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Personal Vision Statement – A Tool for Direction, Motivation and Decision-making

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Vision is the true creative rhythm.  ~ Robert Delaunay

Does the idea of a Vision Statement excite you? Inspire you? Leave you cold? A Personal Vision Statement can be useful, especially if we keep it fresh and adjust as life progresses. A tired, dusty, tattered vision statement may have historical interest, but lacks power day to day.

This is a perfect time to look at Personal Vision Statements. We are still experiencing the effects and after-effects of the pandemic. After all the interruptions and dislocations of the past few years, creating a fresh one can be an energizing process. I am eager to do this myself. I have experienced lots of changes and frankly, a frequently muddled brain. I have less focus in some areas of my life and look to this to regain that.

What is a Personal Vision Statement?

Here’s a quick definition:

A Personal Vision Statement encompasses one’s values, goals, and purpose in life. Sometimes it also includes a statement of the lifetime impact you wish to have on the world. Perhaps you want to focus on the totality of your life moving forward, or you may want to create a statement that is for a particular segment of your life – like the next 10 years, the time while you have children living at home, your retirement years, etc.

Personal vision statements can encompass both personal and professional goals. They also tend to include a list of some deeply held personal values. They tend to be short, only a few sentences long.

Examples

Each of these examples include a simple statement, followed by more detail:

(from “25 Best Personal Vision Statement Examples, https://brandongaille.com/personal-vision-statement/)

To Empower My Children to Be Great

I commit that I will do all that I can to give my children the best life possible. I will ensure they have access to healthy food and are empowered to understand good health and nutrition. I will provide a roof over their head and access to education, so that they will not need anything. I will not allow them to become selfish or complacent by being spoiled by excess. I will teach them to appreciate and use the stability and financial surplus I will provide them to improve their own lives and to bless others.

Not Being Define By the Past

I commit that I am not defined by my experiences, but by who I am in light of my experiences. I will work hard to overcome past challenges and experiences. I will seek opportunities for personal and professional development to help me become a valuable contributor at work and in society. I will be an example to others that you can always improve, no matter what challenges life has given you.

Do these examples inspire you to do your own? I am eager to do this myself. I have experienced lots of changes and frankly, a frequently muddled brain. I have less focus in some areas of my life and look to this to regain that.

Benefits of a Personal Vision Statement

Personal Vision Statements have multiple benefits; here are the top three.

  1. It gives you a sense of direction

 A personal vision statement will provide you with a feeling of direction, of knowing where you are right now and where you are trying to go. If you start to feel lost or rudderless, look at your vision statement to help you realize the truth. This is an important psychological benefit – don’t underestimate it!

  1. It helps motivate you

 Personal vision statements have been shown to provide additional motivation when it’s lagging. It can provide you with that extra “oomph” you need to keep pushing and get yourself over the finish line when times are tough.

  1. It provides a framework for decision making

A personal vision statement helps with decision-making by providing a framework you can use to evaluate options, especially for complex decisions. Which options move you towards accomplishing your intentions? Which will move you further away? Which ones would let you uphold your values? Would any require you to break your values? These questions help you decide.

Getting Started

Creating your Personal Vision Statement is, well, personal! Everyone’s is different. It’s a creative process to come up with one that will be valuable to you.

This is best done as a hands-on, paper and pen process. Handwriting has advantages over keyboards for projects like this.  Somehow, it helps us access memory and emotion and find ideas. It gets the juices flowing.

The basic steps are writing down your goals/intentions, strengths, skills, weaknesses and values – these will be the basis of creating a powerful, useful Personal Vision Statement.

I hope you are getting excited about crafting your very own Personal Vision Statement! In the this post –  https://carolbrusegar.com/step-by-step-to-your-personal-vision-statement/ – you will find the steps in more detail and you will create your personal, powerful statement.

Great Resource For You

Dennis Becker has a publication that can be of great assistance as you begin the process of living out your vision – Unlock Your Ideal Self. He says, “It’s not a magic button, it’s a journey. It’s a journey you’re going to be thrilled to embark on and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. Imagine, in just a short time from now you could see some powerful, big changes in your life. Changes that will help you earn more, do better, and find what really makes you happy.” Check it out!

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be. 

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Reclaim Your Holidays – Recapture the Joy

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Anticipation. Excitement. Avoidance. Ambivalence. Dread. You may have some of these and many other mixed feelings about the busy months of October, November, and December. The particular joys of the autumn/fall season, the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more – all in three months. It sometimes just feels like too much. If you feel this way, I invite you to reclaim the direction/control of your holidays. Reclaim Your Holidays!

Expectations – our own and those of others – can be overwhelming and create stress. How many of the expectations are rooted in traditions? Or habits? Are they based on your desire to be the super-person who pulls off all the observances for everyone? Are the connected to your self-esteem?

I encourage you to step back right now, before we get farther into this 3-month blitz of activity, and do some visioning, priority setting and planning.

