THE FUTURE

Do not dwell in the past,

do not dream of the future,

concentrate the mind on the present moment

-Buddha

If there is anything I try to stick to with blogging it is to never apologize. Its been quiet on here- much more so than ever in the past. Sometimes purposeful, sometimes for lack of time. When I set out to post I want it to always be genuine, honest, and purely stemming from somewhere in my life. These days we have been soaking up spring, enjoying living life, and working on what will be my new web venture. Its taken a lot of energy! I still love this space but I can only spread so thin, you know? 

I love this quote- I love it because I need this reminder daily. I am a dreamer at heart. One of my more notable shortcomings is that I like to dream, make plans, set goals, and then forget the follow through ... oops! At this time in my life I could easily be blogging here 5 days a week, building a new site, working full time,  keeping up with obligations, and then completely forget that what matters is I have a healthy happy family and a beautiful season to enjoy. 

It is easy to look back and regret on things not done, to keep dreaming of everything we want in the future and then completely neglect everything that is in front of us today. 

So while there may be crickets on here, I am busy living the present. And preparing for some really exciting things to come! 

Happy Monday all, I hope your Easter weekend was beautiful ♥

HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

Today I got to thinking about feelings. Humans are a very emotional sort, we have a feeling about everything. We all feel so differently and about so many different things. We allow our outside world to so greatly impact our emotional state that we can find ourselves riding a constant wave of highs and lows. When was the last time you looked inward to see how you really feel?


What we focus on plays a tremendous role in our constant state of feeling. Are you dwelling on the guy that cut you off in rush hour traffic or are you reflecting on how good it felt to receive a thoughtful text from a friend? How we cultivate our thoughts and the ones we choose to train our focus on create who we are on our deeper emotional level.

For years I allowed feelings of anxiety and fear manifest within. I would always think that happiness would come later once I worked hard enough for it, peace would follow and things would be better down the road. I wasn't letting moments of bliss to settle in my soul, I brushed them off as fleeting moments of things to come.  Little did I know that in every moment of everyday there is an opportunity for peace and happiness if I only acknowledge it. It has been there all along,  I just chose to focus on other things.

A practice I like to put into play is to heighten my awareness and recognize my feelings in the moment. Its a practice I need to do more often- I find it easy to do on the weekends when I am with the ones I love- so I am challenging myself more this week to do it continually. Not only does this work on mindfulness but it helps to reinforce those good feeling vibes.

And obviously we don't always have good feelings- last night I was suuuuuuuper frustrated because 3 things in a row went wrong for me. I was getting grumpy. I was letting that frustration take over and change my feelings about the end of what was a pretty nice day! Reflecting inward, asking myself how do I want to feel, I continued on with my night and made choices of things that I know make me feel good and are pretty hard to mess up! I worked out and wrote in my gratitude journal and went to bed feeling a lot better than I did 2 hours before. See? Acknowledge, assess, and refocus to what you want to feel. I could have stuck with the pouty grump feelings, but I chose to do things to lift myself up. Consider it the higher road for your emotional being.

So today I hope you take a moment to feel. Feel gratitude for blooming flowers, appreciation for the person who held the door open for you, peace when something that troubles you works out, and love for someone who shows you love. 

Over time you'll notice these feelings bubble up without effort and who doesn't want more effortless happiness and gratitude?? ♥

GET MOTIVATED!

Happy Thursday! Its like my Friday so I am super pumped for a day off tomorrow. I am also super pumped because I hit a new goal today, I am on day 11 of my month long Pilates challenge and the scale is heading in the right direction! So today I rewarded myself with some new work out clothes :)

Motivation is a funny thing- it comes and goes in such powerful waves. It is as easy to lose as it is to find and sometimes keeping ourselves afloat seems hard when our goals seem so far away. Working out is not one of my favorite things and after a long day of work sometimes all I want to do is sit and watch Netflix but I don't- why? Because I have my sights set on something better. Here are some goal achieving methods I am currently putting to use to keep my motivation intact ...

1. Set small goals within your large goal! My ultimate goal is to be down inches and pounds by April 15, but every Thursday in my planner I have marked a place to write my progress. Set a small goal of any applicable increment that will lead to your ultimate goal- its like crossing multiple finish lines!

2. Reward yourself! Under my progress reports on Thursdays I have a place to designate a reward. Today was some new athletic wear, next week might be to treat myself to some pretty flowers- it doesn't have to cost money or be fancy, it just has to treat you to something special for all your hard work!

3. Find inspiration and look at it daily! Is there a person you admire, a beach you imagine yourself on, or a destination you see yourself arriving to? Find photos, write it down, do whatever and place it in a visible area or put it on your phone where you can view it daily. If you feel like wandering off the path that leads to your goal, look up your inspiration and affirm to yourself why you want whats in that picture or described in those words.

