Yesterday was the first of my February contests. I asked people to post their National Wear Red Day pictures on my Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group and tag with #carpediemday.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect. This whole month I’m experimenting with trying to get more exposure for Carpe Diem Day and having fun celebrating various wacky holidays. It’s just so much more fun to be playing with other people.
I picked National Wear Red Day to start with because I figured it should be kind of easy for people to find something red to wear and post a picture. I didn’t put any “rules” around how I’d pick a winner. I wanted to see what people would come up with without much guidance about what “qualified” for a prize.
Here are some of the great entries! I just love the creativity!
Fellow National Days Ambassador Meghan looking bold and sassy!
Lee says: "Red reminds me to celebrate, to stop and smell the (red) roses, to create and give red-hearted valentines, and to party with loved ones until the (red) rooster crows!"
I love Lee's mysterious tease as she peeks out of her long red cape.
John says: “For many years, RED (Remember Everyone Deployed) Friday has been a national campaign to encourage Americans to wear red to show support for deployed military men and women. Red also symbolizes the blood spilled by those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice”
Stephanie says: “I am a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor. I now have an ICD that has saved me multiple times. Everyday is a blessing to me, a gift to wake up everyday.”
Eva’s red shoes walked 10891 steps yesterday. She keeps her heart healthy with daily walking.
Crystal says: “We wear red for CHD awareness“Friend and fellow-theme-dresser Heather says: “I had to work in the lab. But you know I still wore red and all my hearts!”My sister, Michele said: “Happy “Wear Red Day”!! I’m happy and blessed to have a healthy heart, both figuratively and literally! And red is truly one of my favorite colors. Hooray for Red and Hearts and living life fully!”Ron posted a Red Poppy in honor of the poignant poem, In Flander’s FieldTony got his Red Superhero on!
Sean and Jack didn’t have any red, but still get mentions due to their supportive posts. Even though Sean was working, he posted a fun red Gif. And I’m very grateful to Becky and Shirley for passing on the word of the contest! Ashley also posted a supportive heart and has a whole event she’s sponsoring for the month of February!
All who participated (including those who shared the link or shared their support, even if they didn’t post a picture) are going to get a Valentine from me in which I pay them a genuine compliment (in honor of today, Pay A Compliment Day.). I’ll put the Valentines in my special Valentine basket and pull one out to reveal the $25 prize winner!
I had fun thinking about some fun prizes like some red sparkly piece of attire – shoes, mask, bowtie, or shirt.. Or I thought about a $25 donation to the American Heart Association.. Or maybe a Red Carpe Diem shirt? But, I decided to let the winner pick their own prize so they can get exactly what they want!
Now, on to the video for the Big Reveal of the Grand Prize Winner!
National Carpe Diem Day is February 26th. Throughout the month of February, 2021, I’ll be hosting 3 #CarpeDiemDay contests. The winners will receive a personalized prize designed to help them live more fully and find ways to “Seize the Day” despite the pandemic.
Examples include any inspirational pictures or stories of people helping or finding ways to celebrate, adapt, innovate, be creative, connect, and have fun in safe, healthy, positive ways.
Help me spread the word! Please share and retweet.
National Carpe Diem Day is February 26th. However, of course, we want to make every day meaningful!
I’ve made it my mission to actively promote and help others celebrate and create a “Carpe Diem Mindset.” I think this has been especially important in when the world has been struggling with the challenges of the Global Pandemic. I’m especially keen to get National Carpe Diem Day recognized in 2021 while people are still struggling. We don’t need to wait for our challenges to be resolved in order to celebrate each day. It’s more important than ever to celebrate in spite of the challenges!
I’ve created this Website (www.carpediemday.com) that shares many other Websites and resources aimed at helping others live full and meaningful lives and fostering deep and meaningful connections.
I host a weekly Carpe Diem Connections Podcast aimed at sharing ideas and talking to guests aimed at living a full and meaningful life. I also manage an active Facebook community of others who are living fully and sharing ideas and deep connections.
The Inspiration
In 2010, I lost a good friend, Craig Dunham, to ALS. Craig taught me the importance of living each day fully, despite the challenges we’re facing in our lives. I’ve written and spoken a lot about Craig. Passing along his message helps me to keep his spirit and legacy alive and pass forward his personal message of living fully:
I especially appreciate the opportunity to show my children how life can be lived without anger, resentment, bitterness or regrets. I have purged all of that from my life and intend to leave this life with nothing but love, acceptance, forgiveness and compassion in my heart. I am so ready to live life to its fullest, I only wish I would have thought to do it sooner.
~ Craig Dunham – upon learning of his ALS Diagnosis
Since his death in 2010, I have used “Carpe Diem” as a mantra in his honor, and as a reminder to live fully despite the challenges that life throws you. CD are both the initials of Craig’s name as well as the initials of Carpe Diem and form the emblem of Super Carpe Diem Woman, who leads the Walk to Defeat ALS.
Ideas for making the holidays fun with creativity in finding Joy in Connections during the holiday season.
