD-ING ON YOURSELF

I SHOULD do my books more often. I SHOULD be better about this.

If you haven’t heard this term before, it’s called “should-ing on yourself”.

It’s when you make yourself feel bad for the things you should be doing. And it gets you nowhere.

I mean, try it. Say, ‘I should (insert thing you should be doing)”. Doesn’t it just make you feel like a total piece of shit? Like you’re really bad at whatever it is?

When you say you “should” do something, it just focuses you on the fact that you don’t do it often enough and what the result of that is. Cue: Hopelessness.

REFRAME

So instead of thinking, “I should be better about this” or “I should do my books every week”, try turning it into a question.

For instance:

What would happen if I did my books every Friday?

What would happen if I put away things right after I used them?

What would happen if I drank lots of water?

What would happen if I planned my meals every 4 days?

What would happen if I set aside time for writing every day?

What would happen if I meditated every day?

What would happen if I did yoga or ran every day?

What would happen if I paid off all my bills, past expenditures, and had $3,000 in savings?

Bam. Can you feel that? The excitement and space and fun that might ensue if you (I) did those things?

By posing it as a question, rather than a conclusion of, “I need to do X to get Y”, it creates room for the unknown, for playfulness, and most importantly, for excitement. It gets you to focus on the big picture of what you really want, rather than the menial tasks to get you there.

If you can get the energy of what would happen, then you might feel so excited that you can’t wait to begin. Which is a very different place to begin from than feeling like you need to or should be doing something.

I hope this is useful to you! I feel so much lighter and excited tackle my to-do list now.

Tell me below: What’s one goal or to-do you have that you can reframe here as “What would happen if I ____?” Give it a try and feel the magic!

♥

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April 5, 2017 by: Darcy Goedecke

5 secrets to make anything, including taxes, suck less

Are you a wait-to-the-last-minute-er? Me too. Especially on things like taxes and project proposals.

So often I think, “Oh it’s not due yet, I can focus on this other thing for now. I still have pleeeeeenty of time.”

And then a month goes by and ::bam:: it’s crunch time.

Someday I’ll figure out how to finish things early. But for now, here are my 5 secrets for optimizing procrastination and making any sucky thing suck less. ;)

Secret #1: Start with a clean space.

A CLEAN SPACE = A CLEAN MIND

And any task is much easier to complete when your mind is clear.

If your space is cluttered, your mind probably is too. So let’s fix that.

Now let me say this: Do NOT fall down the rabbit hole and put off the task you need to do by cleaning your space. You are going to be fast and efficient at this. Got it?

To do so, follow a 10-minute rule when you prep a space:

1. Set a timer for 10 minutes and clean your work area. (ACTUALLY set a timer; don’t just look at the clock). It’s amazing how much faster and more focused we work when we know there’s a short deadline.

2. Whatever you haven’t cleaned up in that 10 minutes… throw it in a box. I know this isn’t the best habit. But seriously, you will feel so much more grounded and focused when you have a clean desk. Just be sure to add cleaning out that box to your to-do list for later!

Secret #2: Plan

Again, set your timer for 10 minutes and make a to-do list of all the things you’ll need to do to finish the job.

Also, grab any materials, files, or supplies you will need so they’re close by!

In Brian Tracy’s book, “Eat That Frog”, (which I highly recommend) he talks about the importance of planning with the 10/90 Rule:

“The first 10 percent of time you spend planning and organizing your work before you begin will save you as much as 90 percent of the time in getting the job done once you get started”. – BRIAN TRACY

Again, don’t procrastinate on the main task here. Plan efficiently!

Secret #3: Fuel your body

Make sure you have a glass of water on your desk and some healthy snacks not far away.

Getting any long task done is always harder when your brain slows down due to dehydration and low blood sugar.

This is a really important one for me. I have a tendency to just keep pushing through and I get SO much more done more quickly when I take breaks and make sure my body is fueled up!

Secret #4: (The Most Important) Add some fun

As one of my favorite childhood idols said…

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and ::snap:: the job’s a game… A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down” – MARY POPPINS

While you may not be able to make doing your taxes a game, you can certainly sweeten the deal.

So how do you make it more fun? Simply by adding in other things you love. By bringing some soul into the process.

So ask yourself, “How could I make this more fun for me?”

