Purpose Archives - Page 4 of 8 - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Mountain Pose Yoga Journey For Kapha Stimulation

Mountain pose yoga is a great way to get you into your daily groove in more ways than one.

Mountain steps are often uneven like these where you can practice your mountain pose yoga at the mountain top. — This is a 340 natural mountain step challenge 🎉

Mountain Pose for starters can be a morning pose to wake up your body. You can do wherever you have a floor or ground to stand on.

Standing tall with hands in the air helps additional blood circulation and Ayurvedic Kapha stimulation especially when you’re in a tired season (that can rob any imbalanced Kapha mind-body of excited feelings).

This article is about how to use Mountain Pose yoga this season, both in yoga and climbing your mountain top or hill.

Yoga Mountain Pose

To get the most out of your yoga Mountain Pose, swoop swan dive arms gracefully down like your arms are eagle spanning wings. And then forward fold your hands to your yoga mat or your ankles grounded on the floor. 🦅

And then weightlessly reverse swan dive your arms back up into the air. That’s a good way to be purposeful in your daily moves.

Mountain Pose yoga can be part of your Vinyasa flow.

It’s a way to finesse your ways as you grow, and is a good metaphor for personal growth moves with intentional motion today.

Repeat your Mountain Pose, but next time, coordinate your deep breaths, with inhales up and exhales down in going up and down your pose. This keeps you purposefully engaged from head to toe.

Remember this Mountain Pose and your breath practice when you’re outdoors on a walk, hike, or journey up a mountain.

This outdoor practice is a great way to get energy flowing when you’re lacking energy, need new calm headspace, or just a ‘lil motivational push. It’s great exercise for your entire body.

And when you challenge yourself to get up a mountain if you’re nearby to one, you’ll get all the mind-body benefits.

If you’re feeling tired, stop and take a sip of water to refuel. Look around at your surroundings in awareness and mindfulness. Maybe do your stretching Tree Pose.

“They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

Mountain climbing is a great way to accompany a mini-sabbatical journey. What’s interesting about each hike, is that there are different trails to choose from.

And every day, each trail is slightly different because the nature elements change… everything from the trees, sky, and ground you walk and rely on with each step.

Changing foliage reminds us that this moment is just a blink.

When you come back around, leaves and twigs have fallen and flowers and fruit change up the scenery.

Selecting a path or trail that suits you is fun. Take the hike that inspires you or sounds inspiring. The first time will always be a surprise. 🎉

Usually people who’ve never been on a trail, listen to what others have told them who have walked the trail. Sometimes it’s better to listen to your heart and nature as guides instead of other’s opinions.

Because we all interpret differently…

One time, I kept hearing the message about how much more difficult a specific trail would be. That reminds me of younger years when we didn’t have info. at our fingertips.

And so I avoided that one as a first-timer, so I could build up.

And then when I actually did the hike, I found it was the easier one than the long winded one. The “strenuous” reputation trail had hundreds of steps at the end, and that’s what was meant by “harder.”

But, steps to me actually shortcut the climb process because it provides interest and variety that keeps present awareness. So fully engaged, that feels like the process is sped up.

Mindful about your uneven steps, you’re already at the top before you know it.

The alternative is to take a longer trail path without a steep incline and as many steps. And that’s where natural Kapha tendencies differ from Vatas.

Know Your Individual Strengths

There’s a general fork in the road in body types.

Kaphas naturally prefer the endurance exercise which means longer courses and duration over steps that is perceived as work.

Vatas prefer the shorter, variety trail with different interest points that doesn’t seem like work.

And Pittas just want the challenge, so either trail is fine as long as there’s a little sprinting up and down the hill that wouldn’t hurt either. 😉

Each of us have our body strengths.

Climbing trails is an individual journey.

And in each season, we’re holding onto an imbalance even if just a smidge that we can course correct on our individual journey.

