Rebelling Against the Shoulds

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It's been a while since I've blogged.  Three weeks to be exact.  And while I thought about saying, "Things have been busy," I decided against it.  Because, in all honesty, they haven't been that much busier than normal.  Sure, work has been a bit hectic, we've been traveling, and I'm back to working at Ann Taylor for the holiday season, but things haven't been too crazy.  The truth is, in the past few weeks, I've adopted a new mentality.  I've decided to rebel against the "shoulds" lately, letting go of all the things I think I "should" do, instead focusing on the things I want to do.  Instead of thinking, "I should blog tonight," I've decided to enjoy my evenings at home with Matt.  Instead of thinking, "I should curl my hair," I've embraced messy hair on the weekends.  Instead of thinking, "I should do laundry," I've been fine to reach into the back of my closet for less worn items.

The "shoulds" often get us into trouble.  They cause us to give priority to things that society or someone else value, rather than the things we value.  The "shoulds" serve as that nagging voice, trying to make me feel guilty for what I'm not doing well, rather the things I am doing well.  The "shoulds" cause me to live in the future, rather than existing in the present.  The "shoulds" drain joy from the moment, sacrificing spontaneity.  So as we enter this holiday season, I'm choosing to rebel against the "shoulds," putting aside what others want from me and focusing on what makes me happy.

Do the "shoulds" get you into trouble?  If so, will you rebel with me and embrace the life you truly dream of?

It Matters

I love this quote for so many reasons.  It puts into words something I've been thinking about a lot lately.  Big things are hard, big things take time.  Good things require effort, good things need care.  As I think about my future, there are so many things I dream about.  Big things, big dreams.  But almost instantly, I feel scared away by the amount of risk, effort, and work it might take.  I think about all the ways I might fail, I think about all the time and tears it might take.  I start to think about saying, "Nevermind."  But then I remind myself that if its big, if its important, and if its something few people do, then it's going to take time and hard work.  It's going to require risk and pushing through my fears.  Because, the good things, the important things, the meaningful things, well, they matter.  And things that matter don't come easy.

So today I challenge us.  To work hard, to take risks, to push through our fears.  Because our hopes and our dreams may be big and scary, but they matter.  And when things matter, we've got to go for them with all we've got.

Moments

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Sometimes there are moments where I find myself overwhelmed by warmth and love, wrapped in gratefulness for the blessings around me.  This morning, is one of those mornings, one of those moments.  As I sit in our living room, sipping coffee, readings blogs, and vaguely listening to the documentary Matt is watching, I can't help but think how blessed I am.  So many people go without, and yet I need for nothing.  So often I get caught up in what I don't have, what I want to buy, and what I think would make me happier.  But sometimes, I love remembering that I have everything I need, right here, right now, right around me.

Cheers to a fabulous weekend of small moments and bursting gratitude.

May

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It's May 1st, and for some reason, I am overcome by a feeling of total rejuvenation.  May has brought a renewed sense of commitment and dedication to getting things done and doing them right.  I suddenly feel inspired to clean out my closet, cook at home, drink more water, and call old friends.  I feel excited to stop collecting stuff that I don't need, spending money I don't have, and then feeling guilty when it's all said and done.  I'm ready to plan for the summer, organize picnics with friends, and be intentional about how I am going to spend my month off.  I'm looking forward to wrapping up internship, walking across the stage as "Doctor Allison," and living back with Matt during the week.  I'm suddenly bursting with energy and inspiration, ready to face some of things I've been avoiding for some time.  I'm not sure what it is about May 1st, but there's definitely something different.  And I'm ready as hell to run with it, take chances, get moving, and embrace all that life has to offer.

So cheers to you, May 1st.  I think you're just what I needed.

Think of All the Beauty

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This weekend should be fairly quiet for us, with a home-cooked meal tonight, a morning walk tomorrow, the long awaited reveal of the Hunger Games, a meal or two with friends, and hopefully some down time snuggled up on the couch.  Today I feel especially grateful for the people my life, the blessings I have, and the love that fills my heart.  I was reminded this week to never take those things for granted, and I want to honor those blessings by being present and happy this weekend.  So whatever your plans are this weekend, may your weekend be filled with simple pleasures, abounding beauty, and bursting happiness!

