Choose Your Own Adventure: Staying Productive

I have a confession to make.

I’m not always On the Jazz.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that I’m a frequent sufferer of bluedom. It’s not quite as deep or dark as depression, but it’s a relative.

There are many days where all I want to do is sit on my butt, watch TV, eat a bunch of unhealthy food and play on my phone. But to tell you the truth, the days when I sit around and do nothing are the days I feel the least On The Jazz. In fact, I usually feel pretty lousy.

)

Recently, I’ve been feeling convicted about how many days I’ve allowed to slip by me with very little accomplished. And I’m not just talking about work stuff; I’m talking about things that I expressly have the desire to do.

But 

HOW 

do 

I 

find 

the 

kind
of
energy
and
  self-discipline

it
 takes
 to
 shake
 myself
 free
 of
  apathy? 

Maintaining a zest for life certainly isn’t easy, but in the end, my motivation is to create the most beautiful life I can have. Life is a choose your own adventure story…you can choose to waste a day or you can choose to take action.

The following is a list, some tips and tricks that help keep me focused and jazzy. I hope that on your blue days these ideas will help you.

Pump Yourself Up

Getting some exercise greatly increases your chances of having a good day. This is what I start my days with (most of the time.) Not only do I get the benefits of keeping myself healthy and strong, I get a hit from nature’s happy drug: endorphins! Believe me…endorphins are your friends.

Get Ready

When I was a kid and I would be slothing around the house in my pajamas, my mom would say to me, “Why don’t you get dressed?” Honestly, I always resented it when she’d say that. If I had the opportunity to lounge around in my PJ’s why wouldn’t I do it? Well, my mom is a smart cookie and she knows a few things about blue days, too. As an adult, I’ve found that getting ready like I’m going somewhere greatly ups my chances of productivity. Take a shower. Get dressed. Brush your teeth. Smile. You’re ready to take on the world.

Put On Some Tunes

          Music is magical. The things you listen to greatly affect your mood, whether you realize it or not. While sad or angry music has its place, never underestimate the power of happy music. Put on some music that makes you smile! My personal favorites include You Sexy Thing, Get Up Offa That Thing, and Jungle Boogie. Oh! Also Superstition! Apparently funk is a blue day eraser.

Write it Down

           Sometimes the thing that keeps us from wanting to do anything is not having a clear picture of what we need or want to do. If your mind is a swirling vortex of tasks it can be overwhelming to choose to do even one of them. The simplest solution to Taskmageddon is to make a to-do list. Simply writing down your goals for the day will allow your brain to calm down and more readily focus on something.

Environment Matters

Let There Be Light!

           Make sure you have some natural light. Many people suffer from the Winter Blues or S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) but don’t realize it. I used to live in a basement apartment that only had one window.  For the 2 years I lived there I struggled and couldn’t fathom what was wrong with me...until I moved to an apartment with windows galore! It was as though I was different person…sunlight made all the difference.

Clean It Up! 

You’re gonna hate me for this, but let’s get real here. Make sure your workspace is clean. (I’m guilty of this one.) Trying to accomplish much in a messy space is an uphill battle. I’m not suggesting that you have a perfectly organized and flawless work space...but a little cleaning goes a long way.

Get Out of the House

            Get some fresh air. Take a walk. Soak in a few rays. Even if it’s just 5 minutes, being outside can be incredibly rejuvenating.

            Another option is to take a project to a local library or Starbucks. There’s something focusing about isolating yourself with one task out in public.

[Addendum 3/30/14: I just found this little tid-bit on another blog. Someone agrees with me!]

Take the Day Off

         If you just can’t seem to get your butt in gear, go with it and allow yourself to have a day for you, but make it a day about uplifting self-care. All those things that you “just don’t have time for” might be on the agenda:

1. Read a book
2. Journal
3. Create something
4. Write an old fashioned letter
5. Give yourself a pedicure
6. Use that gift certificate you’ve been saving for a rainy day
7. Watch that movie you borrowed from your friend a couple of years ago…

The possibilities are endless. You might just need a day off.

Celebrate

        This is my favorite one. Positivity is infectious. Likewise, apathy begets apathy. So, fill your mind with so much gratitude that apathy and negativity can’t get a foothold. This can be a bit tricky, but all you need to do is look around you and find things you like. For those of you who are scoffing at me, let me tell you a story:

        Once upon a time I woke up in the Worst. Mood. Ever. I was stomping around grumpling about how much I hated everything and kept saying that I “hated my life.” I got in my car to leave for the day and stopped short. “Self,” I said, “If you keep talking about how much you hate everything, this is going to be the worst day ever. How about we focus on things we like?” During my 15 minute drive I began to list the things I was grateful for, starting with the dumbest little thing I could find and continued until I was bubbling over with gratitude and laughter!

