 Welcome to 2018! Carpe Diem and Thrive have teamed up to bring you the best of both the image consulting and wellness worlds. Our goal is to approach physical and mental self improvement holistically. Carpe Diem will give you insights from a physical, self improvement perspective, while Thrive will focus on the psychological perspective. To learn more about Thrive visit www.thrivetoronto.com. To learn more about Carpe Diem visit www,seizethedaygta.ca. Yes, it's been a month already, but we feel like we’re just getting started. It's February and it's so easy to get wrapped up in our daily lives that we often forget our goals that we excitedly set for ourselves at the beginning of January. The Thrive Perspective One of the major obstacles to meet our New Year Resolution Goals is getting started. Usually if you feel unmotivated, have a hard time starting, then you feel like it's too late by the time a few weeks go by, or as it gets closer and closer to February. Your inner voice might say things like 'Ugh, it's too late', 'You've missed the window', 'what's the point'. Our minds set strict rules to try to organize ourselves, motivate us, and also to try to get us going. Sometimes these strict rules work against us, they set us up for unrealistic expectations of ourselves, and never cut us any slack. Instead, it reinforces feelings of hopelessness and failure. How do we move away from these negative reinforcements? How do we set ourselves up to succeed in our goals? Let's start by getting started So where do we begin? Well at the beginning of course! I believe that arbitrary deadlines and forced resolutions lead to misery, while initially they can be motivating. I find that most times my clients get weighed down by the pressure to achieve these goals. I will share some ideas that I've found both positive and simple to execute not just in my clients lives, but also my own: Take a hammer and smash those rigid rules. Moving fluidly from goal to goal is an important aspect of overcoming feeling stuck. It’s important to be able to change things up if the goal that you set isn’t working. Remember if it feels like a struggle to get started, or isn’t bringing you any satisfaction, move to another goal, switch it up. Overcoming your barriers takes time, so start with smaller, more manageable goals. Take fifteen minutes a day for self care, break it up into five minute blocks if you need. Do something nice for yourself, take some time to meditate, read. Make sure it’s meaningful and focused on your needs. The Carpe Diem Perspective Let’s focus on your new year’s resolutions. A regimented day will keep you on track to your goals; add a little bit of time to your schedule to focus, just 15 mins per day to start and increase time as you go. Winter is the hardest time to get yourself out of the house, so utilize your comfort zones, whether it’s at home, with a loved one or in a community space. Make sure your environment encourages you. You can expect to hear more about the winter blues (S.A.D.) from Thrive in an upcoming piece. Start slow, choose one thing this week that you want to do to better yourself. Do you want to feel healthier? Do you want to feel sexier? Do you want to feel empowered? Whichever you want, even if it’s all of the above or something else, pick one to focus on this week. Think of one small thing you can do to fulfill that need, and ensure you commit to it. For example, if you want to have better hair, maybe one day this week you can pull out your hair styling products and play around with it. Easy right? It will not be so daunting anymore when you break it into little pieces. Then you can feel proud for taking that one step forward. Stick to the basics when you get started. Many people want to start the New Year healthy. Are you a morning or evening person? If you work during the day depending on your schedule, try to at least start your day off with a quick and healthy meal, like a small yogurt cup with some chia seeds. If your mornings are open, fit in at least a five minute workout to wake yourself up. Not only is it a great way to energize, but it is a great quick fitness routine. Improving your outward image and health is going to keep you feeling vibrant and uplifted. In terms of boosting your self confidence, even if you’re not going anywhere, start your day by dressing up to impress yourself. Make yourself feel the part you want to play for the day with the outfit you are wearing. Sometimes dressing the part is half the battle. It’s a great way to get motivated and start off on the right foot. Your goals are your own and you should be proud of them. Dream boards are a perfect thing to start for the New Year. When you’ve created one focus on your board to keep your eye on the prize and build/maintain motivation to uphold your New Year goals. Look for more details on dream boards in upcoming posts. Moving Forward Congratulate yourself on whatever you did, whether it’s 5 mins or once in the week. Make sure that you are encouraging, empowering and validating your progress. Be patient and kind to yourself, remember getting started is the hardest part. Need more or still feeling stuck? We’re here to help. Contact us at info@thrivetoronto.com or kavitha.carpediem@gmail.com. 
