Kandice Washington

Time to Sleep

kandicewashington — Tue, 24 May 2011 01:19:04 +0000

I love hearing about people’s morning rituals. Goddess Leonie has a beautiful book about morning rituals(get it, it’s free)!

My morning ritual start with stretching and setting an intention for the day. I then go to sit on the rocks at the lake for about 10 minutes to meditate. After I meditate, I go back into the house and then write on 750 words which lets me get my random thoughts out. That is a perfect start before a busy day for me.

This got me to thinking about nighttime rituals. Many times I feel like I fall asleep after sheer exhaustion. Do you ever feel like that? Like you don’t smoothly transition into the wonderful place of sleeping. I feel like I don’t go to sleep as peacefully as I wake up. How could a proper nighttime routine inspire our dreams and affect how we wake up? How would it change our weeks?

Well, I am looking for ideas and I am on a mission! Please share your nighttime rituals that you do or have been wanting to try.Let’s all try to get a nighttime routine that makes us feel fiercely ready for the next day ahead!

The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep. ~E. Joseph Cossman

Let’s get rested! As my friend and fellow blogger, Bahieh K says Rest is Revolutionary! Ready, Set, Share!

Peace and Blessings

Kandice

Revolutionary Review: Digital Warriorship by Gwen Bell

kandicewashington — Thu, 19 May 2011 01:39:53 +0000

I first learned about Gwen Bell when I joined the Reverb 10 community in December 2010 to write thirty-one posts to reflect on 2010 . I started following her site and a few months into 2011 she blank slated her website, which baffled me.

A few weeks later, I learned about a book she had authored called Digital Warriorship. I was hesitant to read it because I didn’t think myself a digital warrior or any kind of warrior for that matter. A month or so later, I saw fellow reverber Bahieh K. post about it on Twitter. I felt compelled to buy it after months of random debating.

What can I properly say about this book? Well well, well. Just when I thought I had something figured out, Digital Warriorship came along and pulled the mat from under my feet challenging to me to think about my digital and real life presence.

The magic is in how Gwen writes the book. The book reads like a poem. My know it all brain was thinking this will be a piece of cake. The font is nice. The pages are not densely populated line wise.

Then Gwen went in. She went H.A.M. , and she did it ever so gracefully.

In less than an hour this book had me totally rethinking why in the hell I even use the internet in the first place. Gwen writes about topics such as digital blank slate, online and offline presence, finding the tender center, digital sabbatical, and asymmetry. Her definition of Digital Warriorship in a nutshell: “Consider your reverberations.” And consider them I did. I ended up taking a week long digital sabbatical and blank slated my blog.

What I love about the book is that Gwen leaves room. Just like when you leave room for cream and sugar for your coffee. Gwen left room for me to think and draw conclusions for myself. The book is palpable and I felt that she was living and breathing through the pages. I felt this sense of questioning and exploration evolving with every page turn. When I had read books in that past I wanted concrete answers or solutions, but this book changed that. It caused me to ask deeper questions about most things in my life. This book is about digital warriorship but ultimately about personal warriorship. It’s about getting to the heart of your matter.

This is my key review: Buy the book. Seriously don’t wait for a million reviews because this book is the real deal. If you are interested in the evolution of digital space. Read it. If you want to realign your digital presence. Read it. If you have not a clue about your digital presence. Read it. If you kept reading this post. Read It. After you explore concepts like drishti and Attention Economy, you will want to sit in the dark and ruminate.

It is real. We need more texts like this in the world.

The challenge of warriorship is to step out of the cocoon, to step out into space, by being brave and gentle at the same time. - Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

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To Buy Digital Warriorship click Here

Revolutionary Review: Not Your Regular Note Cards

kandicewashington — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:02:53 +0000

I have found something that is quite lovely.

Want to send a note with some fresh designs and wording? Seriously email notes feel so bland sometimes, don’t they? Check out Danielle Laporte’s line of note cards.

These note cards (like the ones pictured in this post) are a sparkly way to bring some kick back into handwritten notes. You can use them for birthday cards, random notes, or just about anything else because they are blank inside.

Give yourself and the person your are sending a note some bold inspiration! There are a variety of simply delightful phrases to choose from that you can buy individually or in a set.

If you haven’t already clicked on the pictures to get some of these fabulous goodies, then click : Bold, Lovely Notecards

Seriously, buy them already because you know you really, really want to !

Kandice

Throw the Bottle

kandicewashington — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:31:28 +0000

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” -Raymond Lindquist.

I watched this adorably juicy baby boy sitting in his stroller at the bus stop a few days ago. His mother was frantically talking on the phone. He quietly sipped his bottle and his Thomas the Tank engine covered legs flinched and kicked about.

All of sudden, he threw the bottle on the ground. He didn’t look at it fell to the ground. Instead, he calmly started looking up at the elevated trains moving on the tracks. A woman nearby picked the bottle.

She turned to me and said, ” Isn’t it funny when babies do that?’”

“It is,” I replied. “When they are done; they are done. They have no sense when it’s the right time to throw something away.”

This moment captured an important lesson for me: When you are done, quickly let it go.

How long do we simmer in something negative? How long do we drink off the bottle of worry,fear or resentment? We can’t wean ourselves off of it. We gotta get baby-like and just throw it out of our space so that it is no longer around us.

We also do this when we have had too much of a good thing. Sometimes we can’t move on because we are stuck in a rut or our comfort zones. Either way you gotta let go quickly.

And when you let go, you don’t look back. That baby focused his attention on something else and that thrown bottle became a non-essential part of his memory. He never looked down. It didn’t matter because it was no longer needed.

