The Life On Your Terms Project

06/16/2024

Environmental stewardship has been a big part of my personal journey. Doing what I can personally to take care and reduce where I can. It was something my dad instilled in me when he took me on hunting and fishing trips with him in Tennessee. We didn't go to concrete ponds at local parks. We went to wild areas only accessible by boat on Watts Bar Lake. We went deep into protected forests in Crossville. I saw everything from birds to bears in their natural habitats. Then I went back to Phoenix, a forest of concrete and asphalt where the only wildlife was found behind bars and glass. It made me sad, and mad.

City life doesn't give you many effective options for living green. They had recycle bins, and we used them, but it just didn't seem like enough to me. I wanted to do more. I didn't become a tree hugger by any means, but I'm always trying to make some kind of positive impact with everything I do.

When we took over Metaphysical Times, and got our first batch of stacks and stacks of newspapers, it was great, but also a punch in the gut reminder of the forests I saw cleared with my dad. Those trees weren't being cleared for paper. They were building a housing track or a commercial building. Still, it hit me hard. Where there were tall trees as far as the eye could see just the weekend before, was now a pile of logs and heavy machinery. The noise was deafening.

How could I claim to be a witch that practiced environmental stewardship regularly, printing newspapers? I definitely wanted to create them because I believe they serve a connecting and guiding purpose bigger than I am, but I also knew that they weren't good for the environment. We shifted to digital only until I could figure something out.

I had to go all the way to Paris to find a printer that would do something similar to print on demand and used sustainable materials and somewhat affordable. $4.25/copy was far less than the places I found in the US that wanted $54/copy for less than 500 copies. Most printers wouldn't fire up the press for less than 1,000 copies and we just didn't need that many yet. With 2/3 of the first print run is still sitting in storage right now, I just couldn't justify printing them again, so we've kept them digital.

I got this email notification that we've reached the financial milestone on Stripe that unlocked the Climate Program for us this morning. We are now contributing 1% of our revenue to carbon removal! That's a huge leap for me personally in doing "something" to take care of the world I, my kids, and all of you live in.

I wrote up a post about it on the MT website, if you'd like to check it out. :)

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmetaphysical-times.com%2F2024%2F06%2F16%2Fmetaphysical-times-llc-reaches-major-financial-milestone-and-commits-to-carbon-removal%2F&h=AT2m-1Cu8hXJc9PvgRUa0hWrJ3ju2uuJaeUmn99QdDwlsCevXzmIStPZ_e3Rw_a3819iJbizs3ZyMftGN1SeJln_72_YTM_t54x0BQxa7lNktb7SBpA5uYgnDHoGIuLCgww6C7ky-WQalR78TlhI&s=1

In my world, every step forward is a testament to the power of collective vision and dedication. Today, I am thrilled to announce that Metaphysical Times LLC ha

06/15/2024

So, I suppose it's time for me to give a personal update.

I've been experiencing some deterioration over the past several months now. I've gone from slightly off balance and bumping into to stuff from time to time to not being able to stand or even sit upright without support. I'm not paralyzed, just very weak and we don't yet know why.

My doc and I think I might have had a mini stroke at the end of April, but also think there are some other neurological issues going on and have been for a while.

I finally have 4 MRIs coming up, so hopefully we will have some actual answers soon. In the mean time, I'm learning to be ok with just being sometimes. Not pretending or pushing the pain away from me by just working as long and as hard as I can.

My previous posts is something I'm really proud of. I took several steps back from things, let other people help, and spent more time giving my body and inner self the acknowledgement, care, and compassion they have needed for a very long time, and the work still got done.

We've still created content and produced every issue of the newspaper and magazine, and I've worked on organizing events at several festivals and events happening around the country for Tamara, and I've done some writing, coloring, and pleasure reading too!

I hadn't read for pleasure in years! I did a lot of reading, but it was books for publication, business articles, research, and the like. It was a nice change. I want to do it more often.

It required me letting go of and changing some long held beliefs that I wasn't worth anything if I wasn't doing something "productive". I couldn't play video games unless they would make money somehow. I couldn't write unless it was a book intended for publication. I couldn't read unless it was something I was considering publishing, used to improve my business knowledge, or with a client or customer. I couldn't do any of that unless the house was clean and all the laundry and shopping were done.

