Just Do It

Trust yourself, then you will know how to live.

- Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

Recently Brian and I went on a yoga retreat. We didn’t know anyone else going, and we had never taken class with the teachers leading it. Why did we do it? It made sense and it just felt right. We knew we just had to.  So almost on a whim we signed ourselves up, decided this would be a good thing and headed to Tulum, Mexico.

View right outside of our room. We knew as soon as we arrived here we were in a special place.

How did it end up? Just take another look at that photo above, or below for that matter. This place and this trip was really incredible. Not only was the location beautiful, it seemed everything, big and small, was soaked in specialness. Things just worked out so easily and with more enjoyment and magic than anything we could have planned to have happen. We experienced countless fun and even serendipitous moments. We're still floating in all the happy memories of it today.  Here are just a few of the highlights:

We fell asleep to the sound of the ocean each night and woke up to this beautiful sunrise each day! We usually like to sleep in a little on vacation. Not here! The views were too gorgeous to miss. Thanks to our new friend, Kate for this photo!

Brian finally understood and began meditating - for real! This is something he has tried for years, but it just never stuck. Our experience in Tulum changed him. He even continues his meditation practice at home each morning and carries the peace of that around with him throughout his days now!

Ahh, sweet serenity!

We practiced yoga and learned about it in a way that allowed me to see myself continuing practicing and teaching it well into my future. Thank you Quinn & Claire! Truly phenomenal teachers that put the trip together and 2 outstanding sessions of yoga each day.

Big love and thanks to these wonderful teachers, Quinn Kearney & Claire Mark! You can practice with them too at Yogaview! Check out this studio and their schedules at the link below.

We met so many lovely new friends who have a passion of creativity, exploration, enjoying life and living life with intention - all good things! With them we enjoyed so many cool, casual, and meaningful conversations over meals about life & work & fun & making the most of it all. We even came up with one of our new favorite phases: “Action is Clarity!” (More on that in future post. :) )

We danced. What can I say? Dance is one of the biggest pieces of our relationship and brings so much joy to our lives. It was beyond special to have it fit in so seamlessly here and share that joy with others in this space.

We explored, walking around ancient Mayan ruins, among tropical beauty and so many iguanas. It was so much fun!

We met interesting & inspiring people, even outside of our yoga retreat group like this former professional poker player, Sebastian, and his dog Nola. They are traveling the world in school bus he converted to an RV style home. His mission in life he said, “To show people anything is possible.” Gotta love that attitude! Funny fact: Brian has talked about living in and traveling all over in an RV since I've met him, so he was beyond excited to see how Sebastian built his mobile home and is traveling all around so far from Canada, to the US and into Mexico and South America. You can see how he converted his bus into a home and a bit about his travels in the video below. Yeah, it's all in French, but it's still interesting.

All in all, everything we experienced filled us up with so much joy and appreciation for life. We are so glad we decided to just do it. We dove right into this experience, not sure what to expect and soaked up all the goodness it had to offer. We are still smiling and talking about it weeks after it has been over!

Now I’d like to know - Have you ever trusted yourself and done something just because it felt right? Or, is there anything you're curious about right now that you feel you have to do, or just need to explore? Does anything about it feel right? If so, let me know in the comments below! I'd love to know about adventures you've had and ones still yet to come. I truly believe that our lives can surprise us and open up in beautifully when we are brave enough to trust our instincts and just do it!

Until next time cheers to the new adventures trusting yourself leads to!

Here's to enjoying your life & ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

XOXO,

Mary

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Lighten Up

Kiss your life. Accept it, just as it is.

Today. Now.

SO that those moments of happiness you're waiting for don't pass you by.

 

“What are you giving up for Lent?” someone asked me last week when I returned to work after having a 7 day stomach flu. “Food,” I jokingly said, then quickly gave my real Lenten project, “Judgement, especially self-judgement. That crushing, self-doubting, destructive kind.”

Yeah. That’s me. Silly, but serious too. I’ve given up all sorts of things in years past: alcohol, chocolate, swearing, interrupting, t.v. a few nights a week, my time to help others, etc. But, last year I tried something new. I decided go more internal and in the hopes it would make my external life happier and healthier. I gave up worrying.

I didn’t overthink it. I just heard this good ‘ole Irish saying and thought, hey maybe I’ll try that for real.

View fullsize

So, for 40 days I did my best to give less time to worry, to quell the noise of my mind when it went in to panic response mode over little things. Slowly, slowly, I loosened my grip on how I thought things should be day to day and began to embrace the way things were without my need to control them. What happened? An unexpected, tremendous relief! I had no idea I was causing myself so much tension and strife. Soon I felt I could breathe more deeply and easily.

The way Brian's face looks is how I found myself feeling more and more each day. Simply serene.

Before I knew it I found myself feeling lighter and brighter, and even sleeping better. Something I had struggled with for years. This letting go of worry thing worked so well I continued to practice it well after Lent was over. More often than not, what I realized as my days played out was that things worked out just as they should without any assistance from the opinions of my overly concerned mind. In fact, many days and events went even better than I could have imagined, even when they took unexpected turns. The best part of all of this was I was able to be more present, fully enjoy each moment and even laugh at just how amazing life really is.

So, with that frame of mind I embark this Lent on another internal journey to drop judgement. I’m not sure exactly where it will lead me, and that’s okay. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s just about lightening myself up, and in doing so hopefully bringing more light into my world and those of others too. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Now, I’d love to hear from you!

