The Sunshine Spotlight

Learn the 12 habits that help me to life more intentionally. Habits include: move your body, nourish your body, sleep, service, gratitude, goals, personal growth, connections, positivity, mindfulness, saying no, and owning it. 

Work through those feelings, those fears, those insecurities. Once you start believing that you can do it... see it as true, feel it as true, trust it as true - then it becomes true. So... who do you think you are? Own it. Believe it. Say it. Be it. You can be anything and anyone you want to be - don't let anything or anyone stop you. 

Your strengths and weaknesses make you who you are. Every single piece of your body makes you who you are. Your mistakes make you who you are. You are beautiful just the way you are - Imperfectly Perfect. 

Starting your day with a morning routine sets you up for success. Get enough sleep, get up early - when your alarm goes off, make your bed, journal gratitude and goals, mediate, and exercise. 

You should be saying no when your yes feels wrong, when your yes is out of guilt, when your yes doesn't bring balance to your relationships, when your yes doesn't lead you closer to your goals, when your yes is out of duty or expectation, when your yes to someone else is at the expense of a yes to yourself, or when your yes puts you in a toxic situation. 

Whether or not you pay attention to the signs or signals (Godwinks and Greenlights) while you drive through life is up to you. But when you do... when you pay attention, those Godwinks and Greenlights are everywhere and they help to get you where you want to go. 

When you pay attention to something in your garden (a seed), it grows just as when you don't pay attention to that seed, it won't grow. In your brain, when we focus on the negative, it kind of makes weeds grow. You know how weeds are... they take over! Well, if you are constantly paying attention to those weeds (those negative thoughts), they overtake the space in your brain (your garden). Then what happens is that there is no room for the flowers to grow or those positive thoughts. What kind of garden do you want to have?

Owning it! The good and the bad. Holding yourself accountable is a big key to success. Speak those goals. Write those goals. Put those goals out there for the world to see. Find a mentor - they've been in your shoes - learn from them. Reflect on who you are spending your time with - do they push you to be the best that you can be? 

What goals do you have and what action steps will you take to get there? How can mindfulness and using your breath combat short-sightedness? How can we clear those foggy lenses? Use your prefrontal cortex to win the battle against your amygdala. Promote those thoughtful responses rather than the impulsive reactions. 

Making good decisions requires a ton of energy. Don't procrastinate - get that decision made. Make that decision for you and you alone - don't worry about what other people think. It's OK to rewrite your story; that's why we use pencil and have erasers. Changing your path doesn't mean you aren't going to get there, you are just taking a different route. Keep a positive perspective on your decision making and give yourself grace above all. When you are stuck in that decision making process, be still and know. 

There is a huge difference between wanting something to happen and expecting it to happen. When you want something to happen, it might. When you start visualizing that thing as happening - that dream, that job, that relationship - your subconscious mind starts expecting it to happen. But...nobody is going to create your life for you. You have to create your life and that takes work. Hope is not a strategy. You've got to put in the work. Take the steps to achieve your goals. Take action to make your dreams come true. You are the creator of your life. What kind of life will you create?

Train your mind in how you react, respond, and commit to what you want in life. By focusing on who you are, positivity, defeating fear, finding intention, building routines, growth, visualization, using your breath, living in gratitude, and serving others, you find your purpose... or it finds you. When you finally uncover your true self, you know. You know why it should be you. Why you.

You can't slow down time but you can be more present in it. Less do, more be. Whatever stage of parenting you may be in, find ways to be present, be proud, and be there for your kids. 

Stop procrastinating - at least on the big stuff. When you put first things first, you worry less. You make things easier not harder. You move closer to your dreams. You'll get there faster. Just do the dang thing. Get started!

Be that person that shows tolerance, love, respect, and patience. You can't change the world single handedly but it can start with you. How can you be better? How can you do better? How can you love better? Connect to a few bible verses that help us to focus on love. 

Self care is a huge buzzword right now but is huge in promoting your well-being. Learn what can happen when you don't prioritize yourself as well as all of the amazing benefits when you do priortize yourself. Find simple ways to practice self care.

Discover how to live life without the guilt. Me time, date night, dreams/goals, self care, relationships, saying "No," mistakes - all without guilt.  

By starting the day with one or more positive affirmations, you are setting the right intention for the day. You are starting the day positively, lifting your mood, and building confidence. Positive affirmations are about giving yourself a little love and believe me, we could all use a little more love. Self care will never hurt. Words that build you up and words to help motivate. Use them as you will.

Fear (or lack there of) plays a big role in making dreams come true. It can be scary. Doing something that you've never done before. Doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone. Doing something that you know is going to be hard or that challenges you. You have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable - at least for a little while. Move through the chaos. Don't let the fear of getting started, the fear of sucking, the fear of not knowing how to do it, the fear of when is the right time, the fear of what other people think, get in your way. Do it scared. 

