The Art of Living Intentionally.

With the holiday season upon us, it’s easy for us to say yes to every party invite and become a Martha Stewart and Santa to everyone we know. The holidays can be challenging as we feel the heaviness of unspoken expectations and unrealistic demands that are placed on us. When we do things out of obligation we’ll feel resentful, tired, and angry – we’ll feel as though our time is not our own and we’re losing control of it. One of the ways we can bring joy and peace back into the holidays is by being intentional with our time – this may mean making decisions based on love rather than out of duty, learning to say no without feeling guilty, and learning to do less. May we master the art of living intentionally everyday.

©2015 Susie Leeintentional

Pain will change us.

This quote is profoundly truthful. Pain will change us more than success or good fortune will ever. And if you’re in the midst of trekking life’s uphill battle – then I wish for you courage and determination to face each day. And when you come out of it, you’ll be wiser and stronger.

©2015 Susie LeePain changes us

You’re going to be okay.

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Black Friday Survival Guide

Here’s a survival guide to being sane and safe during the Black Friday Frenzy! Let the shopping begin! And may the door busters be ever in your favour!

©2015 Susie Lee

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Poetic & beautiful words by George Eliot

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Your relationship is more important than your differences.

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13 reasons you’re not as successful as you should be.

Many of us rarely reach our full potential in life. Whether it’s fear of failure or even, fear of success. Often we blame our situation, lot in life, or other people in holding us back but in reality, we’re the ones holding ourselves back. I love this infographic because it doesn’t sugar coat what we want to hear but rather gives us a swift kick in the butt in what we need to do. Here’s to reaching our full potential!

©2015 Susie Lee

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Grace to grow.

Ok. In my last article, I wrote about how to live without being offended. Since then I’ve had a couple of close encounters. So when I was confronted by another person whether I was offended or not, I had to catch myself from shrugging it off with an excuse. Instead I took a moment and consciously decided to take a risk to be honest and vulnerable.

Fact is we’re not going to be ok with what happens to us or how people treat us. Even though we know we can’t blame others and we’re responsible for our feelings – inside we still feel crappy and angry. In the midst of this, we need to be honest with ourselves. This means recognizing our blind spots and working on them. This will be painfully hard, and at times we’ll fall flat on our faces. But that’s why we need to show ourselves grace. Grace to grow, and time to heal. With each new day we get a ‘do over’ to be a better person, to take another chance, and to be fearless. So instead of avoiding the thing that’s causing us pain or avoiding the person that’s making us feel uncomfortable, we must face them head on until it no longer has a negative effect on us. Be brave, with each moment.

©2015 Susie Lee

Live without being offended.

How do we live in a way where we don’t easily get offended? Where our feelings aren’t at the mercy of people’s behavior, actions, or opinions of us? I know it’s hard not to feel insecure when someone accidently overlooks us or intentionally leaves us out. But if we want freedom in this area of our lives, we must begin to know our worth.

So, where do we start? First, we need to stop blaming people for how they’re making us feel. We always have a choice, and we’re responsible for our feelings. Second, we need to look at ourselves. Our reaction is a good indication of what’s already going on inside of us – perhaps we still have childhood wounds or dealing with low self-esteem. Lastly, we don’t want to base our self worth on people, possessions, or position because they’re circumstantial and therefore can be taken away from us at any moment. Our self worth needs to come from who we are as a person – inner strength, quality of character, quiet confidence, and a nurturing self-love. Once we begin to love and accept ourselves we’ll become immune to outside influences.

Once we discover our true worth, we can live without being offended.

©2015 Susie Lee

10 signs that you’re truly happy.

It doesn’t take much for us to be happy in life. And often, it won’t even cost us any money. Here are 10 signs that you’re a truly happy person and if you’re not, here are 10 simple things to start adding to your day:

©2015 Susie Lee

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