What role does laughter play in your life?
How often do you laugh?
When was the last time you had a good laugh, one that brings a few tears, a deep breath and relaxing sigh at the end?
What can laughter do for you?
What can it do for those around you?

For many, laughter is a part of who you are. It is a value without which you could not feel whole. If that’s true, how could not getting enough of it be affecting you subliminally? Have you ever noticed how laughter is used sometimes as a ‘magic pill’ to soothe the complexities of life and help you move forward in some situations?

Think back to the last time you had a good laugh.
What were you doing?
Who were you with?
What made you laugh?
How did you feel after you stopped laughing?

Life creates obstacles that take up time, thought and energy to resolve. How could laughter help?
Laughter is like exercise for the soul. It can create a meditative release, a kind of break, a feeling of letting go that may open your mind to perhaps a refreshed outlook on a situation at hand, a new perspective or at the very least, a feel good moment.

Think about this – what specifically would stop you from having a laugh a day if you knew it would make you feel a lot better overall?

Studies have shown that laughter boosts the immune system, increases the level of endorphins released in the body much like exercise and lowers blood pressure to name just a few benefits.

There is only one way to find out what a laugh a day can bring. What can you lose?

And, if you want to see how just a simple smile affects others, wear one on your face next time you’re out and about and watch people’s reactions. While you’re at it, notice how it makes you feel too.

~Lesia S.

To all my brave friends may the words spoken by Theodore Roosevelt comfort, inspire and help you forge ahead with renewed strength and hope.
And may the same words inspire the “critic’ in you to understand and act with courage.

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is not effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. 

                        Theodore Roosevelt

~Lesia S.

    A Winner’s Creed

      If you think you are beaten, you are;
            If you think you dare not, you don’t;
            If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
               It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
           For out in the world we find
        Success begins with a fellow’s will;
               It’s all in the state of mind.
          If you think you’re outclassed, you are;
              You’ve got to think high to rise.
         You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
            You can ever win a prize.
        Life’s battles don’t always go
        To the stronger or faster man;
               But soon or late the man who wins
             Is the man who thinks “I can”.

                          Walter D. Wintle

What do you think?

~Lesia S.

Here are a variety of questions to consider, keeping the goal of Making Mom Happy on Mother’s Day in mind. You know yourself and your own mother better than anyone. Trust that the right questions will resonate with you.

What does my mother mean to me?
What do I want her to know?
How do I want to make her feel?
What do I think she’d really like?
What would she really like?

What can I buy her that will make her happy?
What is a feasible price point for me?

Knowing mom, how will she feel if I spend money I don’t have?
How will I feel if I buy her something knowing it will put me into greater debt?
How else can I acknowledge her and show her what she means to me?

What can I do for her?
What can I say to her?
What can I write?
What are some of my fondest memories with her?

How would asking her for forgiveness or forgiving her be a gift and move our relationship in a new direction?
What can we do together to create new memories?

What does my mother do for me that I can show her I noticed and I can thank her for?

~Mothers do the best with what they know, what they can and with all they have at any given time. On this day and everyday, acknowledge her, love her and know that doing so will be as much a gift to you as it is to her.

                Have a Special MOTHER’S DAY this Sunday!

~Lesia S.

~What can courage and change do for you?

“I used to have a comfort zone where I knew I couldn’t fail.
    The same four walls and busywork
         Were really more like jail.
I longed so much to do the things I’d never done before,
    But I stayed inside my comfort zone and
        paced the same old floor.

I said it didn’t matter that I wasn’t doing much.
I said I didn’t care for things like diamonds, cars and such,
    I claimed to be so busy with the things inside the zone,
   But deep inside I kept longing for some victory of my own.

I couldn’t let my life go by just watching others win
        I held my breath and stepped outside
           to let the change begin.

I took a step and with new strength I’d never felt before,
    I kissed my comfort zone goodbye and
        closed and locked the door.

If you are in a comfort zone afraid to venture out,
        Remember that all winners at one time were filled with
       similar doubt. A step or two and words of praise can
make your dreams come true. Greet your future with a smile –
          success is there for you”

                        Author Unknown

~Lesia S.

Why mother? What words come to mind when you think of ‘Mother’ and how does ‘Mother Earth’ compare?

