Category Archives: passion&play

Nudged: Learn something from a YouTube video

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Backstory: This nudge is inspired by part from when I taught myself how to whistle through my fingers by watching YouTube videos. My main inspiration, however, came from our friend, who we’ll call “Mr. Fab.” A few years ago, in his late 50s, Mr. Fab decided to learn how to cook. His wife is an excellent cook, so he had no need to add this to his skills set, he just wanted to try something new. And not just “How to scramble eggs.” The first meal we had with him was a roasted suckling pig. Bam! He learned how select his protein, prep and cook it, and carve it, all from watching videos online.

When I drew this nudge early this morning, I didn’t have to think long and hard about what I might like to do. I want to learn how to make pretty patterns in our coffees, like those cool people do at cool coffeehouses. So here’s this morning’s cup, as a baseline (i.e., just a mocha).

Tomorrow I’ll set aside time to search for and watch instructional videos. Fun!

What might you learn this week?

What Happened: OMG THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN I LEARNED A LOT CAFFEINE IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND!!!

…deep breath…I had a lot of espresso this week. 😉

After watching and studying different videos about the basics, tips, super fancy creations, and very intricate and beautiful designs, I felt I was ready to dive in. Tuesday morning, I created my first latte art heart:

I laughed so hard, if I’d taken a sip, it would have come out my nose. I texted the photo to a friend. “Check out my first-ever latte art heart!” She replied, “Maybe you should tell people you were going for ‘lungs’.” HA! 🙂

I swallowed my pride (and a very yummy beverage) and tried again Wednesday morning, this time attempting a hibiscus flower:

Okay, not horrible. More practice followed.

This morning I tried the hibiscus flower yet again:

I wasn’t happy with how it looked, so added some swirls and decided to call this a “swirling snowflake”. I think it’s very pretty.

The Ah-Hahs: This affirmed something I’ve always known about my self: I am a wordsmith, not a visual artist. Still, it was fun to stretch my creative muscles and try something totally outside my wheelhouse.

I also learned than when you concentrate and take your time and try to do latte art right, the one thing you’re guaranteed to get is cold coffee. So when I’m making coffee drinks at home, I’m just going to blend everything together and enjoy the warm goodness. And the next time I am handed a beautifully decorated coffee drink in a coffeehouse–that’s still hot!–I’m giving that barista a huge tip!

52+: “Every day is a great day.”

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It’s true that I created the 52Nudges as a way to push myself into new adventures and experiences. So it’s especially gratifying when I learn that someone else has had success with one of the nudges.

I recently received a blog post from McClairie Group, in which executive coach Charmaine McClairie wrote:

After a holiday visit to Paris, my favorite of all cities, I am renewed and refreshed, and I’ve made an important decision. I’ve decided that every day in 2020 is a great day. Any day that I’m on this side of the earth? Yes, it’s a great day.

It’s a decision prompted by Kathleen Guthrie Woods and her 52Nudges, a wonderful initiative that encourages us to challenge ourselves weekly.

This Nudge in particular resonated with me – a Nudge to reserve time to just be. Be still, be quiet and do nothing. It reminded me of the hours and hours I spent in Rodin’s Garden when I lived in Paris earlier in my career. I would stop there on my way home from work, sit on one of the many park benches and soak in this incredible city. The art. The culture. The people. To sit and just be in one of the most beautiful spots in the world was truly transformational for me.

Thank you, Kathleen, for reminding me of the importance of sitting quietly and doing nothing – even in Paris.

Charmaine McClairie enjoying Rodin’s Garden in Paris.

I have a huge smile on my face as I read this, and I am inspired to greet each new day as a great day. Thank you, Charmaine!

P.S. If you’re ready to nudge your career to the next level (or up several levels), check out McClairie Group’s website for insights, solutions, and upcoming events.

Nudging: Learn something from a YouTube video

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Backstory: This nudge is inspired by part from when I taught myself how to whistle through my fingers by watching YouTube videos. My main inspiration, however, came from our friend, who we’ll call “Mr. Fab.” A few years ago, in his late 50s, Mr. Fab decided to learn how to cook. His wife is an excellent cook, so he had no need to add this to his skills set, he just wanted to try something new. And not just “How to scramble eggs.” The first meal we had with him was a roasted suckling pig. Bam! He learned how select his protein, prep and cook it, and carve it, all from watching videos online.

