Starting the new year with renewed focus and intention

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

It was a GREAT 20 days of blogmas! I am pretty impressed with my ability, consistency and ambition. I think it was the longest streak of blogging I’ve had in a long time. For January, I’ll be returning to more regular yet less frequent blog posts. Maybe, it will be twice a week and centered around a new theme – I haven’t confirmed my creative process yet! :P

<Admin reminder for myself> I’ve also yet to share all the posts on Pinterest so that will take some time in January also. So between editing titles (taking out the word “blogmas”), promoting on Pinterest (and twitter & instagram for that matter) I know I’ll be scaling back. </end reminder>

So here is my first post – post blogmas! It’s a multi day vlog showing my routines & habits. All things I want to continue focusing on in the new year. Whether that’s nature works, morning workouts, journaling, reading, meditating, doing well in my career – it’s a reminder that my Focus and Intention needs be all about consistency. So hopefully it inspires others out there who want to start (or stay on …like me) the journey of their personal development and self growth.

Click here for Blogmas 2022!

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Blogmas | Happy Winter Solstice!

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Truth be told, I have a SEVERAL drafts posted, images and vlogs edited – ready to post…but this topic takes precedence.

The 10 year anniversary of the end of the Mayan calendar falls on December 21 2022 (if you remember – nothing significant happened), which also happens to be the Winter Solstice of this year. I don’t fully understand what that all means, but I understand the idea of coincidence is important.

So what is Winter Solstice? From a scientific standpoint, it when the Earth’s axis reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun. This means, December 21 marks the longest night of the year (ie: the day with the least amount of sun light).

So if you are like me, you look for connections and patterns, especially when science meets anything.

What to do during the Winter Solstice:

Meditate, Journal & Walk in Nature
Light candles after sunset
Make donations (anything: monetary, gifts or food)
Sage your space
Create a crystal grid (or at least hold your clear quartz crystal)
Balanced intention (release and welcome)

Wishing you a Happy Winter Solstice!

Blogmas | Books I read in 2022

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I’m one of the people that has a stack of books to be read. I’m constantly updating my good reads “to read” shelf. But I’m happy to report that this year I made a HUGE dent in my reading goals.

Links to books (all are Chapters Indigo, but you could check amazon or any local book retailer)

Here are some numbers

8 new/modern fiction books read
1 classic fiction book
3 non fiction/self development books
8 (all) fiction books with strong female characters

What went well

I was able to read fiction books fast
I need to balance all the fiction with some non fiction, spiritual & self development
Following BookTok & Bookstagram

What didn’t go well

Reading slumps came on quickly if I tried to read more than self dev book in succession
Tried to push myself to finish a book I was no longer interested in

Fav fiction book read this year

Verity (hands down)

Fav non fiction book read this year

The Four Agreements

Blogmas | Project50 for January

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I’ve mentioned many times (check here, here and here) that I’m all about goal setting, productivity and self development. I also have a thing for life hacks that offer consistent ways to improve in different areas of my life.

Enter #Project50

From my research (read: heavy google searching), Project50 is along the lines of 75hard but closer to 75Soft. Essentially a way to kick start your daily routines and create long lasting habits and rituals.

I should say, most of these things I already do daily, but there is no harm in calling out and trying harder. If you are interested in getting started, check out the IG linked above and also set 7 rules for yourself. The catch, if you miss any daily habit, you begin again from day 1. Check out my rules below & good luck!

Rules:

Wake up by 6:45am
- Sleep a minimum 6 hours
Complete a morning routine (without distractions)
- Mediate
- Journal
- Affirmations
- AM Hygiene
- List to a Podcast episode
- Weekly nature walks & forrest baths
- Plan your days in detail
Exercise for 45 min
- Cardio (20 min run, 3km or 4km run, Pilates or 5000 step walk)
- Strength (everyday except for active rest days)
Read 10 pages of a book
Dedicate 1 hour to learning daily
- Udemy (Python, excel, product, data, agile)
- LinkedIn Learning (product, agile, productivity, self growth)
- Free courses and ebooks (with actual note taking!)
Eat clean
- Llimit processed desserts, sodas and cocktails
- 2.5 L of water
- maximize fruits and veg intake
Create content to track your progress
- Blogpost (will be default mode to track)
- OneDay
- Tweet
- IG post

*Image from Pinterest

Blogmas | Gift guide for your daughters

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Sharing some of the gifts ideas for daughters. These work perfect for kids ages 5-8 and include STEM/STEAM & skill building! Hopefully this provides some ideas or you can click directly on the link to purchase on Amazon.ca!

Dot Lego bracelet making kits: Cute little way to design braclets using lego dots. Perfect way to keep kids entertained as a starter to legos for kids who don’t really like them
Build a robot with Remote Control: funny enough, building a robot like this was my university capstone project, now I’m buying them for my kids christmas presents! Great for the kid who wants to try their hand at building and controlling a robot.
Puffy sticker book: My kiddo loved another version of this book, it’s like playing dolls with thousands of possible outfits and activities.
Dance gear: of any gear to support their extra curriculars: dance shoes, personalized sparring pads, high bar.
Geodes kit: Awesome gift for the kid who’s into rocks and crystals. Adult help required, but you can actually crack the rocks to reveal the magnificent geodes.
Viral Tiktok Bedazzler: no explaination necessary – will be a popular choice for the kids and their moms alike lol!
Gimp: When kids are into making braclets, this is a great way for them to practice fine motor skills and following directions. This kit comes with key chain rings so can also be used to create gifts for grandparents or for school backpack zippers.
Lego friends: A step up from Dots but not as complex as a start wars set with 1000 pieces. Kids can follow the instructions and make the kit in 45 min or less. Then endless hours of fun!

Want more? Follow my Blogmas 2022 journey here!

Blogmas | The biggest lesson I learned this year

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I was recently scrolling through TikTok and some someone post about what the biggest lesson that they learned this year. Without even watching the full post – I immediately thought about mine…(goes to show how mindless show intense my multi tasking is!)

I figured it would make a great blogmas post…

The biggest lesson I learned this year was maintaining consistency with my self growth practices.

Now as I’m saying that I realize it sounds very simplistic. But I realized not being consistent actually creates bad habits. Or rather, being consistent creates good habits. And for me those habits are helping me grow and develop.

So here’s the kicker: I find myself only being consistent with my self growth and development rituals (quality journaling, outdoors walks, forrest baths, deep meditation, creating content, making art, reading, learning) when I’m needing to change* something. And then, as soon as I achieve* that something I for some reason decide to de-prioritize those rituals.

Maybe that de-prioritization comes naturally because that thing I achieved takes up more of my time. But I’ve realized that I can’t let it. I need to be consistent with my rituals because they are the only thing that will support me in the long run.

Want more? Follow my Blogmas 2022 journey here!