We’ve come a long way from where we’ve started and it’s finally time to circle back to one of our first challenges. Yes, a lot of us may have neglected our bookshelves in favor of watching shows and videos, but there’s such a different pleasure that we get from reading (and finishing!) a book.
We don’t need to put limits - it can be an actual book that you can flip the pages, or an e-book where you can swipe left or right, or for some of us, audibles work great so we can do other stuff while listening to it. You can try titles that you don’t normally read or choose authors with great reviews. You can also organize a book club so you can gather recommendations from your family and friends for your next reading adventure. Whatever selection process you use, what’s important is to immerse yourself in the book you’re reading and just try to absorb as many new learnings as you can or use up your imagination to fly with the fictional characters. #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #ReadABook #Bookworm
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Anyone can write a poem. Yes, we’ll say that again, anyone can write a poem and that includes YOU. To those who never thought they could, this may sound like a daunting task. But all it takes is a little courage, some inspiration, and a few tips or ideas from reliable sources. Remember yesterday when you poured your thoughts out on paper? You can actually pick a few lines here or there or maybe choose your main topic. If that doesn’t seem like a good idea, you can write about something else. You can write a poem about anything under the sun. There are so many styles to choose from. Let us help you get started.
1. Pick Your Topic - Write about a subject you know well and feel good about. 2. Brainstorm - There are so many ways to brainstorm ideas. You can even ask for someone else’s ideas while brainstorming. It doesn’t matter what you list down. There’s no such thing as a silly or useless idea in this situation. Just keep adding whatever thoughts you come up with when you think about your specific topic. The main idea here is just gather ideas then sort out whatever you’ll need later on. Check out this link for some brainstorming tips: https://webwriterspotlight.com/8-brainstorming-strategies-for-generating-new-writing-ideas 3. Pick Your Style/Form - Here’s the fun part. You can choose from the countless patterns out there, get some inspiration from poets you like, or use no style at all and just write free verse. Here are a few resources that can help you with this step. You can start with a few basic types here: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/types-of-poetry-examples.html https://bookriot.com/2018/05/08/different-types-of-poems/ 4. Read It Out Loud - Why, you ask? Poems were originally made to be read out loud. It’s not the mere words that make a poem what it is, it’s the sound of those words when read out loud that makes it music to other people’s ears. 5. Polish Your Poem - Go through it one last time for proofreading or editing. Don’t worry about how big or small your words are or how correct your grammar or punctuation is. There is such a thing as a “poetic license”. Congratulations! We’d be thrilled to see your poem in the comments below. #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #Poetry #WriteAPoem Two days ago we talked about the many benefits of mindful breathing and of clearing your thoughts and quieting your mind. Today’s exercise does just the opposite but it reaps pretty much the same benefits. Sit at your most comfortable writing spot, free from distractions. Use whatever paper and writing tool you have available and just scribble away. Do not filter your thoughts. Just write them down freely, whichever style you prefer, in the exact language that you think, word for word. No need to worry about how it’ll turn out, the output is solely yours. It takes this activity to realize if our thoughts are indeed beneficial to us or on the contrary useless or harmful. After writing down ALL those thoughts all you need to do now is sort out each and just decide which ones you’d like to keep and which ones you can do better without. You’ll be amazed at how this simple activity can help you change your perspective, shift your focus, and transform the way you think. You have everything you need and the power is in your hands so get that pen and start writing now. Need a little more guidance or inspiration? Check out these blog posts: https://www.productiveandfree.com/blog/writing-things-down-benefits
https://blog.peacerevolution.net/best-benefits-of-writing-down-your-thoughts-and-feelings/ Why use a pen and paper instead of a keyboard? https://www.inc.com/damon-brown/the-power-of-writing-out-not-typing-out-your-ideas.html https://writingcooperative.com/here-is-why-handwriting-is-better-than-typing-7e0a2bfbaf0b #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #PourOutYourThoughts Some days ago, we sent you a couple of links to check out so you can travel to different places around the globe without leaving the comforts of your home. There are a number of museums too where you can appreciate art virtually.
Let’s share these with everyone who might want to enjoy ‘traveling’ and spending time in nature or on art. Here are the links: Google arts and Culture https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en Monterey Bay Aquarium - Did you know that there are studies saying that aquarium-watching reduces anxiety and stress? So, if you want to see some marine life - visit aquarium cams here: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams Berlin Philharmonic - Redeem vouchers to get free access here: https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/live San Diego Zoo - Pandas, Koalas, tigers? Anyone? https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams Safari Live - Yes, wild life live! https://www.facebook.com/WildEarthLIVE/videos/904091053345547/ Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Aloha! https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/hawaii-volcanoes/nahuku-lava-tube-tour Deep Dives - Get 360 view of marine sanctuaries https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/vr/ #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #VirtualTravel After 3 weeks of being on lockdown, doing this is a great way to quickly escape all the worries you have and just pause, focus and breathe. Think about it. When was the last time you stopped to do just one thing without thinking of your other “to-dos”? When was the last time you were totally worry-free about things that are absolutely out of your control? In a world like ours where ‘fast-paced’, ‘jam-packed’, ‘stress-filled’ are common adjectives that describe every day, it took this recent turn of events for most of us to realize the value of breathing, slowing down, and truly savoring the moment. Do you know that diaphragmatic breathing has numerous physical and mental health benefits? Today, take a few minutes or an hour to just sit back (or lie down), relax and set your eyes on anything that makes you feel good. Maybe even close your eyes as you listen to the sounds of nature or music that soothes your soul. Today is a good time to try mindful breathing. If you find yourself feeling better after, maybe it’s time to set aside a few minutes daily and do this often to reap its benefits. Need a few tips on how to do it right? Or want to know more about the numerous health benefits of deep breathing? Check out the links below:
https://www.healthline.com/health/diaphragmatic-breathing#steps-to-do https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2255 Now let go of all those thoughts, relax and inhale... #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #MindfulBreathing #Meditation What we all have right now is a LOT of time and what good to spend trying to learn a new language.With the technology right now, it can be as easy as downloading an app to jumpstart it.
