Publisher'sletter C
an you believe we are almost at the end of 2014? Did this year fly by or what? And now as we enter the holiday season, I hope you all can take some time to review, reflect and celebrate all that you accomplished in the past year.
Try to take some time for yourself amidst the holiday parties and celebrations, gift shopping and cooking! Reflect on the past year and ask yourself: what were your successes, your challenges, your surprises and most of all what do you have to be thankful for? You made it through another year and now is the time to celebrate and reward yourself for all of your hard work. Too often we focus on everything that went wrong during the year. The money we didn’t make, the weight we didn’t
lose, the relationship we didn’t find. But in order to truly master the art of manifestation and send a message out to the Universe to bring us what we want, we must first be thankful for what we have. Try and focus on what you did achieve and receive this year and most im- portantly, reward yourself for it! Rewards are positive reinforcements that make you feel good about your achievements, the price you paid for that achievement, and they reinforce the behavior and attitudes that led to those achievements. Don’t let your achievements during the past year and the feelings of victory evaporate without some kind of reward and recognition. This is an essential part of the combination for success. Rewards can be extravagant or they can be simple. Treat yourself to a day at the spa or block a half day out of your schedule to get outdoors and enjoy our beautiful nature areas. Take a weekend getaway with your spouse or a friend or plan a staycation and enjoy all that this state has to offer (great hiking, adventure parks, wine trails and farm-to-table restaurants). Go on a shopping spree and revamp your wardrobe or just clean out your closets, donate what you’re not wearing and create the space for a new wardrobe. Or my favorite – go on a silent retreat! I would also recommend some time to reflect on the year of 2014. Did any of your goals and dreams change throughout the year?
Were you unable to achieve some and if so, do you want to keep them on the list? Did you create some new goals and dreams this year? Spend some time thinking about these questions and checking in with your feelings and emotions surrounding the answers. We want to wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season and we look forward to helping you achieve all of your goals and dreams in 2015!
In health and happiness,
or many, December is the time of year to exchange gifts with family, friends and coworkers. All of this gift giving pro- duces a tremendous amount of waste in the form of wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and bows. In fact, during the time between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, the average household increases its waste by more than 25%. This results in an additional 1 million tons of waste per week added to our nations landfills.
F Fortunately there are some great ideas to make gift-wrapping a little more eco-friendly!
1. Use alternative wrapping materials that are less wasteful. Some good options are old newspapers and maps. They can be colorful, educational and fun. 2. Use wrappings or containers that double as gifts. Scarves and blankets are great for wrapping a variety of items. A mixing bowl
would be a great package for a cookbook and other kitchen essentials and baskets are a beautiful way to present a variety of gifts! 3. Choose decorations from nature. Sprigs of holly, pinecones and berries are lovely additions to any gift. 4. Find 100% recycled water printed with soy-based ink. 5. Do some research and find wrapping paper that has been embedded with wildflower seeds. Wait until spring, plant the paper and
watch the blossoms grow!
www.EssentialLivingMaine.com
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