When I drew this nudge early this morning, I didn’t have to think long and hard about what I might like to do. I want to learn how to make pretty patterns in our coffees, like those cool people do at cool coffeehouses. So here’s this morning’s cup, as a baseline (i.e., just a mocha).

Tomorrow I’ll set aside time to search for and watch instructional videos. Fun!

What might you learn this week?

 

Nudged: Splurge on something for me

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Backstory: When I pulled out this nudge this morning, my first thought was CHOCOLATE CAKE! 🙂 That’s really not what I want for myself, for I know I won’t feel great after a slice (and certainly not after a whole cake).

My original intent for this nudge was to break one of my “rules” and get something that’s way outside of my comfort zone. Something extravagant. Something expensive. (And that’s where I’d be breaking the rule.) But I included in my notes that if finances weren’t up to the challenge (and they’re not), then I would get creative.

So maybe this is the week I give myself a home spa day. Or maybe I buy just one chocolate truffle from the fancy chocolate shop I’ve been meaning to visit and really savor it. Or maybe I see if that beautiful lingerie shop is having a sale and I can find something silky and lovely without blowing all of the grocery money.

The point is to give a special gift to a special person: me.

How might you treat yourself this week?

What Happened: I gave myself a $10 limit. That’s what my budget would allow, and I certainly came up with other “needs” for it, but I felt this was important to do for myself.

So…did I want a thing? Or did I want an experience? Did I want something I’d consume, or something built to last? I considered a bunch of options, and kept coming back to one: I love having fresh flowers in my home. On my nightstand and dresser, on my desk.

Since this was a splurge, I talked myself out of the more practical (and long-lasting) carnations and hydrangeas and went for one of my favorites:

Feminine, elegant, lovely. (And within the budget.)

I smile when I see them.

Nudge accomplished.

The Ah-Hahs: The tricky part for me was having to talk myself out of spending the money on other things we needed. There’s always a bill to be paid or a gift to be purchased or a donation to be made. You know what, every so often it’s good and right to appreciate myself with something beautiful.

Nudging: Splurge on something for me

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Backstory: When I pulled out this nudge this morning, my first thought was CHOCOLATE CAKE! 🙂 That’s really not what I want for myself, for I know I won’t feel great after a slice (and certainly not after a whole cake).

My original intent for this nudge was to break one of my “rules” and get something that’s way outside of my comfort zone. Something extravagant. Something expensive. (And that’s where I’d be breaking the rule.) But I included in my notes that if finances weren’t up to the challenge (and they’re not), then I would get creative.

So maybe this is the week I give myself a home spa day. Or maybe I buy just one chocolate truffle from the fancy chocolate shop I’ve been meaning to visit and really savor it. Or maybe I see if that beautiful lingerie shop is having a sale and I can find something silky and lovely without blowing all of the grocery money.

The point is to give a special gift to a special person: me.

How might you treat yourself this week?

P.S. Hey, Valentine’s Day is this Friday! I hope you do take this opportunity to shower yourself with love and appreciation. xoxo

 

Nudged: Do something backwards

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Backstory: This could be fun. 🙂 This nudge was inspired all those self-help articles that encourage us to do things differently, rewire our brains, and break out of our ruts. We might take a different route home. If you always put your left shoe on first, this week start with the right.

Maybe I’ll have dessert first or serve scrambled eggs and waffles for dinner. Or…? I don’t know what I’ll do yet, but I hope to have fun mixing things up.

What Happened: I wish I could tell you I did something wildly creative this week. But the truth is I’m still recovering from a nasty sinus-cold bug I picked up early in the year. As a result, I dragged through the week, getting done whatever I could, but not having much energy left over for wild creativity.

So…I worked with what I had. One morning, instead of jumping out of bed, dashing to the gym, pulling myself together, and focusing on my to dos till I could rest in the evening, I reversed that list. For just the third time in my long career, I got up and stayed in my PJs. I worked for a couple hours, then I went back to bed and got some of the rest I really needed.

