Everything in life is temporary. So when you feel content and satisfied, ground yourself in that feeling. If you’re used to chaos it can be tempting to focus on if or when things may go wrong. Worrying about all the ways your peace can be …
Small continuous actions are what lead to monumental changes. Consistent actions towards your goals are what lead to sustainable and long term change. Although, we would all like to have a huge “ah-ha” moment where everything clicks into place, this is rarely what happens.
The moments where we feel like things are clicking are created by the 1,000 small moments that came before it. The big moments are
We’re heading into the new year! This is a time when we become inspired to create new habits and go after new (or old) goals. It’s a fresh start, a blank slate.
Although the newfound inspiration that comes with the new year is great, it will eventually wane. Most people stop working towards new year goals within the first 21 days of setting them. Setting goals and having dreams is important. They are what keep us evolving and prevent us from feeling stuck. However, we can’t simply wish our dreams into existence. We have to identify what we want and then follow through and do the work to reach them. To continue on when inspiration is fleeting, dedication and focus must take over.
To commit to your goals; you have to consistently work on them. If you find yourself having a hard time staying on track and focused then take an audit of the things you’re consuming.
Whenever I find myself in a lull, or like I’m “stuck”, I take inventory of the things I’m consuming. I can usually pinpoint where my energy is being used where I’d prefer it to go towards other things.
Energy and focus are finite resources. At some point during the day, they’re going to run out. When we want to evolve, it’s important we use our energy and our ability to focus to create things we want to and not let it dwindle away.
If you have goals but find yourself struggling to execute, sit down and take an honest look at what you’re consuming. This includes social media, television, people, text messages, family members, gossip, the news. All of it. Where are you putting your energy? Are these things inspiring you? Do you leave interactions with people feeling energized or are you left feeling drained and exhausted? Do you go on tik tok for a 5 minute work break and then 45 minutes later find yourself crying over a video of a dog that passed away? (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.) When you scroll on social media are you inundated by the next catastrophe or do you find tips on how to be more productive? Are you watching House Wives of New Jersey or are you meditating? I’m not saying one is better than the other. What I am saying is what you consume either fuels your energy or sucks it from you. Be discerning. Take note of what leaves you feeling good and like you can conquer what you have set out for yourself. Do more of those things. Don’t go on social media until your work for the day is done. Replace the news playing in the background with uplifting music. The hundreds of different pulls for our attention through the day takes energy and focus from us. It adds up. Be intentional about what you consume and make sure it isn’t preventing you from getting where you want to be. Curate your environment to set you up for success, it makes a huge difference.
The holidays are a joyful time of year for many but it can also be overwhelming. It’s the season of more. Many times that’s more love, more yummy food, more warmth, more family, more rest. But it’s also more money spent, more parties to attend, more cooking to be done, more conversations to be had, more expectations you want to meet. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and drained it doesn’t mean you’re a grinch, it means you’re human. It’s normal and it happens.
If you are able to step away this holiday season without it having the adverse effect of making you more stressed once it’s time to step back in, that’s great. Keep doing that. But if you find your stepping away is creating more stress than perhaps it’s doing more harm than good. Here’s 7 tips to combat overwhelm this holiday season.
And that’s what I wish I would have told my younger self when she was called “too much” of anything. That she was perfectly enough. That the people who didn’t see it that way, simply weren’t her people. And that is okay. That those individuals’ thoughts on her too-much-ness meant everything about them and nothing about her. They could go find less. I did not have to make myself less to keep others comfortable.
Fruits and vegetables hit different in the Summer. Watermelon, Strawberries, and lettuce in season taste amazing. It’s like seasonally growing when nature intended makes the plants happier, which in turn makes the parts we eat delectable. This summer salad is one of my favorites! All the different flavors create a party in your mouth. Better yet, it’s packed with vitamins and nutrients that will leave you feeling your best!
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large bowl combine spinach, chopped red onion, sliced strawberries, chopped cucumbers, chopped beets, and goat cheese. Top with hemp heart & chia seeds. For a yummy & fresh dressing combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. Eat the rainbow & enjoy! 😋🌈
How to be less reactive you ask? By being reflective. We combat reactivity by strengthening our reflection muscle. Intentional reflection is a skill. I would argue it is the best tool in your self-growth tool box. When faced with the option to react or reflect, first reflect. Reflection allows you to evaluate a situation for all that it is, to learn from it and make sure you react in a way of your choosing, not in a way some external event has led you to react. Here are 5 tips to be less reactive:
I have a blog post about how to be confident, I’ll link that post here. You can practice confidence. It is entirely possible to make yourself more confident. But what do you do when you don’t have time to build your confidence before doing something? …
Humans have a hard time admitting we play a part in the problems we’re experiencing. Our egos get in the way. The problems could be anything. Ranging from trouble sticking to healthy habits and going after personal goals, to problems in relationships with others. It’s easy to put the blame on someone else. To find the faults in others. It’s harder to realize and acknowledge we are part of the problem. Sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes we are the person whose judgment is clouded. Sometimes we are unable to see a situation objectively.
It’s easy to list reasons why external circumstances get in the way of achieving something. Your kids needed your attention so you couldn’t workout, your boyfriend made you sad so you couldn’t study. But the truth is, you’re an adult. The only person in control of what you do is you. You are the only person who can make arrangements and put systems into place to make sure you succeed in your goals.
Others can’t control your reactions to external circumstances, only you can do that. You choose to let yourself become upset over other’s actions, over the news, over your boss’ critiques. You don’t have to attach emotions and react to every situation you encounter. Circumstances are neutral, we are the ones who attach meaning and emotions to them. You can take control of a situation. You can assure nothing gets in the way of what you set out to do.
The same goes for personal relationships. Relationships are a two way street. If you’re constantly having fights with your mother, look at the possibility that maybe you have something to do with that. If you and your partner are constantly arguing over your partner not helping with household chores, look at the part you may be playing in that. Be honest with yourself. How are you approaching these topics? Are you defensive? Are you overly critical? Do you jump to anger? We can control how our interactions with other people go. And we can control the emotions and meanings we attach to those interactions. Our partner doesn’t make us upset; we choose to become upset. We take the neutral circumstances of our partner not helping with household chores and attach meaning and emotion to it. This realization takes a level of honesty with yourself that is hard at first. No one wants to blame themselves. Yes, our feelings and emotions are valid but circumstances are neutral until we give them meaning. And sometimes the meaning we attach to neutral circumstances are not serving our higher good.
No one wants to see themselves as part of the problem. But this is our life. If something is causing us to be unhappy, we one hundred percent play a role in that. Take solace in the fact that we always have the power and control to make a change.
