A book a week

So, I love reading. Love, love, love reading. Or perhaps I just like books?

Banish the thought!

So, I love books AND reading!

I have a habit of reading 3 books at a go and sometimes end up reading a book halfway because I get so excited and start reading new books before I finish the last one. After getting inspired by this post by Julien Smith, I decided to put some structure into my reading.

I am going to take up the challenge of reading a book a week for the rest of the year!  Booyah!

Now, in all my years reading, my professional opinion is that there is a difference between reading and reading. By that I mean:

_ Reading books just to release some stress, get amused or relaxing or

_ Reading reading books to gain knowledge.

Nothing wrong with either of the two, so in this challenge I will try and read one fiction book for every 3 non fiction book I read.

I’m starting with Conscious Loving by Gay and Kathy Hendriks because it is part of my research for my next project.

Wish me luck, and you can bet you’ll get more book reviews (promise I’ll write better ones) and book recommendations here!

xoxo

H

ps If you want to embark on this challenge with me (and please do! Leave comments below on what you think) check out Julien’s tips on how to read a book a week here.

pps Don’t forget to subscribe above! :D

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Why I don’t wash my face anymore

Some time ago a friend told me that when she was a kid she stopped using facial cleanser to wash her face. She only used water because she was afraid that she would upset the ph balance of her skin. How many of you reading this now are going, “What??! She doesn’t use facial cleanser??!”

Well, the point of this article isn’t about facial cleansers, but about the beliefs that we inherit. Since the day we’re born we’re bombarded with information from every side. How many thoughts in your head right now are your own? How many things that you do daily, are things that you were told to do and so you do them, and how many are things you actually want to do?

Just like using facial cleansers to wash your face. Most men I know don’t use any type of facial cleanser just soap. And yet their skin has been the same and sometimes better than a woman’s skin. I’ve always wondered, as I lathered my face with expensive facial wash, what are the men doing right?!

How does this relate to you?

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I would like you to look at your life and make an assessment:

• What are the things that you’re doing because everyone else is doing it and it is ‘normal’ or ‘just how it’s done’? (reading the paper / watching the news everyday, going to college)
• What are the things you are doing because of all the ‘research’ out there? (Expensive facial wash, taking your medical shots, etc)
• What are the things you are doing because someone told you to?
• What are the things you are doing because … whatever

Now ask yourself, is this really necessary. I stopped using facial cleanser. The only time I use it is when I wear make up and I need to take it off thoroughly. Guess what? Nothing happened. My skin went on being it’s usual condition. I stopped buying into a lot of things that ‘people’ say are true. First of all, who are these ‘people’ and secondly, why do we have to listen to them?

When you are creating a life of bliss, there will be  a lot of things that others will say you can or cannot do. Don’t listen to them without making your own assessment. Remember:

Eeverything in the world, started out as someone else’s opinion.

Don’t let their opinion hamper your progress!

xoxo

ps, for more empowering articles like these straight to your inbox, please subscribe above! Or follow me on twitter @honeypenny

pps My big aha moment was the facial wash incident, what was yours? Please leave your answer below! Thanks!

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Eliminating ‘Shoulds’ and listening to your body

I used to live in the world of ’shoulds’. You know when you stress out because you shoulda done this or that. I also used to fall sick a lot until I realised that there was a correlation between me stressing out and falling sick (DOH! Took me all this time!) Anyway, what’s more important is that I noticed my body would give off signs to show that I am overusing it.

Why is this important for you to know?

Back in the day when I was living in the land of ’shoulds’, I wouldn’t pay any attention to these subtle signs and just plow on. What would happen was that the quality of my work would drop, I’d get cranky, needy, stuck, uncreative and eventually fall sick (usually with a cold or a cough).

Last year I watched a talk on Ted Talks by Stefan Sagmeister (designer extraordinaire) on the power of taking time off. You can check out the video here:

This concept of taking time off made such an impact on me that I reassessed my life to see where I was blocking myself from reaching my full potential by refusing to take time off.

Read more after the jump..

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Laughter is the BEST Medicine!

I just had to share this! This is so effing brilliant! Check out my friend Sean Stephenson from Living at Cause!

Have you got your dance on?

What do you do to get pumped?

xoxo

Hani

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What do you want to be when you grow up?

This post is inspired by this article by jenniferalaine.

When I was a kid I wanted to be on Television. And I was on television – for 12 years (yes, I started really young). I was in front of the camera, behind the camera, holding the camera – whatever! So I pretty much got what I wanted. But at the same time, I wanted to try so many other things. Here’s a list of a few things I want to do / have done:

1. Be a doctor (nope, haven’t done it. Though I am always diagnosing other people, does that count?)
2. Event Organizer (Done it. For 2 years! Yeehaa!)
3. Sing on stage (Done it, even recorded a song for some inane album somethingoranother)
4. Strip for a day (uh… haven’t done it. Taking pole dancing classes though – I foresee this in the near future *evil laugh*)
5. Bartender on a beach bar (Something about wearing very little clothing and mixing alcohol makes this appealing to me – but alas, hasn’t happened yet)
6. Race car driver (I am probably the worst race-car-driver type person evah! Check out the video of me go-karting below (check out my friends commentary! LOL!). You could walk faster than I was driving! But still I have hope~)

Ok, so the point is that, if you’re having trouble figuring out what your passion / purpose might be, why not go back to when you were a kid and see what you wanted to be back then (Ok, so as a child I didn’t want to be a stripper – that was more of an adult development)? The list above are just some of the things I want to do. Some other things are down right outrageous! For instance, I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut. Given the opportunity I will jump at it! You betcha bottom dollar I will be trying to mosey up to Richard Branson to get on his space craft (ok, that sounded dirty – but you know what I mean).

So think back, see what you can come up. Write down the craziest or not so crazy things you wanted to do back then, or even recently. Who cares if you want to be a singer and frogs croak better than you do? Write it down anyway. The way I figure, if it makes your heart soar, then it’s worth a try!

xoxo

Hani

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