Please feel free to explore your own personal thoughts. Here are some of mine:

Mother  - Comfort, Compassion, Sacrifice, Fun, ‘The Rock’, Mentor, Motivator, Unconditional love, Forgiving, Wise, Nurturing, Protector, Loving, Soothing, Creative, Accommodating, Reliable, Dependable, Hardworking, Resourceful, Teacher, Caregiver, Committed, Patient, Dedicated, Provides safety, Champion, My Life…

Mother Earth –
Comfort – She offers a comfortable place to live and the necessities of life
Compassion – Shows compassion even when we take her for granted
Sacrifices her energy, needs and beauty to provide for the demands of her children
Fun – Offers settings like forests, lakes and mountains to frolic in and play with
The Rock – Without her, where would we be?
Mentor – Advises us when to proceed with caution
Motivator – Brings light after darkness for renewed hope
Unconditional love – Takes what we put out, yet keeps on giving
Forgives us for dragging our feet
Wise – Shows us that actions have consequences
Nurturing – Grows our food
Protector – Provides natural shelters and wind breaks
Loving – Warms our hearts with her creations
Soothes what ails us with medicinal hot springs and rainforests
Creates breathtaking views
Accommodating – Heals, restores and makes way for new growth
Reliable – We tend to feel that we can fully rely on her
Dependable – She has always been there for us
Hardworking – Never stops washing, growing, mending….
Resourceful - Constantly adapts to the changes she is faced with
Teacher – Informs us and provides us with insights, which then evolve into new learning
Caregiver – Protects us until we come of age and must assume all responsibility
Committed – Will do for us as much as we are willing to do for ourselves
Patient – Believes that with time and patience, her children will come through
Dedicated – Doesn’t give up on us. Permits us to make mistakes, learn from them and knows that we will make things right
Provides safety – She is the ‘safe place’ in the entire universe
Champion – As long as she is here for us, there is nothing that we cannot do
My Life – She gives us life.

I for one, acknowledge Mother Earth for her patience and fortitude in all that she creates and continues to provide for my loved ones, my friends and myself.
I commit from this day forward to honour her each and every day by mindfully and intentionally making choices that will nurture, restore and prolong her life for generations to come.
If you feel as I do, join me in making a difference starting today, if you haven’t already.

 ~Lesia Saplywyj

When you sit down to eat dinner and you happen to really like everything that’s on your plate, you don’t try to eat it – you just do, right? What happens when you’re served a dish that looks unappetizing to you, and there is nothing else available to eat, what do you do?

Do you try to eat some of it?
Do you succumb to your hunger and eat all of it knowing that you will otherwise go hungry?
Do you go without?
Have you ever forced yourself to eat something you thought you wouldn’t like and found it tasty?

When you say that you will try to do something, what does that mean?
How committed are you?
How much do you believe in what you’re doing when you say, “I’ll try?”
Where has ‘trying’ gotten you in the past?

What do you think would happen if you decided to throw caution to the wind and instead of trying to do something you just did it?  What is the worst that you could discover? How could your new insight, whatever it is, propel you forward?

Take a moment and ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now working for me or is it working against me?” Am I willing to commit and take action instead of trying to take action, to see what happens? Who will help me and support me with my commitment?”

Your time is precious and life goes by so quickly. How much of it do you really want to spend uttering, “I’ll try?”

~Lesia S.

Here are some wonderful metaphors for life that you can learn from compliments of a cheerful and very wise little Easter Bunny…..

To show your true colors, you have to come out of your shell.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

All work and no play can make you a basket case.

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits!

      Happy Easter!

~Lesia S.

The law of averages says that if you persist long enough you will succeed.

Don’t quit when the tide is lowest,
For it’s just about to turn;
Don’t quit over doubts, questions,
For there’s something you may learn.
Don’t quit when the night is darkest.
For it’s just a while to dawn;
Don’t quit when you’ve seen the farthest,
For the race is almost won.
Don’t quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don’t quit, for you’re not a failure
Until you fail to try.

Jill Wolfe

A lifetime consists of many journeys.
Success comes at the end of a journey not the beginning.
Who’s to say how many failures, detours or mistakes must occur before you succeed.
How many journeys have you embarked on and then given up?
How close were you to achieving success?
What made you give up?
How much did you want to succeed?
What would you have done if you knew that persistence would absolutely lead you to success?
How do you know what’s just around the corner on your journey if you don’t keep taking the next step?

~Lesia S.

My friends,

Whether you’re a woman or man today marks a time to reflect on how women have influenced your life and what choices you have made in your relationships with them.

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you acknowledge IWD?

How will you celebrate its meaning? What does it mean to you?

In what positive ways has a woman changed or influenced your life?

Upon self-reflection, what has been the tone of your existence as a woman or in a relationship with a woman, until now?

As you further self- reflect, what is one positive change that you wish to make starting today that will improve the quality of your existence?

 *What have you learnt about yourself that you want to acknowledge.

One year from today on international women’s day, when you reflect on the year gone by, what specifically will you have accomplished that you set out to do?

As you move forward, what is the tone you want your life to take?

What will you say about yourself in one year?

What positive role will you play in a woman’s life?

~Lesia S.