4. Share your success with someone who is excited for you! I hope you are blessed enough to have an accountability partner, a spouse, a BFF, or a family member who is super pumped for you to reach your goal! Nate is always the first to hear my successes and I know he is excited and proud of me and that affirms my own dedication.

5. Start everyday fresh! Last but not least, yesterday was yesterday and tomorrow is yet to come so focus on today. We all slip up and stray from our path from time to time, we are human after all- just get back on track ASAP and move forward!

Do you have any go-to strategies for staying motivated? I'd love to hear them! Remember that anything worth having has hard work behind it- that is what makes life so rewarding ♥

♥

After the past few soul-searching posts I thought I would keep the mood light this Monday with some of my favorite recent pins! I go through waves with Pinterest but lately I have found so many inspiring things- one of the main reasons I love modern technology ♥ ♥ ♥

Follow me here and let me know- I'd love to see some of what you are pinning too!

GLACIER V. WAVE

Over the years I have found that I am a chronic sufferer of the 'Whats Next Syndrome'. It has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. I am a person who likes change, sitting in one place for too long makes me antsy. Whether its a physical place or a mental state my natural disposition is to evolve. The issue is I don't always know what to evolve towards. I have also found over the years that this can be a rather emotionally painful conundrum when the answers are coming more slowly that the desire wants.

When I look at these pictures I can't help but think ... who is this? who is posting these photos of super food smoothies, bendy yoga poses and Pilate's challenges on my blog?! A mere 8 months ago I had not done a back bend in years, 12 months ago I never thought I could give up dairy let alone cheese! 10 months ago I was posting personal style photos and crafts, 7 months ago I started a healing journey that I had no idea how it was going to work. 14 months ago I had a melt down about the seemingly directionless state of my life.

And there is today.  I am happier. I am stronger. I am more bendy. I am healthier. I have a brighter look on life. Thankfully this space has grown with me- my life has expanded to welcome new experiences and as I keep working towards my 2014 goal of living more fearlessly I know there are more uncharted territories to be discovered this year. But lately the issue hasn't been the lack excitement of starting something new or the willingness to let go. Its been that I don't know what to do. Which direction do I take? Whats my next big adventure? How do I know?

In 2014 I have already joined an instagram yoga challenge, a 30 day Pilate's challenge, faced my aversion to blenders and started playing with super food smoothies, tried a handful of new foods, changed the pace of this blog, and am gratitude journaling daily. I have fearlessly faced my inner issues and failure, inadequacy, and insecurity, though a daily battle, I am facing them. So whats the next conquest? Where do I leap, how do I grow more?

Everyone's life journey is so different. They go at different paces, different directions, develop different perceptions. To find your own voice can be scary in itself, let alone find it among a billion other people. You can follow others for only so long before you realize your legs are strong enough to carry you on your own- they have a spring in them ready to launch into the unknown.

Today I don't know what is next. I know I am ready for bigger things, face something a little larger, get a little more out of my comfort zone. Acknowledging I am ready for a challenge is a solid first step- it grounds me. The answer may or may not be simple- maybe I am meant be more like a glacier and slowly change through life and not so much like a wave crashing from one thing to the next.

These are just some open ended questions that have been swimming in my brain the last few days- growing pains are a bummer but they in fact lead to much greater things. Patience and humbleness are key to waiting for answers.

But in the meantime, if you are waiting for answers like I am here are some super easy recipes for you to try/change/make your own- the foods are pictured above! This is pretty typical fare for my days off and are easy, quick, and delicious!

Super Smoothie
1 Banana
1 cup Coconut milk
1 cup Blueberries (or any berry on hand, really)
2 tbs Hemp seeds
1 scoop Amazing Grass Superfood powder (any flavor)

Fruits n' Greens Salad
2 cups mixed greens (pictured is kale, spinach, romaine)
1 cucumber, cut
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced
2 tsp Hemp Seed
2 tsp Chia Seed
2 tbs Non Dairy Ranch (because its soooo good)

Happy Weekend, friends ♥

NEW READS

Happy Hump Day! Its windy and rainy outside so I jammed my workout early so I could get cozy in pajamas with a good book ASAP- its the little things in life, right?

I love buying new books. As much as I love the luxury of my Kindle there is nothing that beats the feeling of a new book. And lately I have been loving the books that get me highlighting and marking up the pages that inspire me. Two new ones I picked up over the last week are both by my favorite Zen Master, Thich Naht Hanh- one day I hope to attend one of his retreats! I find his style of teaching so clear and concise- easy to follow and apply to my own life.