Set aside some time, create a space where you won’t be interrupted. Consider lighting a candle or two and grab a beverage you enjoy in the fall. Have pen and paper ready. OR grab this printable “Reclaim Your Holiday Season” in my Etsy Shop to make it easier. Reclaim Your Holiday Season

Take some deep breaths and disconnect from what’s going on in your life right now and the activities of the day. Begin with thinking of 3 words that describe what you desire in this holiday season. Here are some examples to stimulate your thoughts: peace, celebration, quiet, festive, tradition, faith, connection, abundance, family, travel, gathering, love, gifts.

Clear Out Those Blocks That Stop You

Perhaps your busy mind will immediately start thinking of why those 3 things you most desire aren’t practical or possible. So take these steps to get those blocks out of the way – or at least weakened – and then it will be easier to figure out how to create what you want.

Make a “Dread” List. What is difficult during the holidays? Look at each month and its holidays and events. They may be expectations of your own, or expectations of others. They may be stressors of many kinds. Write down what comes to mind and dig down. This could take some thought. You may find some ideas in this post: http://carolbrusegar.com/take-steps-reduce-holiday-stress/ 

Then tackle that list. How can specific things be modified or eliminated? Maybe it’s a simple decision on your part, or maybe it requires discussion and negotiation with others. Please consider that you may not be the only one who finds each thing difficult or frustrating or stressful. It may not be as difficult as you suppose to make modifications!

Create the Vision for Your Holiday Season

Now that you have some ideas of how to remove some of the blocks to actually having and feeling your 3 desires for this holiday season, it’s time to be more specific.

Describe in writing what experiences will provide your 3 main desires. What are the places, people, smells, tastes, sights, events. etc.? After you have a list, go back and read through it slowly and imagine how it can be. What will it be like to actually reclaim your holidays?

Words on a page are helpful; images are even more powerful. Take the next step and make a vision board which includes images from magazines or printed from the internet. Get a poster board and attach them, along with key words – big, bold versions of your 3 desires and other phrases. Post it somewhere where you will see it every day. You could also do an electronic version that will be on your computer and/or phone.

Setting Priorities That Actualize the Vision

Now that you have that vision and a vision board, it’s time to set some priorities tied to a timeframe. If you’d like a tool, I have a set of Mandala Priority Sheets for October through January in my Etsy Shop. They allow you to list priorities, give a date for each and check off when they are accomplished – and enjoy the relaxation of coloring the mandalas!  Mandala Priority Sheets

Engaging Others

Who are the people involved in your holidays? It’s important to engage them. Whether your vision includes them in different ways or distances you from typical plans, get them on board as much as possible. Share what you are doing to reclaim your holiday season. Suggest they do something similar. Offer alternatives to replace what they might expect of you. It can be a bit of a negotiation.

As I suggested earlier, you may learn that you are not the only one who would welcome some changes. It may not be as difficult as you suppose. On the other hand, it may be challenging and you may be upsetting the apple cart. Here is where you get even more creative and figure out how to balance your desires and the expectations of others – but from the clarity you have created about what you really want.

Be sure you are not just caving to pressure. Maybe you will decide to take steps toward your vision this year and plan more for next year. You could decide to modify one part of the season and leave others as they have been for now. Others may come along over time.

As you reclaim your holidays, reflect on the impact the changes made on your own sense of peace and joy. Observe the impact on others. Share your experiences with others. May these busy months reflect the true messages and values of the events we observe. And may we be fulfilled and satisfied.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.       Find these and other of my books here:    Amazon.com/author/carolbrusegar

My books

 

 

 

 

 

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Journaling Jumpstart: The Easiest Way to Start or Restart a Journaling Habit

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journaling jumpstartDo you write in a journal regularly? Or have you for some period of time in your past? I must admit that I am a sporadic journaler. For a period of time I can be very committed and it feels like a habit. And then I fall away. I really don’t know why that happens. I find that a simple strategy to get into the routine again can be this journaling jumpstart: a one-line-a-day journal.

Writing just one line eacg day in a journal designed just for that purpose is a great way to start a micro habit. You can expand from there, writing more than one line or transfer to a different kind of journaling later if you choose. The point is to get started.

Here is a simple one-line a day journal of mine: One-Line-A-Day Journal . It’s a printable that you can get right away and get started. Your line of the day can be a highlight, a thought, a memory, a question, or anything else that comes to mind.

You may wonder what the value of this could be. Here are 3 benefits:

  • It is a way to mark the days. I don’t know if this is your experience, but for me days blend together so easily. This has accelerated during the past years of the pandemic. Just taking a couple of minutes to identify something about this day, this 24-hour period of your life, is a pause to acknowledge it and its value to you.
  • It records a memory that you can review later. That one line can remind you of more of that day, and the collection of lines can give you perspective on that week, month or year of your life.
  • It may arouse your interest in a larger or different kind of journaling.