The Ah-Hahs: I could be really disappointed about the story of this nudge, but I’m actually kind of proud of myself for coming up with something appropriate–and much needed. And I will say that I was more aware of how I do things during the week. I didn’t just blindly go through the motions of work, household chores, and errands. I thought about each and how I might change things up. I didn’t find any great new way to do things (yet), but it was fun to consider. (By the way, I nixed the idea of starting my grocery shopping in the freezer section and ending in produce. That would have been so messy!)

Meanwhile, for inspiration, here’s a little “Upside Down” from Diana Ross. 🙂

Nudging: Do something backwards

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Backstory: This could be fun. 🙂 This nudge was inspired all those self-help articles that encourage us to do things differently, rewire our brains, and break out of our ruts. We might take a different route home. If you always put your left shoe on first, this week start with the right.

Maybe I’ll have dessert first or serve scrambled eggs and waffles for dinner. Or…? I don’t know what I’ll do yet, but I hope to have fun mixing things up.

Nudged: Go to a park, do nothing for 30 minutes

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Backstory: This is a repeat of a successful Nudge I did in round one, and I’m looking forward to doing it again. The intention is to go to a park and not exercise, not fill the silence with conversation, to resist the urge to do anything.

Here’s the original post to inspire you–and me. 🙂

What Happened: I should have taken a pass on this one. It was much too cold this week to sit still and do nothing, so I fudged: I walked through a park while out running errands.

However, this wasn’t a total loss. After my errands were done, I found I had some free time, so I wandered. I stepped into some shops I hadn’t ever explored. I re-visted a gift shop that once was my go-to place for special hostess and birthday gifts–such pretty things. In an antiques shop, I discovered treasures, including crystal wine glasses, “hidden” among some items that could be really fun gag gifts, i.e., a life-size cutout of Elvis.

“I’m all shook up…Mm mm oh, oh, yeah, yeah!”

I wasn’t shopping for anything specific, I didn’t have an agenda. I slowed my walk and my breathing. I took in my surroundings and allowed myself time to be delighted.

The Ah-Hahs: Although I didn’t complete this Nudge as originally intended, just having the seed planted was enough to get me to stop the treadmill of my mind and open myself up to an alternate possibility. I cleared my head and had some fun. Ultimate mission accomplished.

 

Nudged: Take a hard look at calendar, carve out time for me

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Backstory: It’s the age-old story of women, isn’t it? We give all our time and energy to taking care of others at jobs and at home, to family members and friends and even strangers. “Me Time” still has a tinge of selfishness to it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m an expert at doing this until my well is completely empty. Then I finally take “me” time when I get run down and sick.

This week’s nudge is designed to change that dynamic. What can I give up? When can I designate time for my projects, my passions?

What Happened: Procrastination. Classic, right? I was busy this week, so this nudge stayed on my to do list, but never made it to the top of the priorities.

Finally, early this morning, I chose to ignore the list of jobs, tasks, followups, emails, calls, etc., that called for my attention and took a long, hot, quiet bath. It felt like a much-needed reboot.

I had an off-site meeting, and when I returned to my desk, instead of jumping right in to the fray, I opened my calendar. It’s still early in the year, so there’s a lot of open space. Why not “schedule” “appointments” with myself? If I had doctor appointments, they’d go down in ink. If I had a client event, same. I pulled out my highlighter and blocked out time.

The Ah-Hahs: Will I keep these commitments to myself? Will I hold this time as sacred? I can’t say for sure, but I’m going to try. I picked Fridays as my time, and then, to further motivate myself, I made a list of things I might do that feed my soul. This includes getting back to my French textbooks and flashcards, giving myself mani-pedis, meeting friends for a walk in the park or a long chat over coffee, spending some time writing letters and working on craft projects, journaling, and more hot baths. It might also include work, but work that is personal, that I do for my own pleasure, not for someone else’s advancement. If I can devote even one hour a week to feeding myself, it will be an improvement.

Can you book some time for just you this coming week? I hope you do.

Nudging: Take a hard look at calendar, carve out time for me

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Backstory: It’s the age-old story of women, isn’t it? We give all our time and energy to taking care of others at jobs and at home, to family members and friends and even strangers. “Me Time” still has a tinge of selfishness to it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m an expert at doing this until my well is completely empty. Then I finally take “me” time when I get run down and sick.

This week’s nudge is designed to change that dynamic. What can I give up? When can I designate time for my projects, my passions?