In this week’s Carpe Diem Connections podcast Becky and I continue exploring the Joy Makeover and the topic is Joy and Relationships. We talk specifically about ways to connect with others during this 2020 holiday season when stress levels are high. Many of us are doing Thanksgiving a little differently this year due to Covid 19 restrictions.
Here’s an article I read just yesterday with some creative suggestions for new Thanksgiving traditions.
One new activity that I’ve been doing a lot more of during the pandemic is writing cards the old fashioned way! I had sealing wax as a kid and I wanted to give that a try again and discovered now the sealing wax comes in all these different colors that you can mix together! I also ordered a “Carpe Diem” stamp, ordered up beautiful postage stamps and other goodies, and now I look forward to my monthly cards and letters tradition!
This month, I sent out Thanksgiving cards to my family. Even though I won’t be able to be with them personally, it’s fun to send the cards, and do online games.
“Strangers to Friends is founded in synchronicity” ~Carlyn Shaw
Carlyn Shaw was at a crossroads in 1997. She’d been diagnosed with MS and had lost two good friends in two separate car accidents. Before the days of Facebook and social media, it was hard to find people who could relate.
Creating “connection cards,” Carlyn was able to meet people who could relate to her story. She found that by sharing our stories, we create connection.
“Strangers to Friends is founded in synchronicity,” says Carlyn. “It’s knowing that as humans we are designed to be connected.”
In talking with Carlyn, she described more of her ideas about how we can connect and take the initiative to share of ourselves without shame and find commonality and acceptance with one another. When we realize that others have similar feelings and challenges, we feel a bond and can support and empathize with one another.
Carlyn is the latest guest on my new podcast, Carpe Diem Connections, where I’m talking to people about leading a meaningful life and developing deep connections.
Last week I was talking to Rebecca Mullen, who was getting ready to launch a class for married couples. Today Jennifer has a practice for singles, so.. married or single.. if you want a coach, we’ve got you covered!
In the interview, Jennifer and I chat a bit about societal norms. Often, as a single, it seems to be an expectation that we’re all looking for a partner, and that there’s almost a feeling of pity from others. It’s easy to feel like the rest of the world views us as a failure or a loser without a romantic partner by our side. However, that’s just not true! More and more people are choosing to be single and feel happier as singles.
If you’re single, whether you’d really prefer to have a partner or not, it’s always a good thing to practice self-love and feel good about who we are, whatever our relationship status. Jennifer covers 8 key points of thriving solo in her own latest podcast: “How to Live Your Best Solo Life”.
So for those of us who are single, let’s celebrate! Especially this week because it’s National Singles Week! Yay!
Podcast Interview with Rebecca Mullen from Altared Spaces
This week I’m honored to welcome my dear and wise friend, Rebecca Mullen from Altared Spaces, as a guest on my Podcast.
I met Rebecca about 12 years ago when my daughter married her nephew. Though we met briefly at the wedding, it turns out we both were coincidentally at a bat mitzvah and recognized one another and started talking. We soon realized that we had a lot more in common than family.. we were both writers, bloggers, and we ended up both becoming coaches and close friends.
We met regularly for years and were one another’s accountability partners as we worked through our goals. Last year, we went on a special trip to Moab and to scout out roadside altars. This was especially poignant for me because my brother died in a car accident and we did this on what would have been his 58th birthday.
Rebecca has worked on a variety of projects including writing, speaking events, training, and coaching clients through transition. Her current big project is a class that’s starting September 28th called Habits for Happily Ever After.
The class looks very interesting and fun. The first sentence of the description about what to expect got me excited:
During the 8-week class, a lesson arrives in your email each week in the form of a story, workbook or game.
Excerpt from Habits for Happily Ever After: How Does the Class Work?
Did somebody say game? I want to get married just so I can be in this class! (Or maybe I can talk Rebecca into creating a new class about better communication between siblings or friends or family members..)
During our short podcast interview, I realized that some of the advice about healthy communication in a marriage will apply to healthy communication in any relationship.
Rebecca talks about recognizing the different we roles we play in a marriage – Partner, Friend, and Lover. As Rebecca talked through an example or how a partner might be wanting to take action and a friend might be needing empathy, I recognized that this situation applied directly to a recent conversation I’d had with my sister.
Of course, my sister and I don’t have to worry about the “Lover” role with our relationship, so it’s less complicated than a marriage. And it would be a shame not to be able to take part in any of the “Lover” activities with this class, so maybe I’ll just have to wait until I get married again to take this class.
Whether you’re married or not, I highly recommend you check out Rebecca’s Website, Altared Spaces. She has amazing insights about relationships of all types, including the very important relationship with we have with ourselves!
I feel so lucky to have learned so much over the years, thanks to this beautiful friend!
I am really enjoying meeting new people and having them as guests on my new Podcast, Carpe Diem Connections. I thought, during Covid, this would be a good opportunity for me to use my social networking skills to find interesting people to connect with.
As it turns out, I met Lawrence Coburn, cofounder of Twine on Twine! Let’s back up.. I subscribe to a Big Talk newsletter which included this blurb:
DISCOVER 36 QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU LIVE A LONGER LIFE
In 1938, Harvard University began the longest-running study on human development in history to determine what makes us live happy and healthy lives. Key results showed that happiness and health weren’t from wealth or fame, but came from meaningful relationships. I worked with Diana Rau, Cofounder of Twine to develop 36 Big Talk-esque questions centered around the theme of longevity.
PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY 15 MINUTE BIG TALK VIDEO SESSIONS
Want to have a short meaningful Big Talk conversation with a new friend, that could change your life? Join me weekly on the twine platform at 8 AM PST to be matched with others from the Big Talk community for meaningful conversations.
I signed up and got partnered with Lawrence! Rather than talk about the topics prompted by Twine, I went a bit Meta and wanted to know more about the app and whether or not it could foster friendships. I was curious about hosting a session myself on my new Carpe Diem – Single Snowbirds Facebook Group and Lawrence was very amenable to that idea.
Lawrence also shared some ideas of how Twine has plans to expand in the future. It’s really different than typical social media where you are trying to get attention from large groups. This is kind of the opposite. It’s about fostering a true relationship where you are getting vulnerable one-on-one. There’s no “lurkers” or “trolls”… just two people.
I asked Lawrence to be a guest on my new podcast and he readily agreed!
It was really fun to find out more about Twine and where it’s headed, and even more fun to find out about Lawrence and the experience his wife planned for him for his 50th birthday! Check it out by watching the YouTube video in this post!
Interview with Founder of the Society of Happy People, Pamela Gail Johnson
Getting to know Pamela Gail Johnson through my Podcast is an example of the wonderful power of making valuable connections via social media!
I read all about the Special Days (like Carpe Diem Day!) and often blog about them. When I saw that August was Happiness Happens Month and that Pamela Gail Johnson was the founder, I connected with her in all the usual ways. I was excited to find SOHP.Com and many of the other happiness efforts and ways she’s been active since 1998.
I was a nervous about inviting her to be a guest on my Podcast since it’s so new and raw, but I thought it would be great if I could talk to her in August. I’m so thrilled that she graciously accepted my invitation despite being in the midst of a recent move, not to mention all the extra Happiness activities happening this month!
Take-aways and things that went well
So fun to meet up with a Kindred Spirit!
I loved that Pamela complimented “Purple People!” She was talking politically, but didn’t realize how purple I really am! (Both politically and because it’s my favorite color!)
I really liked how Pamela commented about the adaptability of Bucket Lists (towards the end of the interview). Adaptability is key to an Agile mindset!
Loved reading the 31 Kinds of Happiness and being reminded of how many different types of happiness there are and how happiness is contagious.
Pamela gave me some advice about how I could promote Carpe Diem Day.
I really enjoy the different challenges (like the current #SmileStarter challenge), the Newsletter, the SOHP app, the Facebook group, and all the fun community activities and opportunities there are to connect with other people who celebrate happiness!
What could have been better
Still terrible with Audacity and editing audio (or video). I’m afraid this will be a standard bullet item in my “What could have been better” list for awhile. I might try GarageBand for my next Podcast episode.
Even though I’m a newbie at podcasting, it’s so exciting to be meeting people like Pamela who I consider a true “Happiness Hero”! The Smile Starter Challenge for today, August 30, is to celebrate others success and I am certainly celebrating Pamela’s great success in promoting happiness to the world!
First Interview for Carpe Diem Connections Podcast
I’ve been so excited about my new Podcast for several reasons:
I’ll be meeting with like-minded, positive people, learning from them and making new friends
I’ll learn how to podcast, and more about social media in general
I’ll continue to discover what kinds of things I want to do in this next chapter of life!
Tom Johnston is also in transition and figuring out what’s next in his life. He started both a Meetup group and a Facebook group called Ageless Explorers. His target audience are people like me… energetic people over 55 who care about health and wellness, wanting to live a meaningful “Chapter 3.”
I’d never heard of the 7 levels of energy taught in Energy Leadership Coaching. Something I want to read more about!
I really liked how Tom knew that his first priority, his purpose, his “why”.. is to be a good father and that this is what guides him. It’s important to understand and live by our values, but not always easy.
Tom and I are catering to a similar demographic, so whatever we end up doing, we might be able to network and share leads and connections.
Tom does a great job of hosting Ageless Explorers. He’s consistent, a strong facilitator, created an inspiring logo, and has interesting content in his Meetup. We share interest in coaching and positivity. I can see that he’ll be a valuable business connection and new friend!
What worked well
Tom was a very flexible, go-with-the-flow guest. He didn’t mind being the first guest on my podcast, despite my amateur status.
Very nice that Tom and I were reciprocal guests on each other’s new ventures.
I like that I was able to record a Zoom video and have content for both a YouTube video and a Podcast audio recording at the same time.
It’s nice that I haven’t had to spend a dime on equipment or software (though, if I want to get serious, I should invest in at least a better mic, so they say.)
What could have been better
It was unbelievably difficult for me to figure out how to just do a simple split of audio using Audacity! I have a lot to learn about audio-editing.
Between my lack of skill and equipment, I’m kind of embarrassed by my podcast’s low quality.
What’s next?
Interview with Pamela Gail Johnson, Founder of Happiness Happens!
