Welcome to “My Better Day” September newsletter!
Each month, “My Better Day” newsletter contains tips for your yoga practice, yoga quotes to bring yoga off the mat and into your life, affirmations to brighten your day and motivate, and more! It is my deep wish for your well-being that I send this newsletter to help make your day a Better Day!
In This Issue: Yoga Quote, Practice Yoga Pose, Meditation on the Go, Chakrascope,
Hand Mudra, Featured Card Deck and Quote, Healthy News, Featured Recipe,
Favorite Yoga Music/DVD, Happenings at Better Day Yoga LLC, Final Relaxation Quote.
*By the way–this newsletter is one of the 8 part/posts newsletters. They took quite a bit of time so I began doing single post newsletters after the February/March 2014 newsletter. That being said, if you want all of the posts of one newsletter for the 8 part/posts, please hit the back button to go back to all the posts listed with the newsletter your’re reading. Hope that makes sense!
Namasté,
Sandy Krzyzanowski
Founder, Better Day Yoga LLC
“Remember when you were five, and anything was possible? Happy 5 th birthday, again.” AT & T™ “Rethink Possible™” commercial
What is your motto? Do you have a “slogan” for yourself? With my background in marketing, I tend to enjoy and analyze slogans and company mottos. I’ve often thought we could take a lesson from the various slogans we see in all of those advertisements that keep coming at us. Don’t you just love some of them? You may not always want to buy their product, but don’t you just love the messages that “hit” you? Let’s look at some slogans/trademarks and meditate on what it might mean for us personally.
Rethink Possible™!
I start with my absolute favorite which is why I chose it for my opening quote: The AT & T™ “Rethink Possible” slogan/trademark, and the commercial I quote next, is probably one of the few commercials I don’t mute out when I do happen to be watching TV. “Remember when you were five, and anything was possible? Happy 5th birthday, again.” How can you not like that message? The magic of being five and having the world in front of you to do with what you wished—I will always be a believer in that magic and in keeping it alive throughout life. Oh, if only we knew then what we know now! Well, go back there and reclaim that world. It’s still in front of you to do with what you wish. Go ahead and “rethink possible”! “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it.” Need a little fodder to “travel in the world of your creation”? Just peak at the long version of their magical commercial:
Release the magic™!
After you’ve rethought what’s possible and viewed life like you were five again when the “world was your oyster”, find your own unique ways to “Release the Magic™”—SC Johnson’s, Glade® trademark/slogan. We all have magic inside of us. Realize that! Today’s daily reading from the Science of Mind magazine (remember this magazine is one I’d take to my “desert island”!) reminds us that life is amazing—your life! We all have something unique to offer, something that is truly our own unique magic. There is no one on the Earth quite like you. No one can do things exactly the way you can do them. There is no competition and no comparison! “You have come here to do some amazing things. The amazing gifts you came to share are supported in ways you cannot yet imagine.” Science of Mind daily quote for August 26, 2010 . So Release the Magic™! Release the Magic inside of YOU!
Just do it™!
One of my oldie favorites from the past is Nike’s, “Just do it™”. I’ve loved that slogan/trademark since I can remember. Being physically fit has been a lifelong passion of mine, and we’ve all faced the moment when we “should” be exercising, and were wondering about whether or not to do it. The answer is always “Just do it!” Quote from their Facebook page (when this post originally hit): ”The body says quit. The heart says never.” Song quote from one of their ads showcased on Facebook (again at the time this post originally hit): “Everybody gets knocked down. How quickly you gonna get up?”
The “Just do it” trademark can apply to going after your dreams or some long held goal. As I’ve mentioned in past newsletters, who cares how old you are? Just do it! Who cares how you do or don’t look “perfect” for “that”? Just do it! Who cares what “they’ll say”? Just do it! It’s the perfect anecdote for what ails you—be it your mental thoughts or your physical condition. Just do it! Wouldn’t you like to be the person people equate with that phrase? I know I would! No procrastination—just take that leap off the cliff into your dreams. “What would YOU attempt to do if you knew you could not fail…”—Robert Schuller. Just do it!
Impossible is Nothing™!