The first steps are the ones that can be mentally the hardest to get going on. And a part of you might be wondering: is it too late to turn around?

But when you focus on the baby steps of each step, it’s easier. You remove the blocks. And actually that’s what little kids on the trails do on their steps. They enjoy the climbing challenge and play with the immovable Lego blocks.

We need more of that in our everyday, where we look forward to trying a healthy challenge as part of our play.

It’s great natural exercise in the process.

With every step and turn, you can find your balance and appreciate how your body assets work for you.

Having a nudge motivation like seeing the mountain top view helps us get to the goal. The cherry on the top of the mountain doesn’t disappoint. And that’s a general consensus for all…

The ending is predictable. But the getting-there journey is not. The middle changes as you get different perspectives. And the next time, you’ve grown some. So you see life from a different lens and that can help you maneuver this season.

Balancing Kapha On Your Trail

If you’re needing a little push out of a tired mind that can make a tired body, on your trail, look for pops of color like fiery red leaves in autumn. Or berries on trees.

Wear a pop of color on your arm or shoes… (if you’re drawn to the bright or neon colors, that could be why as your body is intuitive). Just a pop of color though because bees are attracted to bright clothing and mountain air. 🐝 We can share the calm space.

Find a pine cone or forest fresh scent. Some natural bug spray scents have lemongrass and rosemary that help to wake up the senses. They’ll keep the certain bugs away and keep you awake.

Take energy food and water. Great snacks are nuts and energy bites. So, ready to get your Mountain pose on? ⛰️

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread Squares

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten-free almond flour or coconut flour
1/2 cup oats
2 eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp honey
1/2 cup raisins and chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup finely grated carrots
1/2 tsp of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg each (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Mix ingredients and bake on 350°F for about 40 minutes.

Homemade energy squares with: carrots, raisins, coconut, and apple cider vinegar.

Pool Meditation Idea For Ego Daily Calm

Pool meditation is underrated. And so is sea salt therapy especially for cooling Pitta.

Pink Himalayan sea salt therapy for cooling.

One of the intentions of Meditation is to quiet the mind that’s always running. And that’s how I came to discover pool meditation.

In any meditation, the peace is in the silence. And I have a pool meditation idea that worked for me… and I’m passing on to you in case you want to give it a try!

BTW, I am the first to admit I’m not a good half-conscious meditator. I prefer to silence my mind awake fully conscious and eyes open. And whatever works for you, works!

Specifically isolating the mind’s ego is a good goal for your meditation 🎯

…Because we’re stuck with our ego for life, and good or bad, whether we’re meditating or not.

And our ego is a good part of why life goes back to the way it was after the recent meditation effect gradually wears off. Even if that’s just ennui (boredom) that the ego can turn into woes-me.

When we go back to our lives from peace and meditation, the ego snaps right back into active mode. And it wants to be right (not necessarily happy).

So it’s a great idea to enhance the calming meditation effects and have it last longer.

I tried this for the first time years ago when I was practicing how to be conscious of the mind-body connection.

…Long before my first meditation experiences (when photos were fuzzy and taken from snap cameras 😉). Like traditional meditation, we could sit still in a chair or Indian-style sitting position on the floor.

And today for any of us, ongoing calm can be the day and every day when focused and engaged in the moment (that’s part of our modern day self-awareness movement).

And long before my first meditation experience, I stepped into this calm discovery decades ago in an indoor swimming pool… 💭

In one temporary corporate job I held many moons ago, there were two great job benefits. The first one was leaving at 5 pm that was not a common occurrence in any modern work in the Western world. You probably know what I’m talkin’ about!

And the second benefit (and first ever perk for me) was use of the indoor pool attached to the conference center I worked in.

That summer, every weekday at 5 pm on the dot I got excited about my day change. I jumped into my swimsut and I transformed into my meditation calm.

