2021 Reading List

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Hi Friends – I’ve started my 2020 reflection (on paper) which has been both therapeutic and energizing!

It has provided me the self awareness I need but also strong gravitational pull into areas of my life I want to invigorate and energize.

As I write down my goals, I am also thinking about the reading I want to do.

…So here it is, my reading list for 2021!

It’s got a little bit of self help, a little bit of sci-fi, productivity, some random fiction and a biography.

What are you reading next year?

38 thoughts…

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Hey!! Today is my 38th birthday. Grateful for another trip around the sun and I felt compelled to write a list of 38 thoughts/words of wisdom that have inspired me…

1. Be creative everyday

2. Communicate with transparency in interpersonal relationships

3. Get out of your comfort zone

4. Use post it notes to organize, prioritize and remind yourself

5. Learn something new everyday

6. Surround yourself with successful people

7. Listen to more music

8. Understand your biases so you can move past them

9. Use your voice (both verbally and written) to share your ideas, thoughts and opinions (the world needs it)

10. Don’t follow the trends or masses

11. You don’t have to like, watch or do everything online, that your friends post/do or because everyone else is doing it

12. Sit in silence

13. Meditate and journal daily and in that order

14. Run (longer but slower), stretch and foam roll

15. Be better than you were yesterday

16. Being disciplined with yourself is self love

17. Drink more water

18. Nail polish isn’t something I need to wear everyday

19. Hug and say I love you to the kids/hubby multiple times a day

20. Your best & highest self is who you should connect to everyday

21. Reach out of your network to make new connections

22. Being an introvert is amazing

23. Read more / scroll less

24. Brain dumps and list making is very therapeutic

25. There are 3 mindsets you can use in any situation: growth, opportunity & detachment

26. Try your beat to envision your best self/life everyday (especially on the hard days)

27. Forest walks for the win

28. Before you go to bed: brush/floss your teeth, wash your face, wear an eye cream and brush your hair with your head upside down

29. If you really want something, talk openly about it to people who can support you in getting there

30. Listen, always listen

31. Know you are loved + love yourself

32. Appreciate where you are (knowing you wanted this!)

33. Dress up (and take a picture of your OOTD whenever you can!)

34. Slow down, rest, pIgor but then keep going

35. Mornings are my magic (morning pages, morning walks and especially morning distance runs)

36. Dance, for no reason

37. If you want something done right, best to do it yourself

38. Be grateful, always!

15 Mid-Week Mood Boosters

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Sharing a mid week list of mood boosters + some of my creative photography! I truly loved capturing the image of the flowers and the lines of shadowed light. I need to get better at prioritizing capturing creative photography everyday! Scroll down to see the image as well as a list of mood boosters. I hope that one or two works for you!

Read 5 pages or a chapter of a book
Put on a cute outfit and take some mirror selfies
Make a list or a do a brain dump
Write a letter to your future self about how proud you are of your accomplishments
Tidy up some space in your home
Setting up personal BHAGs and breaking them down into executable steps/milestones
Hug everyone in your family
Take a warm shower or a bath if you have enough time
Go for a walk or run (make sure a portion of it includes being in a forest)
Meditate
Use the pomodoro effect to focus on completing a piece of work
Make a vision board
Write down what you are grateful for
Drink an entire bottle of water
Do something creative

Quotes to start your Monday off right!

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

A few quotes to set you up for your week!

Life is a series of baby steps // Hoda Kotb

Lead from the heart, not the head // Princess Diana

Everyday is not success, every year is not a success, you have to celebrate the good // Reese Witherspoon

No one is you, and that is your super power // unknown

To succeed in life, you need 3 things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone // Reba Mcentire

A quote that gives me peace and strength

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
If it’s a workday: Turn off my alarm, grab my glasses, phone/journal/pen. After regular getting up activities, I put on my apple watch :)
If it’s a weekend: And I haven’t been woken up by an alarm or by my kids, I check to see what the kids are doing. After regular getting up activities, I put on my apple watch lol!

What gives you energy?
My creative hobbies, completing a priority task, hugging my kids/husband or a really good run, confidence in my experience.

What is your secret life hack?
Practicing gratitude using the DayOne App with the built in Five Minute Journal templates.

Name a book that changed your life?
I have two from the last 10 years: The Alchemist and Light is the New Black.

Tell us about your relationship with your phone? Does it sleep with you?
I charge my phone on airplane mode on my nightstand, so no it absolutely does not sleep with me. I’ve had a goal to get our phones out of room at night. First step is to buy 2 alarm clocks and convince my husband to charge his phone elsewhere in the house overnight.

How do you deal with email?
Work email on a typical workday: I check my email too often. Both due to the nature of my work (I am a manager in the innovation & strategy space) and because it’s been a habit of my career. I would say several (5-10) times an hour.
Personal email on a typical day: Not as often because I only check it on my phone, maybe 3-5 times a day.

You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do?
Pull out my e reader and hope that its charged so I can read!

When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
Over the Winter Break! It was the first time I had taken 2 weeks off since 2012. We hosted several dinners, I cleaned the house 4 times, had to take care of the kids full time for a few days and had to make the Christmas magic (mom’s you know what I mean). It was fun and exhausting. Definitely glad to be back to our regular routine after a full and lively break.

When was the last time you felt you failed and who did you overcome it?
Motherhood is the most humbling journey and I fail every day (i.e.: maybe I lost my patience, I yelled, looked at my phone too much in front of my kids or didn’t play with them when they asked). I don’t put myself down for every “failure” – I am human and a millennial mother in a digital age (we are the first generation of mothers/parents in this type of society) I overcome it by talking about what happened (with my kids or husband) and lots of hugs.

Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace?
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself // Leo Tolstoy

Feel free to answer these questions in the comments below or on your own blogs or social medium of your choice!

(Where did you find these questions?)

More like this? Check out my year in review from 2018.

Happy New Decade!

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Happy New Year/Decade everyone! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog, thoughts and motivations over the years (or even just today!). I definitely plan to continue creating content that resonates with me and you in hopes of helping those who choose to be here take the positivity and inspiration with them into own their lives!

I figured I’d pop on here and quickly post about my New Year Resolutions :)

I’ve always been a big believer in goal setting. I love sharing what I’ve learned about goals, motivation and productivity over on my Instagram and Twitter and here on the blog as well (check this and this)!

So for this year I am looking into developing a better skin care regimen. I drink a lot of water and eat my greens but I think I need to pay more attention to vitamins and the products I am using on my skin. Of course continuing my wellness journey is top of mind as well. I got a pull up bar for Christmas and I’ve already started a new workout program. Wellness also includes my mind / soul and making time for meditation and yoga is key for me this year. Also looking to increase knowledge and really explore and share my purpose. Lastly, I want to be a leader and not hide behind my fears.

More Selfcare | Less Careless
More Purpose | Less Panic
More Leading | Less Hiding
More Knowledge | Less Scrolling
I saw this great blogger do #LessIsMoreGoals and I thought it was an innovative take on New Years Resolutions

Shoes | Leggings | Hoodie | Coat | Sunglasses

Do you set New Year’s Resolutions?

More Like this? Check out my resoutions post from last year