Mind Bending Musings to Open Your Horizons

LIFE LESSON

Fans of Doc Brown and Marty McFly are already gearing up to celebrate Back to the Future Day, which falls upon Monday, October 21st. This time-traveling, mind bending film series gives me a good excuse for being a bit “woo-woo” and esoteric in this week's #3MR. Ready? Here goes.

Most people (including Yours Truly) are most comfortable with clear cut beginnings and ends. For example: Articulate goal. Write it down. Take steps to achieve it. Achieve stated goal… and finally (in football parlance), move the chains. Repeat as necessary.

However:

? What if linear and nonlinear paths coexist simultaneously?

? What if the linear model of goal achieving outlined in the previous paragraph is absolutely correct?

? What if a random pathway would bring you to the same end? Is one approach more “real” or correct than the other?

? What if your path is at once independent and interrelated to every other path?

? What if all of the above are true? Would it matter?

? What happens when we change the past? Is there a past?

Again, lots of theoretical fodder for discussion.

As I see it, our responsibility to ourselves and each other is to tend our own garden. Set our own goals. Discern our own truths and live them out as best we can with what we have at any given time, reaching out to others who are able and willing to help us grow. In so doing, the betterment of the Whole is advanced.

When we focus on our own skills, talents and the expression of same, we find that our lives are like an instrument playing within a symphony of humanity. Each life has a different tone, frequency, vibrancy and melody and yet each blends with the others when lived in an authentic manner.

You create your future through your choices made today.

LIFE HACK

When I moved to Chicago, I noticed that I gravitated to the color orange, using it for furnishings, throw pillows and linens throughout my apartment. Orange symbolizes energy, vitality, cheer, excitement, adventure, warmth, and good health. In retrospect, I find it interesting that these are the feelings needed to start over in a new town. Perhaps my subconscious was my interior decorator?

National Color Day is October 22, which gives us a chance to explore the concept of color theory.

Have you ever considered the subliminal effects of color on mood? It matters! What you wear, the color of your bedroom or even the colors of the food you eat all contribute to your environment. Colors are a literal representation of frequencies and vibrations across a spectrum and have a different impact on everyone.

A quick Google search focusing on the meaning and impact of colors will yield insights that can help you decide what may work best for you if you’d like to change up your mood. Take a look at your closet. Is there a dominant color? Does it make you feel cheerful? Depressed? Focus on your instinctive response.

If you live in an apartment and painting the walls isn’t an option, consider using inexpensive fabric to create artwork — you can stretch it across frames you buy at the thrift shop. Changing your linens or using throw pillows is also an easy way to bring color into your life.

When you’re out and about, take a moment to really look at the blue sky, or the green leaves. Soak up the colors that surround you, and take the time to appreciate the ability to see them.

TREAT

HUZZAH and GLEEFUL EXHORTATIONS! October 20 begins National Friends of Libraries Week. As faithful readers of my scribblings can attest, I was pretty much raised in libraries. They formed a foundational aspect of my appreciation for knowledge, collective resources and humanity’s capacity to grow.

I volunteer for my neighborhood Friends of Libraries nonprofit. Together, we sponsor game nights, book sales, host various expert speakers and provide a forum for group discussion. There are literally millions of other local organizations you can support, either through your time, talent or treasure.

Here are some ways libraries can not only inspire, but also contribute to enriching you and those around you:

? Community involvement boosts your mental health. Connection with others underscores our shared humanity and builds empathy.

? Foster mindfulness. Consider libraries as a sanctuary of sorts, where you can be silent. Whether reading or just focusing on your breathing in this oasis of books, you can check in with yourself here.

? Learn something new. Top-notch learning resources offered through libraries are a big reason that libraries are a smart investment. When you add the brainpower of a librarian who can help focus your search, you're set up for leveling up!

? Get a move on. While libraries are a boon for your brain, you can also pick up new habits that benefit your body, too. Classes on all sorts of subjects are available either for free or a nominal cost.

Here in Chicago, I'm lucky enough to be close to the Winter Garden at the Harold Washington Library. It's like a conservatory for humans, and over the cold months, you'll find me there reading.

What's your favorite thing about libraries?

P.S. The FutureU Self Care Summit is now accepting registrations! Held Tuesday, January 7, 2025, this one day intensive experience of high-level networking, vibrant speakers and hands-on workshopping promises to kick off your year in a big way. We’d like to thank Liaison LLM for their sponsorship (look for more info about them in the days and weeks to come). Learn more about the benefits of sponsorship or attending by visiting our website here!

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If you’ve enjoyed the #3MR, check out my linktree, where you can buy me a coffee, book a free ClarityCall?, check out merch, my books and more.

An author, media consultant, life coach and speaker, Molly Cantrell-Kraig has been recognized as one of CNN’s Visionary Women, been profiled by both the Christian Science Monitor and the Shriver Report. Cantrell-Kraig has also been interviewed on the Women’s Media Center and the BBC, speaking on such topics as women, independence, gender roles and life transitions. As a catalytic change-agent, Cantrell-Kraig is a self-described work in progress whose focus is on helping others achieve their goals by sharing her own experiences.