Crystal Ball of Delusion

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Showing up as your present self:

Passage from a book…

One of our favourite ways to abandon our self control is to justify our sins of the present moment with planned virtues of the future. For example, research shows that simply planning on exercising later, can increase the likelihood not eating healthy right now. This way of thinking not only reeks of moral licensing, but also introduces another critical flaw into the mix. The assumption that we will somehow make a different decision in the future, then we do today. (ie: today I will skip my workout, but tomorrow I will double up or today I will binge my favourite TV shows, but then I wont watch anymore for the rest of the week.)
We simply give our future selves too much credit. Counting on them to do whatever we can’t bring ourselves to do right now. We are too quick to assume we’ll be more enthusiastic, energetic, willful, diligent, motivated, brave, morally strong in a couple of days, weeks or months.
Such optimism could be okay, if we knew we could actually follow through on it all. And we both know thats now how it goes. When the future finally arrives, the nobel idealized version of ourselves – is nowhere to be found. And the demands we face aren’t nearly as easily as we told our selves they would be. What to do then? Put it all off again of course, hoping that our saviour will rescue us next time.
This type of thinking simply burdens our future self with impossible load of tasks and responsibilities.

Become a #GoalDigger + Free Wallpaper Download!

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

TL;DR

If you can’t get to the entire post, I’d like to highlight the following

Vision boards are great tools to help you conceptualize and work towards your goals
Even though I’m posting this on the last day of the year, #VisionBoards can be created ANYTIME (of the year) you need an extra boost of motivation
Scroll to the bottom for the FREE download!

I’ve been a big proponent of vision boards for a long time – and still am!

I’ve created them yearly (sometimes several times in a year) and find them to be a great way to focus and hone in on my goals.

Visionboard, goal setting, yearly intention, #FutureBoard, goaldigger, Productivity, Personal Growth, Self Growth, Self Care, Routines, Systems, CEO School

I believe in them so much that I’ve got my girls in on it. I want them to know what it feels like to both be strategic and reflective when it comes to goal setting. I want them to know what it feels like to reach milestones and accomplishments they set for themselves. I also want them to know that getting to those goals, doesn’t happen overnight – and what progress feels like.

Also want them to know what it feels like to be internally driven. Not told to do something because the school system, an adult, society or their friends etc have told them to do something. And although yes, I do give them some guidance – I really ask that they think of the specifics around the goals. The journey throughout the year is really amazing. They consistently view their board, talk about it with me or between themselves and find ways to make their dreams a reality.

I’m so glad I introduced them to vision boards early. I only learned about them as an adult so I’m still learning and right now, I’m pivoting as well. So two things of note:

I’m currently perusing the book #FutureBoards for more inspiration and knowledge
I’m taking on a different approach where instead of doing a vision board for the entire year, I create a vision board for a month or a quarter
Creating a vision board doesn’t need to only happen at the start of the year

Some tips I’ve started to use when creating my vision boards are:

Come up with a goal statement and write it as if you’ve already achieved it! (very empowering) Remember you can also have several goals in different buckets (Personal, Professional, Fitness, Family etc)
Next write out a detailed story of each goal – be as specific as you can. You really want to help your brain see in your minds eye and your heart feel emotions attached to achieving the goal. If you have a why statement you may find yourself leaning on or tweaking that as part of this exercise.
Break down that vision into milestones, 4 works really well because that can fit nicely into quarters of the year or weeks of a month.
Now with each milestone, figure out activities that will help you get there. As an example if you want to change careers you might have a milestone to apply to your dream job. Activities for that milestone could be to research companies that align to your values, update your resume and then apply to jobs. Milestones can have many activities, so try to keep it to three activities so as to not overwhelm yourself.

Now here is the best part! You can create a vision board based on the goal statement, goal story OR on the milestone activity! Like I mentioned above, I’ve always created the vision board based on the goal story (macro level based on what you want to accomplish in the year), but this time I’m creating it on the milestone activity (micro level based on what I want to achieve in each quarter of the year).

I don’t think there is any right or wrong way – I do think you have to try it out and see what works for you.

