I am a quote lover. I use quotes to inspire and ground me and often share them with others when I feel they can help. A good quote can give me insight and perspective that I did not have before and needed. This is one of those quotes.
I'll retype it here: "things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." When I first heard this quote, it took me a couple seconds and a few repetitions to really have it sink in. To me, this is profound wisdom that we can use to remind ourselves that how we respond to situations dictates how we end up feeling and that the response we have is within our control.
A dear friend told me this quote while I was in the hospital six months ago impatiently waiting for my dad to recover from a shockingly difficult surgery and simultaneously having all my plans for Italy crumble. I cannot say now if she meant it to be consoling or even relating to the situation I was in, but what I took out of it was that I had the power to control how this situation turned out.
Read moreWork-life balance is a term that I hear used frequently, yet it is as elusive as the word happiness. It means different things for different people and is certainly not a one-size-fits-all deal. There is no formula or recipe for the optimal balance in your life. It takes a little bit of effort to first figure out what balance means to you and then the hard part: making balance happen.
I talk about balance like I talk about mindfulness (a lot). I do this because I truly believe they are both key components to having a fulfilling life. That being said, I fully recognize that they are each somewhat difficult concepts to put into practice. However, we all know that great things are usually worth a decent amount of effort so let's dive into this.
Read moreWe only have a few precious weeks of summer left and everyone is already freaking out. Maybe we did not get to accomplish all that we wanted to or maybe we had too much fun and we are not ready for it to be over. Either way, spending any more energy on dreading summer's end is taking time away from your enjoyment of these final days.
I come from the land of the perpetual summer: Florida. There's no change in temperature year round other than brief occasional "cold fronts" aka 70° for a couple days. Regardless of this, there was still an essence about summer. Freedom, travel, special activities, time with friends: summer brings out wonderful things that we seem to lack in other seasons.
Perhaps it begins in our formative years where summer means no school, camp, and fun. This, of course, means that summer closing signifies the end of all of those great things. Well, we are adults now and save for the few friends that are school teachers, all of us work throughout the year. Yet, summer still has this magnificent hold on us. And I wonder why?
Read moreConfession: I read a lot of books. It helps me focus and pass time but it also helps me expand my thinking. I tend to read a lot of books about psychology, wellness, and mental health and I thought, what better way to have a conversation with my wonderful readers!
The intention behind the new Mindful Reading section of the Mindful Living blog is to share the knowledge that I pick up by reading these books. I hope you will join me in this virtual book club as we review a new book each month.
The first book I chose, Big Magic, is especially meaningful to me because I read it at a time when I really needed to hear what the insightful Elizabeth Gilbert had to say. Her lessons are strong and I think it may resonate with you too.
Read moreThe Olympic games are fascinating to watch. It's when the best of the best come out to show the world all they have been working towards over the course of their lives. There is a huge degree of pride for each country and for each individual athlete. There is also a bit of masochism at watching these people dedicate their lives to something so physical and challenging.
As I marveled at the talent, I noticed four things we can all learn from these athletes. Sports aside, these are some powerful observations that I believe we could all use in our lives.
Read moreWe have all heard the serenity prayer, right? It is simple yet powerful, used in religion, Alcoholics Anonymous, and anywhere in between.
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things that I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
When we fight to attempt to control the things that we cannot change, we are placed into an automatic state of stress. Where that stress goes varies from person to person, but overall it always comes back to the same message: we need to let go of the things we cannot control.
Read moreIf you are not already aware, I am returning to the U.S. this week from an incredible five month journey in Europe. This blog could not come at a more crucial time because I want to remind myself the ways in which I preserve my "vacation mode." I also want to share this with you since it is summer time and many of us are traveling or beginning to wrap up our summer escapades.
There are reasons why vacations are so relaxing. We are in new places, usually free of the responsibilities of work and "real life," and doing fun things. Once we return to our routine-based lives, we may keep riding the high for a few days or maybe a week, but generally we let everything that was great about that vacation start to slip away.
I totally get it! It is easy to do, especially if you are not intentionally hanging on to some of that magic vacation energy. So why not try? Why not implement a few things to keep you feeling great and create a life that you do not constantly need a vacation from?
Read moreSomething big happened in my life recently; a shift of sorts. One decade of my life ended and a new one began. I turned the big 3-0. However, this is not the shift I am referring to. I am talking about the shift in my life that I created when I quit my job and went to live in another country. Contrary to what we have been conditioned to think about this “scary” age, I am embracing it with open arms and dictating my own terms about this new age. Who is with me?
Read moreSelf-care is important to me. So important that I wrote an e-book about it. I implore my clients to develop their own self-care routines, and shamelessly keep to my practice when I know I need it. In many occasions, however, we fall out of habit without even realizing it.
For the entire month of July, I am traveling throughout Europe. You might be thinking that travel in itself is a type of self-care. It is true, getting out of your comfort zone, seeing something new, and being in awe are great practices to get you feeling renewed and energized. However, I know that travel can leave me feeling tired and cranky if I do not balance it with certain self-care practices.
Read moreHave you ever been in a situation where you are doing something but wondering if there were something better you could be doing? Even if you are having a good time, there may have been another option for the night or friends who had invited you elsewhere when you already had plans. And now you are thinking about whether you would be having a better time somewhere else. Maybe you have had difficulty making a decision about something because there were too many options, especially too many options that looked interesting. No matter the situation, the issue is the same: FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out.
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