What brought me to book shopping is the fact that I have been feeling a little defeated in the positive thinking department. Some of my old habits of negative thoughts- though not drastic- are creeping in as I am facing some new decisions and choices. They are negative thoughts that are rooted in fear, the type of fear that acts like quick sand. Once I am in it seems impossible to get out of that mindset. I needed some inspiration!

So when I saw this book with the simple title of FEAR, I took it as a sign. So far it has been amazing. It starts from the beginning of our fears and works through all the stages. I know a lot of my own fears are rooted in past experiences that went wrong, left me hurt, and now I am terrified of that same painful vulnerability happening again. But it is this same fear that keeps me from progressing forward. It is a strange realization when you begin to accept and acknowledge a feeling, you are able to break it apart and become bigger than it. Fear is not always rational so you almost have to belittle that little bully to get it to go away. Finding time to meditate on my goals and dreams has been a lot of help to me this week in making my fear smaller. Having the vision of achieving what I want most and feel what it feels like to have it. Try it, its pretty exhilarating! No obstacles, no fears, just you and your achievement!

After I finish Fear and I will be moving on to Happiness because who can't use a little more coaching in happiness? Don't let ruts get the best of you, pick up a book, read a blog, search pinterest for artfully designed quotes that touch your soul and lift you up. Its hard to be in our own struggles everyday consumed by our innermost fears so looking at our situation from another perspective can give enough light at the end of the tunnel ♥

BANISHING BAGGAGE

via

This past weekend Nate and I did what I call Phase One of a major purge in our space. We have been blessed with a rather large apartment but the walls were starting to feel awfully closed in. Both him and I are notorious for hanging on to sentimental items- anything with a memory attached is hard to part ways with. I went through about a decade of accumulating way too many clothes/shoes/accessories and as we are transforming ourselves from the materialistic versions of ourselves the things around us just start resembling stuff.

It can really be a cathartic exercise to release the objects around us. To let go of the past to make room for the future. High School mementos that I have long forgotten the meaning of, the books from college I thought I might use again one day (ha!), the hand-me-down kitchen items that were given out of love but never used. I may have a slight case of hoarding and am just good at hiding it behind closet doors and cabinets! 

As we were going through closets, drawers, bookcases, and everything in between I felt lighter. Seeing the pile for donations growing wasn't just objects but also the guilt of not using the items, the hassle of shuffling them around, the reminders of some bittersweet memories that needed released. I was recently listening to Deepak Chopra's Magical Mind, Magical Body, which, so good. Mr. Chopra touched on how we can never grasp the highest value of ourselves if we base our value on the objects around us. Things do not define us. We define us.

To see the floor of the closet was like opening a whole new space in my life for something new, a space for just being. I am excited to go through even more in the coming weekends- sometimes letting go is a little painful, but ultimately it is liberating! To see the donation center worker clearing out my car I didn't even remember each item that was boxed up and that was exhilarating!

I challenge you to try clearing a closet, a shelf, a drawer. I challenge you to banish the baggage that weighs you down! What is holding you back? Release the emotions with the items and feel that sense of freedom. Freedom is the ultimate gift and you have the power to make it happen! 

Bet you will never think of Spring Cleaning the same way ;) ♥

KICKING OLD FOODIE HABITS

Every now and then I have a terrible time with eating clean. I seem to endlessly crave foods I have long cut out- like mac n' cheese, and I'm not talking about the kind made with Daiya ;) I am always in a state of progress- not perfection- when it comes to eating and I know that I am way better than I was even 6 months ago, but it doesn't make days like these any easier. Since changing my food habits in August of last year I have had plenty of opportunities to practice techniques to get me through the rough spots. Sometimes old habits just die hard but here are my go to's to keep on track...

Address why you are craving- Is it a situation? Emotions? Sometimes we find ourselves really wanting a cheeseburger and beer when we are out with our friends because that is what we used to do together. The comfort of the familiar and emotions tied to people and situations can be powerful. A lot of times simply acknowledging how we are being affected gives us enough power to make changes.

Try a new healthy snack option- peruse the aisles of your health food store, find a new recipe for clean sweets, or try a new fruit.

Have a stash- have one at home, the office, your car, wherever you find yourself getting cravings. Put healthy snack options that are your favorites and you know will help satiate the want to 'go crazy'. Don't let unhealthy options be easier to obtain than the healthy ones.

Have a small serving of what you are craving- not everyone will agree with this, but I have had  successful experiences with this method. Are Cheetos your weakness? Get a small serving, eat them slowly, and as you do, pay attention to how this junk food makes you feel compared to your healthy snacks. I guarantee you that you will not feel awesome after this- it actually helped turn me off to some of my old favorites!