Why  and How to Explore Other Types of Journaling

Many of us think of journaling as deep reflection about our lives. And that scares or puts off lots of people. It may be because they are not interested in doing that or because it just seems like too much time and effort that takes away from the realities of life.

Journaling is a multi-faceted tool that can be valuable in many stages and situations of our lives. As I wrote here (https://carolbrusegar.com/journaling-as-a-tool/) , it can help you gather ideas and brainstorm solutions, capture your life experiences, discover more about yourself, and track your personal growth in one or more areas.

Journaling can also be a real catalyst for increasing your creativity. To boost your creativity, expand your journaling from only words in full sentences to include drawing, mixed media, mind mapping, and brainstorming. For more details on this, see https://carolbrusegar.com/journaling-techniques-to-boost-your-creativity/

Using the one-line-a day journaling jumpstart can be the beginning of something more. If you would like to explore the possibilities of journaling, I invite you to sign up for my FREE 7-part ecourse: “Journaling: a Prism to Clarify and Enhance All Aspects of Life.” Get the details here: https://carolbrusegar.com/journaling-explore-the-possibilities/

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

Here are a few of my books on Amazon.com. Search by title or go to my author page:  https://amazon.com/author/carolbrusegar

My books

 

         

 

 

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Embracing and Celebrating the Cycle of Seasons

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Recently the appearance of Joni Mitchell at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival – her first full concert since 2000 – caught the attention of people across the world. Her unique music of the late 1960s and beyond brought memories to many and introduced new generations to those treasures of our youth. The cycle of seasons was highlighted in one of her songs.

“The seasons they go round and round….  We’re captive on the carousel of time.”  Those words from “Circle Game” have that tone of nostalgia and also slow us down from the onward and upward, always progressing and getting better theme that dominates our culture these days.

“The Seasons They Go Round and Round”

We are all conscious of the cyclical movement in our lives as seasons change from summer to fall to winter to spring. Summer sun to fall leaves to winter cold to spring rebirth. Depending on where you live, those changes may be more or less dramatic. Even where they are less pronounced, the change in hours of daylight and temperatures assure that we experience the cycle of seasons.

One of those seasonal shifts is beginning. The shift from summer to fall seems elongated with school schedules so varied these days. Even if we don’t have children or grandchildren in school, the news and the sales promotions let us know that summer fun is shifting to school routines for children, teens and adults in higher education or training.

It’s been a particularly hot summer in much of the country and the world. Many are eagerly anticipating the shift to cooler temperatures and enjoying warm sweaters and candles. Does that include you?

Celebrating the Cycle of Seasons

How do you experience the seasonal cycle? Do you barely notice? Do you make routine changes like wardrobe, food choices, etc.? Do you celebrate each season, having favorite ways to embrace and experience every one as it comes along?

Let me make the case for the latter option. Celebrating each passing season acknowledges the “Circle Game” of Joni Mitchell’s song – but with a different tone. I love the song, but there’s a sadness in it. Perhaps it the minor key of the music.

Celebration is looking forward to the experiences you most enjoy in any given season. It’s prioritizing and planning for certain things that you want to happen so the pace of your life doesn’t allow the season to pass before you know it. Your ‘I’d like to….” thoughts for the next season can become reality if you make a bucket list and get out the calendar. I wrote about making a fall bucket list here: https://carolbrusegar.com/autumn-pleasures-and-treasures/make-a-fall-bucket-list/

Celebration is sharing your favorite parts of the season with others, by including them or sharing your experiences to encourage them to immerse themselves in the uniqueness of the time of year. Celebration may be recording those special times in journals, poetry, photos, or art.

As you look toward fall, what are you looking forward to? What things do you always treasure? What have you wanted to do but never have? What did you do sometime in the past and loved but haven’t done for awhile? Even if it feels too soon to do this as the summer heat continues, this process can shift your  mindset from weariness to anticipation and excitement.

To get you started, here’s a free simple Fall Bucket List form to download, print and use: Fall Bucket List. I also invite you to visit and like my Facebook page, Enjoying Every Season 

One way I enjoy for celebrating the seasons is to switch decor in my home. Even a few changes can make a big difference. Here’s a place to explore what you might want to add: Autumn/Fall Decor

 

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

           Follow me on Twitter!     Follow me on Instagram!   Follow me on Pinterest!

                                    Follow me on Facebook!         Visit my Etsy Shop!

 

 

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ONE OLD PHOTO – A WINDOW INTO BASEBALL AND BARNSTORMING IN THE 1930s

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“Take me out to the ball game.
Take me out with the crowd….
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out.
At the old ball game!”

It all began when I saw again a blurry photo labeled “Park Day 1933” among my mother’s photos. The photo was of a Black baseball team, some doffing their caps for the photographer.  The photo had intrigued me before but this time I pursued more information.

It was taken in Cambria, Wisconsin where the population was 671 in 1930, a white farming community of mostly Welsh and German heritage – almost certainly all white. It is 46 miles from Madison and 85 miles from Milwaukee: a pretty isolated area. What was the story behind this photo? How did the residents receive this team? I was so curious!