For me, it’s usually lighting some incense, turning on my favorite playlist, and grabbing some apples and cheese and a cup of blueberry tea.

Don’t under-estimate this step. Making your process more enjoyable will help you get the job done faster and do a better job.

It will put you in a groove vs. loathing every second of it.

It will make all the difference between coming home feeling exhausted, and coming home feeling accomplished.

Secret #5: Envision Kicking Ass

Right before you begin, sit down at your space, close your eyes, and imagine how you want to feel while you complete the task.

If it didn’t suck. If you weren’t judging yourself for waiting so long, feeling incompetent, or super stressed. If you were a rock-star at your taxes, or whatever you’re doing, what would that feel like to you?

Would you feel efficient, focused, confident, professional, energized?

Whatever the answer is for you, imagine you feel that way. Pull the feeling into your body and your heart. Sit with it. Feel gratitude for it. Embody it.

You can do this.

Now open your eyes, and begin.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I hope these tips help you get to work and have some fun while you’re at it!

Secrets #4 and 5 are especially useful for ANY loathsome or nerve-racking task in your life. They can make doing dishes more fun or help you build confidence for a presentation.

Remember, although you don’t have control over what you do, you do have control over how you do it. And that can make all the difference.

If you found this valuable, please share it. ♥

And to receive these jedi-mind-tricks for joy in your inbox, you can subscribe to my newsletter here <3

Dreams of Love & Sunshine,

December 7, 2016 by: Darcy Goedecke

Easy Stress-Buster for Your Busy Holiday Season

The holiday season is a busy time for all of us, and it can be really stressful. Our jobs are usually more demanding, there’s lots of social events, shopping to do, a house to decorate, and family traditions to keep up with.

You want to get everything done, but you also want to be able to enjoy the season with your family and friends. To make memories, drink hot cocoa, go look at Christmas lights, bake cookies, dance and kiss under the mistletoe.

With a long list of to-do’s, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and super stressed. And as I’m sure you know, stress is actually pretty anti-productive. Rather than inspiring you to get things done quickly, being stressed about tasks undone just makes everything else harder.

Luckily, I found a way to help you feel more energized, focused, and grounded this holiday season, so you can get a lot more done in a merrier way.

If you find yourself dreading or procrastinating on your to-do list, try this:

Think about something you need to get done that’s making you feel stressed. A project at work, a messy house, your gift shopping list, your lofty crafting plans.

Notice how you feel when you think about it… Anxious? Worried? Judgmental for not having it done?

Now this is going to sound silly, but…

Pretend it’s already done. I know. Just stick with me here.

Imagine yourself finishing your to-do with finesse, calmness, and efficiency. Imagine yourself checking it off your to-do list. Feeling the sense of accomplishment, joy, relief, and any other positive emotions it will add to your life to have it complete.

Hold these positive feelings in your heart for a moment. And then let it spread to the rest of your body. Every cell. Take a few more deep breaths and drink it in. Feel gratitude in your heart for having it complete.

Now, how do you feel? Motivated? Positive? Like you can actually get it done, and maybe it will even be fun?

This exercise does two things:

1. Catapults you through resistance

By pretending you’ve already accomplished your tasks, you can preemptively tap into the energy high you get when you actually complete something.

These positive emotions help you tackle the project with more confidence, energy, and a positive outlook, which in turn helps you get it done faster, better, and more merrily along the way.

2. Puts the universe on your side.

Energetically pulling your desires into your heart, backing them up with positive emotions, and feeling gratitude as if you already have them, are very powerful manifesting tools.

Our emotions, whether positive or negative, tell the universe we want more of what we’re reacting to. So by backing up your desire with positive emotions and gratitude, you’re telling the universe what you want, so it can put external factors on your side.

So try it and let me know how it works for ya!

Stressed is the last thing we should be during the holiday season. It can be such a magical time if you make it that way.

Please let me know if this tool was helpful in reducing your stress over things undone. And please share it with others so they might make more snow angels this season too.

Wishing you hearths full of happy memories.

Love & Cocoa,

August 10, 2016 by: Darcy Goedecke

How to Put Down Your Phone and Chase Your Dreams

I am truly thankful for technology.

It makes my life easier, it can be a lot of fun (cat videos), and I think it’s pretty cool how it connects us all.

But I also know, sometimes I feel addicted to my phone and I don’t like it.