The first few minutes in the pool cooled me off (both in mind and body). And the longer I stayed in, the more calm I felt. Even on the drive home I could feel the stress of the world melt away.

pool meditation with a rainbow decorated unicorn float is always fun!

I still felt alive when I got home, that’s not the usual feeling from an exhausting work day around work people. And on some days I had a second job to go to. I had caught my second wind in the pool environment.

I didn’t need any special breathing techniques or calming meditation narration. The pool created a naturally calming effect on the Pitta summer side of things that’s heightened in the heat.

When you step into a cooling pool, it does your body good. Your body recognizes the environment as healing. Yes, it’s a healing pool of water. And our bodies are mostly water, so it’s natural osmosis.

You cool down with the shimmering body of blue water around you, and take yourself out of the usual dry earth we’re mostly around. Your mind can travel a million miles away from your life.

So it’s also an escape. 💭

And that’s how calming pool meditation can be for you where you dip your toes in this tranquil setting. You slip away from the earthly troubles and enter a new realm. Not to mention the blue ripple color is mesmerizing, serene, and good for eye-open meditators like me (…and maybe you too 👀).

You get a part two in your day like you’re starting a new day in the same day. And sometimes a start over if the first half wasn’t so good or relaxing.

Some cool pool meditation tips:

Sit by the pool steps to start with so your body is partially in the water. Then gradually enter the pool water. For indoor pool meditation, I like to hang along the pool’s edge like I’m reading a book, but I’m actually reading the calm in myself. I’m just chillin’ and forgetful of time. 😊

You not only cool and calm from stress, you work on letting go of those negative thoughts that your ego feeds you non-stop throughout the 9-5 day. So you do yourself healthy good.

Also, pool meditation only works well in a quiet pool setting. Not an outdoor pool with splish splashing kids playing or a pool class with instructor and a headset.

You’d be better off under the shade of a tree or in a cool spot inside, but it won’t be the same as an inside pool. Hotels usually have these indoor pools that are almost always quiet.

…Then when you get back home, capture the way you felt.

This is an amazing power and tool that you have control over. You don’t have to wait until the next free day or moments you have. You just reset yourself in that pool calm place in your imagination.

Your body may even cool down just from the thought. That’s the healthy power of the mind-body. 🌱

You may even want to have a blue wavy color or pool photo in front of you as a reminder. Visual cues are so powerful to empower you. 🎉

In contrast, a bright photo or retro Barbie colors in front of you invigorates, that can just heat things up in your mind. Bright red is even more alarming than the color of hot chili peppers and fire trucks (but BLUE is a soothing color in all shades).

…If you’re a bit Kapha minded these days, maybe that’s what you need! 💕

We had a neon pink light outside the meditation room that looks like a photo developing room (…maybe you remember those where the negatives 🎞️turned to positives 📸?). And from this room, we came out as transformed half-asleep meditated beings 😉

You may never have this glowing experience that I had, BUT you can do your own meditation wherever you are… or test pool meditation and see if that’s your meditation jam. 🧘🏻‍♀️

And from there you can get your creative personal essence back in case you’re having a creative mental block or dry spell season of ideas… or searching for your life’s purpose. And this is just one of many techniques that can get your cool-calm-and collected swag back as a first step. 😎

Here’s one dessert you can enjoy.

Vitamin C Boost Tropical Fruit Plate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

Tropical fruits, chopped
Meringue (or grit pie bottom)
1 15 ounce cream of coconut can

Instructions

For Pavolva, whip egg whites to make meringue base. Add to a pan that will be your presenting dish/pan or use a Silpat for easy transfer. Alternatively you can make a grits pie base that's quicker to bake, with grits, egg, and coconut oil that complements tropical fruit flavors.
Bake in 200°F oven until it feels solid and formed (like packed snow).
Decorate with fruit (dragonfruit, pineapple, passion fruit, and guava). If you want to use less fruit sugar or for a breakfast Pavlova, you can alternatively add berries and green bananas.
Pipe coconut cream (solid flesh of coconut)

God Winks Encouragement

God winks appear all the time and in front of us if we’re paying attention.