        This has become a way of life for me, from “celebrating” seemingly small things, like my socks or a smooth rolling pen, to the big things like a roof over my head or the people in my life.

Never underestimate the
POWER
of self-talk.

        You know that old phrase, “What’s wrong with this picture?” Try flipping it around: “What’s right with this picture?” It may just change your life.

Now, GO! 

Choose your own adventure and stay 

ON THE JAZZ!

Now tell me...What will you celebrate today?

Howling Meme Murdock

I've been thinking about Murdock a lot lately, and so I made this little meme for him. <3

I might add other Murdock memes to this post as I create them. :)

Embrace Your Inner Murdock

I recently had an epiphany about what I do as an actress.  It’s intrinsically a part of my genetic makeup.  My entire life I’ve been trying to get people to see the other side of the story.  In the past I’ve referred to myself as a peacemaker…but really I’m just gifted at standing in someone else’s shoes and realizing what the other side of the story is.  (Of course I’m flawed and when it gets too personal I’m as narrow minded as the next person.)  But that is why I have to act. I want to be the storyteller – the medium between the freaks and geeks.  An ambassador to every kid who thought she wasn’t cool – to tell her that the coolest thing she can be is herself.  To show her that you can grow up to be awesome, achieve your dreams and make a difference.

 

That’s what Murdock taught me. 

Howling Mad Murdock is the certifiably insane pilot from The A-Team.  He was my favorite everything growing up.  As a kid I dressed like him, tried to act like him, and basically wanted to be him when I grew up.  Looking back, I think I was captivated by how funny he was.  He was almost like a live action cartoon with his impersonations and crazy shenanigans.  However, as an adult I realize that he instilled something much deeper in me.  See, Murdock marches to the beat of his own drum and is never afraid to express himself.  To be honest, I’ve lived by that principle my entire life.  Not perfectly, of course, but the times in my life when I’ve felt the happiest and the most alive are when I’m just being myself, no apologies.  Truthful.  I want to share that with people and speak truth into the characters I play.  God willing, I could be someone else’s “Murdock.” That is my dream.

I often talk to myself.  Many times I get in my car and forget to put on music because I’m so busy telling myself something.  I shall call it…verbal journaling.  Sometimes I’m not talking to myself, though.  I speak to specific people that I’d like to meet, or imagine that I have students that I’m teaching, or that I’m giving an interview.  During a recent imaginary conversation I was expressing some of my feelings about my acting career and I referred to my board of directors.

Wait.
What?
I don’t have a board of directors.

Suddenly, clear as day, I realized that my board of directors was very dear to me and very real.  My board includes all four members of The A-Team, with Murdock being the Chairman, Algernon & Jack, several of The Doctors, Lucy Van Pelt, Miss Piggy, The Warner Brothers (and the Warner sister,) Gandalf, Dumbledore, Aslan and a slew of other well-loved characters.  They are all pieces of me and I turn to them when I’m searching for direction.  Not like idols or anything.  Just reminders of who I am.  It’s funny, because I remember people being concerned that I was so wrapped up in fictional characters, but I needed them while I was growing up.  And every now and again, as Sarah says in Labyrinth, I need them.  As I grow and change, there are more characters added, but seldom does a character resign from the Board.  They’ll always be a part of me.  That’s how powerful storytelling is.

And that is why I must be a storyteller.

A typical Board Meeting.

When Pigs Fly

I have a thing for flying pigs.

You heard me: Pigs with wings, soaring through the air, squealing in delight.

I think it’s because when you hear the phrase, “When Pigs Fly” the implication is:

 “that’s never gonna happen.”

Sounds like a dare to me.
And the people in my family love a good dare.

Once upon a time, when my Father and Aunt were kids…back when the world was sepia colored and the idea of a smart phone was only found in comic books…the two of them were having an argument. Now, I don’t know what the argument was about, but it made my Dad so angry that he threatened to push my Aunt into a nearby rosebush. She looked him square in the eye and said, “You wouldn’t DARE!” Shortly thereafter my Dad found himself getting a good spanking while my Aunt was ridding herself of thorns.

I guess tenacity is hereditary. While I’ve never thrown anyone into a rose bush, I have found myself proving others wrong, not to spite them, but because I know they are confined by some imaginary box that has no hold on me.

