Learning to Live

Possibly one of my favorite blogs is The Middle Finger Project. The posts provide real advice that applies to a variety of careers and life situations. Combine that with the most witty writing I’ve ever read and you have one exceptional blog.

A couple of posts ago, TMF’s head rockstar, Ash wrote a post titled “Just the Tip: Feel Guilty Anytime You’re Not ‘Being Productive?’ It was just the kick in the ass I needed. She candidly tells all of us that our business (or career, family, etc.) won’t survive unless we are living our own lives. Life is not measured by anything at all; it is not a competition measured in how many blog posts you write or how many workouts you get in during the week. It’s about living and experiencing everything life has to offer. Ash’s post got me thinking…

For me, routines and planning are a way of life. I like to organize my outfits, blog posts, workouts and weekends. Routines are great and help build consistency. They are essential for certain things like dieting or exercising regularly. But there is something to be said about being spontaneous. You create your own definitiion of spontaneous; it could mean buying a plane ticket to London or trying a new dance class. It’s those unexpected, completely random, seat-of-your-pants decisions that add spice to your life..that make it worth the ride.

Now, I am not saying go buy a plane ticket you can’t afford. I am saying LIVE, break the routine sometimes and experience life through as many lenses as possible. Sometimes, though, living means taking a break, chilling in your yoga pants and decompressing. It’s not easy to strike the balance between responsible routines and spontaneous adventures but my goal is to try. Step 1: Not writing blog posts just so there is updated content on the screen. I will write when I am inspired to write. My assumption is the content I create when inspired will be better and generate more views. We shall see.

Change takes time but my hope for you (and me too) is to live a more intentional, inspired life that centers around doing what makes you happy. True, it won’t be every minute of every day but the majority of your time would be spent in a positive, passionate state of mind.

What are you doing to strike the balance between routine and adventure? Do you feel guilty when you’re not productive? Share with me!

Thank you Summer 2013

With most children starting school today, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on my summer. Obviously, I was pretty busy! The end of summer is just the right time to look back on what you accomplished and set new goals for the fall.

When I was a Resident Assistant at Temple University, at the start of the spring semester, we did an exercise called “stop, start, continue.” As a staff, we listed out activities or behaviors we wanted to stop, to start and to continue.  I thought I’d organize all I learned this summer into those categories.

Stop:

• Spending money: While it’s perfectly fine to believe in the phrase, “work hard, play hard,” I have to limit how much I spend on extra things. I am still living at home so it’s the opportune time to save. The fabulous ladies at Levo League posted a great article about when to dip into your savings. Wish I had read this sooner!
• Feeling guilty: More to come on this topic later in the month. But I’m learning to feel less guilty about having a good job, making money, spending time with my friends over my family and vice versa. My life, my time.
• Freaking out about work: As important as a job is, it’s just a job, not a life. While I love my current job, it doesn’t have to be forever. As the perpetual over thinker, I have to stop obsessing over the future and just keep moving forward

Start:

• Traveling more: I am fortunate to travel for work frequently but this is different. I want to plan weekends away with my girlfriends and cousins; to visit new places, explore and be curious.
• Being confident: Expect a post about this soon as well. I tend to downplay my abilities both at work and in my personal life. At almost twenty-three, it’s time to own my awesomeness instead of shying away from it.

Continue:

• Blogging: I thoroughly enjoy writing and updating this blog weekly. Over the summer, other things took up my time. However, starting now, this blog will be my area of focus. Writing and sharing my thoughts is something I am passionate about so I have to make it a priority.
• Running: I started running back in March and completed two races. It felt great and I saw its benefits in my body and in how I felt. It’s time to restart and get back into the healthy lifestyle groove.

As you can see, I learned a lot this summer and am so glad I used those sunny Saturday afternoons to grow and better myself. What did your learn from your summer? Do you have any goals for the fall? Please share!