by Bec Martin | Apr 6, 2020 | Career Advice, Misc, Personal Development
I love, I mean love-love-love, buying my new planner for an upcoming year!
It’s like school supply shopping for grown-ups!
I think one of the reasons I love to buy a new planner is that the nice, blank, clean pages seem to make me feel like anything is possible for the upcoming year. All the ideas I continually have running through my mind, the goals, the plans, they all seem possible!
So naturally, I want a functional planner. The layout has to make sense for me. I need a monthly view, daily sections with enough room to write in my appointments, reach-outs and new contacts made for my businesses, etc. But to find a planner with extra goodies included, makes me extra happy.
Let me share my favorite features of bloom Daily Planners’ Vision Planner and Calendar, which is the planner I am currently using (and loving).
- First of all, the cover! “This Year is For Blooming” is the quote on the front of my planner. And if you know anything about me, and since you are here on my “Bloom with Bec” website, I’ll assume you do; you know this resonated with me and had me pulling my wallet out of my purse! There are plenty of other gorgeous designs to choose from!!
- And in addition to the planner that I purchased, there are academic year, teacher, wedding, pregnancy and baby’s first year planners, to name a few other options for you to choose from.
- There is a VISIONS page – that’s right, a page right inside your planner to create your own mini vision board. How awesome is that!! I actually teach Vision Board Workshops, so this is right up my alley and something I’ve never had in my planner before. #MakesMeHappy
- Planning pages – there are a bunch of cool pages: a place to record your goals, places you’d like to visit, identify things you want to improve on, a place to design your perfect week, keep track of monthly tasks, etc. They have thought of it all.
- Each month has its own visions page with space to track personal, relationship, health & fitness, family & home, work & school, and financial goals. There is also a place to track “fun & adventure”.
- And maybe a looked over benefit to some people, but one I love, an inside back pocket! This is something every planner should have in my opinion.
So, I think you see my point…my planner is the bomb! Couldn’t love it more. But now let me tell you about the FUN PART! THE STICKERS! You can purchase all sorts of stickers on bloom’s site! I guess it’s the little kid in me, but I’ve always loved using stickers. If I can use a sticker to record my workouts, keep track of my coffee dates, remind me of appointments, when to pay my bills, etc., I’m all in!!
After my initial purchase of my planner and a set of stickers, I was pleasantly surprised one morning by an email from bloom!! (And yes, I know I’m not capitalizing the name of their company…and it’s a struggle for me, a self-proclaimed grammar nerd…but that is how they actually write their company’s name.) After interacting with them a bit on their social media platforms, they were curious enough to check me out. I guess “Bloom with Bec” caught somebody’s attention at the company. YAY! They took a peek at my website and found that we shared a similar mission: to help women bloom into their best lives!
They offered to send me a few additional products to use and review for them, here on my blog. I jumped at the opportunity to partner with them and practically skipped my way to their website to send my wish list over to them. About a week later, I received a goodie box in the mail from my friends at bloom.
I selected a few accessories to try out: the Elastic Planner Bands with Pen Loops, Magnetic Bookmarks, and an Inspirational Perpetual Desk Easel. The elastic planners are great, and come in a pack of three. These work great to mark your place in your planner. No more flipping pages to find the current week. I plan to use the extra bands in the several journals I seem to be working in at any given time. The magnetic bookmarks need no explanation. They work great, are adorable, and will come in handy with the books I’m currently reading.
What turned out to be my favorite item in my goodie box is the Inspirational Desk Easel. It’s lovely, with a floral background on each page, and displays a – wait for it – inspirational quote on each day. I love that I’ll be able to re-use this year after year. Currently I’m displaying this on my kitchen table. I enjoy being able to flip to a new page, and a new quote, each morning as I’m enjoying my breakfast. It really helps to start my day with a dose of positivity.
If you are a master “to do list” maker, you will love bloom’s selection of planning pads. They offer various sizes and types of “to do lists”: grocery lists, daily lists, weekly lists, meeting lists, and even a meal planning list. You will be in heaven if you like to make lists, I assure you.
If you love being organized and enjoy creativity, beauty, whimsy, and fun in the process, look no further: bloom Daily Planners will assist in keeping your personal, as well as professional, life running smoothly and beautifully accessorized. Their mission is to help women to “use (their) products as a vehicle to inspire and encourage women around the world to accomplish their dreams.” Their goal, as well as mine, is to help you “never stop dreaming, never stop blooming.”
A match made in planner heaven? Yep, I’d say so. I’m a loyal customer, here to stay. I invite you to visit their site! If you find something you are interested in buying for yourself, I invite you to use this discount link to receive 20% off your entire first order. Tell them Bec sent you. 🙂 Cheers to planning your most productive year yet!