Yesterday

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Yesterday I had one of those very awful, terrible, not so great, bad days.  It started to go downhill early in the morning and just kept creeping towards worse.  The day eventually ended with a small (ok maybe medium) meltdown, that resulted in Matt pulling through like always, calming me down and reminding me things will be ok.  Yesterday is old, today is new.  Yesterday is gone, today is here, and I'm determinded to make it better.

For anyone else that had a rough day lately, let's agree to not let yesterday take up too much of our time, and let's make today better.

Ignore

At 6:00 pm today, I gave up.  I was done.  No more energy, no more organized thoughts.  My brain was a fizzled mess.  Though I had a stack of paperwork teetering on the corner of my desk, a million student files to close, and a to do list longer than Santa's naughty list, I called it a day.  I packed up my bag, turned out my office lights, and locked my door.  I took a big sigh, acknowledged that I was leaving a ton undone, and walked out to my car.  And then, just as a got to my car, I thought, I am choosing to be done.  Choosing to ignore all the unfinished things, choosing to be okay with a mile long January to do list.  Choosing to embrace a break.  Because today, at 6:00 pm, my winter break started, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  So I'm choosing to ignore things, instead shouting "hell yeah" for two weeks of no work.  And that feeling is defiinitely worth ignoring a few things for!

PS: Have you entered the Stella & Dot giveaway?  There are just a few short hours left, and its super easy to enter.  Go go go!

Comparison

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I saw this little diddy on Pinterest, and I couldn't help but sigh a big old "amen!"  I'm sure I've heard phrases like this before, but after the spending freeze, they have a whole new meaning for me.  When I was "doing without," I often found myself gazing at others who were "with" thinking, "man that looks nice."  Even when I liked what I had, I still found myself thinking, "what if I had that?"  The things I compared ranged from morning coffee, to new nail polishes, to fabulous dresses at the NYC wedding.  I soon realized this was a terrible habit and ultimately it was distracting me from the lovely things I already had.  I have so many beautiful and wonderful things around me, yet the minute I compare them to someone else's or something I see in a store, I start to forget about how much I love these things.  So I'm really trying to be aware of how often I compare my closet to the clothes in the newest fashion pages or how often I long for a Starbucks latte over my homemade morning brew.  And in those moments when comparison sneaks in, I'm working hard to remind myself of just how much I love my things, the people around me, and the life that I am so blessed to lead.

PS: I made it to the next round of the Lucky Lifestyle Contributor contest!  (They're getting down to fewer and fewer people!)  Voting starts completely fresh, so if you've already signed up and voted in previous round, please take a second to click HERE and vote again.  And now you can vote AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT!  Which means if you want to sit at your computer and click "vote" for five minutes, you totally can lol.  Some people have in the thousands of votes, so I've got to catch up!

If you're new and haven't yet voted, click "vote" and then follow the steps to create a log in account.  Voting ends next Tuesday, October 11.  A big thanks to all you who are voting and supporting me; it means so much!

Become

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What are you doing right now, this evening, and this weekend?  It is in line with the person you dream of being?  If yes, seize it!  If not, rethink it.

Amazing People

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I came across this print a few days ago on Pinterest, and it has been on my mind ever since.  "Amazing people do not just happen." Its simple really, yet its something I think we tend to forget all too quickly.  We live in a world where a lot of things come in an instant.  With a click or simple command, its ours.  But when it comes to truly amazing people and amazing things, the picture isn't quite so simple.  Amazing things take work, insane devotion, and relentless effort.  That girl you see with the amazing job?  It didn't just happen.  She likely worked her butt off for it, putting in years of prep work, doing tasks she wasn't crazy about, knowing there would be a payoff in the end.  That relationship you see that seems so effortless?  It probably isn't.  It probably takes a ton of work, communication, and commitment to one another.  That mom you see that grocery store who has two kids and looks unbelievably fit?  I'm gonna guess she didn't get that body by sitting around eating Twinkies.  She probably gets up at some insane hour, while most of us are sleeping, to hit the pavement and sweat it out.  These people, these things, take an insane amount of dedication and passion; they don't just happen.

