get outside

mantra of the week: i will invite the healing power of nature to improve my mental well-being.

nature has the power to transform and heal us from the stresses of our every day lives. spending time in nature helps us reduce stress, elevate our mood, and find inspiration in our natural surroundings. recently, i visited yosemite – it was magnificent and yes, i feel recharged by my time spent in the great outdoors.

what can you do today to breathe in the fresh air to recharge your soul? take a walk outside, roll down the car window, plan to watch the sunset…

in every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.

John Muir, naturist

3 tips to get outside and love on your brain:

1. engage in outdoor activities: take regular walks, hikes, or bike rides in nature, immersing yourself in its healing energy.

2. practice nature mindfulness: engage your senses and fully experience the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of the natural world around you.

3. create a nature-inspired self-care routine: incorporate elements of nature into your self-care routine, such as using natural scents, gardening, or practicing yoga outdoors. i created a natural mist spray with lavender, tea tree, and cedar wood oils…every time i spray it around i feel like i took a trip to the woods!

unicorn city connection this week: let’s commit to immersing ourselves in nature this week. plan a small retreat alone or with a loved one. rejuvenate by nature immersion. foster a deep connection and appreciation for the natural world. post a pic of you in your natural surroundings. tag #theunicorncityproject and we will celebrate your nature retreat with you.

invitation to support: support the unicorn city project in promoting mind health and the healing power of nature. your support enables us to offer support to inspire individuals to connect with the world. subscribe to a monthly postcard subscription HERE. for every new subscription, we send an additional postcard out to someone in need of a boost.

thanks for reading – don’t forget to like, comment, share, subscribe! have a great week and GET OUTDOORS!

xoxo,

Nina @ The Unicorn City Project 🦄

who you are

art by hazy

question: who are you?

on the other side of this screen is one authentically original you. how did you get here? what is your story? why do you do what you do every day and then do it again?

a colleague of mine presented thoughts on a company wide conference call this week. he talked on leadership. he stated that we needed to not only have the best players on our team but that we needed to know the strengths and weaknesses of the individual players.

the part of his thoughts that influenced me most was when he stated that we need to know ourselves. We need to be “audaciously authentic” in being strong leaders for our teams.

the concept of leading via acute self awareness is bold.

we can hunt down, seek out, recruit, and steal the best players for a team. however, if we as leaders fail to fully be who we are called to be we fail as a team player on whatever team we may play on.

authenticity means erasing the gap between what you firmly believe inside and what you reveal to the outside world.

Adam Grant, business leader

we can only achieve our full potential by following the callings inside of us. our stories are individual and unique. the path we take only needs to make sense to our own mind and soul.

be you today. plan for amazing things to unfold as you audaciously & authentically move forward into the life path intended for you.

xoxo

@mommacorn415

get lost & grow

theme of the day = get lost. in a book. down a dirt road. at a new coffee shop. in a thrift store. on a walk down a new path. or…?

when we put ourselves in new situations or different situations, we grow. our tendency is to seek comfortable spaces. when we plant ourselves in new soil different blooms are nurtured and formed.

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”

Brené Brown, truth seeker

so, get lost. even if it is by closing your eyes for a few minutes of meditation. go to a new space. allow yourself to seek peace and be at ease.

get lost and give yourself permission to grow into you… 🌱

xoxo, @mommacorn415

every little thing

unicorn city progress report:

last week i received several postcards from pen pals! 💌 my unicorn city P.O. Box is getting some action which is fun.

i received my first check from a local bookstore! it was tiny but hey 🤷🏻‍♀️ gotta start somewhere.

i redesigned my etsy shop storefront.

i am finding a brand groove with the monthly postcard design.

“don’t worry ‘bout a thing. every little thing is gonna be alright.”

Bob Marley

i am wrapping a design on a digital calendar to sell on #etsy for #blackfriday 🗓.

i made a couple friends and discussed non-profit organizations. pros and…pros basically.

and i’m still here doing the thing! perseverance through a busy work year has been a challenge. haven’t given up on this project yet!

thanks for being here and celebrating the tiny wins with me! 🦄💟👏🏽

xoxo, @mommacorn

in the present

the spin of life whirls us around in want of more stimulation, more information, more progress, more, more, more everything. 🌪

it’s time to slow down. let go. breathe. be.

“realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”

Eckhart Tolle

tomorrow is not granted. the reality we know today – the one we are constantly trying to improve upon – may not be tomorrow’s reality. it all can change in a flash. ⚡️

“there are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. one is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly live.”