God often speaks in nature like in bright sunflower blooms 🌻 and occasional rainbow skies 🌈 And in science like the rare total eclipse 🌘 and even in a pair of daily ducks.

God winks in nature like these common pair of ducks. They are the many wonders that keep us wondering!

We also sometimes forget that God winks in our food where nature provides plant-based foods.

Like these authentic whole wheat zucchini fettuccine getting drying-ready for cooking (recipe below 🧡).

Jump to Recipe

I believe everyone needs encouragement in this life. It’s part of the healthy and happy journey. And one special form of encouragement that you may already turn to is the God winks that are specific to your life…

The daily favors, blessings, miracles… whatever you want to call it… like driving by a surprising display of flowers instead of the usual path to radiate the day 🌷

When something special, small or not happens in your day, you’re reminded that you’re watched over.

You know that you were given luck in some way by the Universe if you allow your beliefs to take you there and you push your ego aside that can thwart your efforts in your mind.

God is love and the ego is fear. And how you noodle yourself out of those times where it’s hard to see the love, will get you to more God winks sooner because you’ll see them. 👀

You see favor in life, whether you bypass a long line that was just there seconds before you got there. …Or, you’re lucky with your online submission that comes back favorable.

Your timing is perfect and the opportunity is for you. And that was no coincidence. That is meant to be encouraging to your day if you don’t miss it.

These can be a part of your every day, if you pay attention to the discernment message that the Universe sends. As you live longer and practice deciphering more you will get better at this!

In Christian living, it’s the Holy Spirit helping us out or the spirit in you.

There’s no mystery or woo-woo, it’s just the way it is on our planet and was established, all documented during Biblical times.

And we can this live out daily in our version of modern Biblical living if we choose.

An interesting thought: the book that made it in every hotel room (I worked in hotels) is full of good daily instruction.

Most of us don’t give it daily thought.

I know I didn’t for the first quarter of my life until the words came to life when I learned the content that helped align my life.

And in your life, the more wondering and connect the dots to the wonders and little miracles, the more you’ll see them and get God wink favors. Not everyone sees a rainbow in front of them. 🌈

And whether you do or don’t think you receive favor, your life will have ups and downs.

But if you know in the end that all will be well, that provides a sense of peace. And we all can use more of that if we want to live a life of meaning. Or when we feel discouraged.

So when things aren’t exactly working out the way you thought they would or you feel stuck, look up for the God winks. They will keep you going.

Align your prayerful thoughts and whether you speak them aloud or just think the thoughts especially while in public or around people.

When we stay on the channel of our daily, small thoughts that are mostly negative because it’s on the worldly level of this limited life, then we lose time with negative moods or emotions.

We keep ourselves from growing and getting to the next level. If we think and reach higher, we’re better off.

And we gain more then in the time it takes for us to try and do it by ourselves. If we plan about the future, that may not happen the way we thought if we don’t check in first with our heart and soul.

This is a simple exercise you can try.

Find something in your situations that has given you some tension or hasn’t worked out. You have several productive options. You can try again or look for a new solution.

An example is a tool that has broken. You can try to fix it. If you look at it from another angle, sometimes you figure it out.

But if you get upset or frustrated, then nothing gets accomplished. If you spend the same time praying, the solution comes to you.

It’s the same way you can pray off your worry, as Norman Vincent Peale taught in The Power of Positive Thinking.

It works because of your productive mindset and calm mood, but is also because of the higher-reaching power working in your life.

Another example, and one that was recent for me is new baking challenges. As someone who likes to experiment, not all bakes turn out. And when I wondered what happened, I use the bake as a lesson. It reminds me of what can go wrong. So instead of being disappointed, I see it as a way to grow.