I know what it’s like to mindlessly reach for my phone, to aimlessly switch from app to app, and scroll my news feed for a ridiculous amount of time.

What I’ve started to notice, is that it feels almost like I’m looking for something. Trying to fulfill something.

Well, turns out, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Science is proving it happens on a physiological level, but the good news is, I found a way to overcome it, so you can easily refocus your energy onto what really matters. All by asking one simple question.

I started asking it a few months ago (before I learned about the science). The question has changed my relationship with my phone, and it’s exponentially increased how productive I am on a daily basis.

Really. I can’t believe how much stuff I’ve gotten done that I’ve been saying I didn’t have enough time to do.

Part I: Why we get addicted to our phones

Phone and social media addiction are caused by two chemicals in the brain.

One (dopamine), causes us to “seek” out things. Survival wise, this is food, water, and shelter. Technology wise, this is information, phone alerts, video games, posts, pictures, cat videos, etc.

The other chemical at play (opioids), reinforces our seeking behavior by making us feel good whenever we find what we’re looking for. Success! Cat videooooooosss….

What happens when you can’t seem to put down your phone, is that you’re seeking out something (triggered by dopamine), and then getting rewarded with opioids (which makes you feel good), so you seek out more things (dopamine), and get rewarded again (opioids)… Basically, you fall down a seeking and reward black hole until you’ve wasted five hours and have a serious neck ache.

It’s no wonder the average American now spends 4.7 hours a day on their phones.

Part II: How to Break the Cycle

A few months ago, I was staring at my phone, hesitating between which app to open…

I realized I was looking for something, but that something wasn’t anything tangible. It wasn’t the answer to a question I had, nor someone’s phone number, nor was I responding to a notification.

I had just instinctually picked up my phone and was going to “look at things”. So fun.

When I realized I wasn’t on my phone for any particular reason, I asked myself, “What am I looking for”?

I realized, I was looking for a feeling.

So I dove deeper: What feeling?

Well, my soul was feeling inadequate, hungry. I was craving to feel inspiration, joy, and a sense of accomplishment.

Cool.

So then I asked myself, “Will anything in my phone give me these feelings?”

Nope.

And with that realization, I suddenly felt more present, more aware, and a lot less interested in my phone. The pull was gone.

So of course, the next question was, “What can I do to give myself this feeling?”

And again, magic happened.

I started doing things! Things that I’ve been wanting to do but never seem to have the time to do!

Things like practicing my guitar (which I’ve had for sixteen years but have never learned to play until now), reading one of the twelve books I’ve started, taking our dog for a walk, drawing, doing the dishes, doing yoga, cleaning the house, working on projects, etc.

Suddenly the house started feeling cleaner and more joyful, I was accomplishing more, I was happier, and I was more present all the time.

And all of it came from asking myself, “What am I looking for?”, whenever I mindlessly picked up my phone.

So give it a shot.

If you sometimes pick up your phone for no good reason, or to “look at things”, try this!

The way to generate the most joy in your life is to actively build your dreams, to do the things you love, to feed your soul.

While social media and our phones are useful and even fun sometimes, I bet you have passions you’ve never pursued, or dreams for your home or your life you have yet to bring to fruition.

I hope this tool can give you more time for these things. It certainly did for me.

What am I looking for?

Will anything in my phone give me this feeling?

What can I do to give myself this feeling?

Bonus!!!

I also have a bonus for you, if you’re a subscriber to my newsletter: I painted you this cellphone wallpaper to remind you to ask the question! I have mine set as the screen saver on my phone and LOVE IT!

(If you’re a subscriber, it will be in your inbox, along with this article. If you don’t already subscribe, click here!)

Let me know if you like it and I can make them for all my next articles too!

—

Know someone who’s trying to beat the phone addiction? Share this with them! Or share to social media!

All love and all things in moderation… Except joy and fun… And chocolate cake… And kittens.

Best,

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/why-were-all-addicted-texts-twitter-and-google

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/10/smart-phone-nation-americans-now-spend-five-hours-/

May 17, 2016 by: Darcy Goedecke

How to Create Lasting Mental Calmness (Since we probably shouldn’t drink wine all day)

Do you ever have a hard time turning off your mind?

Does it ever keep you up at night or make it so you can’t relax? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the stuff in your head or on your to-do list? Me too.

