Author: Emy Minzel

#lifelessons, Uncategorized

What does success look like?

Emy Minzel

The definition of Success is subjective. We all have a different point view. What one person considers successful, another may disagree with entirely. Neither of them is wrong, but it does indicate what those individuals’ value. Some people believe lots of money, cars, houses, boats, and toys of all kinds means you are successful in life.

Is that true for everyone? I don’t think so.

Yes, money and all the things it can buy will help you live a more comfortable life. There are plenty of people who have all the money they need and all the stuff they ever wanted, and yet, they’re emotionally miserable because they may not have what they truly need.

People need things that cannot be bought and paid for. Like time, health, family, dear friends, true connection with others, and the feeling of belonging. These ‘free’ things, that are often disregarded when talking about success, are more important than they get any credit for.

I believe being happy and content in the life you live is success. If you can look in the mirror and say “hey, you did your best today. I still like you. You were kind to everyone and everything. Your friends and family still love you” then today was a success!

Much of me believes that having a roof over our head, food on the table, love and a purpose to get up in the morning is what truly fills my heart. When it comes down to it. To me, that is success.

Even when funds seem tight, I still consider my life successful because I have worked hard on being the kind of person I view as successful, which is kind, compassionate, adventurous, smart, and ambitious. I’ve been working on myself to be the best person I can be, and it has been paying off mind, body and spiritually.

When I decided to set goals for myself and keep them. It led to forgiving myself and others. Then to greater love and respect for myself, so then I was able to treat my body better. Meeting these goals on more days than not feels good. This also feels like success.

I have wonderful family and friends that love me through the mistakes or miscommunications.  A few highly valued loved ones who taught me how to be as supportive to others as they support me. Being thankful for the people, pets, opportunities and situations that bring me joy and allow me to be authentically me help me feel successful.

How do you view success? What does it look like to you? Go kick butt by being you today! Success is what you make of it.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~

https://emyminzel.com

@emyminzel

#naturelover

Spring Fever

Emy Minzel

It’s that time of year in Minnesota when we go back to wearing hoodies instead of winter coats because the sun shines bright and warm. Then because Mother nature has a great sense of humor the next day it sleets and snows to remind you to it is still winter. Even though the beautiful sunny days persist and grow longer there is snow on the ground, yet there is fever in the air, spring fever that is. I have it bad, my dogs have it worse.

Spring Fever has hit in most every part of my life, I wish to move forward into the happy days of gardening, walking the dogs in the wildlife refuge, camping, kayaking and just being outside. I even have campaign activities and meeting many wonderful new people to look forward to. Although I want to do all these things, it is still not time. Also, I like to follow a little astrology it’s fun and interesting they say Mercury just turned retrograde which means miscommunication can be likely, electronics act up, and the general pace of life seems to be stalled.

This means even though we have tons to do, no matter how hard we have the gas pedal down, we are stuck in the muck spinning our wheels. Our lives seem to feel like tight wrapped buds of a tree just taking its sweet time making sure you are fully ready to bloom into spring. This can be a great time to do prep work for the big launch of the coming spring season.

Revising, reworking, strategizing, planning, even some spring cleaning should be the focus now. We should be doing all the stuff we won’t want to do indoors when we finally get the chance to get back outside. I don’t know about you, but these are not my favorite types of things as I like to spend my days doing. Reworking or cleaning sounds like a trip to the dentist, necessary, but not so fun.

Spring fever is the time of year when we have desires to blossom but are stagnantly bound safely in the bud of late winter. So frustrating! I just wanted to mention this feeling, so we are aware of it. Sometimes our frustration of spinning our wheels no matter how much effort we give can really get us down and affect our moods, attitudes and conversations.

During times when we feel naturally stressed by the feeling of not being able to move forward we may be short with our words or inconsiderate with our actions. If we are aware of the reasons you may be feeling this way, it is easier to put a name to it and acknowledge the true source of your frustration. When we can see why we are frustrated or upset it is much more likely we can handle it in a gentle way. It’s just a reminder to be aware and be kind.

So give yourself a break, acknowledge it’s not time to put the pedal to the metal just yet. This is the time of year we should enjoy the calm because before you know it, the hectic busy season of spring will bring many exiting activities to our longer days. The slow last days of winter are to remind you it is okay to rest, to get your house in order, to clean your office, to edit your work, or plan and strategize.