Dalai Lama

rather than being preoccupied with how to control the outcome, we must let go. always, we must do our part to fulfill our roles in life. meanwhile, we must simultaneously let it all go to allow the Universe to control our destinations.

be present today wherever you are. you may never be in the same place again. so, let go and live. 🦄💟✨

namaste, @mommacorn415

listen to the Universe

many times we want to control every. little. detail. the reality is that while we can attempt to influence many things and people in our lives we rarely are able to fully control the outcome.

what can we control? our bodies. our minds. our contributions to the world around us. our impact on the earth. our kindness to others.

so. we control the controllables. we learn to let go and trust the Universe.

when we let go, what is our always returns to us. 💫

“to the mind that is still, the whole Universe surrenders.”

Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

in the letting go, we free ourselves from pressure to perform to perfection. we release anxieties to the wind by trusting the Universe and Her vast knowledge of time and space. we free ourselves to make mistakes and learn better ways.

throw your hands in the air and enjoy this ride called…life. 🎢

xo, @mommacorn415

do the hard thing

well, did you think every day was going to be easy? 🤔 some days are hard. then, more days may be hard. and some days, the sun shines brighter.

the reality is = every day we have the choice – the choice to rise and shine and drown out any voices that may try to bring us down or the choice to shrivel up into a ball of matter beaten down by the critics.

“although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

Helen Keller, author & disability rights advocate

remember, you might be your own worst critic. maybe the loudest critical voice is the one inside your own head. find a quiet space and listen. breathe. be with your own mind and create peace with your inner critic.

today’s mantra: i will breathe in my strengths and breathe out my weakness.

you are strong. you are brave. you can conquer. go do the hard thing!

xoxo, @mommacorn415

walk to your own weird

weird is good.

i listened to a business speaker once who wore all pink. he also mismatched his socks on purpose. these fashion selections were notable – different – desirable.

what if we all approached our lives and the people we meet by embracing the differences? different is good and welcomed and honored rather than the homogeneous approach the world sometimes seems to try to mold us into.

so – today as you meet people you know and don’t know – try a reset in your thinking process. those who are different from us can teach us so much about their different perspective in life. staying open to the different around us can make us more compassionate, aware, and full of acceptance.

“i’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy. my reality is just different than yours.”

Lewis Carroll, English author & poet

embrace the odd, become the weirdness. it is in the weirdness that we all become our truest selves. the oddities, the eccentricities. the imperfections we hold are the keys to our life’s work of achieving greatness.

be bold! embrace your weird today.

xo, @mommacorn415

energy vampires

energy vampires! things tasks people – any time drainer that sucks the energy right out of you is an energy vampire. 🦇

i realized that through the process of trying to simplify my life and relationships that many things suck our time. this keeps us from doing want we really want to and enjoy doing.

what are some of your energy vampires?? mine can be social media & online dating apps. both of which i spend time on to cure the lonely but maybe it would be good to go out alone and meet a new friend at a cool activity?!

“what you think, you become.

what you feel, you attract.

what you imagine, you create.”

Buddha, eastern philosopher

what do you really enjoy doing? if you could have one extra hour per day, what would you focus on?

don’t let the energy vampires control your life! take control and do the things only you were meant to do!

meanwhile, can we give a 👏🏽 for quite possibly the world’s first #vampacorn and #baticorn ??? lol 🦄💟✨

update! so we are the second vampicorn in the world and apparently baticorns are sort of a thing! 👏🏽

protect your you so you can be the BEST you!

xoxo

@mommacorn415

the first market

hey hey – nice to meet all of my new friends today!

the best place to order my monthly postcard subscription is at my Etsy shop!

MONTHLY POSTCARD SUBSCRIPTION LINK

someone asked today how i came to the idea for my shop. i think it’s a culmination of life and a love for art and a desire to make the world a better place.

vision – when i went through a divorce, i had a really tough time going to the mailbox because i was a) depressed, b) raising four kids on my own, and c) worried about what bills i might owe that would come in the mail. a trip to the mailbox would cause me a ton of anxiety. so i started to send my kids and even myself postcards so i would have something to look forward to in the mailbox. my kids began to live in a different state in the summers which also was a catalyst to create fun cards to send them. the idea grew and here we are.

art & design – i draw the animals and add different elements to the cards to create fun and unique designs. the point of “the unicorn city” idea is to create a place where everyone is welcome with their unique selves. i also really enjoy kawaii, studio ghibli, and other such cuteness in art. i enjoy adding the occasional oddity to keep it fun and support the thought that weirdness is cool.

poetry & writing – rhyming poetry has been my thing since i was young. i love dr. suess and other such fun writings. i have written all sorts of poetry through the years – it is fun to have landed on this current project.

creating mental health awareness is a goal of mine – especially amongst teenagers. i have four teenage children of my own – i understand the challenges our youth are facing.

diversity & inclusion – i want to create a safe space for all races and my lgbtq+ family. every person deserves to feel seen for the person they are. i will always hold space for all genders and any race.

thanks so much for taking time to stop by my site today! it would be an honor to include you on my next batch of postcards.

best,

@mommacorn415