Inspire

11.23.18

The 10 Best Songs of Christmas Music

Today I want to share something that I love so much. Music! Specifically, CHRISTMAS MUSIC.

Music has been my life for so long, and just like anything in life – we’ve had our ups and downs. But that doesn’t mean that anything has changed about how much I love music. Or how much it moves me.

When I was a child I was part of a group of children who got to perform all over our city throughout the year, but ESPECIALLY at Christmas! Which means that I’ve listened to A LOT of Christmas music, and usually from about August through to January 1st. Because of this, I feel like I just HAVE to share my favorite Christmas songs with you! Having listened to so so so many, and so many versions,

throughout the years – I consider myself a connoisseur of Christmas songs.

Here is my top 10 for Christmas songs – including my new favorites and my all time favorites, and some instrumentals!

Angels from the Realms of Glory – The Piano Guys
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Lindsey Stirling
Christmas Canona – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Ave Maria – Celine Dion
Snow – Danny Kaye, Trudy Stevens, Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
Cold December Night – Michael Bublé
Night Divine – Josh Groban
What Are You Doing New Years – Karen Carpenter
Carol of the Bells – David Foster

10.31.18

What’s Your Mission Statement and Why You Want One

Napoleon Hill called it your “definite purpose” and now we call it a mission statement.

It’s mostly used by business to define the mission of the brand or business. I recently started reading a book called “Principles” which is what it sounds like – a book about principles. It essentially touches the same idea – that humans work well with a guiding mantra for their life – a mission statement.

It sounds DAUNTING, I know. “How do I define my life and what I stand for in one short sentence?!” But it’s actually somewhat simple. It’s a statement built around your:

Beliefs
The kind of person you are/want to be
Principles
Priorities

Why a mission statement for your life can be so helpful is because it is a guidance system by which all decisions can be measured.

As I mentioned business have them. Starbucks’ is “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” What I like about mission statements is that they transcend goals but they can change! It’s like having a compass in your pocket to pull out when you start to feel confused or overwhelmed.

It allows you to define the terms on which you will live your life and it will make decision easier because you have defined who you are and what you stand for.

10.24.18

“Am I Doing It Right?” and Why It Doesn’t Matter!

I know I’ve asked myself this, and I’ve definitely asked this in school, in art classes, and in many other scenarios I’m sure…”Am I doing this right?”.

But I recently came to a wonderful realization – IT USUALLY DOESN’T MATTER. Occasionally it does – if you’re a doctor, your cooking raw meat, or it’s life or death, or you’re driving a car; but those situations are different because it’s a legitimate concern. In day-to-day life or in creative endeavors it’s not actually about whether your doing it right or wrong – it’s the FEARof making a mistake or the FEAR of being wrong. So what does matter?

Are you doing your best?
Do you have good intentions?

That’s usually all you need to be focused on. It’s not about getting it right. It’s about learning to enjoy the journey, the experience, etc. Save yourself the stress and stop worrying about “right”, what does that mean anyway? That your wine and painting class masterpiece will look exactly like the instructors? Does that matter? It will you uniquely yours and it will be because you didn’t worry about being “right” and just enjoyed the process!

We can all give ourselves a little more grace and compassion when we’re learning and trying new things. A good measure stick is to say, “Does this have serious consequences if I get it right or wrong?” and if the answer is “no” then you can stop worrying about being RIGHT.

09.28.18

Following a Dream to Paris – The Long Way

We went to the Louis Vuitton Time Capsule in Toronto to celebrate the anniversary of Louis Vuitton coming to Canada! What I loved about this more than all the beautiful items was the story behind Louis Vuitton’s journey to success. He left his small hometown at 13 years old and set out for Paris. It took him over two years to get there are he worked to earn money and accommodations and then traveled a little farther. Finally making it to Paris and becoming a boxer’s apprentice at age 16. He then opened his own boxing business and then introduced luggage – as they say – the rest is history.