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I planned my own wedding and I really enjoyed doing it. I plan all of my own events. However, that's only because event planning and organizing is something I personally enjoy doing very much and I've always had successful and enjoyable experiences hosting events I plan. When it came to my wedding, even though I had fun doing it, it was incredibly stressful to juggle everything on my plate. I had to put off my education to focus on planning and working full time. Hence why an event planner (regardless of the fact that I love planning) would have been helpful. One thing to note is even though I planned my wedding, I still had someone equipped with the right skills to co-ordinate the day of my wedding while I was busy getting married and enjoying my big day. The same goes for any event you want to enjoy yourself. Ever find that you are pulled in one hundred different directions at your own events and can never enjoy it? You were looking forward to your event for so long but never got a chance to really experience it... Anyways, without further delay, here are the 5 reasons why it would be a good idea for you to hire an event planner - such as Carpe Diem! 1. You have too much on your plate. The last thing you want to worry about is planning an event. You can't take on the stress of inviting everyone, planning the activities, contacting vendors, negotiating costs, organizing the food and drinks, etc. 2. You are on a strict budget. Event planners are equipped with strong negotiating skills. We are able to leverage our contacts to work within your budget and get you what you want/need. Carpe Diem event planners are also thrifty shoppers and we get creative enough to work within your financial expectations. 3. You don't know many vendors. Event planners have contacts from a large vendor base. This gives us the flexibility to get you what you want without you having to do too much research. The time consuming part is taken care of. 4. You don't know where to start. You simply may not have a clue how to plan an event or you may just dislike planning. That's okay, it's one of the most common reasons people hire event planners. 5. You want a spectacular event. One thing is for sure, you want to impress your guests. Carpe Diem is all about the literal term, seizing the day. We come up with the most innovative, unforgettable and unique ideas for events. All your guest are bound to fall in love. I hope this post was able to answer the question you stumbled upon this page to read. Visit www.seizethedaygta.ca to hire an event planner now.  I want to use this blog as an outlet to tell all of my clients, and potential clients, how I work and why. I feel honesty, explanation and guidance is important especially with a job such as image consulting which is very personal and requires trust. Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” is a great tool for image consultants to create an understanding of the client’s needs. It really puts your needs into prospective. I love the idea of using this as a guideline in image consulting. As we review the steps in the below image, you might get an idea of what I mean by this.  Maslow believes this is the theory of motivation. As humans we all naturally feel the need to complete each level successfully and strive to get to the top. The catch is, we cannot go to the next level without completing the level that comes before, as it's a bottom to top trickle effect. Let me tell you how Carpe Diem's image consulting tackles each of the steps; Physiological Needs: During the initial consult and assessment phase, if I find that your physiological needs are not being met, I help connect you with the appropriate provider or caregiver. Some examples are; Doctors, Nutritionists, Psychotherapists, Sleep Therapists etc. Safety and Security: Believe it or not, this is where image consulting starts to work for you. Many people believe or even advertise that image consulting is only about your wardrobe. While that is a part of what I can do, that is not all I can or should be doing. When it comes to health, Carpe Diem will help you start and maintain healthy diets, create fitness plans and find a positive motivation to keep this going. Where employment is necessary, I can help you prepare for interviews, dress for success (cheesy I know, but true), practice appropriate communication skills and learn business etiquette. Keeping in mind that property is needed to achieve the next level, I can help you find a real estate agent to find a property suitable for you and fuel your motivation to fight for the best pricing and keep on looking. However, the reliance would be on you to succeed in finding the right property on your own with your agent and/or family. Next is family and social stability. Here is where teaching you the right communication skills for your family and friends can be helpful. However most importantly, I will be able to identify when you need more help in this stage and will always have a therapist to support me and you both. Carpe Diem works with several therapists and can provide referrals as needed. Love and Belonging: This is where I can incorporate our life management services and once again communication skills. Managing your current relationships is important. It gives you a sense of security in your friendships, family and love life. Communication is also necessary to help you develop and maintain said relationships. Again, if I recognize you may be in need of more help in this area, then I would refer you to a therapist. I am a strong believer that everyone needs therapists, just as much as we all need a doctor to go to for regular check ups. Mental and emotional health is just as important as physical health. At the end of the day mental, emotional and physical well being, all tie in together and effect each other every day. You can't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about! #gtatherapy Self-Esteem: This is the most important step that many people struggle to get to. Hey, even I still struggle with this sometimes and it is normal to feel that way. However, once you do achieve great self-esteem, the confidence it gives you makes your capabilities seem almost limitless. Having been there myself, it is a very treasured feeling to achieve. Many of the services I provide as an image consultant achieve this state of self-esteem. This is because the way you look and portray yourself really affects your self-confidence and therefore happiness. To help you reach this level, I will learn the ins and outs of who you are by giving you personality tests and getting to know you. We then go through some potential styles that suit your unique personality in order to bring out the best in who you are. Of course lastly, I will style you and shop with you for future wardrobe maintenance. This process can be lengthy because it takes time to get to know a person, but it is that time and effort that image consultants should put into it that makes all the difference. Self-Actualization: It is said that 99.9% of people stay at Self-Esteem and do not move up to this level. The 0.1% that do make it here are people such as the Dali Lama. However, keep in mind that proper Self-Esteem can of course motivate and inspire Self-Actualization, and that is what an image consultant should do for you - in fact, that is what Carpe Diem CAN do for you. I hope this post was able to give you a deeper understanding of image consulting and the hierarchy of needs! If this seems like something you are interested in exploring, please visit my website at www.seizethedaygta.ca. For further “Safety and Security” or “Love and Belonging” help, please also visit GTATherapy at http://www.gtatherapy.com/ and Thrive Toronto for Concierge Counselling at http://www.thrivetoronto.com/.  #carpediem #maslow #rulesofimageconsulting #gtatherapy #seizethedaygta
The paper tulip is a representation of a beautiful flower. But the paper tulip has its edges - the type of edges that sometimes gives you those pesky little paper cuts. I first came up with the idea of using the paper tulip as a logo in one of my classes at the Academy of Design where I studied Fashion Merchandising and Marketing. I just thought it was the perfect representation of my personality, sweet but edgy. But now with my company Carpe Diem, I see it much differently. It sums up the idea of “seizing the day” perfectly. It's saying, seizing an opportunity could have risks and it could put you on the edge, but if it all goes well… it could become one of your most treasured success stories. The success and happiness - like the flower - is the beautiful part. Carpe Diem is all about getting to know you before taking those next steps through my services. Now that you know a little bit about me, I'd love to hear more about you. What do you feel symbolizes who you are?  |
AuthorHi, I'm Kavitha. I own Carpe Diem, where I provide Image Consulting and Event Coordinating services. I am using this blog as an outlet to tell all of you how I work and why I got involved in this business. I provide very personal services which requires trust. Through this blog I explain everything I do for my business in hopes of building that trust. I hope you enjoy what you read! Archives
February 2018
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