HoneLife is a topic-centered platform on which to share your creative perspective. Use HoneLife’s Word of the Week as inspiration to create and connect to the world around you. To learn more about being a HoneLife member and how to use this website, check out the How to Hone page.
THERE MISSION? TO INSPIRE MEANING & GLOBAL CONNECTIONS!

How to Hone

*I have honed, and I have to tell you it’s awesome! You’ll meet many talented people from all over the world. And you’ll find some interesting blogs and websites too! So, as many know, I only ask 2 simple questions of all by “Blog Guests,” and Jessica is no different. So here are the 2 questions I asked her about http://www.honelife.com and what she was kind enough to share with all of us*….
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Jessica Wood, Founder of HoneLife.comLives in St. Louis, MO
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1.) Is there a story behind how HoneLife came about?
The concept of HoneLife came to me during a personally difficult time.  I was feeling “trapped” in a career I did not like.  Trapped because I “should be thankful to have a job”, trapped because I had no other skills or training, and trapped because quitting would mean disappointing and worrying those who cared about me.  When you’re dissatisfied with how you are spending the majority of each day, it’s extremely difficult to become happy.  Yes, there are evening hours and weekends away from work, but the lack of enthusiasm I had for my job bled into all other areas of my life.  Instead of spending time doing activities I enjoyed or pursuing new hobbies that could potentially lead to some joy, I instead would come home from work, sleep,spend endless hours staring a screens (phone, computer, tv, sometimes all three at once), and then sleep some more.
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Nothing about my daily routine was going to get me out of the funk I was in.  I would imagine what I would do if I was one of those people who had energy, motivation, and courage. Writing came to mind, but what would I write about?  My educational knowledge was based on a career I was trying to escape. I then heard a piece of advice that changed my way of thinking, don’t write about something just because you know about it, write about something because people will want to read it. It sounds simple, but that idea got me thinking less about myself, and more about creating something meaningful and useful for others.
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I knew I was not the only one who experienced social media remorse–that feeling of guilt that comes from wasting time mindlessly perusing social media sites.  So then I thought, because social media is here to stay, what if there were a social media site that instead of distracting you from reality, it encouraged you to engage with it?  What if it could motivate you to discover or reawaken creativity and passion?  It was then that the idea for HoneLife hit me, and I remembered what it felt like to be passionate about something.  A few months later, having resigned from my job, I started development on the website and on the new me!
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Right now HoneLife.com is centered around a “word of the week.”  The word is used to prompt awareness and creativity.  Members submit their creative perspective of the word in the form of poetry, paintings, photos, stories, etc.  Being a very new site and having limited functionality, I’ve been overjoyed with the positive response from the creative community.  I’m ecstatic for members to see the upcoming improvements and additions.  There will be many new ways and opportunities to inspire and be inspired.
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2.) What is the most exciting experience that you enjoy about HoneLife?
Jumping head first into a new venture is beyond intimidating.  It can be easy to want to give up and slip into old, familiar habits.  It can be easy to believe the naysayers and the statistics that “prove” the odds are against you.  You will have moments when it’s hard to recall what was so bad about your old way of life–it had to be easier than this.  But then there are those times of triumph.
Those times you accomplish something the old you would have never even attempted. Those times when you realize what you are doing resonates with who you want to be. For me many of those moments come at the end of a good workday, when time has flown by because I was busy enjoying what I was doing, or when I hear from a member that HoneLife got them out of writer’s block or inspired a group discussion. People should never feel “trapped” in their life. Changing your course is never easy, but not changing it is detrimental.  Start by finding a positive outlet. Recall what used to make you feel energized and excited. What could you spend hours doing as a child (e.g. building, drawing, cooking, performing)?  Remind yourself of what you’re capable of and who you are at your core.  Foster your passions until there is no time left in the day for things that bring you down.
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*I really understand what Jessica is saying about how we can get to feeling “stuck” in life sometimes. Hone Life is such a fantastic way to release all your creative energy by sharing what you think the “word of the week” may mean in your own life by describing it in writing, or a poem perhaps, or maybe even with pictures. Don’t be afraid to let go and share all your talent! I have met some interesting people from all over that may not have found me on any other website or blog, and that’s why “HONELIFE.COM” is so different and “Special”! So go by and say Hi to Jessica and experience Hone Life for yourself*
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I want to “THANK” Jessica Wood of Hone Life for letting me spotlight here amazing concept with all of my friends here. And as always,…..tell Author Catherine Lyon sent you!

GOD BLESS ALL,
AUTHOR CATHERINE TOWNSEND-LYON