Do you have a romantic relationship, friendship, or other kinship that has gone flat? How do you add spice back into your connections? Check this out!
Jill and Don have been married for over 15 years. Jill knows exactly what to expect. She’ll get a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. Same old, same old. They’ll likely bicker when they first get home and retreat to their corners of the house barely saying a word to each other except to acknowledge who is taking the kids to practice tonight. Don recognized they’ve been growing apart for a while and he truly wanted to re-engage with his best friend, confidant, and travel partner.
With the flick of a switch, Don planned a lavish night.
Jill walked in after a frantic day at the office to dim light lights, rose petals (laid out by the kids) led to a 4 course meal for the entire family. The kids were excited to see their parents getting along again. Jill noticed a corner of paper sticking out from underneath her dinner plate. Don, with a gentle voice, said, “Go ahead and open it.” It was a gorgeously decorated envelope. Inside there was an invitation to join her husband for an exclusive weekend at a remote cabin in the nearby national forest. Tears began running down Jill’s face. She desperately wanted a break to disconnect from work and rekindle her marriage. Jill reached over and hugged her husband for the first time in months.
How can you bring zest back to your romantic relationship? If you’re not in one, don’t fret. What can you do for a friend, family member, colleague, or even stranger that can use some extra love?
It’s time to add spark into your relationships.
May kindness, peace, and love rain onto this Valentine’s Day. Wishing you a loving, warm, and joyful day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
Everyday these tiny, small creatures scamper across my roof. The squirrels run across my fence and scour my yard for the nuts they hid in the fall. Watching the squirrels is comical. Yet, every time the squirrels put a smile on my face and laughter in my belly. Can you say that every person you interact with smiles and laughs as a result?
In life we tend to get too serious. We are either so focused we don’t realize other people exist or we’re too distracted (by phones, tv, news, etc.) to pay attention to the needs of other people. Would you want to regularly hang out with either of these people? Probably not.
We most enjoy being around people who are playful – just like the squirrel. This way we have fun in our everyday moments and don’t take life too seriously. What’s the best way to truly connect with someone? Share a laugh. Even if it’s a really bad joke.
How can you bring a sense of fun and play to your next interaction? Or better yet – your next meeting?
How can you lighten the mood or uplift someone’s day?
How can you make someone laugh today?
Squirrels are mischievous creatures always on the move to be more playful. I hope you bring squirrel characteristics into your day.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
As the holiday sales and discounts are in full swing, what’s the real reason you want to buy gifts for others?
A father asked his little girl, Janie, to write a letter to Santa Claus asking for what she wanted for Christmas. Janie rushed to her room, shut the door, pulled out every crayon, and began to write. In green, she wrote about the doll she wanted. In pink and yellow, Janie drew the dress she wanted. Janie paused, took a deep breath and continued to the big one. She grabbed the blue crayon and started drawing, teardrops coming down a little girl’s face. She put a big “x” in red across the tears. All Janie really wanted was to stop crying every time her father left the house on long business trips. She crumpled up the piece of paper, threw it in the corner of her room and cried herself to sleep.
Her father knocked on the door and came in to see how the Santa list was going. Janie stumbled awake, the tears still on her face. Her father asked what happened. She reached to hug her daddy and said, “All I want for Christmas is to play card games with you. I don’t need anything from Santa.” Her father held Janie tightly and said okay. That night, Janie’s father called his business partner and said he can’t travel this week, I have a family matter to attend to. His business partner without asking any questions, said no problem.
From this point on, Janie’s father had to justify to himself every time he was away from Janie.