Don’t just grow when you can BLOOM.
by Bec Martin | Apr 1, 2020 | Misc, Personal Development
I have always loved Winnie the Pooh.
I loved him when I was a little girl and used to sing his theme song all the time.
I loved reading books about him to my baby girl.
I love the photo I have of my husband holding a stuffed Pooh Bear when he was a little boy.
I love that my Mom cleaned up and restored my husband’s worn and loved stuffed Winnie the Pooh, and that he now resides in our home.
The bond is real and deep.
But did you realize that there are COUNTLESS LESSONS to be learned from Pooh?? He’s brilliant! Wise beyond his years. Enjoy these six lessons from Pooh Bear.
“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
I am often amazed when my kids share their memories with me. Sometimes I am completely surprised that these are things they remember. You never really know when you are creating a memory for other people. Sure there are times we go out of our way to try to create fond memories: holiday traditions come to mind. But it’s often the everyday activities, shared laughs, shared stories etc. that are turning into memories. Cherish the fun and celebratory times, but also cherish the day-to-day, because you just might be making a sweet memory for somebody you love.
“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
Today we are so busy, so over scheduled, always on the run. How often do you have a day, or even simply a few hours, to just be? What just might turn out to be a blessing in disguise is the forced downtime, the time spent a home, with our family, away from others, during this coronavirus pandemic. It’s allowing us to clear our schedules, have more white space in our lives, more downtime, more time to simply be. Enjoy the slower pace of things in this season we find ourselves in. Take time to meditate, to think, to journal, to have conversation, to imagine, to dream…to just be.
“What day is it?”
“Today,” said Piglet.
“Ah,” said Pooh. “My favorite day.”
This to me is simply a reminder to enjoy EVERY day; to find joy in each new day you are given. Imagine the day you could have, if you work up with the mindset that THIS was your favorite day! Come on, let’s all give it a try.
“The things that make me different are the things that make me, ME!”
Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop worry about what others think. Stop worrying about what others may or may not be saying about you, your family, your business, your style, your looks. Just be YOU! Be thankful for those qualities that make you uniquely you. Be thankful for what makes you different, what draws people to you, what others enjoy and adore about you. Be the best YOU that you can be.
“Pooh,” whispered Piglet.
“Yes, Piglet?” said Pooh.
“Oh nothing,” said Piglet.
“I was just making sure of you.”
Be thankful for, and express the joy you feel for simply being with those you love. That’s all!
And I leave you with this one: “Promise me you’ll always remember, you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
I don’t even think I need to, nor could I, elaborate any more on that one!
Winnie the Pooh, that “tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff”, is so much more than a children’s story book character. He’s a wise and trusted friend.
by Bec Martin | Mar 20, 2020 | Career Advice, Personal Development
You are about to try something new and slightly intimidating.
You are about to get up in front of your peers to give a speech or presentation.
You are rehearsing the speech you plan to give your boss, asking for a raise you know you deserve.
You are about to have a much overdue heart to heart conversation with a loved one.
What is the one common denominator going on in all these events?? You are NERVOUS!
So often we spend so much energy trying to NOT be nervous. Here’s the thing…you are still going to be nervous in these types of situations. In my opinion, the reason you are nervous is because you care, this is important to you. It’s something that matters. You’ve often worked long and hard to be in this position, or it’s something you’ve been wanting to do, or thinking about, for a long time.
It if wasn’t important to you, you wouldn’t care as much and probably wouldn’t be nearly as nervous. Am I right?
So instead of putting all your energy into fighting your nerves, which quite frankly probably aren’t going anywhere, why not put your energy into being better prepared, and more confident, as you enter the situation.
This concept isn’t completely my own. I heard radio talk show host, Bobby Bones, talking about it earlier this week. I’m not sure if it was something he had read or heard from somebody else, but it any event, it really stuck me as something that could be helpful to others, so I wanted to share it as well.
New activity you are tackling? Make a pros vs cons list. Focus on why you want to do the thing in the first place. How excited, fulfilled, happy, confident will you feel after completing it?
Getting ready for a public speaking engagement? Practice. Rehearse. Know your material. Be confident. Go into your presentation ready to deliver your material, ready to make a difference, to enlighten, to encourage, to educate your audience.
Asking for a raise? Have your talking points ready. Be prepared to share specific accomplishments. Competitive analysis is helpful; what are others with your education, experience, expertise making in similar industries, competing companies, etc. You are, and always will be, your best advocate. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. Oftentimes, your hard work and accomplishments are simply not known by those in the position to adjust your salary.
Needing to have a serious, maybe even difficult, conversation with a loved one? How important are they to you? Don’t you owe it to them to let them know how you are truly feeling? Will your relationship benefit positively in the long run if/when you have this conversation? Prepare you thoughts ahead of time and go into the conversation with a loving and open heart. You’ll thank yourself later.
