New year, new mantra & giveaway
Resolutions are tricky. They can take the shape of an army of ‘shoulds’ with pointy viscous teeth and funny artillery rather than actual manifestations of change. So, this year, let’s make New Year’s mantras. Something you can repeat in quiet moments or repeat to create a desperately needed quiet moment for yourself throughout the year.
I’m no expert on mantras, but I’ve had a few in my day. Keep it short, something that can be said in a simple exhale. It doesn’t have to be a sentence; it can even be a few words you want to focus on. Present tense is always good for manifesting, e.g. “I am” vs. “I will”. Other than those general guidelines, there are no rules. Your mantra is your very own.
Speaking of manifesting, I’ve recently ventured into the wild world of fermentation with projects like culturing my own yogurt (and then straining it, and using the whey for other things), lacto-fermentation (both with and without whey) and even an apple scrap vinegar adventure. I’m hooked and so are my pals back in Brooklyn who have mastered the fine art of kombucha, a fermented tea beverage.
As a special New Year’s alterna-resolution kind of thing, Kombucha Brooklyn has offered up to one lucky reader a home brew kit, a very real and easy way to grow and integrate live-cultured beverages into your existing life. No ‘shoulds’ or ‘I really need to learns’ necessary.
;)
Here’s the info listed on their website about the kit:
KBBK Kombucha Home Brew Kit is an easy, fun and cost-effective kit for making your very own kombucha at home! Everything you need to make your own delicious and healthful kombucha is inside. From instructions to ingredients to a jar to to brew it in, it’s all there. And the special bonus : access to the Kombuchman himself to answer all your brewing questions and guide you on your quest for the perfect ‘buch! Check out our video to see how easy it is.
Included in each Home Brew Kit are the following tried and true components:
- USDA Certified 1 Gallon glass jar
- 100% Organic cotton cover
- Rubber band
- 1 Brew’s worth of KBBK’s hand-selected blend of fair trade, organic teas
- 1 Brew’s worth of organic, fair trade cane sugar
- 1 Temperature Indicator Strip
- Very detailed instructions
- KBBK’s pristinely propagated Scoby (culture) with liquid starter
To enter: leave a comment below with your New Year mantra by Thursday, January 12 at midnight EST for a chance to win the brew kit. Since my pals in Brooklyn are a small biz and this is a relatively heavy kit, they’re unable to ship to anywhere besides the US. I wish I could offer to front shipping to anywhere, but at the moment I’m a super-small biz, too and can’t really swing it. I do hope my international readership will still share a mantra, though! (p.s. if you don’t enter your email address in the box on the comment form where it asks for it, I won’t be able to contact you and you won’t win.) Winner will be selected by random.org, but everyone who enters will receive a 20% off coupon code good for goods in their online shop!
I can’t very well ask you to share a personal mantra without also sharing mine, so here it is, a few words from a Rilke poem translation that have sat within me for some time:
Kate
Congrats to #63, Karina from Montana!
Good vibes, happy mantra’ing all. Enjoy your new year.
Fermentation, Giveaways, Inspiration
Reader Comments (73)
2011 was a big year (got engaged, got married, husband moved into my house), so for 2012, I want to tackle some of the smaller things in life that got ignored last year.
Well I am getting processed food out of our cabinets, freezer and our lives. I am trying to eat and feed my family alot more clean this year. I am looking at your site for tips and ideals as someone who has chicken nuggets and fish sticks since I was a kid, this is VERY new to me but I am giving it a try!
My mantra for 2012 is nurture - my body, my soul, my spirit, my family, my space!
This is what I am thinking about right now with my own blog, and right now I have "One step at a time" going through my head.
Mine is "time to put up or shut up. And good luck getting me to shut up!"
I am happy, successful and content.
My mantra is to- love deeply, live honestly, and celebrate the little moments in life!
My mantra for 2012 is a word --- inspired by Tolly Mosely of Austin Eavesdropper -- is "Focus."
2012: Do more with less.
Happiness is a Choice. Healthy is a Choice. I choose to be happy and healthy this year.
2012 has to be better than 2011 in my book. So my mantra is to make every day a good day.
3 Bs - Breathe; Be Brave.
Thanks!
I gave up resolutions years ago and adopted a focus for the year. Last years was clean eatting. This years focus is becoming more thrifty and wasteing less. This includes not just money, but time, food, resources, etc.... on my list was making my own kombucha. :)
"Graditude"
I think my mantra will be simply to, Fly, girl, fly. Use those wings! ;-)
Mine when I begin to argue with my children - " Let me be the mom I want to be"
Give thanks, show gratitude, take time to enjoy.
Mine is "Stop thinking, Start doing" it applies to some many things!!
I tend to have the same mantra every year - but it's always nice to have a reminder every January 2: just be. Don't plan too much, don't worry too much, don't work too much, don't stress too much - just be.
What a wonderful blog. My whole thought process on my blog at the moment is trying to improve and be A Better Me by following a few simple steps. My mantra: "Healthy Mom, Happy Family! "
I've had a mantra for 2 years now. I stole it from Nike (embarrassing, but whatever), but it works wonders: just do it! I can't stand whining and complaining--especially in my head--and it's amazing how much quicker things get done when I...just do it.
Homemade yogurt is the best! I've never tried making kombucha.
2012: the year I appreciate the people in my life for who they are
My mantra is "Refocus, then appreciate!" I swing towards negativity, so I'm trying to shift that to more positive thinking!
Humans have an infinite capacity for love and healing!
I'm combining two phases that I heard from instructors and applying it to all life, not just dance:
Consistency is the hallmark of success.
and
5 minutes a day.
because with a constant 5 minutes every day, you can break anything down into something that can fit in your life.