This holiday season, create true interactions and connections with your loved ones, friends, and colleagues. Or ask why you’re buying a gift in the first place. Is it to make you feel better that you’re doing something for someone else? Is the gift going to enhance the other person’s life? Sometimes a kid only wants to go to the park and play with their parents. As adults, let’s create those moments that turn into memories you’ll never forget. It’s in those moments that there is an equal (gift) exchange of love and affection.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
Americans get giddy for costumes. We throw on masks, dress up like zombies with the look of death in the face or recreate a sassy version of James Bond or another movie character. We let loose. We let our guard down. We don’t care what others think about us. We socialize with friends and meet new people. We enjoy a little ruckus, share in fun times, and let our guard down.
Too often in life, we wear a mask to put on a façade of what we’re supposed to be. We dress a certain way. We talk a certain way. We do the things we think will get us accolades and validation from others. Yet on the inside we’re broken and constantly feel like something is missing. We yearn to be who we are without judgement and critique from others. Yet, we’re so afraid a gremlin is around the corner coming to get us that we don’t dare show our truest self.
What mask are you wearing? What part of you are you covering up, keeping all packaged up like a nicely wrapped holiday gift?
If you took off your mask and showed the world your true colors, what would happen?
What would you say?
How would you show up in the world?
How would you act?
I’ve seen this transition first hand. My male coaching clients aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. They will cry and get in touch with their heart. My female clients are willing to speak their voice and boldly step into their career, life, and relationships they truly desire.
It’s time to take off the armor and break down the brick wall of self-protection. To truly live is to be seen for your scars in battle, your triumphs and losses, and for the belief you have in yourself to figure out life’s hiccups along your path.
Step onto your courageous path without the mask. Begin a life full of wonder and excitement.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
How many times in your life has the sky been a color besides blue? And, how does this relate to your perspective? Check out this story.
It was a beautiful fall day. The gentle breeze cooled the skin from a sunny day. The tree leaves were turning into a deep rich red that popped among the evergreen trees. Two good friends, an engineer and an artist, decided to take their dogs for a walk and get away from their significant others for an hour.
The engineer started complaining that his wife does all these things that irritate him. It drives him up the wall and makes him become angry.
The artist said to the engineer. What color is the sky? The engineer said, “The sky is blue.” And he rambled off facts, figures, and recent statistics on what makes the sky blue.
The artist said, “Hmmm. Let’s take a seat.” As they continued talking, the sun dropped below the horizon and the sky lit up. The clouds turned pink. The sky changed to shades of orange.
The artist asked, “What color is the sky now?” The engineer said, “Pink, orange, red.” The artist, smiling with joy said, “So, the sky isn’t always blue then.” The engineer smiled, laughed, and acknowledged his friend.
Where in your life are you holding on to a certain perspective? It may be something you’ve believed for days, month, years or even decades. How can you look at that “fact” differently?
Nothing remains the same. We all grow and change every day. What aspects of your life need a shift?
Wishing you an abundant, joyful, and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
Stop the busyness, look up, and appreciate the beauty surrounding you. What can you admire? Perhaps it’s the shapes in your office, the wispy clouds in the sky, the trees that are ready to break out of winter and bud into spring, the chatter of people drinking their cup of coffee, kids playing. Take in the smell. Notice the shapes. Take in the sounds. Notice the connections and watch the flow of motion from one to the other. What do you notice about yourself?
So often, we go straight to our day – checking emails, making phone calls, checking the latest news blimp or social media post and go straight into action. However, we forget to stop and taking in the beauty that surrounds us.
The other day, beauty literally smacked me in the face. After a day of fun activities in the mountains, the sun with setting fast in the sky with beautiful hues of red, orange, and purple. My friend that was driving said – WoW! Its gorgeous! We pulled over on the side of the road took a quick picture and admired the beauty.
Stop! Take a moment. Where do you need to stop and admire the beauty more?
By stopping, you gain perspective. You notice what’s really going on around you. You notice how you’re feeling in the moment, you notice how others are feeling, and you read and feel the energy around you.
Being present in the moment allows you to take stock of what’s really going on. Stop with hustle and bustle and enjoy the precious life we have.
Wishing you a prosperous, abundant, and joyful day!
Lora
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International