Find clean food/ healthy habit inspiration- Thank goodness for Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and blogs. Sometimes flipping through a Yogi's instagram feed or searching clean food photos on Pinterest are enough to motivate me and inspire me to stick to it.  Especially when you find a role model that consistently inspires you- this can help remind you of what it means to you to eat clean and take care of yourself.

Whatever method I go with to kick a craving I always go right back to clean eating! Its not about guilt tripping yourself. I used to be very critical of myself when I would fall off the bandwagon and that honestly made me slip up even more! I have to love myself during the good and bad and remember that every day is a step closer to being a happier and healthier me ♥

MY DAILY LIFE LESSON

 Lyrics by One Republic

The past few weeks have been full of dreaming and scheming if nothing else. Dreams of better things to come this year, plans of how to get there, and faith that all we need for it to work out will come.

For me personally, I know my #1 set back of all time when it comes to achieving goals is myself. I am the type who plays it safe, inhibitions paralyze me, doubt and fear of the worst case scenarios riddle my brain. For example- I have made my share of mistakes in the past with finances, I have been burned, and felt foolish for these mistakes and it has planted a seed of timidness and feelings of lack. Our goals this year are going to push me to face these fears head on, open old wounds, and learn to have some faith when it comes to money. Changing my old thought patterns of ...

There simply isn't enough money for what I want
I have to work really hard to earn my money ... and then it seems to disappear!
This endeavor will probably take more money than I have or can imagine having- why bother?
Why will this situation be any different from the others? I am no good at balancing a check book- inevitable failure.

Ok, so slightly dramatic but you get the idea. I set myself up for money failures before I even begin! Booo! Any time these negative thoughts cross my mind or I want to start obsessively monitoring my accounts I take a breath and realign my thoughts with my goals. Its not easy. But eventually the negative thoughts are a little more quiet and the positive ones bring peace and balance back to my mind. I use statements like ...

Our account has more than enough for what we need and want
The universe will provide what we need and when we need it. 
I make wise decisions with our finances and therefore we are taken care of and comfortable. 
I am grateful for the abundance I already possess!
I deserve the financial freedom I desire, and I already have it!

I am not saying throw all caution to the wind. No no, what I am saying is don't let money be a ball and chain. Since practicing these 'thought switches' I have found I am simply smarter about my money and see a difference in my habits both outwardly and inwardly. Do whatever you must to get that feeling of abundance back. I read once that if you are feeling broke, go out and buy something! Feel that freedom of abundance. Even if that freedom is a $1 coffee at McD's.


So instead of counting the dollars to my name, I am going to be counting my blessings. Anticipating the great adventures ahead and have faith that I deserve and am ready for this next chapter in life. The lesson to be learned everyday is to not let things that intimidate us keep us from being the best we can be, we are all infinitely amazing- we just have to believe it and let everything else fall into place  ♥

GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME | E-SQUARED

Happy Monday! And no, that is not sarcasm- that is a true deep from the bottom of my heart verbal gesture of love and hope that your week is starting off on the best foot ever!

I also hope that the title of this post immediately put the Beatles song in your head. It has been playing on repeat in my own for oh, about 6 hrs now. You are welcome.

New blog designs are so fun, it can be the simplest of things that make your outlook fresh and excited to revisit a space over and over again. I am not much of a process person and always tell myself 'pace yourself, Janae. A blog design does not in fact need to be done over night. Think about it, let ideas marinate.' And then what happens? 48 hrs later I have a new blog design up! Ha ha well at least I know my nature!

On a totally different note and the point of this post- have you read the book E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality by Pam Grout? No? Well you should. I am starting on the third experiment this week and I am looking forward to it because the last two have worked!

Coming from someone who used to commiserate that I was just a very unlucky person (terrible mentality to have), I used to wonder why bad things always seemed to come my way. The bank account would be low and my car would breakdown, I had somewhere important to be and I would get stuck in traffic, I had fun plans and I would be called into work. I just assumed I was unlucky. I wasn't born with the proverbial silver spoon, I have never found a four leaf clover. And then I decided not that long ago that so what? What is luck anyway? Well apparently it is energy. And that is what this book is all about- we are all energy, that is a scientific fact, and depending what frequency we send out, that is the frequency we receive in return.

High frequency? Positive vibes and good things come your way. Low Frequency? Well your car will break down in a traffic jam during a downpour the day before you get paid. On the bright side you have control over your frequency.

I apparently have spent most of my life on the low frequency wave- through learned behaviors, limitations I set for myself, perceptions I allowed to manifest, I unknowingly set myself up for a bumpy ride. So over the past few months I have been changing my frequency, it is a process, I am learning a new way of thinking after all but I can genuinely say its fun!

