5 Inspirational Quotes to Carry With You Through 2020

5 Motivational Quotes to Carry with You Through 2020

Get ready for 2020 with a positive and productive mindset. We can't change the world, but we can control, change and work on ourselves. 

We can all agree that there will always be problems, heartache, and struggles. However, the cosmic duality of yin and yang dictates that the opposite is also true; life is filled with beauty, promise, joy, and love. 

Here are five inspiring quotes to put on the wall, fridge, or store in the notes section of your mobile phone, and carry with you through 2020.

1. "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." - by Buckminster Fuller, 1895-1983, American Architect, Inventor, Author, Designer, Futurist

This is currently my favorite quote. In fact, in my poetry book, "We Will Have Morning Smiles", I reference this quote on the closing page as a message to my own children. These days especially, this quote offers essential advice. When we're having an issue, no matter the nature of it, the best approach is to not focus on solving the issue but to think in terms of building a new path that makes the problem itself obsolete. 

2. "There are two wolves fighting inside all of us; one is evil, the second one is good. Which wolf will win? Answer: The one you feed. - Old Cherokee Saying

This comes from an old Cherokee story of a grandfather teaching his grandson that there is a battle going on within each of us. There's another analysis by the Cherokee grandfather offered and that is feeding them both keeps life balanced and one from overtaking the other. This interpretation says that if you feed them both, you avoid an internal struggle of one or the other working for your attention. You're balanced. I'm not sure how I feel about the second analysis but I do understand the point.  For 2020, feed the wolf seeking the good.

3. "You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore" - by William Faulkner, 1897-1962, American Writer and Nobel Prize Laureate.

This is the ideal 'take-action' quote. If you've been holding back and feel a sense that it's time to get things accomplished, carry these words with you. Simply choose to break those chains, and in 2020 go for it. Personally speaking, this is my primary go-to quote for 2020.

4. "It's amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterday." by John Guare, Born 1938, American Playright

When our day or life hasn't proceeded as we thought it could or should have, let's remember what this wise quote says; tomorrow is a new day, and anything is possible. Every day we wake up, is another chance. Let's take advantage of all 365 chances in 2020.

5. "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom" - by Aristotle

Being honest with ourselves about who we are isn't always easy. Only we know the depths of who we are. One of the messages I've delivered to my kids over the years is that lying to yourself is the biggest lie. When we're not honest with ourselves, we only hurt ourselves.  When we've made mistakes, and we all have, we need to forgive ourselves, seek atonement, never repeat them, and move on. So simple, but many of us spin our wheels over this one. Let's make 2020 the year we stop spinning our wheels. You can read more about this approach in a poem I've written called Times Gift.

Let 2020 be your year.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing an Essential Oil Holiday Set

Unfortunately, the Essential Oil set that I reviewed is no longer available, but it actually contained some great essential oils: lavender, lemon, peppermint, tea tree and two combination blends.

Arbonne has decided to start going out of essential oils which is sad as they had good quality essential oils which I loved to use.

Let's have a look at what's included in the set...

Basic Essential Oils to Start Your Collection With

As the set is no longer available I'm going to just discuss what I think are the four first essential oils everyone should start their aromatherapy journey with.

The oils I believe you should start with are lavender, lemon, peppermint and tea tree oil so let's have a look at them all in more detail.

Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is the absolute Queen of essential oils, it's referred to as 'a first aid kit inside a bottle' because of how many things it's really good for.   Now essential oils should always be diluted before being used on your skin EXCEPT lavender oil - it is powerful enough to do a whole heap of things while being gentle enough to be able to use neat.   I should note that I do still dilute it personally.

Some of the common ailments that can be relieved with lavender oil include headaches (find out how in my article on naturally relieving headaches), stress relief, insomnia, insect bites and burns.

It can also be used for making bath bombs, you can add a drop to your hand cream for a beautiful fragrance and it also combines with lemon oil to make a cuticle oil - find out more here.

Around the house, you can make your own carpet deodorizing powder simply add a few drops of lavender oil to baking soda as well as using it in these ways -

Lemon Oil

Lemon oil has lots of great things going for it, the citrus scent is very uplifting and it also has both anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties which means that as soon as any viruses start doing the rounds I pop a few drops of lemon oil into my diffuser to ward them off!

It's also a great essential oil to help you stay alert, perfect for long trips in the car or studying.

More ways to use lemon oil ...

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is so soothing and refreshing I absolutely love it!  When one of my late friends was going through chemotherapy he was suffering from really bad night sweats and asked if there were any natural products I could recommend.  I told him to try adding a few drops of peppermint oil to a cool bath and see how that worked - I did caution him that as well as cooling properties peppermint was also invigorating so he may find he couldn't sleep afterwards.   In his case, it worked really well to cool down his body so he was able to sleep - with some people they will be unable to sleep.

Peppermint is more commonly used to help muscle aches and pains (diluted in a carrier oil or ointment base) or to help with a sinus headache.   Now I have seen a lot of places online suggest putting a drop of oil on your fingers and massaging your sinus points - please do NOT do this.  The only oil that can be used neat in this way is lavender oil, always dilute peppermint oil.

If you do suffer from sinus problems including headaches I would get a small roller bottle and add a carrier oil with a few drops of peppermint oil in it and keep that with you so that you can apply it throughout the day.

Peppermint oil is also regularly used in a foot bath as it's cooling on swollen feet and also helps with foot aches.  When I worked in a health food shop we had concrete floors which meant at the end of the day (especially on late nights) my feet were often sore so I would add a few drops of peppermint oil into my foot spa and rest my feet while enjoying a cuppa and a few chapters of a good book when I got home.

Tea Tree Oil

Now I love using tea tree oil and have actually written an article extolling its uses ...

Reviewing Uses for Tea Tree Oil
After being introduced to tea tree oil over twenty years ago I have embraced a few different ways of using it, let's review just a few uses for this potent essential oil.

If you're not as keen on aromatherapy or you already have these oils then why not check out some of the other holiday gift ideas that Arbonne has to offer as there are some lovely things available and of course, we've reviewed lots of other gift ideas for you too.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Jenga Classic Game Reviewed

Family Fun For All Ages

Playing Jenga Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com

It is that time of year again, we are all looking for gift ideas. Today I would like to review the classic game of Jenga for you to consider as a gift for a child or the entire family.

We love to play games in our house. Board games are fun but when the entire family gets together some of those are too difficult for the little ones to play. Not all of the adults like playing the simpler games like Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land so the the youngest can play along. 

That is why I love the Jenga game. Even the littlest family member can play. We have one who still delights in losing by pulling out a block and causing the tower to fall. She used to clap and say, "Do it again, do it again" or "I did it! I made it fall!" She has reached an age now where she understands that the object is to remove a block without making the tower crash and has become more skilled at playing. She is a little like her Grandma in not being too awfully competitive; losing doesn't bother her like a few of the adults who get perturbed when they lose. I think that is one of the reasons that I have always loved to play games with the children. It is fun to show them what it feels like to win but it is just as important (in my humble opinion) to show them how to lose gracefully. Depending on who is playing at the time, sometimes the kids see an example of what it looks like to be a "sore loser" and that is important for them to see, too. 

Jenga Classic Game

It is a fun and inexpensive game that is easy to play although it does provide some chances for skill and strategy as the tower grows and it becomes less and less stable. Because the blocks are made of wood; it isn't going to break and it is extremely easy to store away when the game is over. We've even played with the blocks like building blocks from time to time instead of playing the actual game.

If you are looking for a gift idea for a child, I recommend that you consider the game of Jenga. Both children and adults can enjoy playing it and it never goes out of style.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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