Get clear in your vision. What do you want to do? What do you see yourself accomplishing? What goals and dreams do you hope to achieve? Give yourself permission to dream, focusing on the positive, writing down goals and action steps, and get clear. Then comes the vision board (or some type of version that fits for you). Make it, see it, feel it, trust it, and believe it. Every single day you should be taking action to move towards those visions. When those dreams happen, adjust the dream. What is next? You're not done - yet. 

Learn the importance of connections - the benefits as well as the negative effects of a lack of connection. Discover simple ways to make connection throughout your day. In a world where we understand the importance of connection, how do we do that from afar - during a pandemic or when distance gets in the way? In a world where we don't know the state of other people's mental health - we don't know their story - you can be a reason for them. You can be that connection that they so desperately need. Make connections a priority every single day. 

What does happiness even mean? I am not a happiness expert but I'm a pretty happy person. I definitely know what doesn't make me happy - I'm very clear on that. Get clear on what doesn't make you happy so that you can be clear about what does make you happy. Research shows that 40% of people's happiness comes from the choices they make. What kind of choices are you making?

DREAMS: Direction, Relationships, Enthusiasm, Attitude, Motivation, and Self. You are not going to master your life in one day. Just master today. Then do that every day. Make today better than yesterday. Be the best that you can be and don't be afraid to go big. You can't settle. Everytime you settle, you lose a little piece of yourself. If you settle, you'll never find what you are looking for. Be true to you. 

You are enough -  Just the way you are. Don't compare yourself to anyone except who you were yesterday. Are you doing it better today? Then that's a win! If you're not, then you better get on the stick and figure out how you can make tomorrow better than today. How you can do you - better. What action will you take? What are you willing to do? Write it down and do it.

It is my hope that this week's episode gives you many ways to deal with your stress, shows you the importance of using your breath intentionally, and that some of these strategies will provide you with a sort of toolkit for reducing stress. Hoping that you'll leave this episode with enough strategies and techniques available to you, so that when stress rears its ugly head, you know what to do. You'll know how you can make it better - even if just a little bit better.

Pain is a given. Suffering is optional. It's a choice. When you don't forgive, you are suffering. You can always move on from the person but without forgiveness, you can't move on from the pain. Forgiveness is for you - not them. It won't change the past but it can help to bring you some peace. 

Ladies, you know... when you are at happy hour with the girls... you gripe. We all do it! We know that when we are with our girlfriends, it is a safe place to vent so that nobody's feeling get hurt. These are not huge relationship problems, these are small things that irritate us - the simple things that drive us a little crazy. I will focus on the big picture and what is really important - push you to focus on the positive when you are tempted to focus on the negative - find that renewed appreciation of your partner. 

Why not you? No excuses - figure out who you are, find and use your gifts to make a difference in other's lives. Use those gifts to achieve your dreams. Use those gifts to spread your sunshine - whatever that might be. Somebody is going to do that thing - that thing you dream about - why not you? Believe in yourself.

Your beauty will never shine through if you don't Love yourself. You can't love other people either - not completely if you don't love yourself. You should love all of who you are. That doesn't mean that you have to think you are perfect - just beautiful. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't work on yourself - maybe lose some unwanted pounds, maybe push yourself to do some personal growth or set goals, maybe shift your attitude some. It doesn't mean you can't get better. It just means you are beautiful just the way you are. Can you get better? Sure. Can you be even more beautiful that you are right now? Sure. But accept who you are right now - all of you - your body, your mind, your spirit, your people, your gifts, all of it. And know that you are the picture of beauty. Beautiful You.

How can you serve others by looking from within? For me, when I looked inside myself for the answer to this question, I think about my gifts. Every single person has unique and special gifts - that's what makes you, you. Find yours. Use your gifts. Share your gifts. Celebrate your gifts. The world needs you! How can you look outside yourself to somehow serve your community. This is a big one but it can be as small as paying it forward by buying someone a coffee all the way up to as big as volunteering at a local charity that speaks to you. Whatever you do, find a way to serve others. In whatever way feels good to you, find a way to serve your community. When you find a way to serve others, it is filling someone else's cup but it's also filling yours. It's a win win.

Developing a routine for transitions can help us to feel more in control of everything, and help us to make room for all that's important. Make room for those important kiddos waiting for you when you get home from work. Make room for those important tasks you need to complete at work. Make room for the ever important thing called sleep.  These transition routines can help us cope with change when we need, help us to form healthy habits, and help us to reduce our stress levels.