The first experiment in the book is to ask the universe for a sign- a blatant, can't miss it sign that it is there and waiting. So for 48 hrs I watched for a sign. Around hour 40 I happened to pop on twitter and guess who started following me? The Law of Attraction. I couldn't help but laugh! So thank you universe for that.

The second experiment directs you to focus your focus. Pay attention to your surroundings- an exercise in mindfulness. Since our brains like to filter out what does not seem important we miss a lot! The experiment is to focus on seeing a certain type of car- I chose green. In a day I recognized 26 green cars (during about 2 hrs of driving). Part two of this experiment was to look for yellow butterflies. I was a little more skeptical of this one, because, it is winter after all and not conducive to butterfly sitings. But I had faith and yesterday afternoon on instagram lo' and behold there was a yellow butterfly.

So I don't know how you would react but I got pretty excited- I still am excited! To be affirmed that I can take control of my thoughts and energy and attract what I want to attract. I think thats pretty cool.

Don't feel unlucky anymore- there really is no need. Have a little faith. Try a little experiment. Read this book and have fun opening up a new way of thinking. There is nothing to lose and so much to gain, if even just a better perspective! ♥

GOOD VIBRATIONS

This week I've had an itch I can't quite scratch. The need to change, to move, to grow, to adventure. Maybe its been the consistent double digit temps, the rays of sunshine, the sound of nature stirring, that has got my gears going and thoughts racing toward the future. An impulse that says lets go! anywhere! do something! anything! Imagine it and do it!

Visualization has been such a fun tool for me lately. I have always prided myself on a great imagination (thus, I do not watch scary movies) and visualization has worked its way nicely into my daily meditation. This week I had a real breakthrough with them, they just felt so real. Checking things off my bucket list, setting off for new adventures and experiences, growing on this little blog, expanding my life in a thousand different ways- I could see it all. And not just see it, I could feel it. In all the literature I have read on visualization, authors and gurus all agree that feeling your visualizations is the key to transforming your life through this practice. It seemed like I finally got both pieces of the puzzle and I have a vibration of excitement underlying my thoughts everyday.

So though its been quite here on the blog, my journals are filling up with ideas and inspirations. I am excited to move on from things that feel stale, both here and in my day to day. I feel inspired to pour more time/passion into what I love right now and make real plans for real change. I am feeling more at home in myself. The easy part is always saying you want to create change- the hard part is acting on it. But I can honestly say that these good vibrations are leading me on a different kind of creative path and I am excited to see where I go ♥

OUTFIT No. 39

This was the scene outside our apartment when we woke up Sunday morning. Not that different from the scene on Saturday but a good 1-2" more of the white stuff. If it hadn't been sunny and in the double digits I probably would not have been as ok with the situation as I was. Nate snapped these as we were leaving to pick up some soup- our parking lot has been the place of most recent outfit posts. All of our regular spots are buried under unplowed drifts!

So anyway- besides the snow lots of fun things have been happening around here! I booked our V-Day getaway, yay! A simple one night adventure to Cleveland (I know, farther north, oh well) to visit the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and eat. I plan on eating a lot. Also it will be our first trendy hotel experience- aka a hotel that is not a chain, so huzzah!

Saturday night N and I had our first casino experience. I won $40 so I walked away with a head held high and feeling pretty good.

This morning I tried the smile exercise, this simple practice is smiling for the first 5-10 minutes after you wake up in the morning. In my favor, I woke up with a good energy level and pleasant disposition so I was in the mood to try it. It feels ridiculous but I swear it elevated my mood.

I downloaded E-Squared: Nine Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove your Thoughts Create your Reality by Pam Grout and am super excited for this read.

And in the spirit of Love ... love for yourself, your nearest and dearest, your community, humankind- I challenge you to somehow show love this week to someone else. If they aren't expecting it- even better! Pay for a strangers morning coffee, surprise a friend with a small gift, make a donation to a favorite charity, donate old coats or blankets to a homeless shelter, smile or say something positive to someone who is obviously having a bad day- show some love in any way. It doesn't have to cost money, it just has to be heart felt. 

If you act on love this week let me know what you do and how it was received! I personally love paying for someone behind me in the drive-thru- I never know what their reaction is so I can imagine it any way I want! Sharing our abundance of love only generates more love. Now that would be a happy Valentines Day ♥

LOVING AFFIRMATIONS: A PARTNER EXERCISE

In the spirit of all things love this month here is an affirmation exercise that can be done with a partner or a friend. Everyone benefits from more positive energy and loving affirmations that both nurture your own soul but that of your partners simultaneously. I came across this practice in Shakti Gawain's Creative Visualization, and loved how simple but powerful this back and forth affirmative conversing works.

