Love List: Gratitude Journaling

Since I mentioned how much I love Bridget Morris’ journals in my last love list, I thought I’d put them to use this week with a little gratitude is the attitude doodling. As I’ve said before, the best way to tackle glass-half-empty thinking is to remind yourself of the things that are working in your life and to take stock of the beauty and special people/experiences that charge you up. Now, I know it’s tough to be grateful when you’re going through a difficult time. But honestly, that’s when you gotta suck it up and turn the energy around. It’s so much easier to put walls up and hunker down in your “woe is me, life sucks” bunker. Sound familiar?

Here’s a little something you may not know about me. I have never participated in a “why me?” pity party when it comes to canser but I have when it comes to vertigo. I get vertigo once every few years, and when it hits me, it hits hard. My “problem” pisses me off. It makes me shut down and get really frustrated. Do you know what I mean? Do you have a problem like that? Something that sucks your energy dry leaving no desire for green juice, yoga, walks, dates or spiritual medicine. It’s so easy to resist being grateful when you’re bound by the perception that life just isn’t going your way. Boo hoo, sniff sniff. Not today my friend. Burn off the haze and get busy counting your crazy sexy blessings! Remember, health isn’t just about what you eat, it’s also about dealing with what’s eating you. Joy has a tangible, physiological effect on the body. You can literally alter your body’s chemistry in a positive way by turning the stress down and the happiness up. Will you join me by commenting on one thing (or more) that you’re grateful for today?

I’ll go first…

1. I’m grateful for my pain-in-the-ass (and other expletives) vertigo. It teaches me to slow down, get focused and find balance.

2. I’m grateful for my favorite yoga DVDs that I can do in the comfort of my own home (“Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga” and “Tias Little’s Freeing the Bird of Prana“)

3. I’m grateful for long drives, motorcycle rides and the brilliant colors of the changing fall leaves.

4. I’m grateful for my favorite hike up Overlook Mountain. It’s hard. It makes my butt throb and my thighs burn. Then voilà! The view at the top literally takes my breath away (and sometimes makes me want to puke because I’m scared of heights!).

5. I’m grateful for our decision to cancel our cable service. Too much noise.

6. I’m grateful for my new friend Sean Stephenson. His story is amazing. He is a sage and a funky prophet. Read his book, “Get Off Your ‘But’,” my friends. I devoured it in one day. His words are soul jumper cables. Check him out here, you’ll be learning a lot more about my friend Sean very soon as I am crazy sexy in love with him.

7. I am so grateful for almond butter in my smoothies! I usually use avocado, but recently I have fallen mad for the nut butter. Kale, cuke, almond butter, almond milk, stevia, pinch of cacao, banana, cinnamon, ice… OMG!

8. I am grateful for friends who honor my boundaries and give me space to grow and heal and love and fall and disappoint and love and be. Folks who demand too much of my energy get phased out. I send them love but don’t return the emails.

9. I am grateful for 8 hours of sleep. I never ever compromise on that and my bedroom supports my desire for yummy deep rejuvenation time.

10. I am so grateful to finally understand the following statement: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Any thoughts?

Peace and gratitude,
Kris

Photo Credit: Thank You, Spinning Top, Broken TV, Almonds, Fence, Owl Nightlight,

Love List: Soulful Scribbles & Vegan Treats

1. Journals are one of my greatest loves. Each morning I begin my day with some soulful scribbling. This has been a treasured ritual for decades and one of my most powerful tools in pushing through life lemons, working out personal challenges and discovering creative nuggets of joy. In addition, I use journals to get back on track with my diet and lifestyle practices. There’s no better way to see the underbelly of your health and wellness than to fess up and come clean! It’s tough being honest with ourselves, but no one said health, spiritual wealth and happiness was going to be easy! You can imagine my bliss and excitement when I opened up a package to find gorgeous personalized journals by Bridget Morris. You can have one too! Check out what Bridget has to offer and transform your mornings from snoozey to sacred.

2. Buckle your seatbelts folks! Marie Forleo, Danielle LaPorte and yours truly are going to rock the mic at Urban Zen, November 12-14. This Rich Happy & Hot event is an entrepreneur’s dream, whether you’ve always wanted to take the plunge or you’re already in deep water and want to create a whirlpool of success and happiness. I’m just as excited to learn from Marie and Danielle as I am to share my own experiences and lessons learned as someone on a mission to blend the biz and wellness worlds. You’ll leave with tons of juicy knowledge, new and inspiring contacts and a whole lotta solid strategies to take your business the next level! Hope to see you there!

3. Holy taste buds … ready to get your vegan sweet tooth on? Now it’s even easier to treat yourself to Candle Cafe’s all-natural, vegan and kosher desserts made with organic ingredients. They’re in Whole Foods! I had the pleasure of sampling all five of their delectable treats, and I couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried. For your sake, I hope these goodies are available in a Whole Foods near you.

4. This head of broccoli made me giggle from head to toe! Glenda has created these sassy tees and bags to tell cancer to suck it!

5. Remember when I declared my love for Air Stream trailers? Diablo Cody has pimped out her trailer and taken it on the road for some killer interviews with her celeb pals. This is one of the best ways I’ve found to take a ten-minute brain break, enjoy some belly laughs and re-boot. A+ entertainment. Enjoy! (Warning: there are some f-bombs!)

6. Last but certainly not least, Sarma (owner of Pure Food & Wine) recently adopted one of CSL’s featured newsletter pups! I jumped for joy when I read her email explaining how she couldn’t get this little guy’s picture out of her mind after seeing him in our Animal Adoptions section. She has given this puppy a loving home and a chance for a long and happy life! Here’s adorable Quinn having a blast. Adoption rocks!

Peace & adorable adoptable puppies,

Kris Carr

Top Photo Credit: red betty black

Seth Godin & Power Storming

Today I’m talking about throwing caution to the wind. Do you find yourself getting stuck because you’re afraid something won’t be perfect? I know I fall into that trap time and time again and frankly it’s a bore, snooze, blah. This morning, an email from Seth Godin inspired me to reinvent a program I’ve been developing over the past few months and I am so excited to share it with you today…POWER STORMING!

I’ll personally kick off October’s Power Storm Sessions and in the following months I’ll be bringing the top health and wellness experts right to your living room. You’ll have access to my heroes in our virtual group setting. I can’t wait to see where your juicy questions and conversations lead us! What do ya think?

De-cluttering

Are you dumb-founded by all the crap you’ve accumulated over the years? Do you still have a busted bean bag chair stuck in the corner illuminated by a lava lamp? Clutter is not sexy. It clogs your mind and paralyzes your potential. If creativity were an erection, you’d need Viagra. Sistas and Brothas, I hear ya! Last weekend, I unloaded my junk and made room for new possibilities. Check out what happened…

Trust & Calling Conditions

Do you trust your inner wisdom or do you bounce around like a beach ball listening to everyone else’s advice but your own? When our minds are full of noise and confusion it’s hard to get to the heart of our true needs, emotions and feelings. Even though I’ve learned this lesson hundreds of times, I can easily forget my own advice. Luckily, one of my treasured mentors, Dean Ornish MD, saw this block from a mile away and made me aware of the trap I had fallen into. Today, I share his wisdom and a technique I learned during my acting days that helps me pull out my true feelings. I hope this resonates with you and that you’ll share your techniques for tapping into your own sacred voice!