I contacted the Cambria-Friesland Historical Society via Facebook messaging and asked what they knew about this day. Mary Jane helpfully tracked down a newspaper description about that Park Day in 1933:

 “On Tuesday, August 22, 1933 the House of David of Benton Harbor, Michigan played the Giant Collegians of Piney Woods, Mississippi.” The article states the Collegians also played at Park Day the year before, and on August 21, 1934 the Collegians returned and played “Happy” Felsch’s Wilkes Dairy team of Milwaukee.

The Giant Collegians

Aha! Zooming in I could see “Giant Collegians” on the baseball shirts. A starting point! Piney Woods at that time was a junior college. It was one of many historically Black colleges and universities around the country who fielded baseball teams that traveled around playing all over the United States in the 1920s and 1930s to raise money for their colleges.

It turns out that not only those teams but other teams, Black and white, were organized into leagues and traveled around from town to town – particularly small towns in rural areas to entertain. It was called Barnstorming and it started in about 1860 on a small level but grew massively during the 1920s and 1930s with poor economic conditions (the Great Depression of the 1930s). It provided entertainment for the communities and income for the players or their organizations. Baseball was the number one sport in the country during these years, so crowds always showed up.

I learned that in 1932 135 players tried out for the Piney Woods team and they sponsored three teams – the Giant Collegians, the Brown Cubs, and the Little Brown Cubs. Together they played  169 games in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, winning 148 games, losing or tying 21. They played against professional squads as well as semi-professional and amateur teams. In 1933, the Giant Collegians team headed to the Midwest to play 20 games in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The total number of games played that season is unclear.

Piney Woods added a twist by surprising the fans who stood expecting to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch. Instead, a quartet sang a couple of Negro spirituals, told the story of their school, and solicited donations. The music and the story served to expand the awareness of the audience to a culture they knew little to nothing about.  A definite bonus!

The House of David

The Collegians’ 1933 opponent at Cambria Park Day – the day the photo was taken – was House of David of Benton Harbor, Michigan. They turned out to be a unique piece of barnstorming history! The House of David, established in 1903, was a sect that lived communally and considered themselves Christian Israelites. They got into the barnstorming circuits in about 1915.

Photo credit: Chris Siriano’s House of David Baseball Museum

They couldn’t cut their hair, so their appearance was distinctive among the baseball teams. They followed a strict moral code and were strict vegetarians. That moral code included egalitarian beliefs so they played against teams of all kinds including Negro League and historically Black college teams like the Piney Woods Giant Collegians. Apparently an example of this happened on that Park Day in Cambria, Wisconsin on August 22, 1933.

The team even traveled for a few weeks some summers with the Kansas City Monarchs in the depth of the Depression for financial reasons. The Monarchs were known as the greatest Negro team of them all. In an interview House of David player Lloyd Dalagar said, “We didn’t care what color they were. To us they were just gifted athletes who weren’t allowed to play in the big leagues.”

In 1934, before their largest crowd to date, they defeated the first Negro team invited to the famed Denver Post Tournament, their traveling companions the great Kansas City Monarchs, for the championship.

This book provides rich information about the barnstorming teams and specifically the House of David and its teams. (They had up to three teams at some times.)

Baseball and the House of David: The Legendary Barnstorming Teams, 1915-1956  by P.J. Dragseth.

“Happy” Felsch’s Wilkes Dairy Team of Milwaukee

I was unable to find information about this team that apparently played the Giant Collegians on Park Day 1934. Perhaps it only played locally and sporadically. But “Happy” Felsch was a renowned baseball player from Milwaukee who rose to fame in the Chicago White Sox team beginning in the 1915 season. The scandal about the fixing of the 1919 World Series (the Black Sox scandal) derailed his promising major league career. Although there is detailed information available about his activities after that, I could not find a barnstormer team of that name, or even just connected with Wilkes Dairy. The Society for American Baseball Research is the creator of the detailed account of Felsch’s life: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/happy-felsch/

The Life of Barnstormers

Life on the road was tough for barnstormers and even more so for the Black teams. For all of them, the drought that extended through the decade of the 1930s caused dust storms in the Midwest and southern Great Plains which impacted travel and availability of food and water. They traveled by bus mostly, with automobiles in some cases. Extreme heat, vehicles without air conditioning and travel on backroads to reach small towns made for tough travel. Black players weren’t allowed in hotels in these years of segregation and Jim Crow laws. But still they played.