Begin by facing your partner and look into each others eyes.

Take turns going back and forth saying affirmative statements and then accepting them. There are several ways to state them, play around with the different phrasings.

Example: Janae: Nate, you are a creative, talented, skilled person.
                Nate: Yes, I am.

                Nate: I am a creative, talented, skilled person!
                Janae: yes, you are!

You may feel silly at first, kind of like you're in a poorly written play, but come from a sincere place in your heart and it will create an amazing bond. Believe what you are saying and let it manifest in you, both the words you are giving and receiving and you will feel a powerful energy for both you and your partner. As you practice this, add in throughout the day affirmative communication to your partner, send text messages, an email, and make sure to remind them everyday that they are amazing beings. ♥

OUTFIT No. 38

 Lauren Conrad for Khols Blazer // Target blouse // Old Navy Rockstar Denim // Forever 21 Ring and shoes //

 Betsey Johnson Bag

I love Valentines day. I look forward to the break in the winter bleakness for the opportunity to revel in all that is pink, red, and glittery. I realize that I am one of a small group who loves this holiday so dearly- most people scoff and proclaim their dislike, and dare I say, hate of the holiday. Yes, jaded love can make this holiday seem like one for those in committed happy relationships. So cupid may not have struck you yet but I say forget cupid, and simply love yourself! 

Having a loving relationship with yourself seems as delightful a topic to approach as loving your enemy. When you reflect on how you treat yourself, is it with the kindness and compassion you would bestow on a friend- or do you harshly criticize and tear yourself down like a mean girl?

I know my own shortcoming is harsh criticism. I am my worst critic- I make ridiculous standards to hold myself to and am quick to chastise myself when those standards aren't being met. To what point?! It makes for a lot of negative energy flowing through me to bring myself down and lessen my worth.  People compliment me in some way and my immediate response is to brush it off- I can do better! This is my downfall, and an area I am trying to work on everyday.

As progressive people we like to be better and do better. And that is healthy. But what isn't is when you fail to accept where you are today and reward yourself for getting to the present. 

In my daily affirmations one of my favorite things to write out is that I love who I am today. If you don't love yourself today, how can you love what you are tomorrow? A major attitude adjustment has to occur from the negative to that of acceptance and gratitude for what you have today- otherwise the abundance of the universe only sees dissatisfaction and that is all you will receive, more dissatisfaction!

Love yourself today. Write out a list of things you love about yourself- physical, emotional, mental. When you are looking in the mirror while getting ready for the day, look yourself in the eyes and tell yourself you love who are. If others can love you the way you are, then why do we find it so hard to love ourselves as well? By loving ourselves we soften and open our hearts to loving others even more. Anger will soften, judgments will lessen, and on a whole we become more at peace with the love that is in all of us. 

I believe it is our nature to love- that good honest love is built into our DNA as humans. So this month, in the spirit of pink, red, glitter, and hearts- affirm to yourself everyday that you love you.

I promise it will be amazing ♥

RECENT READS

There is a definite theme in my reading over the last few months. I have loved all the books I have gone through but I have also realized that I think my next book needs to be a great piece of fiction! So much serious/soul searching/contemplative reading can leave someone feeling inspired and burnt out all at once.

I thought it would be fun to compile these for you all though- like I said above, I have truly loved reading all of these for what they brought to the table. They are insightful, they get you thinking, and they really open you up to new ways of thinking and its amazing. So here we go ...

The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health by Michio Kushi: This is my most current read and I am still in Pt 1 but hoping to finish by the end of January. I have been intrigued by macrobiotics since I heard Courtney Love practiced it years ago (awesome, right?!) and now I am finally getting educated on the topic!

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: Simply amazing. The most inspiring book I have read lately and I have put so much of this book into practice since reading it last month. The accompanying documentary is also really good but I encourage you strongly to read the book- I got much more out of it!

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone: This is the book that started it all for me. It combines vegan and macrobiotic principles and inspired me to try the vegan lifestyle. Easy to read and includes tips, information, and recipes.

Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain: I am also currently reading this book as a follow up to The Secret. Nate's mom gifted this book to us a few years ago when we were too young and silly to understand how good it really is. It has meditations, visualization activities, and great insight to creating the life you want by using your greatest asset ... your mind!

Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen: This book is exactly what it sounds like. The most straight forward book I have read on Buddhism and broke down all the aspects into easy to understand sections. I definitely don't know everything there is to know about this religion but I feel more informed now for sure.

Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers by Thich Nhat Hanh: I have mentioned this book in a few other posts because it was so good. I have several other books by Thich on my to-read list. This book was really what I needed to relate my Christian upbringing with the parts of Buddhism that I really connect to.