It's still a continual effort to reframe the thoughts that come into my mind when I'm playing a video game, free writing, doing crafts, or even just laying here listening to music I enjoy so that I don't feel guilty. I've learned to see them, say "I see you but I don't need you right now" , and let them go. It took me a long time and a lot of work in therapy to get here and I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting there. I'm enjoying more of my time. I'm relaxing and resting but also still working and getting important things done.

That is what I've always wanted. More time to do things I actually enjoy doing, without feeling like I'm not good enough or should be doing something else so I deserve to be doing things I enjoy.

Its been my own inner judgements that brought that on, and I've had to do a lot of digging around and looking for the falsehoods I've been telling myself for years. I had to "see" the damage I've done to myself over the years and not gloss over it with excuses like "well, that had to be done, so". That very statement allowed me to push my body beyond it's limits so many times, ignoring the damage being done. Ignoring pain that was telling me something was wrong and I should fix it before moving forward.

Now, the damage can't be ignored. I can't lean against a counter and stay upright for hours, pretending I'm fine and fully capable. I have to use a cane, a walker, a person, or a wheel chair. That just is.

The actual why isn't really as relevant as the is, but I'm still trying to find out the why, because the why will help me treat the is if it can be treated, or adjust to the new norms as they come if it can't.

I'm not shocked and thrown off my game when the sadness of what is happening comes up now. I cry a lot, but I know its because what is happening is loss, and loss triggers the emotional signals sadness, anger, and love so that I will be compassionate with myself, the way I am with others.

I know many of you have struggled like I have to be compassionate with yourselves. Especially you entrepreneurs. Blaming yourselves and beating yourselves up brutally when things don't go right. It's a very difficult cycle to break. I am here to tell you that breaking it is worth it. That the work will still get done. That you will still make deadlines, accomplish goals, and that even if you miss some, it is ok.

Don't wait until the damage catches up with you like I have. Dig in now and be more compassionate with you. Love you like you love others too.

12/01/2023

Food For Thought Post

I stole this meme. It kind of trigged an internal conflict for me. As I'm actively working on me, I took the time to explore and try to better understand why.

The conflict is that I believe everyone does at least one act of kindness every day, but the meme implies that they don't.

If you show up and do your job every day, if you drive on the right side of the road, walk on one side of the sidewalk so others can walk on it too, if you move your shopping cart in the grocery store aisle so someone else can get by, if you share a post to help someone see and better understand "you", these are all acts of kindness.

We are not acknowledging them as acts of kindness, yet most of us do them all day every day.

So, to me, the problem with the way the world is today is because we are not acknowledging the acts of kindness that all of us do and all of us receive all the time as acts of kindness, so we "feel" like no one is kind at all.

It's a shift I have made in my life. I don't believe anyone gets up on the morning going "I'm going to just be an evil @ #$% today". We are all doing the things that allow us to survive and be happy with our lives.

Sometimes, what makes me able to survive and be happy with my life might conflict with what will make someone else able to survive and be happy with theirs, but that is what happens when there are 8 billion people with all different things that make them able to survive and be happy with their lives.

It isn't anyone's fault. It's how life is. If we can shift this, no one is doing enough, to everyone is doing what they can and are doing acts of kindness every day, even if we don't "see" or experience it directly, then we might see a difference in the world.

02/01/2021

Beginning February 1, 2021, the Life On Your Terms Project is going back to encouraging and supporting authors and artists in transition between working a 9-5 and working for themselves through their craft.

The goal is to provide entrepreneurial education, marketing skills, and training services, and where we are able, provide tools for artistic crafts for enrolled individuals, but also bring that education, training and tools to places around the world.

We are kicking off a LOYT fund and are offering 4 products that can be purchased to seed the fund. We also accept financial and other types of donations, (art supplies, musical instruments, studio time, etc) and funding scholarships into the program.

New products will be added to the offering over time and will be comprised of mostly items crafted or services provided by our enrollees and donated as a means of giving back and helping the next people through.