All too often I think we sit by, thinking, "I wish I could do that, I wish I could be that, I wish I could have that."  And in lots of those situations, I bet we could.  If we really worked, if we really pushed, if we really made it a top priority.  I'm not saying we need to become these accomplishment obsessed people, never satisfied with our lives.  But we all have those amazing things we want to accomplish, those amazing people we want to become.  And guess what?  It's possible.  But it doesn't just happen.  So today, I'm asking you (and myself) what amazing things do you want for your life and what are you going to do to make them happen?

Common Things

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"Being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."
Henry Ward Beecher

Lately, Matt and I have been making a more concentrated effort to pull back the reigns financially.  With my internship nearing, we're looking at two rents as well as four hour weekend commutes to see one another.  That, combined with dreams of buying a house sometime in the (hopefully) not too far future, has encouraged us to watch our wallets a bit more.  And though this always proves to be a bit of a challenge for me, in a weird way, I'm learning to love and appreciate the challenge.  Because happiness isn't dining at posh restaurants, drinking $5 lattes, or wearing a new dress.  Happiness is grilling hot dogs on our patio, doing a 25 cent garage sale puzzle together, and getting creative with what I have hanging in my closet.  And while I have the occasional moment of "why is this so hard?" I'm learning to be slow down and see that the common, everything things are oh so lovely indeed.

Great Things

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Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things.
Joe Paterno

Remember when you were a kid and you thought you could be anything you wanted?  You thought the sky was the limit and you knew in your heart you'd make a big difference someday?  Then somewhere along the way, being a grown up made you question those things and shove those dreams to the side for a bit.  Today, no matter how hectic life seems, no matter how bogged down you are, I pray that you can close your eyes, reach deep, and remember those things, those dreams of great things.  Now hold on tight to those dreams, open your eyes, and go get 'em!

Happy Friday friends, make it a great one.

Wonderful

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"How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
Anne Frank

Happy Monday, friends!

Start Stop

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What are you feeling compelled to start/stop these days?

Joy

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"Joy is the best makeup."
Anne Lamott

Its Friday, hooray!  I'm working tomorrow, but spending the rest of the weekend finishing up my Christmas shopping and wrapping and preparing for an upcoming internship interview (woo hoo!)  Thanks also for all your sweet comments and well wishes in my Possibilities post.  Looks like there are lots of people who are in the midst of exciting changes and unknowns as well.  I'm crossing my fingers and praying for you all too!  Have a fabulous weekend, and no matter how you spend it, may it be filled with joy!

Courage

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"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage."

Maya Angelou

Dream

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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis

This move to Chicago has taken me off path a bit.  And I mean that in a good way.  I was in a place where I thought I had everything all figured out and planned to perfection.  But the move has stirred things up a bit and thrown a mini-wrench in my plan.  That wrench has turned out to be the biggest blessing, as it has forced me to see things differently, take risks, and break out of the box.  A lot of what I’m doing wasn’t in my plan, but it has opened new doors, new possibilities, and new dreams.  It makes me wonder why I wasn’t dreaming these things before and why I was so set on my silly little plan.  So today, I’m tipping my hat to dreams, and promising myself that no matter how old I get, I won’t ever stop dreaming.

The Little Things

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“Enjoy the little things, for one day, you may look back and realize that they were the big things.”
Robert Brault

I love this quote, because its so true.  We often take the little things for granted, and all too late, realize they weren’t so little at all.

This weekend, I am headed to Ohio to visit my granpa who is still in the hospital.  My dad is also flying up from Texas, so I will be able to celebrate his birthday with him, and hopefully sneak a mini sized carrot cake in the hospital for my grandpa and dad to enjoy together :)

I hope your weekend is fabulous.  And whatever you have planned for the weekend, remember to enjoy the little things!

Listen

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Happy Monday yall!  Make it a fabulous one!

Who You Are

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“Be who you are, and say what you feel,
because those who mind don’t matter,
and those who matter don’t mind.”
Dr. Seuss

I always have to reread this quote a few times before it really sinks in.  It’s so true though, isn’t it?  The people who let us be us, quirks and all, are the ones who really matter in this life.

PS: Tonight is the deadline for my Misikko giveaway.  Hurry and enter if you haven’t already!