Because in order to grow, there is always a struggle or sacrifice of sorts to varying degrees. You have to give up perfection or success in order to get better. You let go (or let God and reject ego).

Or you spend more time invested in learning than you thought. And this is how you get good and skilled at anything… by the failures and challenges. You don’t learn as much from the ones that turn out and where you get a few minutes of joy from right away. Never judge a book by its cover. Give things a second chance.

But joy does keep us encouraged and engaged in the balance of everything in life.

And these joyful pasta-ccines are very balanced with whole wheat and zucchini. 😋

Print Recipe

Zucchini Fettuccine Whole Wheat Pasta

This is a great homemade pasta making recipe to get your veggies in (or for picky eaters) or if you have a leftover zucchini you don't want to go bad. Homemade pasta is easy to make once you get the hang of it and you can enjoy same day! And as grocery prices rise on pasta, this is an economical way to get fresh pasta with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen!

Course dinner, lunch

Cuisine American, Italian

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

blender or mortar and pestle (optional)
cup measuring cup (optional)
pasta machine or dough roller

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (can use gluten-free flours) per serving
1 egg per serving
generous pinch of salt
1 zucchini, cooked and mashed

Instructions

Make a flour mound. Make a deep well with a spoon or the measuring cup you used. Add egg and salt.
Knead. Add blended zucchini to the pasta dough.
Make a dough disc. Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Divide the disc into two halves. Roll out pasta as thin as you can without getting holes. If using a pasta machine, start on a medium/wide setting such as "5" and then run through thinner setting such as "3." That may be the thinnest setting.
If rolling by hand and dough roller, roll evenly to about 1/16".
Let strands dry out enough so you can still make a curled nest or can break (like packaged processed pasta). These took about 2 hours.
Cook like you would packaged pasta for about 20 minutes on medium heat for "al dente" pasta. Whole wheat pasta will take longer than other plain flour homemade pasta. You can store uncooked pasta in fridge for 2-3 days. Buon appetito!

New Spring Manifestations, Goals, and Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe

New spring seasons are a time to celebrate growth. It’s when we see the birthing nature buds. 🌱 It’s also a new spring reminder of our year… a time of personal growth renewal, another chance to decide on goals, and a possible new direction change from a less active winter or Kapha season.

New spring means new growth, recipes, and a good opportunity to bake a carrot cake. — Gluten-free, moist carrot cake with natural sweetness is the perfect anti-inflammatory dessert for Easter that spring revolves around. Recipe below 🥕

…And maybe that’s why spring is so often associated with spring cleaning or a spring makeover…And a fresh coat of green.

And with a new spring, there’s usually a lot of unpredictable, plus an up-and-down roller coaster winter weather season. Some things haven’t yet bloomed in our lives.

But one thing is for certain… we’re one season more mature by nature’s design. We get to be a year wiser. We don’t have to look out the same lens as last year. And that can make all the difference.

This welcomed change is especially great if, well… a year ago wasn’t so great.

And looking back 3 years, frozen in time we came together as a world when we started a new normal.

In my own reflection, the wheels underneath me were turning where I left positions that no longer served me. And that springboarded completely different seasons with new work, some that I still do today.

The fresh starts kept me productive. That’s where growth is and was highest, when I was most sensitive to new surroundings, new people, and there’s a steep climb learning curve.

You step out of your comfort zone. There’s excitement and nervousness with new beginnings. It’s the butterfly coming out of the chrysalis. 🦋

And in exchange for uncertainty, each day is an opportunity for bright possibilities and step-up manifestations.

…One day can pivot into a new direction. And each step brings more clarity and moves us closer to what our life’s purpose is about even if we can’t see it in the process or even today.

If nothing else, we all did and saw life differently just a few years ago.

And today, by focusing on learnings (and not dwelling on what didn’t work), you set yourself up for success. A winning mindset sees the positive and flips the script to help propel forward.