Reflections

This fascinating journey of exploration began with one blurry photograph from 1933.  I am grateful to learn more about the time, the town and the sport – including the examples of breaks in the segregation of the time. I would love to learn about reactions of the people of Cambria to these (at least 3) visits of the Giant Collegians and their opponents. What kind of welcome did they receive? Was there apprehension or fear? Any backlash? Perhaps I can learn more. And I will be looking for other opportunities to explore stories behind photos from the past. Stories expand our awareness in profound ways. The path from generalized facts and knowledge to more specifics is a rich one.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

 

 

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Techniques for Setting Priorities When It’s Hard to Focus

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Techniques for Setting PrioritiesThis time of uncertainty in our personal lives as well is in our communities, states, country and world impacts us in many ways. With so much swirling around us, it can be hard to set priorities.  It’s hard to know what to focus on – we are often really scattered in our thoughts, in what we say, and in what we do. These techniques for setting priorities can help you focus on the things that matter most and increase your satisfaction with your life.

Benefits of Establishing Priorities

 First, let’s review the benefits of establishing priorities.

  1. Simplify decision making. Smart choices seem automatic when you can identify which tasks are urgent and where your efforts will have the most impact. You’ll act deliberately instead of drifting from one dilemma to the next.
  2. Accomplish more. Distinguish between doing more and achieving more. Know what’s most important to you and allocate your resources accordingly. Prioritizing enables you to work more productively and divide your time more effectively.
  3. Reduce stress. Imagine your peace of mind when you stop feeling like you have too little time and too much to do. Accept your limits and take satisfaction in doing your best. Your confidence and peace will keep growing as you enjoy the results of your new sense of direction.

Techniques for Setting Priorities 

Here are eleven techniques that will help you establish priorities. Some you may be using or have used in the past. Some will resonate with you more than others. Some apply more to the specific situations facing you right now. Look at all of them and decide where to start.

  1. Create daily rituals. Keep important commitments on the front burner by carving out a specific time for them each day. For example: Designate the hour before bed for reading stories with your children or learning another language.
  2. Start off strong. Create momentum that will drive you forward all day long. Score a quick win when you go for a morning run or meditate while it’s still quiet.
  3. Disconnect for a while. Limit the time you spend online, making calls, and watching TV. Rediscover face-to-face communications and the beauty of nature. Build some things into your schedule that take you away from the barrage of information.
  4. Take breaks. Downtime restores your ability to concentrate. These are short breaks in the midst of larger tasks to refresh your mind.
  5. Organize your day. Plan your time with your priorities in mind. You’ll be less likely to become sidetracked by external pressures and distractions.
  6. Shorten your to-do list. Weed out nonessential items. Decide which tasks require excellence and which can be considered good enough if you complete them on time. For example, as long as your bed sheets are washed and dried, maybe you can skip ironing them. (LOL – how many people still iron sheets?) But you get the idea.
  7. Estimate value. If you tend to regard everything as being equally important, look closer. Think of your life as a business and ask yourself how profitable each activity is. Playing with your dog may make you happier than going on a shopping spree.
  8.  Use comparisons. Weighing one option against another clarifies their advantages and disadvantages. Going back to school or renovating an old house may both sound appealing, but you’ll have to figure out which one is more worthwhile. Then again, maybe you can tackle both if you figure out which to do first.
  9. Ask for help. We all accomplish more working together. Practice delegating at the office and at home. Divide up complex projects so everyone can draw on their individual strengths.
  10. Map it out. Drawing yourself a picture may help in situations where your priorities are still unclear. Maybe you’ll come away with a fresh perspective on how to invest your retirement savings or which training courses to take during the next year. Mind Maps are so helpful. If you aren’t familiar with this tool, you can learn more here: http://carolbrusegar.com/using-mind-mapping-to-declutter-your-brain/
  11. Write it down. Whether you prefer a digital or a paper journal, putting your priorities into writing will help you stay on track. You’ll be able to monitor your progress and spot any obstacles you need to overcome. It will also make you more accountable. There are so many ways to use journaling to enhance your life. Read more here: http://carolbrusegar.com/journaling-as-a-tool/

Using techniques for setting priorities will help you direct your energy and attention to activities that align with your goals. Prioritization is a skill that will help you find more time for the things you love. Enjoy a more meaningful life, starting today, by setting priorities!

For lots more on this topic check out Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. It is filled with perspective and specific techniques for making time for what is really important in our lives.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

           Follow me on Twitter!     Follow me on Instagram!   Follow me on Pinterest!

                                    Follow me on Facebook!         Visit my Etsy Shop!

 

 

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Band Concert in the Park – When an Experience Elicits Memories and Exploration

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Hundreds of people in lawn chairs and on blankets at El Dorado Park West waited for the music to begin. Many had brought picnic dinners and were enjoying them with family and friends. A traditional band concert in the park had brought them there on this beautiful July evening to relax and enjoy.

The Long Beach Municipal Band played Broadway music – Gershwin, Oscar and Hammerstein, Meredith Willson, Jerry Bock and more – with skill and enthusiasm. The second half of the concert featured a jazz ensemble from the band with vocalist Crystal Lewis. An accomplished musician with 20 albums to her credit as well as two Grammy nominations, she performed a combination of standards and original compositions which were enthusiastically received.

Music, Memories and Legacy

After 2-1/2 years of attending only a couple of such public events, I felt peace and delight. As I sat back and listened, often nodding or tapping to the rhythm, memories of past band concerts in other places were triggered.