When I was 10 years old, all I wanted in the world was a horse. It was all I could talk about. I begged my parents to buy me a horse, but they refused. However, I kept hoping and dreaming. During this time period, I met a girl who disapproved of my desire for a horse. (Seriously, what was her problem?) I will never forget what she said to me when I told her that I wanted a horse: “Yeah, right! Like that’s ever going to happen.” It was a like a dagger in my heart. Yet, it was also like a flame lit under me and from that moment on I didn’t just dream about getting a horse; I worked for it. I did as much research as a girl without the internet could muster. I took horseback lessons. I read books. I sent away for information on getting a free horse. A few years later, I had not one, but two horses that I had received for free. Actually, in retrospect, the first horse that was offered to me, I decided not to take. So, there, Debbie Downer! I see your “Never Getting a Horse” and raise you THREE FREE ONES!

How differently that situation could have turned out if I had agreed with Naysayer Girl. What if I had said, “Yeah, you’re probably right” and devoted the rest of my middle school years to pouring over issues of Teen Beat and listening to boy bands? I shudder at the thought.

Twice today I found myself saying that old adage: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” But truly, it’s more than necessity that gives birth to new creation.
It’s desire.
And passion.
And faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things unseen. (Heb 11:1)

Faith is creation.

Creation is making and doing and achieving.

It's seeing the possible inside impossible.

It's believing.
And it’s there.

That little piggy.

Waiting for you to fashion it some wings and set it free.

The next time you hear the phrase, “When Pigs Fly,” (or any relative of that phrase,) I hope you consider it a dare. And I hope it inspires you to push a little harder, think outside the box and make your dreams come true.

I dare you.

Check out Goosezilla on DeviantArt.

No Rest for the Weary

Do you ever have trouble sleeping?

I do sometimes.

Not a lot.

But now and again I find myself staring at the ceiling, waiting for the walls to melt.

My whole family struggles with sleeping. It’s like we’re an anti-sleeping gang, (except for my dad, who we lovingly refer to as the great sleeping bear.) Getting a smart phone certainly didn’t help. Sometimes I’ll play Candy Crush or surf Facebook until I realize that the rejoicing over an early bedtime was for naught, as the numbers ONE ZERO ZERO reflect in my glazed over eyeballs.

There was one night, when I was so worried about getting a restful sleep because of an audition the next morning that I took a single Tylenol PM to help.

NEVER AGAIN.

I could barely wake up the next morning, and I felt groggy and, well, drugged all day.

So much for that audition. Pfft.

Even though I wouldn’t say that I suffer from a sleeping disorder, or anything, I have tried a few little tricks to make getting to sleep easier. And now, I shall share them with you:

Limit Yourself.

This is on practically every list, ever, but just in case you forgot: Don’t drink any caffeinated beverages after 4pm.
I know.
Seriously.
That early.
If you think you're one of those people that aren't affected by caffeine and you can't sleep at night...well, just keep telling yourself that.

Get Quiet.

Allow yourself some quiet time before actually trying to sleep. 20-30 minutes of quiet reading, meditation, or prayer (whatever floats your boat) can allow your mind and body to start coming down into a restful state.

Get Noisy.

My brother used to have a white noise machine in his guest bedroom and I hated it and I kind of wrote off the idea of white noise. However, with the advent of my trusty smart-phone, I discovered an app called, you guessed it, White Noise, and it is now one of my most favorite things. There are several different ambient sounds to choose from. My favorite is crickets. It sounds like it did outside my bedroom window in the house I grew up in aka Happiness.

I can sleep right through it.

You can also choose options like Thunderstorm, Train, Plane in Flight…you get the idea. And the best part of all this? That sucker is FREE. Google Marketplace. You can thank me later.

You're Getting Sleepy...Verrrry sleepy!

Hypnosis is the bomb-diggity. Some people are weird about this one, but I’m telling you, it works wonders. I got interested in self-hypnosis when I was about 14 and then sort of forgot about it until a couple years ago. I now use hypnosis regularly and it’s really quite fantastic. Try using a hypnosis audio session designed for sleep or deep relaxation (i.e. there’s no wake-up call at the end.) Free Hypnosis Treatment has some good ones, plus your hypnotherapist has an adorbs Northern British accent. Hypnosis works differently for everyone, by the way. For example, I almost always go into a meditative state while listening to a hypnosis audio, but my brother said it helped him sleep by guiding his mind through the hypnosis session so his mind wasn’t racing through all the things he was going to have to do the next day.

Consistency is Key.

Go to sleep at the same time every night. My actor friends are laughing at this one. Heck, I'm laughing at this one. 

                         

While this one is nearly impossible for many of us, myself included, it’s probably one of the most practical ones on this list. We all have an internal clock. Our bodies know when we need rest, and if we’re consistent about it then we’ll get better sleep. Promise.

Well, those are my personal tips and tricks for helping ME go to sleep. What are some things you do to help yourself get a good night’s rest? Or better yet, what do you do if you wake up in the middle of the night?

