Life's Necessities & Luxuries

When was the last time you did something special for your loved one without it being their birthday, anniversary or special occasion? In honor of love, I am sharing two secrets from my upcoming book:  151 Musically Inspired Secrets to Master this Thing Called Life as they both have to do with keeping the romance alive and well.   Don't be afraid to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you....

Do you feel that everyday is challenge?  You take on more than you can, have too many things to do on your to-do lists?  Never feel like you're getting anything done?  Have no fear, you're not alone.  We all have way too many things on our plates today.   In today's episode I cover 4 of the things that seem to steal our happiness and can quickly put us into a bad mood and how you can avoid some of...

Are you one for procrastinating?  It was one of my bad character traits until I finally tried to get a grip on it.  If you're one for procrastinating, today may be the excuse you need to kick yourself in the pants and get moving on something you've been holding off on doing.   Maybe you're looking to get physically fit and begin working out again or maybe it's as simple as cleaning out the basemen...

I was listening to a Joyce Meyer sermon a few weeks ago and she was talking about the difference between being smart and being wise.  I thought I should cover it on the show because I feel a lot of us are smart, but, not necessarily wise.  Nor, do we all use our god given gift of intuition.   I cover a couple of scenarios in today's podcast and I'm also linking up Episode #002 with Jennifer Casset...

We are all in such rush these days.  Do you take time to eat breakfast or do you snack on a power bar and think you're good?     I used to skip breakfasts all the time until I began working 16-18 hour days, I found it was really important to start the day off the right way with the protein and energy we need to sustain our days.   What is your breakfast ritual?  Let me know in the comments.   This...

When was the last time you went on a hunt to find the newest and latest posh hotel that's opened up in your city?  Or, for that fact, just took some time on a weekend to explore a neighboring town?   You don't have to travel far these days to feel like you're on "vacation".  Plan a Summer Staycation right in your own backyard.     Today's episode covers just that, so grab your earbuds and take a l...

Happy Spring to you!!  I bet you are so excited to finally shed all of those winter clothes once and for all, get some light-weight clothing on, stare at the beautiful blooming flowers and dip your toes into the green grass. I was walking down the frozen section of the supermarket the other day and I had to pass my weakness (ice cream) and while looking at all of the wonderful flavors that are out...

Today's episode is a quick reminder that it's important to look your best.  This, in turn, will help you feel your best.   Do you care about what you wear or do you just throw on anything that pops up at you in your closet?   I hope you think about what you wear.  Remember, today, you only have about 30 seconds to make a good impression and what you put on your body is a true reflection of that. ...

We all go through this craziness with the new year here.  We try to figure out what we want to do in the new year.  But, realistically we can only do so much right?   Do you know what you would like to achieve for yourself and your family this year? Did you write down all of your goals and aspirations?  It's never too late to do this, so please take some time to do it.  This will keep you on your...

Today I will cover how you can challenge yourself and add some luxury to your life for one entire week (on a beer and pretzels budget).   When I refer to luxury, it isn't necessarily about something that costs a ton of money, rather they're more about necessities. These days, I believe we take everything for granted.  Think about how difficult it was back in the day just to heat up the house, take...

Yesterday was #America Recycles Day, how can you help our planet Earth? Do you recycle, if not, why not?  Do you feel it's not necessary or that it takes up too much time?   Believe it or not, every little step you can do to help recycle can keep our mother earth looking it's most beautiful, keep our air clean and continue to have clean water. Be sure to teach your children about the importance of...

Today's episode covers the importance of keeping your power.  I'm not referring to mystical or magical power, but, rather the power of this thing called YOUR LIFE! You may not realize it, but, when you give up your power to something or someone, you wind up losing a piece of yourself in the process. What do I mean by this?  Well, have you ever had someone in your life take over your time? Stop you...

Today's episode is yet another necessity.  It's about a very touchy topic.  This week is National Estate Planning week and although I'm not a lawyer or advisor, I've learned about some of the things we need in our lives that will help protect ourselves and our family.  It's about something we usually don't want to think about, let alone talk about with our loved ones.  It's about planning your fin...