Duolingo is a great app to download for beginners. It’s a language-learning platform that offers 94 different language courses in 23 languages with proficiency assessment exams too. The app has over 300 million registered users across the world and that proves just how efficient it is. Another good and free option is to find videos in YouTube. You can learn some basic expressions first - you can never go wrong with that! Go ahead and download Duolingo today. Also, here are some links, but I’m sure there are a lot out there too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyLl_0d0EBw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7-nb1wlnyA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZinAK6n6cWU #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #LearnANewLanguage One good thing that has come out of this seemingly dire situation is that more and more families or even those living alone, are enjoying home-cooked meals. Even those who have never dared venture into the kitchen before are in there getting creative and resourceful and surprising everybody (most especially themselves). It doesn’t matter what Gordon Ramsey would think or say! For the seasoned cooks in the family, now’s the time to make something you’ve been wanting to make but couldn’t because you didn’t have the time. For those with kids, now's the perfect time to get them involved and turn simple kitchen tasks into fun learning activities. If you’re the adventurous type, why not look for a new recipe, or take it up a notch and invent a dish, give it a new name, and see how things turn out. Now if the mere thought of your cooking makes your family and friends gag, fear not. Another option is to just put together a no-cook dish and hone your plating skills. Instagrammable doesn’t always have to be delicious, lol. No matter which type of cook you are, head on to your kitchen and whip something up, share it with us in the comments below. After that, bon appetit! Check out the links below for a little inspiration.
First time cooking? https://www.purewow.com/food/easy-dinner-recipes-for-beginners https://thekittchen.com/12-easy-recipes-for-beginners/ Feeling a little adventurous? https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g3166/cheap-easy-recipes/ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/top-rated-and-reviewed-recipes Cooking with kids: https://tasty.co/article/melissaharrison/cooking-with-kids https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/no-bake-recipes-for-kids/ If cooking isn't for you then maybe plating is: https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-plate-like-a-chef https://latourangelle.com/general/food-plating-tips-for-plating-your-food-like-a-chef/ Or you can try whipping up some simple, no-cook meals: https://www.delish.com/cooking/g1451/quick-weeknight-no-cook-recipes/?slide=7 https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/no-cook-recipes #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #MakeANewDish Now is the perfect time to be looking at tightening the belt. One of the very best places to start is looking at your money going out. Mint.com is a great tool for budgeting and first looking at where your money is going.
Once you have a clear picture of that, look for ways to reduce your spend. Revisit your insurance policy and see if you can save with a low cost option like Hippo.com or Lemonade.com. Consider a home refinance to bring down your monthly payments. Look at your subscription payments and see if there are any you can cut (do you really need Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, AND Amazon?). Look around the house to check if there are items you bought but never really used. Make it simple by sharing with us (in the comments) the list of things you decided you can live without. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save just by taking that first step. #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #FinanceAudit Why recycle when you can repurpose or even upcycle? Recycling may be better than having old stuff end up in landfills, but it still leaves a bit of a carbon footprint. Now that you have more than enough time on your hands, why not repurpose or upcycle stuff that’s been lying around your house and gathering dust? All it takes is just a little bit of creativity and inspiration to turn something that would have likely ended up in the trash or recycle bin into something functional. It could be as simple as turning an old dish rack into a file folder or as grand as creating a memory quilt out of old clothes. How about turning leftovers into a gourmet meal or turning old cardboard boxes into toys? Whatever it is you decide to do, finding new uses for old things can be magical (or maybe not for some, lol), but the point here is that you do something for the environment, harness your creativity or gain inspiration from other upcyclers out there, and stay sane in the midst of this lockdown by doing something worthwhile. We're sure you will love going through the neat ideas in these blogs:
https://repurposeandupcycle.com/ https://www.boredpanda.com/creative-reuse-upcycling-repurposing-ideas/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic Share your projects with us by posting photos in the comments. Who knows, your idea might spark someone else’s interest in repurposing and upcycling. #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #Repurpose #Upcycle Let’s admit it, not everyone is fond of working out. But we have a lot of time to try different stuff and maybe grooving to the music is the one for you.
Aside from it being fun, studies show that a 40-min Zumba workout burns roughly the same amount of calories as running in a slow-pace or biking at 15 miles per hour for the same amount of time. It has also been called ‘workout-in-disguise’ based on how it has appealed to people who often stay away from the idea of staying fit or doing exercise because these people didn’t see Zumba as hard work. (That should be encouraging enough!) It’s about letting go and having fun! So organize a workout time with your kids or you can have a virtual Zumba party with your friends while doing the same routine and enjoying upbeat music! Here are links to help you with this challenge: Collection of routines you can do at home: https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1027379/30-minute-mini-zumba-routine-at-home/ Zumba official youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM49GyZHNJOtv4ZSswMzy8A #KendrickCoronaChallenge #KendrickRealty #LockdownTips #Zumba #Workout |
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