With Great Princessing Comes Great Responsbility

            Some of you know I’m an actress by trade and I am currently playing a princess at a local theatre for young audiences. This week we had daytime performances for local schools and afterwards we gave the kids the opportunity to ask a few questions. One that took me by surprise was, “Why is the Princess so pretty?” This was not a judgment, but rather a compliment turned into a question. It really caught me off guard, so I responded with some deflecting comment about the wonders that makeup can do for a person. As the cast left the stage, I walked by two children: a sweet looking girl and a boy with a faux-hawk. The girl caught my attention and said emphatically, truly wanting me to grasp it, “You really are pretty.” The boy tagged on, “Yeah, even I think so!” Backstage I found myself making comments about how much I loved those children, and how they made my day and how kids say the darndest things. While I knew the children had good intentions, I was troubled somehow. But, I decided to dismiss it, take the compliment and let myself feel good about it.

            One of the things I love about this particular theatre is that we have a meet and greet after every show where the kids can come and get pictures and autographs. Today, after the first show, one little girl came up to me and asked, “Is it easy for you to play a princess since you’re naturally pretty and your hair is the perfect length?” Instead of answering the question, I thanked her profusely and told her I was glad she thought I made a good princess. Oof. There was that troubling feeling again.

            Again, I went backstage and retold the tale of the cute child and allowed myself to bask in the approval of my young audience. It feels good to be accepted. It feels good to be told you’re attractive. So, why was I feeling haunted by these little interactions based on appearance?

            The answer came to me while I was “waiting in the wings” at the beginning of the second show. I have about 10 minutes of downtime at the beginning of this production. I use it to fix my hair, make sure all the parts of my costume are in the right places, etc. As I gazed in the mirror I realized what I wish I had said to that little girl who assumed that it was easy for me to princess because I was pretty: Being a princess isn’t about what you look like; It’s about how you treat other people. That troubling little pang of guilt I was feeling was not about accepting compliments or believing I was pretty enough, but that I was somehow perpetuating society's definition of what a princess should look like. (I take some solace in the fact that I am much curvier than your average princess, a fact that was seemingly unnoticed by my audience members.) I did not want them to think you had to be pretty to be a princess. I wanted to be a princess that all children could look up to and want to be like, not necessarily look like.

            When I think of princesses, both real and fictional, I think of how good and kind they are. From the humanitarian efforts of Princess Diana to Princess Jasmine’s (almost tragic) generosity to a hungry child…I was learning from their actions. I was learning what it meant to be good. And that goodness is what made the princesses of my childhood so beautiful. Thinking back to the question of that dear little patron: “Is it easy to play a princess since you’re naturally pretty?” No. No, it’s not, little girl. Because what makes me beautiful isn’t the length of my hair, the color of my skin, or any other physical attribute! It’s how I choose to treat others. And treating others well is a difficult dance, that I fail at, often, but strive to do well.

Obligatory Doctor Who quote that fits so perfectly here, it's stupid!

            We have four more performances before I hang up my princess crown. Next weekend, I will have the privilege to look into the faces of hundreds of children and hear what they think about this show and about my Princess. While I will be humbled, flattered and genuinely pleased to hear that I am beautiful, if they choose to share that with me, I hope it will not only be a surface kind of beauty they see, but something much deeper and lasting.

If You Build It...

            The baseball season is quickly coming to a close. The Red Sox and The Cardinals are going to the World Series. It’s exciting. While I've never considered myself to be a sports fan, I feel like I have always loved baseball. I don’t have fantasy teams, and I don’t keep track of scores or standings, really, but there is just something about that game.
            I was thinking about why I love baseball, as opposed to other sports, and I think it’s because baseball is very romantic; people cry and go crazy over this game! Why? I think it’s because it’s steeped in heritage and tradition. You go to the park wearing your jersey and hat. You bring your glove with the hopes of catching a ball. You get peanuts or a hot dog. And you scream, and jump up and down and sing as a part of a whole community that is there to experience the same thing.
            As a child I always loved the movie FIELD OF DREAMS. Looking at it now, it’s a bit strange—it’s not a kids’ movie. But that movie captured the romantic, almost magical quality of baseball bringing families together and believing in impossible dreams. The most haunting and memorable thing about the film is the repetition of the phrase “If you build it he will come.” Build what? Who will come? What do you think would happen if we committed fully to our dreams, even when it doesn't make sense?

            See, I believe that when we go to a ball game with our parents, friends or our kids, we are building something. It may seem like frivolous entertainment on the surface, but we are sharing something unique—an experience, a memory. And that builds relationships and foundations to something much more important than a ball game. But the game is the bridge that takes you there. The game is what helps complete opposites to meet in the middle. And if that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.