Here is what I love about this. He followed a dream. From that dream he set goals, took action, and created a magnificent legacy. What is most wonderful about the story of Louis Vuitton though, isn’t that he set out to become a famous luggage and handbag designer, but that he followed his dream of going to Paris, and from there found something he was good at and enjoyed and it resulted in a brand with more than a century of history. I believe this occurred because of his passion – that’s what built a legacy that still exists today.

You don’t have to enjoy Louis Vuitton to appreciate his journey and the effort he put into succeeding. There are stories like this from many facets of the world. What I love is when people discover their passion and they pursue it. It creates magic. This story is inspiring because it reminds us that even if we have to walk over 300 miles to achieving what we want, it’s possible.

Anything can be possible with some creativity, imaginative thinking, and the willingness to say “this is what I want” and to then go about doing it!

09.21.18

Kleinfeld Experience

I’m changing it up today and sharing a very special moment.

About five minutes after I got engaged my mum said to me, “So, when are we going to KLEINFELD’S?!’ We love to watch Say Yes To The Dress together, and so when it was my turn to be bride it was something we both were so excited about. So here’s the play-by-play of our days at Kleinfeld Bridal.

We went to Kleinfeld’s in Manhattan and we got a last minute appointment. When we arrived we checked into the waiting room and then after about 5 minutes Diane, the consultant, came out and started calling “Stevie!”. We then proceeded to the famous gray sofas and chatted all about what my wedding was going to be like and my “bridal vision”.

After that we strolled around the salon oohing and aching over Pnina’s and Hailey Paige’s designs. Diane pulled three dreamy gowns of varying styles for me to try, each of which was beautiful. I followed her back to the dressing rooms and we began the whirl of tulle, taffeta, lace, and sparkles!

It was truly a whirlwind. The hour and a half appointment felt like 5 minutes and an eternity all at the same time.

I ended up trying on three dresses (I know, just three!) the first one was almost all lace details, but it had long sleeves and as soon as I came out to the main salon we knew it wasn’t the one. Which was a little concerning, because it was the one I had been thinking of! But then I put on the second dress. As soon as I came out the dressing room door people in the hall were telling me “this is your dress!” and then when I saw my mum and she saw me, I think we both knew at that moment – it was the one.

They were filming an episode of Say Yes To The Dress so we got the whole experience of what being on the show is like, but without the pressure! I’ll share my fitting experience in another post, but to summarize – Kleinfeld is where bridal dreams come true. They act like every girl is truly a princess and they treat your day as if it’s the only one they are thinking about.

09.07.18

The Inspiration Trick

What is inspiration to you?

As a songwriter, inspiration is something I’ve spent time studying and learning about. I’ve found that inspiration is one of my favorite things because of what it can do for us as humans. Inspiration motivates us to set GOALS, to reach for goals, to try something NEW, to be our best, INSPIRATION is something we all need.

I find inspiration in nature, travel, art, goals, daydreaming, music, conversations, ideas, really anything can become inspiration and you never know when it will happen! To me, that is so fascinating and exciting! Sometimes alone time can be inspiring – I know that can be the case for me. Or maybe looking at people you admire on instagram is something that inspires you to dream and then set goals.

One source of inspiration that is particularly interesting is how we as people have found inspiration in other people. You can be inspired by someone’s lifestyle, the things they overcame, and the things they achieved. The BEST THING about this kind of inspiration is that it can occasionally masquerade under another name…jealous. But instead of letting that envious feeling take hold, just look at it as inspiration. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of comparison, or letting yourself think, “well if I had that advantage I could be a _____ too!”. Instead just look at what they achieved and let it inspire you to be the best version of yourself and that you can achieve what they have and even more.

If you can reprogram your mind to see something that you normally would envy as something inspiring you can STOP the comparison cycle. It will help you make the jump to APPRECIATING something that once made you jealous, because you will start to think of yourself achieving something similar. Change your thoughts…CHANGE YOUR LIFE.