I love to read/research/learn. I've always had a curious mind. What follows is a synopsis of where my mind has been the first half of January.
Coaching Classes: A question that I will now be asking myself particularly when judgment of an experience starts to take hold. "What did you like and what would you do differently next time?" This question helps me appreciate the experience for what it was and to make changes without so much negativity attached. I am not focusing on what went wrong or what I didn't like, but what I would do differently next time and looking forward to that opportunity.
"What a person says and does is about THEM, what I hear and how I choose to respond is about ME." Observing my thoughts/responses will shine light on who I am and what triggers me.
Reading Corner: "by the yard is hard, but inch by inch anything is a cinch!" Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy. A great reminder to instill in my son when he is battling with his tasks at hand and for myself.
"The last of the human freedoms [is] to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. Freedom is one of my top values and knowing that I ALWAYS have a choice makes me feel empowered. I'm not saying I always make the best choice. 😉
Living Environmentally Friendly: I have always been environmentally aware, and I try to do many little things where I can. I use cloth napkins (but not everyone in my household does), recycle, purchase green products for my home and my body, take my hazardous waste to the center, compost as much as I can, use cloth bags for grocery shopping, carry my water bottle, use wax wrap over plastic wrap, reuse the brown packing paper as gift wrap. However, this photo in an article really captured my attention from buzzworthy.com This is one person's trash for the entire year. I always think of all the trash I throw away and how it sits in landfills.
Over the holiday break, I have switched to cloth napkins for the entire family, started using UNPAPER towels, and even purchased facial rounds make-up remover mini cloths for my daughter all from https://www.etsy.com/shop/marleysmonsters?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=672954467
I have no affiliation with the site above and Etsy has many shops that sell similar products.
Now I am on a quest to remove as many single-use items from my daily life, inch by inch is a cinch 😉.
Making Me Healthier:
Dedicated to meditating more often. I love how I feel afterwards, but I often stop after a series is over such as the Oprah and Deepak 21-Day meditations.
Committed to a stricter whole food, plant-based (WFPB) way of life. I started clean eating in February of 2012, and I loved how it made me feel physically, full of energy, not so bloated, etc. I am interested in the best that I can give my body. I don't follow any "diets" but make this way a lifestyle. I want to stay active and capable of taking care of myself as I get older. I have been focusing more on how they eat in the Blue Zone and paying attention to the calorie density of the foods that I am selecting. However, saying all of that, I will probably never give up double pepperoni pizza or a good piece of chocolate (keep reading below.)
Added battle ropes to my workout routine. I purchased the shortest and lightest ropes for my initiation phase. I love the added variety, the combo of cardio and weight training, and how strong I feel after weeks of progression.
Contemplating over 40, meaning committing to an outside activity when it is above 40 degrees outside. I was invited to play paddle tennis one evening at the end of November. I just loved being outdoors in the brisk weather, moving my body under the sky. It was that evening how I realized that I limit my love for the outdoors to the warmer weather.
Discovering: I finally purchased Hu Kitchen chocolates https://hukitchen.com/, originally purchased at Whole Foods, but I was able to get cheaper online since there was coupon for 20% off SURVEY20 and a free shipping offer. I love the GEMS (Ingredients: Organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair-trade cocoa butter.) and the Salty Dark Chocolate Bar (Ingredients: Organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair-trade cocoa butter, sea salt.)
Cooking: Shepherd's Pot Pie recipe from Forks over Knives, https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/shepherds-pot-pie/#gs.rvdsos One of my son's 13-year-old friends preferred this dish over pizza. 😋 A great dish full of veggies. For those of you who have family members that crave meat, my husband just added left-over grilled chicken.