Since I’ve been running my own art business, it seems like I have more mental chatter than ever. I’m constantly thinking about my biz, my home, my family, about opportunities, money flows, social interactions, and so on.

Really, I much prefer a more peaceful state of mind.

Have you ever found that mental space where your thoughts are clearer, and calmer?

When you’re there, the things you’re working on fall into place; you’re fast, efficient, and inspired. It’s like you have a huge beautiful grass field you’re running through, on a warm sunny day, all by yourself…

Obviously, it’s the ideal state.

But sometimes it seems rather random whether we arrive here… Or a mental burning field filled with hundreds of children running wild, hyped-up on soda and candy.

Today, I have a tool for you to calm the mind, so you can get back to frolicking in bliss.

On my day off a few weeks ago (which I had just started officially taking. Best. Decision. Ever.), I walked to a park near our house to take our dog, Luna, swimming.

She was having a grand ol’ time jumping in and out of the water, stompin’ sticks, swimming in circles.

“Clover Fields” – A painting inspired by Luna’s spirit

I swear, she is the most tried and true example of joy in my life. She unabashedly and whole-heartedly loves life, and water, and sticks, and smells, and dewy grass, and sunshine, and running with the wind in her furs… I am so thankful for her, every-day.

So I was sitting there, watching her, trying to channel my inner Lu, to be present and enjoy myself, but I couldn’t get my dang mind to shut off! I kept thinking about work and all the things I had going on, or wanted to have going on, or should have going on.

I kept trying to be PRESENT, but there were those screaming, caffeinated children, running all around me, tugging on my clothes and throwing things at me…

Well, the figure-outer-er that I am, I started racking my brain for the tools I had to instill some peace. Nothing was working, until…

I suddenly remembered a small golden nugget Eckhart Tolle once shared:

Observe your mind

If you don’t know, Eckhart Tolle is an amazing author who wrote the books, “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth”. They are two of my all time favorites and have been a huge influence on me. As you can probably guess, they are about Presence (with a capital P).

In his books, Eckhart talks about how we’re all over-identified with the mind. When we are not our minds, nor our thoughts. We are the watcher.

Because we have thoughts and can at the same time observe them happening, this shows us that our consciousness is actually separate from the mind.

And the mind, while useful in many situations, is actually what causes a lot of our suffering. (Just think about the screaming child field).

So instead, our goal is to live in that calm, peaceful, flowing state I mentioned earlier.

The tool I remember most from Eckhart’s books, is this practice of observing your thoughts, which is used to quiet the mind.

How to Do It:

(which is strangely similar to a technique for training dogs…)

Observe your mind.

As thoughts arise, notice them, but do not engage. Don’t feed them by interacting with them, or even by judging them as right or wrong.

Instead, watch them arise… acknowledge them… and watch them go.

Each one, left unfueled by your attention, never grows very big, and kind of skulks away. It’s amazing how quickly the thoughts sort of sputter out when you do this.

Continuing with this process, the thoughts will eventually stop even bothering to come up… And you’ll be left with a voluptuous empty space, filled with silence and peace.

Ahhhh….

When to use it:

This is a great tool to quiet the mind in the middle of a stressful day (when you can’t drink wine), and also when you’re trying to unwind and enjoy yourself.

If you’d like to create longer lasting windows of peace, practice it often!

Note: Someone who is able to maintain this level of no-mind indefinitely, is often described as having reached Enlightenment, Nirvana, or become a Buddha, which mean “gone beyond suffering” or “one who has reached bliss”.

But even if you’re not out there searching for enlightenment, it’s a great tool for de-stressing ;)

So give it a shot!

Take a moment to do it right now!

Sit quietly, close your eyes if you need to. And observe your mind.

Observe the thoughts as they come and go, as if they’re passing down a foggy, lazy creek.

Simply keep observing them without judgement nor interaction, until no more thoughts come.

Bringing more presence into our lives eases suffering, creates beauty, fluidity, and connection. It allows us to enjoy whole-heartedly this one special gift we have, life. Which in my opinion, is the whole point.

Blessed,

I hope you liked this article! If you know someone who has trouble shutting off their mind, please consider sharing this with them!

Some of my favorite books on Presence:

“A New Earth”, by Eckhart Tolle
“The Power of Now”, by Eckhart Tolle
“A Flash of Lightening in the Dark of Night”, by the Dalai Lama

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