I thought of band concerts in my hometown that featured the community band led by a past high school band director of mine. And a variety of concerts in the band shell at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis with the community bands and orchestras being my favorites. I remembered taking my two toddler grandchildren to their first band concert in a Nashville park, and another time attending an orchestra concert with a group from my church there. And most poignant for me, I recalled the quintessential small town band concerts in Friesland, Wisconsin that featured the local band for many decades. And that memory led me on a journey.

I attended a few of those concerts in Friesland with my mother and cousin as an adult. They were always like stepping into the past with pie and ice cream for sale (2019 prices: $1.75 for pie, $0.75 for ice cream). Thinking of them launched me back to thoughts of my Mom who played in that band for years when she was in her twenties. The Cambria-Friesland Band was a huge thing back in the 1920s and 1930s Mom played clarinet and saxophone and her sister played trombone.

During intermission at the concert, I googled the band and found an article on the Cambria-Friesland Historical Society’s Facebook page! The article was published in the Mid-County Times on February 23, 1961 and included historical information including the debut of new – very fancy – uniforms donated to the band in 1929. The best part was a photo of the band at that time, including my Mom and my Aunt!

This was a busy band. They performed concerts of semi-classical music and lots of marches in concerts, 3 times a week in the summer at 3 different locations, and events like county and state fairs.

I realized through these memories and research that my enduring love of band music and concerts came from my Mom. Her deep affection for them were shared with me and she supported my participation in bands from junior high school through two years of college. I played clarinet as she had. And beyond my own participation, the love of the music and the experience of attending these unique community events persisted.

The Long History of Band Concerts in Parks

Band concerts such as this have been staple summer activities in towns and neighborhoods across the country for a century or more, in some cases nearly 200 years!

The New York City Parks Department notes that Castle Garden Park was the site of regular military band concerts from 1824 to 1855. The first free Saturday afternoon concerts in Central Park were in 1859. The tradition grew from there at various sites and continues to this day.

The State Capital Band of Helena, Montana is celebrating its 120th continuous year of presenting weekly outdoor free summer concerts in 2022, debuting in 1903.

In fact, this is the Long Beach Municipal Band’s 113th season! These are not isolated examples. There are hundreds – probably thousands –  more across the country.

These days, a wide variety of music is featured in free outdoor concerts, attracting different demographics. My favorite will always be the community bands with their unique mix of music and instrumentation. There’s nothing quite like a band concert in the park! They are enjoyable in the moment, elicit precious memories and connect me to the legacy left by my Mom.

 

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

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Cranking Up Your Problem-Solving Creativity

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Do you consider yourself to be creative? Perhaps you say no because you can’t paint or make music or sculpt. Creativity is MUCH broader than that. It’s about finding new ways to solve problems and finding ways to approach the situations we face. All of us are creative. It’s a survival skill. And we can become MORE creative in all areas of our lives. Cranking up your problem-solving creativity can make a huge difference.

Here we are in mid-2022, another year in the COVID-19 pandemic. The list of national issues that affect our lives directly and indirectly is long. The future is uncertain in many ways. And we are trying to live our lives in the midst of it all. People are responding to all of this in various ways – some with anger, depression, withdrawal and others with determination and positive energy. Probably most of us alternate among these reactions or are somewhere in between.

Given the unique nature of the convergence of these elements, cranking up our problem-solving creativity is important to our thriving. But it’s hard to be creative when we are under pressure or overwhelmed. It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and there certainly is truth in that. On the other hand, you may have experienced – as I have – that my mind can be paralyzed in that kind of situation. What’s the difference? It could very well be our mindset.

Make Sure You Start With a Positive Mindset

It’s easy to have a negative mindset in challenging situations. This definitely hampers our ability to do our best problem solving. So before tackling a situation, make sure that you are coming from a positive view. If all you see is doom and gloom, if it seems hopeless, if you are just tired of struggling, this is the first step to effectively addressing what’s going on. Shift how you look at things to alter your thought process and open your mind to more options.

How do you do this? Begin with saying positive affirmations like:  I am creative, I easily come up with new solutions, my mind is open to unique solutions, I have navigated hard times before, etc. Say them multiple times throughout your day and see the difference. You can also seek out positive quotes to inspire you. Google can help you find them. Just search for quotes about creativity, or quotes about surviving tough times, or any topic that fits your situation. Print them and post them where you will see them regularly and/or make them a picture on your phone.

You can also do this exercise: practice looking at things from a different perspective. How would someone else view it? It could be a friend, someone with different life experience, a parent or grandparent, etc. You may be surprised at what this shift can do to go beyond your current thoughts.

Another suggestion is to take a situation and practice detaching from the emotion of it. Instead of being immersed in the feelings you have surrounding that, step back and jot down the facts of the situation. What are the elements? Who is involved? How did this start? Is it temporary and will pass with time? Pretend you are an outside consultant who brings objectivity.