Is there anything in your life you feel you could drop that would help make you lighter and brighter, or perhaps set you on a more productive path? Or, have you worked to let go of something in the past that was holding you back? If so, how did it go?

Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to be inspired by your stories and cheer you on with your new endeavors.

Cheers to judgement-free, worry free, lighter, brighter days!

Here’s to enjoying your life & ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

XOXO,

Mary

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On Top of the World

"When it's over, no regrets."

- Randy Peeters

This guy literally has! Well, almost. His name is Randy Peeters, a rocket scientist who’s climbed the highest point on each continent and reaching both poles. This includes summiting Mt. Everest at age 57. At age 71 he still actively enjoys and goes on extreme adventures. My husband, Brian, and I had the pleasure of meeting him and his wife of 51 years, Doris, on an Amtrak train this past summer.

Climbing Everest

Needless to say this filled us with overwhelming inspiration. Not only because of Randy’s extreme sports adventures, which he still goes on, but because of how Randy & Doris approach life. They're an amazing couple who make the most of living. Randy's motto: "When it's over, no regrets." Over the course of the day we became fast friends and learned a lot about one another.

Sitting on top of the world!

One thing I learned from Randy is anyone can make their dreams come true, in all areas of life, no matter how impossible, how insurmountable they may seem. Really. He's done it many times in his outdoor adventures, and in his work, family and spiritual life. Another thing I learned from Randy and Doris is that your perspective and commitment to the people and events in your life determines the quality of the experiences you have. These two are living examples of true positivity and loyalty. They are committed to one another and to living lives they love and it shows.

Randy & Doris in Alaska summer 2016

Randy now shares how to find a life of fulfillment and conquer all types of goals with people all over the world. He's written a book called Journeys to the Edge, which puts into writing the energy, excitement and lessons Randy has experienced. To read more about his book or order your own copy go to you can visit Amazon.com and search for Journeys to the Edge.

While I strongly recommend his book, there's nothing like meeting an author in person. As I mentioned Brian and I met Randy and Doris on the train. From the moment of introducing ourselves we were captivated. Randy and Doris really are very special people to be in the presence of and talk with. Their abundant and vibrant energy is infectious.

Base camp

You can meet Randy in person too!

Whether it's attending one of his inspirational workshops or joining him on his next extreme sport adventure you'll be sure to be inspired. Randy is great at guiding others to clarify their life's vision. Brian and I had the pleasure of attending one of Randy's workshops this past January in Chicago (our hometown). We left energized with a deeper sense of purpose in our work, and clarity and connection in our relationship with one another. Find out more about Randy's talks in this video:

Like the Amtrak conductor announced as we road the rails back home, "Everybody's somebody on the train."

Indeed. Everybody is somebody, and taking the time to get to know another's story can lead to such enjoyment, inspiration and new adventures.

We continue to keep in contact since that train ride and plan on visiting with Randy & Doris again soon! I simply cannot wait to hear about more of their new adventures and I'd love to hear about yours too!

Add to the inspiration and share stories about your own life adventures! Let me know what you do to reach new heights in your life. Do you have a motto that shapes your work, relationships and how you spend your days? If so, tell me about it in the comments below!

Until next time, keep embracing and celebrating all of the adventures of your life!

Here's to enjoying your life & ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

XOXO,

Mary

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Make Everyday a Good Day!

If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can't just wait to see what kind of day you'll have. You have to decide what kind of day you'll have.

- Joel Olsteen

Gotta love Snapchat!

So, when we wake up that's what Brian & I do. One or both of us will say soon after blinking our eyes open, "I'm alive. I'm awake and I feel great!".  Truth be told, some mornings it's easier to say than others. And, that's exactly why we make sure to do it. Because life, is well, life. It has ups and downs. We've lived through enough of both of them individually and as a married couple to know we must decide what kind of day we're going to have.

This day started out completely crappy, but also included tears of joy and some amazing hard-earned smiles. Full story in my previous post: Turn Frustration to Elation.

We're both generally pretty happy people, but like anyone else we can get down, discouraged, questioning ourselves or each other. We're human. We're just very cognizant of when that happens and like a gardener we watch and tend to the landscape of our minds and moods. Working to clear the way, plucking out negativity, tossing it out like the weed it is and replacing it with the seeds of more fruitful, positive thoughts. It helps us individually and as a couple.

Although it can be work and we're well aware that negative feelings have they're place, we just do not allow ourselves to dwell in them too long. If we find we are we do something about it, especially at the start of our day. After all, we like to take charge and make the most of our days and lives. And, we know you do too!

So as cheesy as our little morning mantra sounds, we love it and stick to it. Saying those words is part of our morning routine along with putting on upbeat tunes and even dancing.  Being silly & fun in the morning sets us in a good mood. We work to keep it there throughout the day too.  And, surprisingly as I have learned over the course of my yoga studies, there's actually some ancient wisdom behind it. Yoga Sutra 2.33 from Patanjali (that's the traditional yoga text) says, "When disturbed by negative thoughts [doubt, uncertainty}, opposite [positive] ones should be thoughts of."  Sounds a little like something Yoda would say, right!

With that, I'd like to know - What do you do to get your day headed in the right direction? Are there any morning mantras or mid-day Jedi mind tricks you have to keep you focused, happy, calm and productive? If so, share it in the comments or email the details to me at mary@marybosak.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Cheers to good mornings, and so many more good days of 2017!

Here's to enjoying your life & ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

Xoxo,

Mary

P.S. - ALL GOOD THINGS is going on a brief break. We'll be recharging over vacation and ready to bring even more goodness to you on Tuesday, February 28th.

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