You may be embarking on, inching toward, or considering starting something new in your life. That’ll help you move one step closer to where you’ll be next.

When I left my corporate work in 2019 I didn’t know what the next steps would be. I had no plans in place. But the writing on the wall was clear.

And it wasn’t having a writing career.😊

I just knew I had no business being in the space I was occupying anymore. And after-hours one day, I heard a distinct whisper in my corner of the office that stuck with me: “you will not get this time back.”

My first reaction was, “oh no, not again” as I was just starting to get used to the new people, systems, and work projects I was around. And the hoopla of all-hands-on-deck Convention Center events.

The constant wouldn’t be those temporary experiences, but the life I had outside… The life I built and the friends I’d known forever are still my friends.

When we connect, we just pick up where we left off. It’s like a comfy pair of shoes that always fits and you still love ‘em.

That’s probably how it is for you in your life.

And then the new friends made were about shared similar interests. Being worlds apart made for interesting connections. Just a couple decades ago, that wouldn’t have been easily possible.

So we’re growing one way or another. We’re mixing the new with the old as we’re blending in-person with digital. And that helps us evolve. And it helps us bridge the life and identity transitions.

In my own transition, I was a mentor in the corporate space when my daily work in the corporate trenches had ended.

And that’s when new work took up residence and writing became the daily …every day I showed up to the keyboard and started typing. I didn’t realize how much I had to say and all the lessons I had accumulated to share with those who may want some answers in the same areas.

I was making a cup of tea when I burned my finger on the tea kettle and that became my first published article. How random!

Random finger blister burn that started my writing practice. 🫖

And that’s how life miracles and blessings are. You can start something big in your life just from a simple occurrence in your day. And then you work in and manifest what happens next.

And today since I’m sharing about this particular new spring season, it’s a great time if you need a nudge or poke 😊, to find a new purposeful feeling in your life.

Maybe that’s from taking a hike,yoga classes, trips abroad. Or time off to journal. The world is at our fingertips.

And when you can get relaxed and find space to explore a new side of you that you never did before, that creates new openings.

..And you discover you actually are creative (as nature intended)! If you want to know how to create consistently daily, I wrote an article about that just for your encouragement.

…My daily writing and creativity would’ve never started, had I stayed in my corporate career.

So if today you’re feeling a bit stuck… take some time to see what you’d be interested in doing that makes you feel alive… that’s not a one-and-done experience. It’s something you can build on.

Get mind-body space to take it in. Maybe a ‘lil yoga?

Another example I had was in 2020, when I started baking that spring in lockdown. It started with simple scones baking like this orange scone recipe.

orange scone

… And then my baking never stopped. Baking was never on my list of want-to-do weekly projects.

It seemed like work that went against my healthy values. But I found ways to look at it differently and do things my way.

So that’s how your amazing crafts can be. You put your stamp on how and what you do. And yes, they can be found in this new spring season!

Start by carving out a ‘lil time to explore. Get a new spring in your step. And let that lead you into a new spring. Maybe this carrot cake will inspire your creativity and help balance your Ayurvedic Vata-Kapha transitions.

Healthy Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Recipe

This recipe is for an individual carrot cake, but for a one pan/layer cake multiply by 3, and for a two layer cake, multiply by 6.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2/3 cup milk
1 tsp coconut oil
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 egg
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
syrup for glaze

Instructions

Mix dry and wet ingredients. The coconut flour will absorb the milk more than a gluten flour. You will end up with a batter that looks like creamy mashed potatoes (instead of a more liquid batter).
Bake at 350°F/180°C for at least 45 minutes depending on size of your baking vessel and amount of liquid. This recipe could be baked in a variety of baking pans: e.g. deep dish glass pan, oven-safe ceramic pan, or a bundt pan. When a toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done.
Add a glaze. Zhugh with nuts and mandarin oranges (optional).