Not to be outdone, Adidas® also has a slogan/trademark that hit home because I first became acquainted with it from an ad in a Polish magazine I purchased while visiting Poland for my 25th wedding anniversary. I saw the same ad depicted on an Adidas® window in a mall in Poland, and had my husband take a picture of it while I stood in front of it. It shows a yoga instructor in the ad with the now famous “Impossible is Nothing” trademark. It spoke to me on many levels since I ran into the ad more than once while on a trip of a lifetime to my parent’s home country, while celebrating the love of my lifetime, and the subject of the ad was a yogi—my lifetime passion. Most importantly, “impossible is nothing” grabs you up from the bootstraps and literally screams that you, too, can defy all odds. Are you telling yourself that something is impossible for you to do? “Impossible is Nothing! Because the word itself says “I’m possible.” Muhammad Ali, an American Heavyweight boxer said: “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” There are many wonderful Adidas® ads online. I couldn’t find the one I saw in Poland , but here is one that is from your motivation—listen to your motivation talking and get inspired.
Imagine Greater™ !
There are days when we just want to watch something entertaining that’s not a rerun, or reality TV. Our friend suggested the “SyFy”station. We’ve found some thought-provoking shows there. Ever watched Warehouse 13? Well if their future is anything like ours will be, you’ll only need to imagine what you’ll need and it will be there. Wait a minute…we can do that now! The “law of attraction” emphasizes that thoughts become things—that the way you feel is your point of attraction. As you think your powerful intentions, you attract into your experience what you want.
There have been many books on the subject such as “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrnes. She does a great job researching the ancient history of this universal law. So remember, this is not “new age”…this is ancient truths discovered by people we all respect and admire such as Albert Einstein, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Ford, Martin Luther King, and others. Esther and Jerry Hicks also has several books and card decks on the subject, and my January newsletter highlighted the “Universal Laws” deck of cards which is a great resource on the subject. That’s just to name a few.
So “become a being who thinks only of that which you are wanting, who speaks only of that which you are wanting, and who does only that which you are wanting—and therefore brings forth only joyful emotion.” (Quote from The Law of Attraction Cards by Esther and Jerry Hicks).
Or, “make a list of things to feel good about. Next time you’re stressed, grab that list and pick a happy topic to focus on. It will get you through the rough patches.” Quote from Stepping Stones deck, by Lisa Hammond, with the backside quote as “A daydreamer is prepared for most things.”—Joyce Carol Oates.
Have you been getting a smaller life than you’d imagined? Well, take a lesson from the SyFy station’s slogan/trademark: “Imagine Greater™”! “The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they enjoy most.”—Malcom Forbes. Shakti Gawain’s book, Creative Visualization, is a great book on visualization tools to “Imagine Greater”. I highlighted her deck of cards from that book in my May newsletter.
Live life to the youngest®!
My June and July newsletters, drove home that age doesn’t have to be a player in your life decisions. “Age is a matter of mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!”—Mark Twain. That’s so true! I often take quotes from realage.com (now called share care.com). It’s a great resource for ways to “Live life to the youngest®”. What we do with our days is determined by the doing, not by the age on a calendar. When did we start letting a number dictate what we can and can’t do? I’m not buying into that anymore! I’ve seen way to much documentation that we really are as old as we think we are. George Bernard Shaw has it right: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” And he recommends to “Always do what you are afraid to do” as a means of living that breath-taking life. How can you start living YOUR life to the youngest? If you want to be different from today, you’ll need to take yourself off autopilot and make different decisions today than the ones you made yesterday.
Make today famous™!
Turn on tomorrow™!
So take a cue from Famous Footwear’s slogan/trademark and “Make today famous.” Do something, anything, different today. Mark it on your calendar as something to celebrate. “Make today famous!™” Decide that it doesn’t have to be the way it’s always been. Making today famous by doing something different today will then “Turn on tomorrow!”—Samsung’s slogan/trademark. Remember, if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting! So take a cue from Samsung’s recent commercials and “relentlessly pursue a better tomorrow” with an “optimism that says it’s all possible” to “open new doors for YOU”. “Fill your life with richer experiences that let you shine.” Be a “passionate believer in making it all possible” by “making tomorrow your best day yet!”
