Truth. I DO & I DON'T...

I look on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, my blog and listen to friends feedback about my life on all these social media outlets.  Friends tell me, "YOU ARE DOING SO MUCH!"  And I think, ya, I do have a lot of different jobs, hobbies and goals but I still have so much time...

I choose my hours to put forth my goals every week, which requires accountability, drive and determination every day.  I choose the hours I will spend away from the computer, the phone and the TV.  I choose my girlfriend time.  I choose when to connect with my love.  I choose when to talk on the phone.  I choose when to make appointments.  Being a self-employed entrepeneur & business owner, I enjoy scheduling my weeks, but it is pretty rough to stay motivated, dedicated and committed.  I do NOT reinvent the wheel, I do NOT workout every day and I do NOT cook all my meals from scratch.  

I swear to you, I am just a business woman, trying to make a positive difference in the wellness field.  I wrote a list of things I do and things I don't do.  Take a look and don't let social media fool you into thinking everyone's life is INSTA-GRAM quality.  (I still love Insta-gram).

DO:
Procrastinate
Contradict
Workout 4-6 times per week
Enjoy hanging out on the couch
Read magazines
Start a million projects at one time
Enjoy silence
Eat all day
Take walks all the time
Have a lot of jobs
Talk to my Mom every day
Love to sleep
Like doing things on the fly
Make yoga playlists (even when I'm taking a hiatus from teaching)
Love writing
Love sharing
Love singing
Love girl time
Love getting/giving cards
Love advice


DON'T:
Eat salad everyday
Make everything from scratch
Workout every day
Stay on one topic for too long
Finish everything
Do yoga every day
Stay at a job for a long time
Like loud noises
Make vision boards
Plan
Make big moves before talking to everybody
Love paying bills (who does)

Connection.

People are looking for a way to connect.

How do you connect?  By phone, in person, email or text?

How do you keep up with all your friendships?

How do you stay balanced with work and family?   Fitness and health?

How do you stay connected with your motivation and your goals?

Do you manifest your dreams with a vision board?  Do you write them out in your journal?  Do you talk about them?  Do you speak with the people who have careers you admire?

Do you communicate with people who are cheering you on or do you find yourself getting dragged down by the naysayers?

I don't have a lot of darkness in my life.  Yes, living in Seattle in the wintertime it's easy to feel down from the lack of Vitamin D and the sun going down at lightning speed before 5:30PM, but I have a light and connection to my inner being, the sun is inside of me.  And no overcast sky can dim my light.  As my last year in my twenties, I am discovering that connection is key.  Community is key.  Friendships are key.  Family is key.  Health is everything.  Fitness feels good.  Crying feels good.  As my boyfriend states whenever he sees a tear drop down my face, "Oh, there she goes, getting her daily cry in."  And it's true.  In the past, I pretended to be so tough.  I kept my tears inside because crying is for babies, crying is for people who are weak or so I thought.

As I get more comfortable in my skin, I enjoy my daily cries.

Usually they came when I watch Biggest Loser or when a friend gets engaged or when someone is so completely vulnerable that it blows me off my feet.  The crying might only last one tear length, but I don't push my emotions down so deep that they come back to bite me in the butt later.  Suppressing emotions will do you no good, so if you feel a certain way, feel it.  Don't stay there, but go through the emotion and I swear to you, you will feel SO much better.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes!

                         Slightly adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/11/11/sweet-potato-cupcakes-marshmallow-frosting/

(makes 10-11)

• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
• 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup Bob’s gf flour plus 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 cup xylitol
• pinch pure stevia extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cupcake tin or line with cupcake liners, and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, sweet potato, vanilla, oil, and vinegar. Let sit at least 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir very well. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just evenly mixed. Pour evenly into cupcake tins. Make sure the batter fills only a little over half of each cupcake tin, as it will rise considerably as it cooks. Bake 19-20 minutes, or until cupcakes have risen and are lightly golden. Let cool 15 minutes before removing from the cupcake tins.

Marshmallow Frosting: (For a coconut-free alternative, simply use something like Ricemellow Crème as your frosting instead.)

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk or creme
• pinch pure stevia
• 1/2 tsp marshmallow extract (such as this)

Open the coconut milk (try not to shake it before opening), and if it’s not already super-thick, leave the can in the fridge overnight. It should get very thick. If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a can that won’t work for the recipe. I recommend coconut cream such as Trader Joe’s. (Hint: shake the can when you’re at the store. If you can hear the liquidy contents swishing around, it’s probably too thin to work for this recipe.) Once thick, transfer only the creamy coconut cream to a bowl and whip in your sweetener and extract with a fork or with beaters if you want to be really fancy. Due to the perishable nature of the whipped cream, it’s best to frost the cupcakes immediately before serving.

Are You Caving In or Are You Carving Out?

I LOVE looking at peoples Facebook pictures when they are doing something "outside the box."  Because let me tell you, it is so much harder to create a job you love, fill your days up with enough work so you can pay your bills on time and remain a connected friend and family member.

The grass looks so much greener on the corporate side...I think it's there to taunt the naysayers into the land of 9-5.  I was definitely pulled in at the beginning of this year.  I was so over paying for my own health insurance, filing taxes, keeping records of everything, never knowing what I'm going to get paid from week to week, etc.  I caved.  I got a full-time job.  A real 9-5'er.  I rode the bus/walked to and from a place where people counted down the minutes.  I thought, "I finally have my insurance paid for!  THIS IS IT!  THIS IS WHAT SECURITY FEELS LIKE!  WHAT AN AWESOME FEELING!"

It was actually cool to see people thrive in that environment.  I envy them.  I wish I could be content in that type of position.  But I can't sit for that long.  I dreaded meetings.  I didn't like people telling me I had to be here and by this time.  Just like if any of the content 9-5'ers tried to be a freelancer, they'd lose it.

Being a freelancer is so unpredictable.

i. love. it.

The schedule changes, you get paid more, you meet TONS of people.

Whether you're inside or outside the box, accept what kind of person you are.

CARPE DIEM!

Benefits of YOGA!

Infographic by Jan Diehm for The Huffington Post