Practice allowing yourself to look at the situation without boundaries. Don’t immediately search for a ‘sensible’ solution. Look for something out of the ordinary. This allows your creative juices to flow. Let your mind wander. Look at the problem from all angles. Remind yourself that you have navigated many challenges before and you can do it again.

Collect Resources That Can Help You

One of the by-products of the extended impact of the pandemic is that our usual practices of communication and support with others were drastically changed. Even as things have opened up, it is still different. I wrote about nurturing creativity about six months into the pandemic here: http://carolbrusegar.com/nurturing-creative-thinking/

Several approaches to increasing our creativity were highlighted there, including initiating sharing conversations and brainstorming sessions with others on specific topics. Other people can be our greatest resources. You can do this virtually, as suggested in the above post, or now in person. One of the advantages of virtual is that you can include people who don’t live near you. Each of us have unique perspectives and resource ideas and connections. We don’t have to struggle alone!

Keeping a running list of ideas on various topics can aid in cranking up our problem-solving creativity. Perhaps you think you don’t have many ideas. Or perhaps you know you do but think that they are impractical or don’t apply now. In either case, I challenge you to try using an Idea Journal. Capture ideas you have about anything. This reinforces your recognition that you are creative – and seeds the expectation that you can solve things creatively. You will be amazed after doing this regularly how many ideas you have. Some you will use, many you won’t use. The largest benefit is illustrating to yourself that you are indeed creative.

Cranking up your problem-solving creativity is essential, enjoyable and can make a huge difference every day. If you want to learn more, check out these books:

Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you are feeling fear about the future and your ability to creatively live in the coming months and years, this can be inspiring and helpful.

The Creative Habit, Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp.  Included are simple exercises that can expand your creative thinking as you go about your daily life.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

 

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Coloring for Adults: Benefits for Mental Health and Mindfulness

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benefits for mental health of coloringWe can all add to our repertoire of approaches to maintaining and improving our mental health. I wrote earlier about using creative activities for relaxation and stress relief. One of the art activities included is coloring. I wanted to learn more about the values of coloring for adults and found research and medical coverage that has given me greater appreciation for its benefits for mental health.

First, a little background. Adult coloring books have been around for a long time. In the 1970s there was a surge in interest. But in the past 7 years or so they have been more popular than before. The largest spike in sales of coloring books was from 2014 when one million copies were sold to 2015 when sales were 12 million. After a few years of much lower but consistent sales, the recent years of COVID-19 saw dramatic increases. More publishers and self-publishers created an expanded variety of products and the total sales numbers are hard to gather – but lots of people began coloring.

For some people, coloring is a simple distraction or way to recapture something we may have enjoyed doing as children. Clinical psychologist Scott M. Bea, PsyD, says, “Adult coloring requires modest attention focused outside of self-awareness. It’s a simple activity that takes us outside ourselves” like activities such as knitting or mowing lawn.

Multiple Benefits of Coloring

WebMD.com, the popular online health information source, published a medically reviewed  article in August of 2021 entitled, “Adult Coloring Books: 7 Benefits of Coloring.”   The first benefit is one we all need:

1. (Coloring) Relaxes Your Brain and Improves Brain Function

Coloring books are a great way to relax your brain and quiet your mind. When you’re coloring, you’re focused on the simple activity in front of you. This begins to relax your mind and keep your thoughts from intruding.‌

Coloring can also improve your brain’s ability to function. When you’re coloring, different parts of your brain’s cerebral hemispheres are activated. When you choose what colors to use, your creativity is activated. As you color forms and shapes, your logic is also activated.

The other six benefits in the article illustrate why coloring has become a tool recommended by therapists and counselors to decrease mental stress, relieve depression and reduce anxiety levels. It is even thought to help prevent dementia conditions by stimulating synapses in your brain. Your creativity is stimulated beyond the coloring itself as you stimulate the creative part of your brain.

Focus on Mandalas and Fractals

Coloring books come in multitudinous styles, themes and subject matter which appeal to people’s interests. There are a couple of types that seem to have particular benefits for mental health: mandala and fractal coloring books.

A study conducted by Nancy A. Curry and Tim Kasser, Galesburg, IL examined the effectiveness of various art activities in reducing anxiety using coloring of mandalas, coloring plaid and free coloring on blank paper.

The group who colored mandalas significantly decreased their anxiety levels below baseline (which) suggests that coloring such designs may be useful for helping individuals who chronically experience anxiety. At the least, coloring mandalas or other complex designs may be useful in lessening other stress-related problems if conducted before or immediately after the stressful activity. For example, people with test anxiety could color mandalas prior to taking the test, or people who fear flying on airplanes might color before, or even during, their flight.

Mindful Coloring

The effectiveness of coloring is enhanced by practicing mindfulness as you color. It’s all about being in the moment, engaged and involved in what you are doing. It’s not multi-tasking. It’s focusing on the image and clearing your mind of everything else as you choose colors and create your beautiful piece of art.

