Before I kick the bucket I'd like to...

"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death" - Leonardo da Vinci

What top five things would I like to do before I die? These answers will probably change over time...then again, they might not.

Attend a Black Tie New Year's Eve Party in New York
I think the movie, "When Harry Met Sally" planted the seed in my head for this one. I love how BIG this kind of New Year's Eve celebration is, especially since I live on the West Coast. It would involve a lot of planning, but I believe it can definitely be accomplished before I kick it.

Have an authentic and deep, loving relationship with a fabulous man.
This makes the list because I'm a romantic to the very core. Dont' get me wrong...I am having a wonderful time living my life with just my daughter right now. At the same time, I'm looking forward to someone spectacular to share my life with. To have that kind of deep, long-lasting companionship would be an incredible experience.

Travel the world with my daughter.
I have barely traveled in my 37 years on this earth and I'd like to change that. Just the few places I've been has had such a profound effect on my perspective, so I can only imagine how my daughter would respond to it. I would love to just watch her face as she witnesses foreign lands for the first time.

Climb the Eiffel Tower
When I say, "climb" I mean take the stairs. Why, you ask? Well, why not? Anyone can take the elevators. I want to walk up and look out. Even. though. I. am. terrified. of. heights.

Yikes!

Be with someone while they "cross over"
I think this makes the list because I have a feeling I could be with someone while they die and make it quite comfortable for them, while also being quite comfortable myself. The spirit's departure would be oddly beautiful and I'd love to celebrate that cross-over with someone dear to me, if I get the chance.

Self-Care for Women: Making Sure Your Needs Are Met

"The name of the game is taking care of yourself, because you`re going to live long enough to wish you had." - Grace Mirabella

Self-care can be very difficult for women because times have changed significantly. Nowadays, most women have many of the same responsibilities as they had fifty years ago, plus they work to make ends meet or because they enjoy pursuing a career.

These intense responsibilities make it more difficult than ever for a woman to take care of her body, mind, and spirit the way that she needs to.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is what women need to do to take care of themselves holistically on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Self-care for women means getting in touch with her inner self and pampering it. After all, you are a Goddess and deserve to be pampered!

Without taking care of your entire body, mind and spirit, you can literally drive yourself to exhaustion. Plus, if you lose touch with yourself, then you’re more likely to lose touch with your family, friends, and career.

It’s Time to Make Time

Although it may seem as if time isn’t available, it’s time to make time. Start with a few minutes of me-time before bed to reflect, pray, or meditate.

First, determine your preferred way to care for yourself before bed. Maybe you enjoy writing in a journal to write your feelings out and reflect upon those things. Maybe you feel that listening to music while taking a bubble bath is exactly what you need. Maybe prayer or meditation helps re-center your soul.

· Be sure to give priority to your me-time so you can meet your emotional and spiritual needs.

You want to make sure your own needs are met before trying to meet the needs of others. After all, how can you effectively meet the needs of others if you can’t even meet your own?

Being a woman, people turn to you for answers. They turn to you with questions about life, family, career, and just about anything under the sun. You have to be mentally and emotionally prepared to take on anything, which is why self-care is very important in your life. You must be a trustworthy source for yourself before anyone else.

Manage the Stress in your Life

There are numerous demands and responsibilities placed on your shoulders, which women can perceive as stressful situations. Responding to life situations without stress is crucial for your physical and mental well being.

Managing stress includes doing things such as relaxing, exercising and enjoying hobbies and other activities. If you like to work crossword puzzles, work ‘em! If you like to play computer games, play computer games! If you need a girls’ night out, call up your friends and go out! It’s crucial to balance activities, demands, and appointments with taking some time to relax and enjoy yourself.

If you’re frustrated at work, work through those frustrations by gaining a new perspective on the situation and listing the things you can do to make it better. Just letting the situation sit and simmer is not going to make it any better because it may eventually come to a boil.

If there are situations in your life that need attention, give them attention. This is another aspect of self-care because you’re making sure you eliminate as much conflict as possible in your life before they consume you.

This is especially important to women because women deal with conflict on a different level than men. Where some men duke it out on a physical level, women do it more on an emotional level.

· You keep from responding to life with stress by keeping your body, mind, and spirit healthy.

Paying attention to your own physical, emotional and spiritual needs is paramount to a healthy well-being in today’s world. When you make self-care a priority, you’re able to fully enjoy your life on all levels.

Incorporate as many of these self-care tips into your life as possible. You are worth it! After all, you model how you want to be treated by how well you treat yourself.

"The more you love yourself, the better you perform." - M. K. Soni

Instant Inspirations for Your Life

"Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments
that take our breath away."
- Unknown

Are you lacking inspiration in your life? Do you forget why you get out of bed in the morning? Is a lack of inspiration zapping you of all your energy, creativity, and motivation?

If so, you're not alone. Many people feel that they are living without inspiration, but have forgotten that they don't have to. When we take a moment of awareness and look at our surroundings, we find that there are so many things around us that can inspire us all to live a life full of many moments of unexpected joy.

What are these things? Even though your perfect inspiration may be unique, we've compiled a list of some great tips to help you find your magical muse.

Inspirational Sayings Motivate You

Have you ever been told something uplifting and instantly felt a fire ignite inside of you? This is called inspiration and it comes in many forms. Inspirational sayings can remind us why it is worth getting out of bed in the morning and why we are able be grateful for the lives that we have.

These inspirational sayings often arrive in many forms, from cards to emails, from thoughtful words from friends to lyrics in a song you hear on the radio. And it is no coincidence that these words of inspiration come at the exact time you need to hear them.

The good news is, you don't have to rely on someone else to remind you why you are important and naturally passionate. You can create your own sayings to repeat to yourself every day.

Find Inspiration with Affirmations

A collection of affirmations can act as your inspirational guide. Affirmations are not just generic sayings or flowery statements like you would read in a greeting card. Instead, they are concise, positive statements stated in the present tense to help you focus on the full half of the glass. They can also be the seeds planted in your subconscious to blossom into more beautiful inspiration in your life.

Affirmations can help you reprogram your mind and alter the course of your life.

You are reaffirming the statement and making it part of who you are every time you say an affirmation out loud. The positive thoughts in the affirmation can rewrite negative or uninspiring ones that run through your mind.

Affirmations are very effective tools for finding encouragement.

Are you looking for some sayings to affirm the positive in your life? It's easier than you think. Many people have a whole list of affirmations that they repeat to themselves every day. Other people keep the sayings taped to their bathroom mirror so they see them in the morning. Others use them as screensavers or wallpapers at work.

Incorporating affirmations into your every day life is easy and gives you a continuing source of inspiration.

You can use affirmations whenever you need them. You may find it helpful to start out saying them in the morning. You can also reflect on them when you are feeling particularly hungry for some motivation.

In one of those moments where you may need a little push, for example, you could say something like, "I am now cultivating peace and fulfillment in my life," or "As I let go of dissatisfaction I feel bliss within my life." Simple statements like these can rekindle the inspiration in your life, especially if you repeat these statement until you actually "feel" it.

Affirmations work because they can be personalized to speak to your heart, mind, and soul. They will give you the inspiration you need to live in a manner than gives you satisfaction and serenity.

Even in the heart of a limiting belief is the seed of an uplifting, self-affirming statement to get you going.

What is one of your favorite affirmations?

"A good affirmation has five basic ingredients: it's personal, it's positive, it's present tense, it's visual, and it's emotional." -Stephen Covey