Uncoveries

Uncovering Your True Self - Energy Design & Energy Healing

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Uncovering Meaningful Progress In Your Life

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“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

– George Bernard Shaw

I’m not a big fan of change, but I’ve made many over the past year and a half.

Being blessed with a well-paying job, comfortable home and loving husband wasn’t enough. I was grateful for what I had, but an inner part of me needed more.

I needed a sense of progress.

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7 Surprising Takeaways From People In Late Life

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“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”

– Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Growing old isn’t something that I generally have positive feelings about. Every year as my birthday rolls around, I cringe a little bit. It symbolizes the end of another year of being on this earth, and I feel compelled to think back on what I’ve accomplished.

I recently read a book that studied the sources of meaning according to 60 individuals between the ages of 70 to 97. While the book was more academically focused, it was illuminating. I teared up from reading some of the stories and perspectives shared, and reflected back on my own life.

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7 Lessons Learned The Year After My Sabbatical

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This is the last article of the series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). In my previous post, I shared nine areas I decluttered as I focused on my version of a high quality life. Below, I reflect on the following lessons learned the year after my sabbatical.

“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.”

– Paulo Coelho

In early 2015, my six-month sabbatical drew to an end.

I’d spent the last three months building up the framework of and talking to people about Uncoveries, but as my funds drew low, I was once again faced with the question of how to earn a living.

The following months were frustrating. I went through a bad rut during that period as my limited perspective led me down a path that my intuition knew wasn’t right for me. But all things are transitory and pass in time.

These seven lessons learned the year after my sabbatical were invaluable.

I wouldn’t have learned them without taking the leap and experiencing what I did. My hope is these learnings will help you in making brave leaps or changes in your life.

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9 Areas To Declutter For A High Quality Life

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This is the fifteenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). This week, I expand on how decluttering helped change my life by sharing the 9 main areas of focus.

“Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual.”

– Linda Breen Pierce

When you’re busy running from one thing to the next, it’s easy to miss a lot of things.

Clutter tends to hide more clutter.

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How Decluttering Helps You Change Your Life

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This is the fourteenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Last time, I talked about how the most important aspect of your life is often a lesson we need again and again. Below, I share the role decluttering played in building up Uncoveries and crafting the life I really wanted.

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”

– Joshua Becker

I’d made big progress in quitting a job that wasn’t fitting.

The next contributor was key in how Uncoveries got started and how I embarked on the path I’m on today.

Before I left for Prague, Anthony and I attended a conference on simple living and met a likeminded community of folks who were questioning the pressure around the fast-paced and constant consumerism in mainstream culture. The conference inspired me to barely buy any souvenirs during my trip; the past me likely would’ve bought at least three times more.

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The Most Important Aspect Of Your Life

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This is the thirteenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Last time, I shared 10 ways to foster creativity in your daily life. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned to be the most important yet the most often neglected aspect of many peoples’ lives.
The Most Important Aspect of Your Life

“The only really important thing, at the end of the day, is your health. If you haven’t got that, then all the money in the world isn’t going to bring you happiness.”

– John Caudwell

I used to be really good at prioritizing other things before taking care of myself.

This was not only mentally—in terms of self-esteem, self-talk and other mental traps I fell into—but also physically.

I didn’t exercise regularly during college and the first few years of work. Although I never indulged in too many sweets due to my savory tooth, I didn’t eat well. Likely too much pizza and tator tots, as much as I’d like to believe otherwise.

During the most hectic periods of work, I’d continue working without getting up for a glass of water or bathroom break until hours later. I’d purposefully ignore my body’s signs. And so at some point my body stopped sending signals, which wasn’t a good thing.

A recipe headed towards disaster.

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10 Ways To Foster Creative Ideas

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This is the twelfth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Previously, I shared the process of how I came to realize the real purpose of a sabbatical. Here I share 10 ways to foster creative ideas from what I learned in my sabbatical and post-sabbatical days.
Ways to Foster Creative Ideas

“Creative activity is a type of learning process where the teacher and the pupil are located in the same individual.”

— Arthur Koestler

The creative ideas didn’t come initially.

While my sabbatical was meant to be open-ended and exploratory, I was secretly hoping that some revolutionary idea would shine down one day in all its glory and clarity.

Eureka—I’d know the answer to what was next for me. It’d have made a great story, but unsurprisingly that didn’t actually happen.

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The Real Purpose Of A Sabbatical

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This is the eleventh article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). In my previous post, I shared several realizations about the value of quitting from the day I turned in my notice to when I walked out the office building, never to return. Here, I talk about my early sabbatical days and the real purpose of a sabbatical.
The real purpose of a sabbatical

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” 

― John Lubbock

It was the first Monday after my last day of work. That Friday, my husband, cousin and I had gone out for a celebratory dinner and I tried my first (and likely, last) cigar. The cigar was a novelty act, more a symbol of the new chapter in my life than something I wanted to try out.

My cousin was staying with us during his internship, adding up to a household of three that summer. Every morning, he and my husband walked out the door for their jobs and left me to myself.

An introvert’s dream—or so I thought.

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