“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”—Mark Twain
Life is short. Stay awake for it™!
If you are to live life to the youngest, you start by living in the now. Remember our appointment in life is with the present moment. It’s the only moment we have to live. “Life is short. Stay awake for it.”—Caribou Coffee’s™ slogan/trademark. Minnesota ’s own, Caribou Coffee™ has also recently come out with what I like to call their manifesto. It has inspired me more than I can say. They have the quotes printed on their cups. One quote was to learn how to say thank you in ten different languages. Have you tried that? It became a fun assignment for my husband and I while visiting my step-mom. We got her friends involved, who asked their friends. We’re good to go! I love each and every comment in what I have been referring to as their manifesto—“Do it for love, not for profit, Do something that scares you, Make Time for Silly, Dream big, Act Bigger, Hold hands, not grudges, Laugh so hard you cry, Spin the globe then pack your bags, Grow older without growing up…(My personal motto)”. I could go on and on and on. Their manifesto outlines THE ways to live their priceless trademark: “Life is short. Stay awake for it.” Hey, they’ll even let you contribute to their quotes, if you have a favorite. Maybe yours will appear on their next cups!
Made like no other™!
Find yourself in it™!
Really real, no really™!
I’ll end with a couple that expose two of my fetishes. Are you having trouble figuring out your purpose? Are you still looking for what makes your heart sing? “How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone.” –Chanel. That quote has been on my personal bulletin board for years. It was on a calendar I had at the time with a statement at the bottom that read: “What you are doesn’t really matter if you don’t like who you are.” This beautiful Coco Chanel quote also appears in the aforementioned “Stepping Stones” deck by Lisa Hammond. On the reverse side there’s a suggestion I like: For a day, a week, a month, try putting yourself first. Notice what gets in your way and try to remove your obstacles.”
Remember that you are unique. No one can do things exactly as you do them so there is no competition and no comparison. “You are who you are for a purpose, and your individuality serves the whole. Your existence serves life, whether or not you are consciously aware of how you do so.” Remember that “who you are today is perfect and serves a higher purpose. As an individual, you also have the power to consciously choose a purpose. Choose a purpose that serves the whole and you will align with the Universe. Whatever purpose you chose, hold it in your heart and mind as you go about your day. Infuse your thoughts, feelings, and actions with your purpose. Hold your purpose in mind as you act, and put the feeling of your purpose into each action. The Universe will support your purpose with ease, grace, and synchronicity.” – All of the above quotes are from the Universal Laws deck, Law of Purpose.
You are “Made like no other” – Häagen- Dazs® slogan/trademark. Remember that, believe it, and if you are going to go after something, “Find yourself in it”—Silpada® Jewelry trademark. If you can’t find yourself in it, it’s not calling you. If time doesn’t fly by when you are doing it and you aren’t overjoyed with it, it’s not really real, no really. (Sonic® Drive-In Ice Cream billboard I saw: Really Real Ice Cream, No really.)
So what’s your manifesto? Your slogan or trademark? Your motto? Write it down on several notes and place them where you can see them regularly. The more you become aware of your intentions, the stronger they reflect in your life. Write a mission or vision statement. Here’s a Web-site to get you started.
Place your mission statement where you’ll see it regularly. I have an affirmation that I use as a vision statement using the words of Doreen Virtue from her “Daily Guidance from your Angels” book: “I stay centered in my commitment to learn, grow, heal and teach with a positive intent and positive energy.” I know I need more detail; but for now, I have been using that affirmation to keep me centered on staying centered!
Advertising campaigns aren’t going away any time soon. Neither is that voice inside of your head telling you to “be someone” instead of “something”. It’s always great to have reminders of that—kind of like a personal trainer knocking on your door. Why not let your next ad slogan be your reminder? Why not relook at those slogans and “Taste them again for the first time™”—Kellogg’s® Corn Flakes slogan. Let them speak to you instead of through you. Put as much thought into them as those minds that created them. After all, if they hit home for you, they’ve “Reached out and touched someone.®”—AT & T™.
