“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
-Nelson Mandela
From one of the most inspiring people of our time comes this quote, effective in its simplicity, awe-inspiring at its most humble.
When things seem impossible, know that they only do on this side of them because they aren’t done yet. And persevere. Like the brave and untiring Nelson Mandela did.
Truly inspiring.
xo
Carly
“Discover Your WHY”
So many people ask me how I’ve been blogging so long (8 years this month now!) and how I’ve been able to keep motivated for so long and consistently (er…mostly) kept up with posting, week in and week out, for many, many weeks (and months…and years…)
My answer is: I’ve discovered my WHY.
I can’t stress how important this is to every endeavor you may undertake in life. (I’m not sure of the attribution for this inspirational quote, but the words are so singularly important I’ve chosen to share this here.)
No matter what, if you are putting time, energy, and passion into it…you must have a WHY.
An overwhelming, underlying reason for WHY you do it.
And WHY you must keep going with it, even if energy, time, and passion fail. A greater conviction. A higher moral calling. Something to get you through thick and thin, through the dark days of uncertainty and self-doubt.
I find sometimes the best thing to do when my passion or focus flags…is to ask myself WHY. WHY do I blog? WHY do I put time into it? What do I get out of it?
And whatever answer I have…ask WHY again. Keep asking WHY until I reach the core reason – and that is what I must hold on to when motivation flags or I begin to doubt.
This is a great tool for discovering (or re-discovering!) your purpose, or getting in touch with your passion, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to continue a creative endeavor long-term.
Discover your WHY – and you can keep going until that WHY changes. May it buoy your wings…
xo
Carly
“Ideas come from everything.”
-Alfred Hitchcock
One of my favorite quotes ever because it encourages you to look around yourself and feel inspiration surrounding you. Never feel that you are at a dead end…since the mind’s ability to pull new thoughts and wisdom from anywhere is unparalleled.
Thank you, Alfred Hitchcock!
xo
Carly
I’ve found that the right attitude is truly half of a chic life.
But sometimes, even if life isn’t getting us down and we aren’t depresssed per se, we can get into a rut of wake up, go to work, go through the motions, come home, go to sleep, and do it all the next day…without even feeling present in our own lives. We can feel complacent and bored; tired and irritable; or just flat-out burnt-out.
To feel that you are indeed RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE living a chic life, full of abundance, comfort, and happiness, requires a massive shift in focus. But it can be a very tiny change in what you think, to start a cascading ripple that emanates out to all other areas in life. So often we focus on minutiae: what hasn’t been done, what lacks in organization, never-ending home repair projects, the tediousness of daily life. In order to rediscover the minutiae that bring happiness, sometimes it is as simple as writing it down.
To Start Small:
Write one thing you are grateful for down in your place of choice before going to bed.
What makes you smile, what are you glad to have? What couldn’t you do without? How is your life blessed? Focus on each one as you write it, truly feeling thankfulness as you write it. Write it on paper, spell it out with scrapbooking stickers, leave a note on the mirror in lipstick. Any way to permanently record something that you are aware of that makes your existence better in some way.
To Reiterate:
Write down ONE. Just ONE. One thing, little or big – from that you’re grateful to have a roof over your head to you’re grateful for your best friend to your grateful that it’s tangerine season because you love snacking on those little suckers. Challenge yourself to write something different each day (doesn’t have to be anything earth-shattering)
And then…:
At the end of a week, re-read everything you’ve written and feel it wash over you like a wave.
Finally:
Upgrade your journaling habit to include what you will do to show this gratitude to the person/thing referenced when you note it down at the end of the day, as a To Do for tomorrow. Feel it tonight, create some action tomorrow. Whether it’s calling your Mom to tell her you love her, slipping a note under your neighbor’s door, complimenting a coworker, texting an old friend out of the blue. Write…then show. And watch how these actions create bigger ripples of positivity and happiness in your life – and the lives of others.
You have abundance. You have many things. You have many friends. You are living a full life.
This lovely Gratitude Journal was given to me by my friend, Lex Casciato (also known as the musician Little Warrior, who put together a lot of cool curated Spotify playlists for this site awhile ago). I am filling it daily with my gratitude – and my first entry was all about my bestie and how talented and thoughtful she is!
Here are a couple of my favorite Gratitude Journals:
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 (aff. links)
And there is even an app for that! TheGratitudeApp
Do you keep a Gratitude Journal? Has it helped your outlook or mood at all?
xo
Carly
P.S. The gold bangle in the top 2 photos is my DIY Free People Wrapped Quartz Bangle – click for the tutorial!
To all my readers, wishing you the Happiest of New Years – hope 2016 started off with a bang for everyone!
Things are going to be changing around here, but I hope you stick around, because it’s going to get…ideally…awesome!
See you soon with new content, ideas, DIY’s, and a fresh start!
Thanks for reading with me for so long, and here’s to the new 🙂
xo
Carly
For all of you, for all we have, for our family and friends, on this day and all days:
Happy Thanksgiving, to one and all.
xo
Carly
Carly J. Cais I am a DIY’er, designer, sewist, maker, and marketer. Chic Creative Life is where I share what I do, and help others bring their unique style into their own lives.
