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.

My Evolution Of Journaling

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Looking inward to find ways to be better for myself is by journaling.

For free writing and diary type entires, I’ve relied on my @dayoneapp. I can write long, free-form and always had an option to export my entire month or year of journaling to a PDF.

I started using the @fiveminutejournal 3 years ago because I wanted to be more present and grateful. It was by far the easiest way to keep me grounded.

When my mornings got to busy and I couldn’t even find 5 minutes to write in the morning because I didn’t have the time to myself I started using the app version of the journal. I would use it on my morning commute – it and made gratitude journaling more convenient.

A few days ago, I found out that I can combine my free form journal writing with my gratitude practice with the ease of an app! I still use paper and pen daily but having everything available on the go without the bulk of a book is a game changer!

Do you journal? Which app do you use or do you prefer a paper journal?

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

5 Ways to beat the winter blues & a trip to TO Christmas Market

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

When the whether dips, it’s not uncommon to feel seasonal depression. With the sun no longer shining as much, the need to bundle up all.the.time and the persistent search of a warm getaway – it’s easy to lose perspective. I am learning to give in a little bit. Enjoy the warm soups, choose sautéed veggies over cold salads and drink as much tea as I want.

Here are a few other ways to enjoy the colder months…

Get cozy: fleece PJs (matching with family members? even better), fuzzy house coat, warm slippers and turning on the fireplace…!

A mug of your favourite warm beverage: Tea, coffee multiple times a day. Better enjoyed with a friend.

Watch all the best movies or series: Ok so it’s true, Friends is leaving Netflix but there are tons of Holiday movies to enjoy this time of year.

A warm cozy bed: I love love love the feeling of getting into bed with clean sheets after a hot shower. Switching to a duvet at this time of year can be wonderful.

Being grateful: Every morning and every night or really any time of day when you feel your mood slip. Take a moment to breath and give thanks.

Another important thing to do in winter? Get out of your house. For a walk around the block, to an seasonal event or a winter activity. Take a little more planning but you really won’t regret it.

3 Everyday Hacks to Boost Happiness

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Just wanted to pop in here to share this quick (1.30min) video on how I boost my own happiness with these THREE EASY everyday hacks!

THEIR digital footprint

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I made the decision about 3 weeks ago to go back to one of my first decisions as a parent, that is to NOT post my children’s pictures online.

(What sparked this re-decision? My older child telling me that I couldn’t post her baby pictures online as part of a birthday post about her on Facebook. What had happened was I had shown her the draft post and she said she didn’t want me to share the baby pictures. And I did it anyway. But this is my chance at doing right).

I originally decided this back in 2013-2014 because I didn’t want their privacy to be taken away. If I did post a picture, it would be a creatively composed photo as to not show details of their face. It was a lot of fun (from a creative standpoint) but also it felt like the right thing to do i.e. protect them.

But I slowly released my grip on on this idea (particularly on my private/personal IG and Facebook accounts) because I mean everyone posts their kids pictures online without a second thought right? What harm could it really cause?

And that I realized… we don’t know what we don’t know! We don’t actually know what harm it could cause!

Firstly, what we do know is that social media is making our society less social, more concerned with things that aren’t any of our business and obsessed with vanity metrics (likes and followers). Which in turn is bringing up a myriad of mental health issues, feelings of isolation and a constent need to “keep up with the Joneses”.

With all that said, there are some real positives to social media. There is a sense of community, a great place to share and receive inspiration and the memes can really brighten your day :) but the long term use of social media is still unknown. I mean, we don’t really know what having all that content, pictures, opinions and thoughts online will be like for us in the future. What effect it will have on us? And how future tech will be able to utilize all that data.

Secondly I’m ALWAYS reviewing and questioning my OWN online footprint. I’m always wondering if I am over sharing or putting something out there that I wouldn’t say in real life. And part of the answer is yes, because it’s easier to talk to a screen then be social (I feel like that’s a modern day human condition but also because I’m an introvert).

But in my own case, at least I can make changes, evaluate my online sharing and adjust as needed. But for what I’ve shared of my kids? Well they don’t/didn’t really have a say nor did they get a chance to adjust because I’ve been posting about them and because they aren’t online yet.

There is a sense of guilt (welcome to motherhood) with my kids pictures being up for the last 2-4 years, and unfortunately those will probably be up forever.

And for that I’m truly sorry girls!

Part of being a parent is improving and being better. Parenting for me is a journey and requires a lot of mindfulness. And this is one of those opportunities. It’s a chance to realize my mistake and fix it.

Do you share your kids pictures/achievements/tantrums online? Have you ever thought about how it would effect them into adolescence and adulthood?