Everything, All at Once, Right Now!

I’m great at identify goals and the necessary steps to make said goals come true.

What I am NOT great at is maintaining the patience to achieve my goals.

I drive much like I live my life.

As fast as possible without getting caught by the fuzz 🙂

Reminding myself to slow down is a constant battle.

I remember when I was in high school, my Grandfather telling me, “don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.”

Come on! If monkeys can do it, so can you!!

I rarely remember to take a beat when I hit a milestone or an accomplishment.

Instead of giving myself a pat on the back and an “atta girl!”, I immediately begin to focus on the next hurdle, the next chance to hit it out of the park.

As part of my Happiness Project, I am going to start giving myself permission to celebrate the small victories.

Who cares if that small victory is only measurable by me.

It’s my victory, dammit!

I think we’ve become a society with such an expectation and focus on success that we’ve forgotten how to recognize the hard work it takes to actually achieve success and we’ve definitely forgotten how to make time to bask in that success.

This week I  challenge you to stop and smell the roses.

Yes, I know it’s February in New England.

So they will have to be metaphorical roses.

your metaphorical rose 🙂

But whenever you cross a finish line (no matter how small you feel it is), give yourself a little time-out to acknowledge your achievement.

I promise, it will alleviate that hamster-on-a-wheel feeling.

If only for a couple minutes…

It’s Finally Friday!!!

Quote of the Day:

Peace of Mind:

How to go from breakdown to breakthrough.

Health and Wellness:

Kissing is good for you.

Nesting:

Clean your house AND get rid of toxins.

Techie Love:

Ten apps to improve your commute.

Peace of Art:

How to have a photo ready smile.

Climbing the Ladder:

Have a tough time asking for what you want? How to negotiate and get everything you want.

Giggles and Such:

Viewer discretion advised. This gets fowl.

Have a great weekend!

I have a dream…

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

What does your happily ever after look like?

The older I get the less attractive the traditional white picket fence scenario looks.

It’s a beautiful house, but I don’t want to be the one responsible for its upkeep and occupants.

Maybe it’s because I know the sacrifices that come with raising a family.

Or maybe I just have a deep, abiding love for alone time.

But the thought of getting married, making a home, and popping out 2.5 kids doesn’t make my heart race. (sorry Mom)

Falling in love and making a commitment to someone makes my heart race – but that could just be palpitations from a panic attack.

The thought of seeing the world; immersing myself in new and different cultures, traipsing through third world countries and having adventures with my partner in crime – now that definitely gets me going.

I’ve realized, I’m okay, not having the corner office, driving the shiny new car, buying stuff and things.

I’d rather fill my life with experiences than possessions.

And I’m actually pretty good at being poor – guess it helps to be frugal – thanks Mom 🙂

I think it’s time we all start giving ourselves permission, to openly and honestly, want what we truly want.

Say it out loud and start making it happen!

I want to quit my job(s), find work as a freelance writer, and travel.

Anyone out there have any helpful hints on making that dream come true??

What would you do if money was not a factor?

Do you even know??

It’s Finally Friday!!!

Quote of the Day:

How Does Your Garden Grow:

If you use as much garlic as I do this will save you tons of money!

Fitness First:

10 minutes to better abs.

Techie Love:

Every wish you could do something with all those amazing pics you have on Instagram?? Now you can! Turn them into magnets!!

Wine Me, Dine Me:

Looking for a healthy breakfast you can eat on the go?? Try this super easy and wicked healthy cookies.

Health and Wellness:

We all know mediation is good for you. But it can be really hard to get started. Check out these 5 different practices and find one that works for you!

One hour a week could change your life.

Be True, Be You:

25 things you don’t have to justify to anyone.

Giggles and Such:

Take a seat. Make a friend.

It’s all about sex baby.

Have a great weekend!

Love More, Worry Less

John Lennon wasn’t perfect (cough, ahem, Yoko, cough) but he was right about one thing – all you need is love.

No matter where you fall on the dating spectrum, Valentine’s Day brings anxiety and agida. (That’s indigestion for all you non Italian-Americans)

If you’re in a committed relationship there are expectations to meet, which can feel even more daunting if you’re in a newly committed relationship.