Here are some examples of type of things that I will be doing to make the most of spring fever. I plan to work on my campaign materials, logos, literature, websites, etc.… Stacy and I must go back and re-edit the revisions our wonderful editor made on our Adventure Sisters book proposals. I will be starting seeds and planning a very simple garden layout since I will have a very busy summer and won’t be able to give it as much attention as I have in the past.

All the things that can seem at times tedious and time consuming are still very important steps to the outcome I wish to achieve. Times like these can feel like spinning wheels, but I know there is a purpose for this slow down, if you can see these things in your life for the intention of the outcome it helps us stay focused.

Even when all I hear is the forest and my kayak calling… I will sit down and work hard today, so I can be ready to enjoy the abundance of fun to come!

How do you cope with spring fever? What are you planning or planting? I would love to hear from you.

 

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~

https://emyminzel.com

@emyminzel

 

Uncategorized

#Marchforourlives

Emy Minzel

There is a nation-wide protest organized by teenagers all over the country today to protest gun legislation. I find it encouraging that our young people are using their voices to pursue the change they wish to see in the world. I believe they will succeed getting the attention of our lawmakers by being persistent. Their fight is not one that will be easy, or quick. This is political after all.

I believe our children have heart, compassion, as well as reasons to rage. Rage is a completely normal response to being dismissed, belittled and not taken seriously. I am betting that this rage will take them to the voting booths. The way to change is by keeping persistence and dedication. I have seen these kids say “No. This way of life, of living in fear, is not working for us! We deserve better!” Most of us believe the same.

This gun debate is not as black and white as some like to think. We do live in a nation of freedoms that should be taken seriously. I am a gun owner, I have a conceal carry permit, I support our 2nd amendment. Here, in Minnesota, we have many gun laws already in place that keep us safe, but I believe we need to have better systems in place when it comes to the private sales of weapons to be sure they do not end up on the hands of criminals or mentally ill.

Since I also support our children’s rights to feel safe, I will not look away from the cry for help from teenagers saying enough! When we dismiss their fear, they will inevitably feel like they do not matter. The last thing in the world our children should be feeling is that they do not matter, or their fears are not taken seriously.

How can adults, who blatantly chose to disregard our hurting youth, wonder why they lash out? What do adults do when they are scared and dismissed? They get angry. Anger gets us to move, promotes action and change. Our kids are showing us just how upset they are, do not dismiss them. Listen to them. Help them. Show them we care.

Go ahead kids, stay angry, move the powers that be to action. We got your back!

 

Blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

@emyminzel

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com

Uncategorized

Are you a Do’er?

Emy Minzel

It seems to me there are two kinds of people; people who talk about what they want and people who do what they want. At different times in my life I have been both. I have even been the worst kind of person (in my opinion) which is a complainer. I complained about everything but took no action to change it.

I hate to hear complaining it is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. When I realized how I was acting I decided to acknowledge my own bull and decided to change my ways.

Instead of complaining I focused on the blessings. If I was fighting with my family I chose to accept that I am still blessed with great clients and my dogs still loved me.

While feeling despair about the environmental protections being dismantled I decided to stand up and say my peace. When that didn’t change anything, I decided to try to put myself in a position that may help me effect change I wish to see in the world.

Complaining never got me anywhere, it only alienated people who liked my happy personality but now were stuck listening to me protest and criticize others. If they offered ways to change, I disregarded it, as if it would not possibly work because I wasn’t willing to try.

When we complain and don’t do anything to fix it or help what we are complaining about it only makes the situation seem worse. In turn the person who was complaining seems like they doesn’t want to do the work it takes to change.

Until I decided to DO something about what I was complaining about, I was just a whiner. Plain and simple. They say there are three things you can do about something you don’t like;

1.Accept it. (Out of the question)

2.Leave it. (Nope, I like it here)

3.Change it. (Sounds like work… but here I am.)

I am not afraid of a little hard work, my mother raised me with hardcore work ethic. I show up, dig in, get my hands dirty or work long hours doing what needs to be done. I was willing to do hard work for my career but somehow had fell short working at defending my beliefs. Until my beliefs (clean water/air/soil/food/equal rights etc…) were being mutilated and poisoned, I realized I had to listen to the calling of my soul.