Work Freedom to Creativity

Work freedom is possible if that’s what you want. Keep in mind that you are in control of your ship and the experiences you are gaining today will be part of what you need in the future especially if it’s a creative one.

If you could have more work freedom in your life, what would that look like?

I describe freedoms below that I think would make all the difference in the world in work life balance, time flexibility, and to unleash creativity in your life if that’s what you want. 🌎

That’s what I wanted.

…And if that’s what you want, you deserve in this life, so your work future is worth fighting for!

Each of our personal desired versions of work freedom is different.

For me, like many of us, it’s not having a boss. And, being able to create my own schedule deciding when I’ll show up. In 2019, I started my humble self-employed journey after I left my last corporate job and office life.

As far as I’m concerned, I retired from my corporate career for good. Before that, I reported to many bosses with the exception of a few years in between when I dabbled on my own doing consulting work where I felt most empowered.

Some workplaces and bosses were good enough for a little while, and others, well… let’s just say they aren’t for everyone. 😉

And some left me Ayurvedically depleted.

All of us who have worked know what that’s like for at least part of our careers where we may have stuck it out as a stepping stone to climb the ladder 🪜 or as a bridge to our next venture.

…Or to take a different turn. I’ve done all of the above to eventually move toward my better work freedom.

I know that not having the pieces fit together in the dozen or so roles from my first, second, or even third corporate career helped me realize that’s what I wanted!

Every pivot made me more intentional about what I wanted my work life to look like.

And not having a mentor but instead becoming one, helped me realize I didn’t want to work for anybody EVER again.

I started out in corporate hospitality and working with catering management, so foodie likes is up my alley. And then I went into other office management fields.

blueberry dutch baby pancakes. — Dutch baby pancake recipe below. 👇

But I had to take that windy journey in the corporate work world to confidently know that, and what I’m capable of…

And to also know that you can be excelling at your job that looks good on paper, but not be fulfilled.

Looking back, I realize those experiences made me the person I am today who’s resilient and not gonna settle for less than what the whole life has to best offer in every season (God willing!). No experience goes wasted.

And in my last corporate job, I had this whisper that could’ve been a billboard sign because it was that loud to me as by then I was used to following whispers that others often miss or ignore.

In my mind I heard, I would not get this time back. And from that point on a cascade of work problems followed where I knew I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The only way UP was OUT. And then I got my time freedom back. Once again I felt cage-free to pursue new opportunities.

And I know I’m not alone in how I feel here because even the conservative peers I’ve talked to in their mid-careers who left jobs prematurely before they thought they would, said they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders when they gave their notice.

Feeling good was a sign that a right decision was made. And every time I gave my notice, that’s how I felt.

But that satisfying feeling fades into now what? that gradually replaces excitement.

This is where people differ. Some would run from misery to insecurity and others would stick it out and stand firm for security.

And you know where you stand on that.

In the years I started in the workforce, workers didn’t leave jobs as they do for mental health and happiness reasons that are recognized these days.

Our younger workers today value health over stability and moving away from discomfort and into promising ideas and possibilities.

The workforce generations today have amped up the employers’ game where bosses can’t get away with the same toxic behavior or red tape antics they used to without a backlash or being caught on camera.

And I think that’s great that our society is moving away from that type of dysfunctional workplace.

So #1 is creating work freedom away from the wrong kind of bossing.

And #2 is freedom from stress or anxiety.

As someone who valued work-life balance in her 20s, I also believe reducing stress is underrated and needs more stressing these days.

Having lived through stressful work situations, I know enduring stress can be the cause of so many health problems and arising mystery ailments.

I think stress reduction is even more important than sleep because if you’re tired, your body crashes. With stress, it could go on quietly for years without visible detection and a remedy.

Our bodies do their best to try to daily whisper to us in headaches, our skin, and even our bathroom life. 🚽

But if we ignore the signs for too long, the wear-and-tears become loud. And in those anxious-filled stressful seasons, we aren’t running optimally as our self-care and immunity defenses go down.