If you are planning on creating a vision board or set intentions/goals for the new year – enjoy! I wanted to share two motivational wall papers (for your phone and desktop wallpaper).

Click here for a f ree download!

21 reminders from 2021

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

The last few weeks have been have been strange for me in terms of direction and focus. Something must be said for following your inner knowing…because I find myself returning to thoughts I’ve always had about my purpose and my work, which to me means – that I’m still on a journey (and I just got side tracked – again lol).

Readjusting my aperture is what I call it (photographer here, and that play on words was absolutely necessary). I know that I’ll be constantly reminded of what I am meant to do so long as I’m not doing it. Kind of like you’ll keep receiving the same lessons until you finally get the message #ThankYouUniverse!

aperture, photo blur, self portrait, self care, growth mindset, mindset coach, self growth, productivity, goal setting, mentor, virtual mentor, planner, goal setting, intention, photography, fine art photography — *adjusting my aperture*

I think it’s okay to lose your way or to get distracted because I’m a firm believer that you’ll always hear a voice and be nudged back on to your path. So I think it’s important to lean into that voice and let that nudge guide you.

This post will also serve as is a reminder to myself that I’m still in progress. (And hey if you need it – take this as your sign too).

So in the spirit of having the right mindset and getting myself to realign to my goals and reprioritize what’s going on in my life, I’m sharing 21 reminders from 2021.

Important to note: this list is evergreen – these reminders apply to ALL areas of your life. Purpose, Career, Healthy Lifestyle, Productivity, Good Habits, Social Life, Personal Projects, Building a Business…seriously I could go on!

What we need to take away is that it’s always about the journey, that we can always re-adjust our focus and that it’s totally OK to start again.

Everything we experience, will come in peaks and valleys
When you think you’ve been buried, you’ve actually been planted so get ready to bloom
Success is rarely achieved over night
The fact that you are trying, is in and of itself hard
When you need to plan something or find that you aren’t balanced – try the 3 bucket principle
You’ll never be the same woman again, so celebrate with her everyday
Breath and be grateful (every hour if necessary, which sometimes it is necessary)
Make art, it soothes the soul
Don’t put your energy into only one thing because if that one thing goes sideways you’ll feel lost
Never expect your first draft to be the best version
Balance is key
If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.
Good things take time (instant gratification is something we need to break free of)
Enjoy your success, Learn from Failure – and remember anything can happen
Never let the internet fool you (everyone has a chapter they won’t read out lout, and some have a chapter they will never even write)
When in doubt, go for a walk in nature
Always appreciate the therapeutic power of putting pen to paper and letting everything out
Find ways to learn, especially when things seem out of your control
Pomodoro timer as a productivity hack for the win
When you fail to plan you plan to fail: Goals for the year, milestones for the quarters, activities for the months, tasks for the day
Need to focus, make a cup of coffee first

Start your new year right

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

It’s around this time of year that we see a lot of gift guides online. And as important and lovely giving the perfect present to someone can be – it can also be crazy stressful (hence said gift guides appear all over the interwebs).

And I know there are people like me that need to “get warmed up” for holiday shopping by treating themselves to something nice first ;)

A few weeks ago I shared some thoughts about systems. All the items below help me create routines (or systems). Having systems in place can be helpful when coping with change, creating healthy habits, being more mindful and knowing yourself better.

So here is the treat yo-self/start your (new) year RIGHT gift list for YOU! Sharing a list of items to help you create systems! (Of course, you can start doing these things without these items – but a visual ALWAYS helps!).