What are you doing in life that you don't HAVE to be doing? What could you say “no” to? As I've said before, we are never going to get more time - if we want more time, we have to make it. So… how are you spending your time? Are you doing things you want to do? Are you doing things you love? Are you doing things that are bringing you closer to your goals? Learn how you can simplify your life - just a little - so that you have more time to do the things that bring you joy. More time for the things you love. More time for you to do what makes you happy?

Your attitude determines your altitude - how high you'll go, how high you'll fly, how successful you'll be - successful in your job, successful with your dreams, successful with your relationships, successful with your health. Successful with life. The question is, how successful do you want to be? Learn how optimism and positive energy relate directly to your success.

When you take time to implement a little distraction, it helps you to number one relax, which might decrease your stress, but number two, it allows you to take the needed break in order for you to come back with a more clear mind. Problem solving becomes more manageable when you are able to be mindful. Learn how to use movement, your senses, simple distractions, and changing your scenery in order to decrease your stress level. Also, how to remove distractions that are increasing stress levels. 

Kindness is contagious. Make the world a better place by spreading kindness everywhere. Teach your babies that value - being kind. You will never once regret kindness. Learn what kindness does for your body and you mind. Parents, learn some ways to evoke kindness from your littles.

Practice withholding judgement and giving grace to others. Practice giving yourself grace with positive self talk - grace in you body, grace in your mistakes, grace in saying, "No," grace in failing so that you can grow. Treat others the way you want to be treated and treat yourself like you treat others. Give Grace!

Using your breath throughout the day can combat those stressors that occur, whether they are big or little stressors. Incorporating breathing as a daily practice (habit or routine) can calm the stress response and help you to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively. 

The Spirit involves a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves - the meaning of life. What makes you, you? What do you value? What do you believe? What is important to you? Who are you? Get clear in what makes you, you. Find ways to prioritize your spirit, get clear, and own it. When you are clear it is much easier to be still and know.

Focus on personal growth - the journey to self improvement, growth mindset - how you take the hill, and goal-setting - dreams without goals are just dreams. 

Part one in a three part series on self care - Taking care of your body means moving every day, drinking half your body weight in water daily, making good food choices or eliminate something that is not healthy, and use mindfulness to be present with you mind, body, and feelings.

Choose wisely how you spend your time - you only get so much of it. When a screen becomes more important than relationships, something needs to change. Balance in the use of technology and screen time is essential in both kids and adults - find it.

If you want a shot at that exceptional life...pay attention to yourself. Do what you need to do to feel balanced. Make a toolkit (strategies) that helps you respond to stress rather than react. Everyone has stress. I have just as many stressful things happen in my life as you. It is not who has more stress, it is simply who responds better. And those responses to stress take practice. Make it a daily practice.

Be present! You never know when it may be “a last time.” You're going to miss it - whatever it is - someday. You are making memories - what kind of memories do you want to have AND do you want to be in those memories? You will find joy! You will not regret it - ever!!!!!!!!!!!

It's pretty easy to find joy in the big things. A new job, a promotion, a new house, getting married, an addition to the family, a graduation, a retirement - all joyful things. It is finding joy in the small or even difficult things that takes more work. It's not always easy and sometimes downright hard. Being in the habit of finding joy - always… means that you are better able to find joy both during the good times and the bad times.

Everyone has dreams. You may have multiple dreams or just one big one. It doesn't really matter - 1 dream or 5, it is just not going to happen unless you follow that dream. And you can't follow that dream without actually putting in some work. A dream will not just suddenly happen. Most overnight success stories - are actually years in the making. So what are you doing to make it happen? What work are you doing? How much time are you putting in to make that dream come alive? Let's just be honest. It is NOT going to happen unless you make it happen. Living an exceptional life means that your dreams are coming true but do you really think those dreams are going to be handed to you on a silver platter?  They're not. Get your butt in gear. Do the work. Make it happen!

Being in the habit of finding the good, those small things that in day to day life, we are grateful for, makes it easier to find the good when things are difficult. Just like in a garden, the things you pay attention to, grow. Do you want weeds or flowers growing in your garden. What kind of thoughts should you be focused on?

Welcome to The Sunshine Spotlight With Kathy Marvel– I am Kathy Marvel and my goal every single day is to be happy. More than that, I want others to be happy, too. I am not claiming to be an expert on happiness in any way, shape, or form but I am here, simply because it brings me joy and I want to spread that joy. My goal is this: I am hoping you walk away from each episode with at least one thing that resonates with you and may help you to move towards bringing sunshine to your life or someone else's. Something that allows you to do life better in some way. I am not a big league Podcaster (although I am a Podcaster). I am not a life coach. I am not an expert in living your best life. I am just me – wife, mommy, friend, teacher, co-worker, writer, go-getter, coffee drinker (or wine drinker) – me. Welcome!!!!!!!!!!!