Not to mention our creativity isn’t reachable.

…And creativity I believe is where our happiness is. It’s the passion we can control, that gives us freedom.

When we can birth new ideas or re-create old ones for new life, our body cells are happier and that radiates through our daily life, outlook, and how we feel about ourselves.

Don’t you beam from to ear-to-ear when you’ve contributed and acknowledged (or have been recognized by someone) that those new ideas came from you?

That uplifting feeling creates space for opportunity and opens doors for hope, more achievement, and possibilities that we all aspire to in our lives.

But most workers never get to that sweet spot.

I know I didn’t because of all the work constraints and limitations…

And the answer isn’t to quit your job necessarily. The answer is to add more playtime in the quality free time, doing the creative things that light you up and you’re passionate about. And maybe those activities become your next season.

A few hours could be an enjoyable weekend afternoon. And then let those happy feelings and memories carry you through the tough week ahead if that’s what you face.

And then look forward to the next free future playtime afternoon.

And if you find that you’re skipping off from work to do more of that, then maybe that’s a sign.

Because having been on both sides, I now know that not doing daily work that inspires you gets old.

The new could be: if today were your last day (not at work, but your LAST DAY), would you be happy?

…And if the answer is no, then coming up with a plan to do more of those passionate things or to discover more of what you want to do is going to help get you to your happiest place.

Explore creativity and develop your gifts, talents, and abilities. Remember, you won’t get this time back. And this season will end.

Not all plans come to fruition, but you’ll never know something better or your highest achieving potential self if you don’t try.

Take some risks and do projects that you want to do more of or explore to see what you like at both work and in your personal time.

With a more enriched life, you can dream new and better dreams and start heading in the new re-routed direction that becomes your NEW LIFE.

And eventually, if you keep pacing slowly, inching toward what you figure out you like, you’ll be doing more of what you want and not what was old in the past.

Like a butterfly that struggles to get out of the chrysalis, the creatures that we are, in determination successfully make it out.

Believe that in yourself.

That’s so liberating! 🦋

In the humble beginnings, like most, you pay the price of being inexperienced, and then the price is paid and life gets better with experiences.

And Life is unlimited. And you see it as abundant.

And once you get a taste of the potential and the genie is let out of the bottle, you know you’ll never go back to the old, lesser ways.

OK, and finally…

# 3. Mind freedom is another freedom worth gaining when you have work freedom. It’s another one that slips under the radar (and can cause stress).

But, with mind awareness, we know we can change our happiness from the inside out.

For whatever life and work freedom you’re yearning for most, mind freedom is something to create space for in yourself first to be successful.

It grows when you make mindset shifts from old ways, beliefs, and attitudes, and rewrite daily thoughts and doubts.

Because so easily, what is within our potential reach can easily fade if the mind isn’t daily reset, in-check, and our motivations (our why) isn’t prioritized.

So often our busy situations and demanding lives can get in the way and make us tired and lazy. And that’s how we get stuck while our clocks keep running.

So having your why and what defines your work freedom can keep you moving toward your north star. 🧭

And keep you from going back to the old thinking ways that are meant to stay in the past that got you to where you are today.

Keep pressing forward in your life and let that forward motion become your guide in life to greater freedom and happiness.

…That includes a passionate, purposeful life of creativity if you want that, where you get to express your human you-niqueness and contributions where work is joy.

Crispy Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancakes

Course Breakfast

Cuisine dutch

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 pinch of salt
1-2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup blueberries
blueberry juice (for glaze)

Instructions

Blend the ingredients (except the butter). You can use a Magic Bullet that makes smoothie drinks if you have one.
Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Coat the pan with butter and pour in batter.
Bake in oven at 350°F/180°C until the pancakes are crispy.
For syrup: add maple syrup and a little blueberry juice to make a jammy blueberry syrup.