I was not happy and complaining so much because I knew I wasn’t doing anything at all to stand up for what I believe is right. Well…besides venting on Facebook which solves absolutely nothing. Until I asked myself to accept it, leave it or change it, I was stuck. These three choices are darn brilliant. I recommend you asking yourself to follow the same instruction in situations you are complaining about, it is life changing.

You know what I found out? I am not helpless, my voice matters, my opinion counts, I do have an affect on the outcome of my small corner of the world. Because my actions matter! What you do, has so much more power in manifesting your future then what you say you want in your future.

I can say I want clean water, and safe environment, but if I am complaining to all the wrong people and pointing fingers instead of working to make fixes and changes, it all stays the same.

My point is all the people you look up to, all the people you admire for doing something great…. They are all just regular people who decided to do what they say. I’ve come to realize it’s not because they are any different than me, it is only because they do.

No matter how long it takes or how much work it is. Doing is where the magic happens. You will not become a millionaire watching television or surfing the internet, these things only steal hours of your life that you could use to make your goals happen.

Come on kids! Let’s go DO something! Let’s be the change we wish to see in the world.

Wishing great blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

@emyminzel

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com

Uncategorized

Following my Dharma?

Emy Minzel

Recently I have an extraordinary amount of physical energy. Not so long ago I required a solid 8-10 hours a night and have sustaining on far less while not feeling deprived of sleep. Along with less sleep, I need to run on the treadmill like a hamster because I must release the energy inside of my body, so I can focus my mind. I have urges to run around the block fifteen time because I swear it feels like I must have drunk the pure liquid energy sucked out of a three-year-old; my whole body vibrates with enthusiasm and endless oomph!

I am so excited about the purpose of my days right now; I feel like I am falling in love with life again. As I talked to my Adventure Sister and soul sister Stacy about all the energy that mysteriously has consumed me. She’s says she learned in her training as a yogi this is what happens when I follow my dharma. Stacy knows me well and understands how passionate I am about my political beliefs, along with devotion and duty I feel when it comes preserving nature. Let’s just say I feel strongly about it. This opportunity to possibly be a State Representative feels authentic and significant to me as it symbolizes the truth of the person I am inside.  Passionate, determined and strong.

Definition of dharma

1 Hinduism: an individual’s duty fulfilled by observance of custom or law

2 Hinduism & Buddhism

a: the basic principles of cosmic or individual existence: divine law

b: conformity to one’s duty and nature

* https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dharma

Stacy explained that when you are aligned with your ultimate life purpose, you are basically fulfilling the soul contract you made with God/Universe when you incarnate into this existence. She says when you are on the ‘right’ path you will know because you will feel it clearly with balance in all areas of your life. Mind, body and spirit/energy will feel innately whole, life makes sense, it simply feels exactly right. I feel like I have a purpose higher then myself and that makes my soul sing and my heart smile and apparently my body vibrate with an abundance of physical and mental energy. I dig it.

This new form of energy is helping me rise to the challenge of the to-do’s that have been blessed upon me. I find I enjoy all of it. Networking with new friends, connecting with  like-minded people, strategizing, planning, brainstorming, writing… I love that I get to write even more then before. I seem to have endless ideas and words for them too, which comes in handy when you like to write. I just find it crazy the way I physically feel has changed so drastically in just the last few weeks. All because my mindful purpose is aligned with my actions and truly united in my fundamental beliefs.

I felt good enough to break my own record time running on the treadmill today. It’s not the fastest pace in the world but its my personal best and I feel good about it. Feeling great about getting up every day which we all know doesn’t happen all the time… I almost want to compare it to feeling like falling in love with your new born baby. When they wake up at 3am you are excited because you get to look at them again, cuddle them back to sleep and fall in love moment after moment you just can’t get enough or imagine your life any other way. You find a new kind of love you never even knew existed. You just know what your heart tells you.

I feel kind of like that, like I am falling in love with my life all over again but with much more debating and emailing. I am sure every day will be different, yet I am positive that I will be able to handle any situation with patience and an open heart. It just feels like I am indeed exactly where I am supposed to be at the exact right time. It would be supercalifragilistic if this is true! Just sayin’.

#Vote

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

@emyminzel

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com