Friends, the nervousness isn’t going anywhere. Remind yourself that you are nervous because you care. In all the examples provided above, you are nervous over potentially good things in your life. Things you can be thankful for. Things that will help you grow as a person. So often people are nervous over difficult and painful things they are facing in life…a sick loved one in the hospital, the loss of a job, an uncertain medical diagnosis, etc. But this isn’t you right now, you are nervous about a good thing!
The next time you feel nervous because of an upcoming event that has the potential to be POSITIVE to your life, your career, your relationships, be thankful. Invest your energy into preparation. Accept your nerves as simply a by-product of caring.
Now go out and do the thing!
xo Bec
by Bec Martin | Mar 16, 2020 | Misc, Personal Development
In these uncertain times we are finding ourselves in, doing our best to fend off a global pandemic, finding ourselves captives of forced downtime, one of the most common complaints or concerns that I’m hearing is that of being bored.
I find this very interesting to say the least. God forbid if we aren’t running at Mach speed, we don’t know what to do with ourselves.
So I thought I’d share a few ideas of things that I plan to do during the next few weeks to keep my body and mind occupied and dwelling on positive things. Perhaps a few of these will resonate with you and will inspire you to seek out the positive in these unsettling times.
-
Read a book (or listen to one!) ~ There are many different genres, why not try something out of the norm. If you usually read personal development, why not try a novel or biography for a change of pace.
-
Declutter a space in your home ~ This might be your closet, your office, the junk drawer. It doesn’t have to be a major undertaking. Even the smallest decluttering project, when completed, can lighten your mood and lift your spirits.
Don’t forget about local charities that could benefit from donated goods. I usually try to separate items into different piles to allow me to donate where they can do the most good.
-
Declutter your mind ~ by journaling! This will look different to all of us. You may want to spend time writing about things that are troubling you, thing that you need to do/tend to (your never ending “to do list”). The idea here is to get it down on paper, so your mind can relax. Known as a “brain dump”, it’s fascinating how once you’ve jotted it down on paper, your brain realizes that you’ve “got it” and can stop worrying (as much) about it.
Not to say this will completely ease your worries or concerns, but it will greatly help. Give it a try!
-
Practice gratitude ~ You may find yourself back in your journal. Practicing daily gratitude is a sure fire way to lift your spirits. When you purposely seek out things to be thankful for throughout your day, it forces you to focus on the positive.
Maybe you owe a few people thank you notes. This would be a great time to catch up on them. All caught up? Then how about sending out a few encouraging notes (messages or texts work too) to some friends.
-
Try out a new recipe ~ Get in the kitchen! Not my favorite place, but I will admit, I tried out a new recipe this week, got rave reviews from my family, and actually enjoyed myself. I MAY give this another go even.
-
Get some fresh air ~ I’m fortunate to live near the beach, so this is my destination of choice: walking on the beach. Whatever this looks like for you, get out in the sunshine and enjoy some nice, spring weather. Still cold where you are? A short, brisk walk will do the trick.
-
Kick back and relax ~ Don’t feel guilty for enjoying some downtime. Instead, why not be thankful for the opportunity to slow life down a bit and take some time to relax and enjoy time with your family, and even some alone time.
It’s easy to get caught up with worry and fear, but I advise you to take a deep breath, look around and observe all that you have to be thankful for; then take me up on a few of these suggestions. Here’s to your health and sanity as we all get through the next few weeks.
xo Bec
March 2020
by Bec Martin | Mar 9, 2020 | Personal Development
Ever notice how people wear “being busy” or “being a hot mess” as a badge of honor? Ask them how they are doing and they are always so busy, so slammed, telling you what a hot mess they are.
Not how I want to be known!
Productive.
Focused.
Deliberate.
Balanced
I prefer these adjectives. ✨
Do I have a full a full schedule? Yes.
Do I have a lot going on? You bet.
Do I have a lot of commitments? Sure do.
But here’s the thing. I take care of myself. I make myself a priority. I don’t try to do everything at 100%, all of the time. I set priorities for my week, my day. I always make sure there is “me time” built into my schedule.
Those busy, running around with their hair on fire, hot mess people? They are going to say they don’t have any time for themselves. Here’s the thing: You need to MAKE THE TIME and there is nothing wrong with making yourself a priority!
I know this: When I feel better, am more relaxed, more happy, more rested, I’m a better (fill in the blank) to everybody else! A better mom, a better wife, a better friend.
Let this resonate with you. Taking care of yourself is NOT SELFISH. It’s one of the best things you can do for those you love.
xo Bec 🌻
