creative

Bri is a truly amazing woman who juggles motherhood, blogging, and self care so gracefully. She opens up in this interview about if she believes in “having it all,” how she takes time to enjoy the little things, her favorite self care practices and so much more. Enjoy ♥♥♥

1. You’re a creative director, lifestyle blogger, wife and mom. Do you think it’s possible to have a perfect balance in life and “have it all”?

I’m not too sure I believe in balance. I believe people need to make time to take care of themselves, pursue their passions and determine what is working in their lives and what is not. When people are fully in tuned with who they are than I believe they are able to create “balance” in their lives. I think when people do things for the wrong reasons than they do not feel balanced. I believe we should love our jobs and all aspects of our lives. If there is something that we don’t love than that’s when we need to stop and take the time to figure out what needs to change.

2. When you feel overwhelmed, how do you practice self care?

I practice self care by doing things I love. Self care for me usually includes one of the following: painting my nails, coloring, painting, going to the beach, stepping outside for fresh air, mindful breathing, yoga or a brisk walk.

3. I love the concept of your painting and wellness workshops! Can you tell us a little bit about how those came about and what they entail?

Thank you! The Painting + Wellness Workshops came about from a few different aspects. I wanted to try something new while also creating an event that could help women thrive. My regular workload typically consists of a lot of computer time and I want to be more in person with people. I have also attended so many events as a blogger where we are treated so well that I wanted to bring this style of event to any woman who wants to take a little time out for themselves. Each workshop includes information about self care and following your heart. I’m working on figuring out the details for the next workshop but I’d like them all to include an activity, a learning aspect and relaxation time. My purpose is to follow my heart and to encourage others to do the same. I want people to love their lives. I want people to take care of themselves, figure out what they love and do it! I have a lot of passions and I believe the workshops tie together all the things I love to do while encouraging others to thrive.

4. It’s often said that life is about enjoying the little things. What are the little things you try to take the time to enjoy?

I take time to enjoy nature. A lot of people seem to take it for granted. I will sit in my backyard sometimes and just watch the birds, the trees and the clouds. I also take time to enjoy little moments in my kids lives and try to be as present with people as possible.

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5. What is your favorite mantra right now and why?

I have a lot! I often say Follow Your Heart. I believe we can get stuck in our heads when trying to make decisions but I think we really need to listen to our gut, our heart or our intuition more. We usually immediately know what we want to do when we follow our hearts. It’s our thoughts (or ego) that sometimes make us think we can’t do something or try to hold us back from what we really want.

One of my other favorites is She believes she can, so she does! I believe we have the ability to create our own reality. Many people hold themselves back because they don’t really believe in themselves. I think the first step into believing in yourself is loving yourself, faults and all. I know this can be hard but not loving yourself is so much harder. I want people to embrace who they are and love who they are so they can fully thrive. When you fully believe you can do something than you will. This mantra keeps me going because if I don’t believe in myself, nobody else will either.

6. What does a typical day look like for you?

During the week I get up with my kiddos, eat breakfast and take my daughter to school. Then my babysitter will come over for 2 hours in the morning to watch the little guy while I work. After she leaves I play with him than he takes a nap and I finish working for the day. When he wakes up we have lunch and play. Then we pick up my daughter from school. Typically we come home or on half days we go play with friends. We do household chores and play than make dinner. I usually take some downtime once the kiddos go to bed. Occasionally I will attend an event for work in the evenings or catch up on any projects with deadlines. Weekends we usually spend with friends and family or exploring San Diego.

7. Do you have a book or podcast you’ve recommended to friends the most in the last year?

I’ve enjoyed “You can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay. I also watch Gary Vee videos often.

8. Finally, are there any courses or workshops you’d like readers to know about?

I will have the next workshop date available on BriGeeski.com within the next week or so. I am also finalizing some plans for painting classes coming soon!

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You can follow along with Bri’s journey on Instagram @brigeeski and visit her blog at http://www.brigeeski.com.

This interview is part of Happsters Happy Questions, an ongoing series of interviews that take a peek inside the lives of inspiring women around the world.

I was recently introduced to the concept of living above and below the line and wanted to share it with you. While many of us have heard these principles before, thinking about being above/below the line is a great way to visualize our patterns.

When we live above the line, we see life from a positive place and are hopeful, creative, and optimistic. When we live below the line, our attitudes are more negative and we can feel powerless, sad, angry, fearful or hopeless.

It is important to remember that we are in charge of how we see the world. While we are continually faced with challenges, the key is recognizing when certain thoughts enter our stream of consciousness and working on how we react to these challenges. To quote Epictetus – “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

For example, lets say you’re a sales person who just lost one of your biggest accounts. Many people would fall below the line and feel powerless and upset. Others might be above the line and think about how they could change the situation for the better. Maybe they would think of the possibilities that will open up now that they have more time to focus on other accounts or come up with solutions to the problem, like reaching out to some other potential clients. People living above the line focus on what can be done moving forward, while people living below the line have trouble moving past why something happened.

You’ll find that once you make a concerted effort to live above the line, you’ll attract happiness, positive energy, and feel more connected with people.

Have you heard of this concept before? Let me know your thoughts.

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Tag: creative

Bri on Creativity, Self Care & Following Your Heart

Living Above The Line