As you proceed, you engage in something that doesn’t bring stress or anxiety but relaxes you. Because of this, many people pull out their coloring when they feel angry or upset to calm down and focus.

In mindful coloring you learn to clear your mind and focus on the task at hand – and this skill can be applied in many areas of your life. It’s easy to be distracted and we so often are trying to do more than one thing at a time.

Time To Try It!

As noted above, mandala and fractal coloring have some proven benefits for mental health. If you are not familiar with fractals, check this out: Nature and Fractals Reduce Overwhelm and Stress

Mandala books are prolific online and elsewhere. Here are some of the many options for fractal coloring books. Happy coloring!!!

 

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

 

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Managing Your Perfectionist Tendencies

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Managing your Perfectionist Tendencies is an important life skill,.Are you a perfectionist? There’s nothing wrong with wanting things in your life just so, wanting things beautiful, wanting everything done right, and wanting to work hard to achieve great goals. Each of us has our own view of what is perfect, but there is no overall standard for it. Holding ourselves to perfectionism as we see it can be detrimental to our own health and insisting on our own standard can be detrimental to our relationships with others. Managing your perfectionist tendencies can be an important life skill.

High Standards and Reality

Yes, high standards for yourself in every area of your life are good. You don’t want low standards to live by, but you cannot set high standards and expect perfectionism from each of them. There isn’t a perfect life – or even a perfect job or a perfect mate. Looking perfect or behaving perfectly are unrealistic. Things don’t happen perfectly.

Set high standards but don’t make their achievement be the ultimate measure of your sense of accomplishment and wellbeing. Learn how to re-evaluate those standards as needed to allow for small imperfections and flexibility. Consider that striving for perfection can mean you don’t realize many of the goals or plans you desire because you spend so much time and energy that it decreases what you can do.

Pressure and Perfectionism

If you believe that things must be just so, done this way, or appear that way, you are putting too much pressure on yourself. For example, if you cannot leave your home without everything being put away and all things looking perfectly clean, you might put a lot of pressure on yourself if you’re already running late.

If you take the time to clean up, you could be late for work, the kids could be late for school, and you could be so stressed as you are driving that you ruin your morning and theirs. Are those possible outcomes worth the clean house? Making choices with a larger perspective is important.

Mental Health and Perfectionism

You’ll drive yourself crazy if you want things perfect and don’t allow any room for mistakes. In fact, your own mental and emotional health can be affected with depression, anxiety and other impacts of stress. And you’ll damage relationships with people around you too.

4 Tricks to Keep Perfectionism in Check on a Daily Basis

Here are some tips to help in managing your perfectionist tendencies on a daily basis: 

  1. Prioritize

Perfectionists often spend far too much time trying to perform even mundane tasks perfectly. Take some time to consider what in your life you feel most strongly about being the highest quality. Then try to let go of other things as being subject to the ‘perfect’ requirement.

As you look at your daily activities, make decisions about when to do them and how much time to spend on them based on that assessment. Prioritize the most important things. This can decrease pressure and increase your satisfaction.

  1. Take Mistakes in Stride

If you’re a perfectionist, making a mistake can feel crippling and derail your productivity for the rest of the day. Practice taking your mistakes in stride and seeing them as opportunities to learn something for the future. Rather than dwelling on and feeling badly about it, focus on the future and how to avoid the mistake or improve the next time.

  1. Take a Perspective Break

Next time you find yourself panicking over a small detail that isn’t perfect or stressed about all you have to do perfectly that day, take a step back and give yourself a ‘perspective break.’ Simply ask yourself how important a task really is. By forcing yourself to assess its importance, you’ll be able to recognize when you’re obsessing over less important tasks and save time for working on the things that actually matter.

  1. Get a Friend’s Take

Another way to keep your tasks and problems in perspective is to ask a friend for their take on things. If you’re convinced that your room just doesn’t look right no matter how you arrange it, for example, ask a friend what they think. Their comments can show you if it’s your inner perfectionist speaking or what could be changed for a better result. This can make it easier to realize when the detail you’re stuck on simply isn’t a big deal or give you helpful input.

  1. Hold Yourself Accountable with Kindness

There’s nothing wrong with striving for excellence, but if that comes at a cost to sanity or self-esteem, it is not worth it. Staying kind and understanding about your own flaws and inconsistencies is key to sharing that generosity of spirit with others.

Replace your harsh and demeaning thoughts and self-talk when things aren’t ‘perfect’ with positive reinforcements. Give yourself a break by looking back at your track record of successes instead of the shortcomings. This can encourage you as you continue managing your perfectionist tendencies to make your life and relationships more enjoyable and fulfilling.

If you want to do more work in this area, I recommend this journal. The Perfectionism Journal is new in spring of 2022 and provides prompts, exercises and room for reflections. Check it out to see if it will be a tool for you. https://amzn.to/3Fm0PfK

 

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

 

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Follow me on Facebook!         Visit my Etsy Shop!