Are you happy?  Do people who know you say "you're always smiling" what's up with that?  Or, "how do you stay so happy?".    I learned when I was around 22 that happiness is not something we're born with, but, something that we cultivate in our lives.  I read this book "Happiness is a Choice" by Frank M.D. Minirth and Paul Meier (if you've never read it, I highly suggest checking it out.     I pic...

Today is #NationalNewYorkDay and well, being a native New Yorker, I just had to write a little homage to say what a great place it is to grow up.     One of my favorite NY Style sandwiches is the Bagel and Lox which I have a little video on my YouTube channel here at: Bagel and Lox Video If you love it as much as I do, check it out and make one today, or this weekend for brunch.   What I love most...

In my early days when I rented a couple of my apartments in Brooklyn, I didn't have a bathtub in the studio apartment.  It only had a shower stall and the bathrooms were super tiny.   Then I moved into a one bedroom in Bath Beach and I actually had a tub again.  I had missed out on using the bathtub which I desperately needed with all of the aches and pains from my injuries from the car accidents...

This episode is a little bit of a rant and rave!  I walked into a Dollar Tree store a few days ago and saw that they were starting to hang up Christmas Decorations and I immediately became a bit perturbed.     Do you think they're starting a bit too early to begin the holiday season?  I'd love to know what you think.   But, on the other hand, since its up an ready, maybe we can begin our shopping...

Today is National Tequila Day.  Tequila is one of my favorite drinks.  The first time I ever had it was in Mexico back in 1983.  Have you ever seen the worm at the bottle of Tequila?  It freaked me out the first time I saw one.  Couldn't believe that people actually drank it. Tequila is made from the blue agave plant which is harvested by hand.  It's stripped down and ground up in a stone bowl and...

When the pressure is on, it's easy for us to crack under it.  Are you able to remain calm and poised or do you fly off the handle like a madman when things are getting out of whack? I used to be the second one above many, many years ago and then I quickly learned that it wasn't going to do my health any good so I learned how to adjust and become more peaceful when handling stress. It's never easy...

Would you like for your significant other to compliment you more?  Sometimes it's hard to get a compliment from the one you love, yet, it can be so easy to compliment a stranger on the street.  Why is this? Today's episode we cover a simple rule of thumb, if you want more compliments, then give more compliments. Whether you're newly dating or involved with your romantic partner for ions.  This epi...

Today's guest is Teresha Young, she is known as “The Confidence Restyler”.  Teresha is an accredited and certified Relationship Master Coach specializing in showing women how to reconnect with who they are and find confidence in themselves in order to have healthy, fulfilling relationships with themselves and with others in any kind of relationship; be it professional, family, platonic or romantic...

Turn on Your Star Power and kick off the Spring season.  Summer is right around the corner and things are going to get busier. Today I speak about a few ways you can quickly Turn on Your Star Power: I share a few ways you can do some Spring wardrobe-closet clearing and get your wardrobe up to date and ready for the summer days to come.  Try out some new makeup colors.  We get in a rut sometimes an...

April is Straw Hat Month.  I just love straw hats.  Today's episode I give a quick talk on the history of straw hats and how many uses they have. I started wearing straw hats in the 80's in New York City.  Not only are they stylish and fun, there are so many new styles that they didn't have back then and they also serve many other great functions.  They can help with: a) Shield you from the sun's...

April is National Home Decorating month which is one of my favorite pastimes.  Is your home in need of some sprucing up?  If so, now's the time to do it.   Are you looking to just give your home a thorough cleaning, or, a full kitchen renovation, if you have the budget, go for it, now is your chance. There are plenty of Spring home furnishing sales going on right now so if  you're looking for a ne...

Today is #National Fragrance Day. If you're like me and love fragrances, today is the day to say "hip, hip hooray".  How can you celebrate it?  Take a quick listen to this short episode and get some ideas. Some of my favorite scents that I mention in today's episode are: Diorissimo by Christian Dior Fendi Perfume for Women Angel Perfume by Thierry Mugler Happy Sniffing!!   With Much Love, Dawn-Mar...