What have you been reading? ♥

OUTFIT No. 35

 Target Top and Skirt // H&M Hat // Forever 21 boots // Ralph Lauren Tile Shopper

Mondays are a funny thing for me. On one hand I want to cry and protest when the alarm goes off at 5:30 am and curl back under the covers and pretend that the weekend never ends ... and on the other hand I want to jump out of bed full of energy (preferably real energy but I also believe in faking it till you make it!) and welcome the new week with open arms because that is what starts a week on the right foot.

So I typically fall somewhere in the middle. I start off bummed for like the first two minutes of climbing out of my warm bed into the cold apartment and accosting my eyes to the bright light of the bathroom and then as I am washing my face and getting used to the idea that its another work day I can start to muster more positive thoughts of what I am looking forward to that day.

And just like that my positive thoughts snowball and they continue as the morning goes on.

Moral of the story? It is so so easy to be a Monday morning grouch. Once you start being grumpy its easy to keep going- and a lot of times you find other grouches to commiserate with. But it can also be easy to be a little Miss Sunshine and radiate the love and gratitude you actually have for waking up alive and healthy and happy for another day. Because you know those feelings are there, even if it takes a few cups of coffee to catch your bodies actions up to your minds thoughts ;)

Something I have been practicing that you might find handy too is before you fall asleep at night think a positive thought about the next day- think 'I will wake up full of energy ready to face the new day' or 'I am really looking forward to tomorrow because _______' and let that positive thought manifest while you sleep. I think you'll find that once you rise in the morning it will be one of the first thoughts to spring forward in your mind and start you off on a positive note! 

So that's my nugget of positive inspiration for you today! We are getting close to being halfway through January and this week I will be sharing some updates on resolutions and what I have been recently reading. I wore this outfit above on Christmas Eve (I may be a little behind on these). It was simple but just dressy enough. And my love of black turtlenecks was best described by Sydney- I couldn't top her description of what a black turtleneck does for a girl!

Well happy Monday all- I hope it is wonderful ♥

BE LIKE THE SQUIRREL

Take all your problems And rip 'em apart,
Carry them off in a shopping cart,
And another thing you should've known from the start,
The problems in hand are lighter than at heart,
Be like the squirrel girl, be like the squirrel,
Give it a whirl girl, be like the squirrel,
And another thing you have to know in this world,
Cut up your hair, straighten your curls,
Well, your problems hide in your curls.

Today I had to face the music on something I had been putting off for awhile due to fear. As you know from Wednesdays post fear is something I am trying to face and conquer these days. All I had to do was make a tiny phone call but I had been building it up in my head for so long I felt physically ill about going through with it. And in moments where I feel so small this White Stripes song likes to pop in my head and I can't help myself but think to 'be like the squirrel girl'. 

This song may have a catchy beat but the lyrics are what really make it. We like to build up our problems into the proverbial mountain and forget that it all started as a mole hill. We psych ourselves out over the unknown instead of facing the issue and taking any small step to resolve or make it better. If you have a problem, think of any steps, no matter how small, that you can take to make it smaller and more manageable.

In times of doubt, worry, and fear its easy to forget how strong and resilient you really are. I fall victim to this as much as the next guy but I have found that a courageous mantra to myself during meditation really helps in reminding oneself of the resources inside. The next time you have something to conquer (or simply take that baby step towards) think of repeating some things like this to yourself ...

I am a strong and courageous being

I am an abundant being of resources and all I need can be found within me

There is nothing that can steal my light, my joy, my happiness

I am responsible for my own happiness and it is worth protecting

I deserve to be happy and free

I am strong, I am happy, and I am resilient

I can handle anything that comes my way

The more you think positive the smaller fears feel. The more often you think positive in your day to day the easier it will be to keep these positive thoughts at the forefront of your mind when you face some of life's darkness. The darkness is inevitable, but we are resilient beings.

Today I took a small step towards feeling some freedom from my fear, the phone call was step one but I already feel a lightness. I thought I would feel burdened or heavy but in fact I feel light, at peace, and more in charge of my situation. 

So be like the Squirrel, and rip 'em apart. Your happiness is worth it. ♥

BE EPIC

source unknown

One of my goals for this year is to accept more opportunities and defy my inhibitions. I confess my greatest weakness is defying fear. Inhibitions have dictated a lot of decisions in life. My fear of the unknown is crippling 99.9% of the time.