Be on the look out for the products in the shop and consider a purchase. We can't do this alone!

06/06/2020

The Life On Your Terms Project.

You might be wondering why the photo is a hand tattoo. Well, it's my hand tattoo. It's a reminder to me to always live life on my own terms. It reminds me that it comes with it's ups and downs, but it's always on my own terms.

The drawing is the original image I drew many years ago. I decided then that I wanted it done as a tattoo, but it took a while for me to find the perfect artist to do it for me.

That artist was my daughter, and this tattoo was her first free-hand tattoo on actual skin she had ever done. I had the good fortune to stay with her for a while to reduce costs and just focus on my writing work. I'd done well enough because of that to be able to buy her a tattoo kit that Christmas.

She'd always wanted to do tattoos, just didn't have the means to make it happen. She's well on her way to doing them for a living now. It's tough getting started, but I'm telling you, she is outstanding and if you ever get to Louisiana, you want to look her up. Tell her her mom sent you but don't expect a discount. She's a pro and earns a pro's wage for her service. I won't have it any other way.

This was the inspiration and birth of the Life On Your Terms Project. Getting started as an artist of any kind and moving into living life on your own terms is hard. Bills have to be paid if you are going to survive, and the things that we need to do our artistic best cost time and money. We don't have much extra.

The moment she opened the box with her kit in it (I couldn't even make her wait until Christmas morning) her face lit up and you could see the gears turning as the possibilities reeled through her head. I was fortunate to get to watch that happen, and continue watching over the next several months as she developed her plan. She researched the requirements, and laws in her state. She studied for first aid and other safety courses. She set up a sterilized "by the book" area to use as a studio and kept everyone away from it. She went all out for this. I am so proud of her.

The artist's path is never easy. It isn't supposed to be, but. Society isn't set up to aid people wanting to live life on their terms. We say "get a real job" instead. That isn't helpful, especially to those who have a real job and are squeezing every spare moment they have creating their art in order to get out out of the rat race.

The Life On Your Terms project wants to change that. In even the slightest ways. We support artists any way we can. A gift card here, a tool bought there, a bill paid over there. We set up the project to build on and grow how we are able to help.

This is the Life On Your Terms Project.

05/28/2020

We need people to send gift cards to.

We don't want people shouting pick me pick me though. That isnt how this works.

Drop us the name of someone that you know is helping others in ways that they were not before Covid-19.

The neighbor doing weekly grocery/supply runs for an elderly neighbor so they don't have to be exposed to the virus.

A family making meals for others and dropping them on doorsteps.

People making face masks, hand sanitizer, or care packages for people in need.

People doing other creative and crafty things for the sole purpose of helping someone else in need because of covid-19.

We want to help them keep helping others. We know times are hard and money is tight. We can't help them if we dont know who they are.

05/28/2020

The charity anthology that is supporting us is alive!!!

Grab a copy and help us help everyone!

Browse around! We have our own section on the site as well with a few logoed products. 100% of the proceeds from those products come directly to us!

Hosted By Christy Mann Author, The Life On Your Terms Project, and Twisted Souls Press Contributing Authors: Josh Schlossberg, Christy Mann, Archie Kregear, Nick Carlson, Ian Neligh,JuanOzuan, Solomon Forse, Sabrina RG Raven, Mitchell Tierney, and G. Emerald.

05/21/2020

This charity anthology happily supports the Life On Your Terms Project by purchasing and providing gift cards in $20-$50 increments to individuals and families helping others to keep them going in their endeavor.

05/21/2020

Did you know we have some awesome products available exclusively on the Twisted Souls Press Bookstore?

100% of the proceeds of those items support The Life On Your Terms Project!!! You should check them out!

Link in the comments!

05/19/2020

Hey guys!

I'm swamped with working on getting a charity anthology pilublished that will help suppport the project, among other things, but I also need to create 2 lists.

One, of things people are doing to help others through the tough times right now,

And two, some creative ideas that people can start doing with items they might already have on hand.

We want to encourage the spread of kindness and helping others. So it should be stuff we could support with a gift card.

Can you help me out and post some stuff in the comments here?