inspirational – Cynthia D. Griffin

Etsy, Etsy Store, inspirational, mugs, New product, new release

New Product: 7 Inspirational Mug Designs

Posted on April 3, 2021April 2, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

One of my favorite things to do in the morning, is to sip from a nice warm mug of mint tea as I journal. And sometimes, I just relax with my mug between my hands as I let my mind wonder and play with ideas. On one of these particular mornings, I played with the idea of creating my own mug designs. After I opened my Etsy shop, I decided to look into taking some of those ideas and making them a reality. These 7 mug designs are just the beginning of many exciting ideas I will be offering. What can I say? I love creating stuff! It’s soooooo much fun.

Check out the 7 inspirational mugs below that I just added to my store.

Always Choose Love Mug (image above)

Description: Always Choose Love text is on both sides. Comes is 11 oz. and 15 oz. sizes.

Buy here.

Smile It’s Contagious Mug

Description:

Smile it’s contagious text is on one side with handle to right.

Smiley face on other side with handle to the left.

Buy here.

Note: This mug only comes in the 11 oz. size.

The Best is Yet to Come

Description:

The Best is Yet to Come text is on both sides with abstract color background going around whole mug. Colors going from blue to pink. Comes is 11 oz. and 15 oz. sizes.

Buy here.

Note: The pictures above are of the regular 11 oz. mug.

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Do the below mugs look familiar? The designs come from my Journaling To Feel Good Series. So now journaling is even more fun for me with these matching mugs!

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inspirational, self-care, self-empowerment, self-improvement

Why Is Self-Care Important?

Posted on January 6, 2021January 14, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

If you have been following my blog lately, you know that I have had a common theme in several of my posts on the topic of self-care. This is because this practice has taken a major front seat in my life, and since making this change, I’ve enjoyed richer life experiences.

So I would like to take the time to write out some blog posts on my knowledge of self-care and how powerful it can be, not only for myself (because it’s been a passion of mine for awhile), but anyone that might be interested in starting their own self-care practice, or those wanting validation (and support) for a the self-care practice they already have in place.

I will get the ball rolling with discussing why self-care is so important.

Self-care is the ultimate expression of love. When we love ourselves enough to care how we feel, we are showing love not just to ourselves, but others too. We can do more, be more, and share more when we are at our best. This is why self-care is an important practice to have in our lives.

The misconception is common that we should put others first, that if we take time for ourselves or focus on ourselves too much, then we are being selfish. But how can a person be a functioning member of their friends, family, or even society, if they are stressed out, frazzled, and/or too sick to give back time or effort?

When we don’t feel good (for any reason, no matter how big or small), we are not just stealing from ourselves, but every other person we come in contact with. We are stealing the opportunity to have peace, joy, love, and happiness. We are stealing the opportunity to be our best selves.

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better life, empowerment, finding balance, inspirational

10 Ways to Have More Joy in Your Life

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

Happiness is a feeling of comfort and contentment. It’s a feeling of rightness and peace. It’s a beautiful thing. But joy… joy is a feeling of excitement and thrill. It’s a combined feeling of freedom, confidence, and absolute pleasure. There is no emotion (that I have yet to experience) bigger than joy. It’s happiness with a kick, and it’s freaking awesome.

I have been working hard to get to a place where happiness, peace, and joy are constant companions of mine. I’m still working on the constant part, but I would have to say these emotions are more with me than not. So for my benefit, and others, I am setting down here some of the key steps I have found to having more joy in my life.

1. Being More Grateful

The number one best way to bring any sort of positivity, happiness, peace, and joy into life is to be more grateful. That is how I started this journey towards more joy years ago, and my gratitude has only grown since. As it did, so did the best parts of my life. I have learned first hand that the more grateful I am, the more I will have to be grateful about. It really is that simple.

2. Being Aware of Your Mood

We cannot change our mood without first being aware of what our mood is in any given situation. So I have taken care to observe how I feel. I don’t judge myself for feeling upset or anger. I just notice what sets me off. What are my triggers, and how can I find ways to move past them or release them? I also pay attention to what makes me feel good. There’s a lot of power in just observing and being aware. A situation can’t change unless we are first aware of it.

3. Being Aware of What You Give Your Attention To

After becoming more aware of my mood, I then began to notice more specifics about what I was giving my attention to. I started to see distinct situations, people, and even thoughts that were dragging me down. It took time to identify everything, but the more attention I paid to my mood, the more aware I became of where my attention was going, and I started to cut back or completely cut out anything and everything that could be a potential joy stealer.

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inspiration, inspirational

Speak Your Truth: Chasing the Magic Bullet

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

Sometimes we can’t help but hold on tight to a certain dream or idea. We cling desperately because we want change. We want more. We want out of a certain situation, but we just don’t know how to make that happen, but we dream. We make plans. A part of us believes it will never happen, but we still hope that there’s a magic bullet out there that will transform our lives into something better and grander than what we have.

Deep down we really cling to the hope that some magic bullet will appear and cut through all the crap, all the ridiculousness our lives have become and instantly make things better for us. That magic will make all the bad parts disappear or become irrelevant because our day has come, we have zipped past the problems and been catapulted into a dream come true.

We make excuses, because we have gotten so hung up on that particular idea (whatever the idea might be, it differs for everyone) to come save us so we don’t have to save ourselves. There’s not much forward motion. We are too busy waiting for that magic bullet. But one day we get tired of waiting, so we start doing something to help that dream along.

Maybe one day we wake up and it finally hits us that the magic bullet really isn’t coming, and we start to feel the pressure of doing it ourselves. The pressure builds and life just doesn’t seem fair. Others’ seem to get their magic bullet, so where is ours? Continue reading “Speak Your Truth: Chasing the Magic Bullet” →

inspiration, inspirational

Speak Your Truth: Accepting Things As They Are

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

How many times do we wish things were different? Or a person wasn’t so loud and obnoxious? How many times have we thought about the different ways we can renovate our home or change the way we look?

Have we even stopped to appreciate a situation for what it is? Maybe there’s a reason that situation is as it is? Maybe it is trying to show us something, to teach us an important lesson?

Maybe that obnoxious person isn’t as annoying as we think? Maybe there are some amazing qualities of that person we didn’t see because we were too busy looking at the obvious?

Does our home really need a new paint job right this minute? Have we even stopped to appreciate the fact that we have a home and a roof over our heads?

Do we really need a new hairstyle, or those new flashy clothes right now? Have we stopped to see ourselves as we are? Do we love ourselves even without that new swanky outfit?

We may not like something or someone, but it’s really not necessary for us to like everything in any give moment. But not liking can lead to stress if we allow it. That’s why we seek to change things. We think that if we can make it better and to our liking, then the stress will disappear. But what about the stress of trying to change something, especially if it’s something beyond us and our immediate ability to change? What about that stress?

Continue reading “Speak Your Truth: Accepting Things As They Are” →