If you’re single there is a certain exclusion, you don’t really get to participate even if you want to. (Or do you???)

I’ve never had your stereotypical Hollywood Valentine’s Day.

The one and only time I’ve been in a committed relationship for the Holiday of Love I received a coffee thermos as a gift.

Practical? Yes. Romantic? Not at all.

What’s Valentine’s Day really about if you take away all the Hallmark commercialization?

150 million of these are given each year!!

February 14th was officially declared Valentine’s Day in the 5th century by Pope Gelasius, although written Valentines were not exchanged until the 1400’s.

During the Middle Ages, in France and England, it was commonly believed to mark the start of birds’ mating season.

Supposedly, Valentine’s Day celebrates any one of three saints called Valentine, all of whom were martyred, one of whom happened to die on February 14th.

Some say it’s a Christianized version of the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.

Celebrated at the ides of February, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture.

To begin the festival, priests would sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification. (I guess dogs really are clean animals!)

The goat’s hide was then cut into strips, dipped in the sacrificial blood, and taken to the streets, where women awaited and welcomed slaps on the face with the blood soaked goat hide.

This was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year.

After this loving ritual, all the young women of Rome would place their names in a giant urn.

The city’s bachelors would then each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman.

Just think about that the next time you lament your relationship status during the month of February!

I don’t know about you, but, I’d rather be a little lonely than slapped in the face with a blood soaked hide and randomly paired off with some neighbor for the next year.

So no matter where you fall on the relationship spectrum…

New relationship:

Committed relationship:

Single and loving it:

Single and frustrated:

Just remember

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

It’s Finally Friday!!!

Quote of the Day:

Wine Me, Dine Wine:

Tuesday was World Nutella Day. If you missed it or if you just love the chocolatey hazelnut goodness check out these mouthwatering recipes.

Got food in the fridge but not sure what to make for dinner? Check out this wicked awesome website.

Round the World:

Think all tourist traps are a waste of time and money? Not these ones!

Inspirational:

The best pep talk you’ll ever you’ll ever get. Seriously – watch it – it’s amazing!

Luscious Locks:

Super simple and super cute.

Giggles and Such:

I think I just burnt my boob.

Being Naked Makes Me Happy

I’ve been thinking a lot about vulnerability lately.

For those of you who don’t know me personally, as far as I’m concerned, that might be the dirtiest word in the English language.

However, I recently watched this amazing Ted Talk by Brene Brown and she has me convinced it’s the key to happiness.

I’ve been working on my own personal Happiness Project inspired by Gretchen Rubin and her best selling book.

If you missed that post – Shame on you! Just kidding 🙂 Check it out here.

While researching happiness, I discovered one of the biggest things happy people have in common is living authentically.

In other words, being vulnerable.

So in the name of happiness, I decided to perform two Acts of Authenticity.

The first was to tell a certain someone how I feel about them.

To be completely honest, I might have had a couple (a lot) in order to get the courage to open up.

I’d rather be locked in a room full of cats then talk about my feelings.

I’m extremely allergic to felines and in general not a fan.

While the conversation may not have immediately yielded the desired results, it opened a dialogue, and made me feel like a million bucks 🙂

My second Act of Authenticity was to go out and about bare-faced.

Now I frequently leave the house without make-up on but, not with the crutch of a baseball hat pulled down low or some over-sized sunglasses.

I didn’t go anywhere special, just some errands around town.

Nor did I run into anyone I knew, but it felt seriously liberating to simply brush my teeth, get dressed, and walk out the door.

Bare faced and beautiful 🙂

As someone who lives an overly scheduled, jam packed life, I also fully appreciated the efficiency.

In fact, if it wouldn’t give off warning bells that I’d given up on life, I’d go to the office sans make-up just to get an extra 15 minutes of sleep!

Despite being sick last week, I still felt like I was walking on sunshine, which I attribute directly to my two Acts of Authenticity.

So I’ll be looking for more ways to embrace vulnerability on my journey to Happiness. Stay tuned!

How about you guys?

Does the thought of being vulnerable make you break out in a cold sweat?

Do you feel you live an authentic life?

How so?