I have been this way as long as I can remember. I enjoy playing it safe, following the rules, feeling righteous in my pious behaviors (insert gagging face here), I've been a square from day one- I even declare it in the name of this blog! To an extent I am ready to round out those edges a bit. I'm starting to realize how much I have missed by not taking leaps of faith, and I am sure there are plenty of things I don't realize I have missed too! I don't want to become a reckless adrenaline junky or anything, I just want to have more faith (another goal of mine!) and step out on the ledge a little more everyday. I am tired of not knowing what I am missing.

About a year ago Nate sent me the picture above, I saved it as the background on my phone for months. 'Do Epic Shit'. Simple and slightly crass but it held something in its words that excited my soul and freaked me out at the same time.

When was the last time I did something epic? Took a leap of faith? Put my heart and soul in something? Accepted an opportunity/challenge with no idea of the outcome and just embraced it?

To give myself some credit I did start a new career path, started yoga, and took this blog in a very different direction than I ever thought I would (I certainly never thought I would be posting photos with profanity in it, and then expounding on it) But I can also think of several occasions where my gut said go and my brain said absolutely not. And I wish I had done what my initial intent was. We can't change the past but we can go forth and be awesome.

So this week I challenge you to think about your inhibitions. What stops you in your tracks? What can you do in the future to be willing to say yes without hesitation? How would you feel if you simply said yes? What can you do today to break those barriers? Any small step moves you forward.

To combat my natural tendency to take flight in the face of the unknown I have been meditating on accepting myself, and being grounded in who I know myself to be. Knowing that I have a support system of people I love who will be there for me. Knowing that I am strong and can pick myself up if I fall. Knowing that everything happens for a reason and that our lives are kind of a choose-it-yourself adventure, so why not be daring? What am I really doing by staying in my little bubble? Besides missing growth and change? Tearing apart the feeling of fear diminishes it. It is just like a wall- you keep taking the bricks away and before you know it you're left with an open path of possibility.

So go forth, be epic, be amazing, be fearless, and above all be you. It is a daily lesson of self searching but the only time is now- start living as if you're alive. ♥

2014 JOURNAL

 New Years Eve is finally upon us and I am so excited to share with you my new journal for the coming year. The past two months I have been hard at work practicing positive thinking and gratefulness, manifesting a new way of thinking is hard! Nate and I started in November with small journals recorded in (almost) every night of grateful thoughts and I loved how it was a positive reflection at the end of the day. So it got me thinking on how I could roll this into a daily practice and how to take it one step farther (I do love a challenge).

The process is simple, buy a journal and allot two pages a day. One to reflect on all the good things that have happened that day, thankful thoughts for another day accomplished and the other page to use as a place to write the positive thoughts I am currently trying to manifest. I do visualization when I can but sometimes writing out an affirmation helps me solidify and strengthen that thought within myself.

I am excited to see how this helps my practice of changing my thought patterns and I think it will be really fun to look back a year from now and see all the positive things that happened to me over the year in black and white!

I hope everyone is having an amazing last day of 2013- our is simple and mostly at home, just the way I like it. Besides getting an oil change (responsible adult thing to do) and picking up soup for lunch (Gee, I love Panera) we are hanging out at home cleaning out desks, prepping our new calendars and spending lots of QT on the couch. I love a quiet NYE. Tonight is take out and champagne, what are your plans?

I hope no matter what you do, you have a safe and wonderful night .... HAPPY NEW YEAR! ♥

LETTING GO AND HOLDING ON

I am very very excited for 2014! I have not been so ready for a 'fresh start' and this quote really spoke to me on the matter.

Sometimes it's easy to just chuck things from your past, whether tangible or not. They may seem to weigh your new ideas down, or clutter your space or mind, or simply not fit into where you picture yourself in the coming year. And yes, sometimes it is good to purge and cleanse of the unnecessary but I know in my own experience that I have rushed to forget or throw away things and not appreciate them for what they are and what purpose they have served me thus far.

This past week I took stock of what I was grateful for this past year. I was really inspired by this blog post (if you don't follow Ashley's Blog, check it out, my new favorite!) to think back over the 12 months and think of all the good things that have propelled me forward in 2013.

There are definitely things I am going to leave in this past year, but there are some really noteworthy things to take with me as building blocks for 2014. My starting point. Here are a few things that made it to my 2013 grateful list ...

1. started a frequent yoga practice
2. cooked more frequently and enjoyed dinners at home more this year
3. Left an old (terrible) job for a new (amazing) job
4. started this blog
5. conquered my fear of heights for a moment
6. began my simplification process
7. had more faith

All of these will be the beginning point of new goals for the new year that I will be sharing next week. It was a very gratifying activity to sit down and think out a gratefulness list for the entire year- its easy to get caught up on the loose ends when there are so many things that were accomplished in full!

What is making it to your 2013 list? ♥