Skin care: The first step to self care is about develop and maintain a healthy relationship with yourself. Honestly sometimes, you must demand that time of yourself. Putting yourself first is important so you can find balance with the other priorities of your life. Either an AM or PM skin care routing (or both) can be both soothing for your skin and for your mood. It just feels good to pamper yourself and having a consistent routine for your face (even if it’s just wash/moisturize daily and a weekly face mask) can make that happen for you.
Dress to impress (for yourself): Don’t do it for anyone but you. Dressing up (even for WFH or on a lazy Sunday) helps you build consistency and confidence. Whether it’s a fresh pair leggings and a tunic style sweater, a beachy waves hair do or hoops and a red lip – get dressed for yourself. I always feel more organized when I’m not sitting in two day old gym clothes or when I have all my rings, layered necklaces and bracelets on (haha, don’t ask).
Manifest: Which also includes meditation, journaling, affirmations, vision boarding and just being mindful overall. These activities are considered enduring systems, because they can help one reap long term benefits with permanent effects. What helps me is having a variety of journals (blanked, lined and prompts) and pretty pens – and I naturally gravitate towards this system.
Water & Smoothies: I recently got back on smoothies. I love them because they are easy to eat, help with digestion and it’s a quick way to eat a variety of fruits/veggies. Even better when it’s is a smoothie bowl. Having a smoothie for breakfast or dinner has become a comfort now. I rather mindless sip a smoothie then a bag of chips.
Wake up & Plan your day: Planning has become essential to me. I’ve gotten really good at weekly and daily planning but I’m working on going macro to micro (2-3yrs – today). I have my direction which guides me, but I really want to get more strategic.
Feed your mind: Read, listen to podcasts/ted talks, take micro learnings. This is something that I do when I feel in a funk. Reading and learning is essential for building self esteem, improving memory and reducing stress. It’s also great for when you are feeling stuck, because it can light up your imagination and help get those innovation juices flowing.

That girl mentality & systems

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Focus on you, and you grow. Focus on sh!t, and sh!t grows – read that again // anonymous

I’ve always known that good routines, habits and the ability to re-focus are important to me.

And I also know I’m a visual person so consistently practicing and seeing my goals in front me does wonders (it’s all about tricking the mind to believe what the heart and soul want are real).

aka #manifest

With all that said, recently stumbled upon the hashtag #thatgirl

If you haven’t heard or seen it, this hashtag has been trending on instagram, youtube & tiktok by that girl as a way to manifest wellness.

The best way to describe it is as a highlight real (like everything else online lol) – but these highlight reels combine artfully crafted wellness video snippets focused on habits that show the person eating healthy, partaking in fitness activities and making progress towards their goals (ie: school, work etc).

There is a lot of talk about how #thatgirl perpetuates a toxic unattainable lifestyle. But I don’t if I see it entirely like that..

Being a visual person and someone who can peel themselves away from the internet – I actually find this trend both aesthetically pleasing and inspiring. I also know that sometimes the day can get away from you and life is full of peaks and valleys.

So how do you focus on your own development while navigating everyday life? Hint the #ThatGirl trend hits it right on the head!

˙ʎɐpʎɹǝʌǝ slɐoɓ ɹnoʎ spɹɐʍoʇ ssǝɹɓoɹd oʇ sɯǝʇsʎs uı ʇnd noʎ ǝɹns ǝʞɐɯ no⅄˙˙˙

Re-aligning to your goals at certain times during the year (months or quarters) helps to keep you connected to your yearly goals. OR (like in my situation) help your get back on track. Systems are activities that focus on the journey as opposed to the end destination.

Systems ensure you find joy in the little things.

Systems ensure that those daily habits become the little steps that will turn into a giant leap.

Systems keep us inspired.

Systems help us stay disciplined, especially on the days, we don’t want to do anything.

Systems can inspire us mentally/spiritually/physically.

Systems help us romanticize our life.

39 Laps (around the sun & running track)

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Last week I celebrated my 39th birthday! I took the day for myself and did all the important things that matter to me to me most. Outside of regular adulting/mom duties – here is how I spent the day…

I woke up, meditated & journaled.

Ran 15.6km (exactly 39 laps around a highschool race track*)

Went grocery shopping and donated it all to the food bank.

Picked up my birthday freebies at Sephora and Starbucks

Came home read a little then watch SATC

After school, the fambam sang happy birthday and the girls ate cupcakes

Had a quick photoshoot ;)

Lastly went to dinner!

Here is a quick video about my special day!

*You might remember I set up this goal for myself earlier this year!