My bottle is fear. Time to get off the fear train and let it go. How am I going to let it go? By focusing on speaking truth and being myself. By building my business. I have already told my boss I will not be returning to work for the next school year. I am immersing myself in content that is building me up to be a fab entrepreneur (more on that to come soon!!)

Here it is in a nutshell:

Throw out the bottle, Quickly!

After you throw it out, start focusing on positive things right away!

What have you been sipping on for too long that you know you don’t need or want? What bottle are you carrying that needs to be thrown?

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”- Lao Tzu

Unexpected Revolutionary Manifesto.

kandicewashington — Sat, 07 May 2011 23:02:23 +0000

I do not want blog subscribers. I want comrades who are unexpected revolutionaries.

The unexpected revolutionary has a beautiful mind that the world needs to hear. We mindfully make our way through the world and cause movements that move mountains. We are not readily seen with the regular eye because we are not afraid of sitting still and growing slowly. We learn from our tears and fears.

The revolution will not be televised because its living and breathing. It is real. It need not be validated publicly to have relevance privately. We do what we love and pass the passion on.

We re-define ourselves. We find a way to get to the heart of the matter. Our core. We ask the questions, and we keep asking more questions.

Unexpected Revolutionaries understand the following:

Real revolution starts in the heart, the powerhouse that runs the entire mission.

Revolution starts with small, mundane acts.

We must be dedicated to progression.

We must first make meaningful change in ourselves and seek to empower others to do the same.

We ask questions freely, and don’t expect the answer to come right away.

We are creators of movements.

We tap into our unused vat of greatness and Bring it.

We understand that revolution starts anywhere.

We harness the power of our voice.

We speak and listen.

We embrace authenticity.

When I clear clutter I spark a revolution in my habits. When I put my keys back in the same place I spark a revolution. When I speak my truth one sentence at a time that is revolution. When I live my life mindful and aware, I spark a revolution.

Being present and aware of the moment is revolutionary in a day and age that seeks to detract and distract. Mindful actions. Revolution is a deeply personal act. Getting my mind to only focus on one thought at a time is revolutionary. Digital transparency is revolutionary. Following your hearts is revolutionary.

Start your own revolution. Give yourself permission. Do it and be it. What the world needs is more revolutionaries.

Are you an Unexpected Revolutionary?

If your are in the Chicago-land area, click HERE to learn more about the Unexpected Revolutionaries Book Club.

The Core

kandicewashington — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:10:06 +0000

I do not have to explain myself to anyone. I could just post, tweet, or blog anything my heart desires on the world wide web.

That’s what most people do. I want to be different. You want to be different. Keep reading.

In order to get to the core, you have to connect with your core. To connect with others, you must first connect with yourself.

Sitting still is how you connect to your core. Practicing mindful meditation. Taking a digital sabbatical

Let’s stop there and get to it. Connect with yourself first because all other connections derive from that point.

Peace and Blessings,

Kandice

Concise.

kandicewashington — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:28:39 +0000

Do blog entries have to be long winded and detailed? Well, I know the answer to that question is no, but I am getting at the heart of the question, its core.

Does length some how make a post more legitimate? Does it feel more “right” ? What if we posted more simply? Would folks better digest our words? Would that seem to0 trivial to the reader?

Being concise is never trivial. It is far more difficult to express yourself in few words as it is is in more. Being concise is about getting the big ideas into a few words..

Learning to be concise feels right. I am focusing my time on learning this lost art.

“Sometimes its good to know when to shut up.” Leo Babauta

Liberation

kandicewashington — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:03:52 +0000

Somewhere in my busy schedule I learned the art of multitasking and “felt” like it was making me more efficient. I did not realize that I was missing the subtle, beautiful details in life. I had to stop and teach myself a new thing: I had to learn to be still and embrace what is calm and isolated, rather than chaos and busyness.

Each day as I breathe, I become more mindful. I become more centered and balanced. It feels like I am clearing out my mind and learning to focus again. This is making me way more efficient than multitasking ever did. Mindfulness has helped me to liberate my attention and engage in my life in a new way. I am more hopeful than I have ever been and the affirmation below was born out of this time of solitude. Enjoy.

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Out of the ashes comes your dreams, my dreams. Our ancestors dreams.

Hopes and fear come to the surface. Acknowledge them both.

Understand that they both create balance but we must not let fear rule as it has tried to do over the years.

Let us dream in hope now. Dream in hope, see no colors. See hope everlasting.

Liberate your hope. Seriously, it is waiting to be liberated. It is waiting to be given the chance to go forth in the world around you.
Liberate your love. It is powerful beyond measure. Stop hiding it and let it shine.
Liberate your faith. It is ready to capture your dreams that have been put on hold.
Liberate your authenticity. It holds the key to an optimal future for you. The real you. The best you. The fearless you. The heroic you.

Go forth and liberate the real you.

Peace and Blessings,

Kandice

A Blank Slate Never Felt So Good

kandicewashington — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:17:24 +0000

When the student is ready, the master appears. ~Buddhist Proverb

I am becoming a blank slate. I have never felt more hopeful, confused, and real in my life.

I decided to blank slate my blog and facebook page after taking a week-long Digital Sabbatical courtesy of Gwen Bell. I highly suggest that you invest in Digital Warriorship if you are serious about re-evaluating your digital space.

This blog is becoming. I am becoming. Becoming what? I am no longer going to attempt to fill in that blank so quickly. I need to sit with it.

What do you need to sit with?

What are you becoming at this very moment in time?