Happy Thursday! Lately I’ve noticed a shift in my confidence. In my desire to get out of my comfort zone, meet people, wear all the jewelry, be extra and bold in my style choices & courage in my work and personal goals. So today I’m sharing some words that really resonated with me recently. Along with some fit shots from a few days ago… Enjoy!
Imperfection is a form of freedom
Let your process, your struggle and your progress inspire others.
You don’t need perfection to encourage those who are watching you
I recently saw this on Instagram and after a quick google search found that the post that I stumbled over on Instagram was actually inspired by a good. I felt it really resonated with me, and once that happens – I feel compelled to make sure it has a permanent home on my blog (or my twitter or instagram(s)) :P
Today’s post is a quick one! I’ve been feeling a little off alignment. So in my research to get back on track and out of this funk – I researched some inspiration and knew I had to share here :)
One thing I do want to say is that, our journey is full of ebbs and flows. There are highs and lows and sometimes how we operate will be effected by that. What I’ve learned that it’s completely okay to lean into the slow, quiet, idle restful time just as much as the fast paced productivity.
Having an off day, week or month is completely okay & we all go through it. And when you are ready…read on to learn ways to get back on your path…
I couldnt have started the year with a better book. Kevin takes us on a personal account of his challenges and perseverance as he chased his dream of becoming a famous comedian, actor and now author!
The book starts off funny, mellows out for some serious themes in the middle and ends on a funny yet inspiring. His positive outlook, consistency and belief in himself is relatable and a great way to begin the year!
Some of my favourite quotes:
“How you handle rejection is very similar to how you’ll handle success. If you’re strong enough to handle rejection without taking it personally, without holding a grudge, and without losing your passion and drive, then you’ll be strong enough to reap the rewards. But if you’re too weak to handle failure and disappointment, then you’re too weak to handle success, which will only end up damaging your life and happiness.”
“It turns out that the things I hated most as a child are the same things that serve me the most as an adult.”
“You are already in your experience. So you can either resent and resist it, and make it that much less enjoyable, or you can accept it and find something positive in it.”
One qualm I had about the book – is that there are no date references!
To do lists are the micro levels of my big dreams. Big dreams are astronomical, may take months or years to achieve them, require persistence and consistency. Consistency is where our daily to do lists come in.
I do want to preface this post by saying the following:
we shouldn’t be slaves to our to do lists
to do lists don’t own us
to do lists are meant to serve us
So if your daily to do list, post it or weekly planner spread is making you feel bad about yourself – throw it out, take a beat and start over again when you are ready!
We shouldn’t feel productivity debt (feeling like you always need to be doing something and rest is not deserved unless your to do list is completed) from not completing everything on our to do list & there is nothing you NEED to do to earn your existence.
But when you are ready to schedule the day you want to make it amazing – read on!
Side note: I’m writing this as I was feeling overwhelm trying to use notion. Notion is meant to be a tool to keep your life organized but there was too much scope creep in their product – for me at least. The idea that it might also need to look aesthetic, link to a Spotify playlist and my Pinterest mood board was a little too much. So I realized I need to step back and figured others might need to too.
So how do we make our to do lists work for us?
Figure out your big dreams, goals, priorities and projects. But also think about the habits you want to build and routines you want to have.
Pick a medium that works for you. Could be paper or digital, simple or complex. You’ll also want to choose a template: Is it just 1 sticky note for the day, or multiple colour coded ones, is it a weekly spread planner or an hour-by-hour list of tasks. This can obviously change but it’s a great idea to try something out.
Fill your list with your daily living + tasks that will help you got to your big goals. Example are meetings, but also your workouts (goal: to focus on fitness). It could be having lunch with someone and blocking 2 hours in the morning for writing (goal: to write a book).
Pick something to fail at. Not everything has to be checked off and not everything has to be done well. So knowing what can be moved to another day vs a non-negotiable will help you stay intentional and not feel like you aren’t moving forward.
Remember – it’s all about getting to outcomes (not getting things done). Your to do list should be on your side helping you build intentional habits and keep you 1 step closer to your goals!
I cannot take credit for this. But I really wanted to share it. (Edit: all pictures are from Pinterest)
I’ve been following @Art0fLife_ on twitter for a few months and I love when people re-share their content. It means 1) it resonates with folks and 2) it needs to be shared more.
The 9 habits shared by @Art0fLife_ are very specific, so I’ll be sharing them with a more consistent mindset as opposed to a “follow this exactly to find results”.
Should preface by this saying, I’m will a Work in Progress. I do do a handful of these, but there are areas where I know I want to improve.
Image from PinterestImage from Pinterest
Wake up early at the same time every day: really dependent on what time you go to sleep, but if you know the hours of sleep you need (somewhere between 6-8 for most of us) you can get into bed and get that sleep in consistently. Why wake up early? because you get time to yourself and it ensures you are ahead of everything and anyone
Journal daily: Don’t know what to write? brain-dump, goals, gratitude list, thoughts that make you spiral. Getting things out of your head will dramatically improve your creativity and mental wellness.
Learning/Studying for 30 min a day: This is so important for anyone and unfortunately we do less of it in mid life and beyond. Whether it studying certification material (hello scrum, agile, data or product) or hobby (wood work, coding, knitting, content creation). Learning creates increase neural pathways and can also help you create multiple income streams.
Exercise daily for at least 30 min: not only for the physical side, but also for the mental wellness side. Consider ways to incorporate cardio (swimming, running) and resistance training (weight lifting, resistance or body weight exercises).
Meditate for at least 5 min: Essentially sitting in silence or with a guided mentation will help you practice mindfulness and give your mind a break.
Create a proper sleep schedule: including a wind down routine. This will do wonders for your performance, productivity and mood.
Walk in nature: I love my forrest baths. Nature is a proven way to improve anxiety and increase happiness. It helps to also get the creative juices flowing. I would love to do this daily but it’s only once a week currently. Will be looking to improve this.
Read 20 pages a day: read anything (fiction, non fiction, self dev, poems, history etc). Reading an actual book helps to improve focus and knowledge (even if that is just what a word means and how to spell it).
Drink 2.5-3L of water daily: water is essential to our body and our recovery. So staying hydrated is key.
