August One Word Challenge: Appreciate

It's time to reflect and APPRECIATE all the things in my life that brought me to this moment. In fact - I've been appreciating so much, that I've not sat down to put it in words. Daily meditations, IG and FB posts, chats while we walk the pups at home, conversations with friends and family... I've been living in gratitude the best I can.

So, I want to share a little about how it's impacted me this month and why I'm working gratitude into my daily habits.

Admittedly, August has been bananas. 2 good sized events on the heels of my largest event of the year (in mid-July) along with the regular family craziness and a "do nothing" weekend that packed a whole lot in, despite not having anything but a Cubs game planned.  I am recharged, excited and ready to jump into the fall like a new student ready to learn! (Does anyone else love the end of summer because it helps them get back to a routine, like we are still in school?)

Without making things to complicated, getting into all the things that you COULD do or pretending like telling you what you SHOULD do is productive (I hate the word "should" - it's just someone else's expectation weighing in on our lives), here is a very short list of ways that I am able to connect with gratitude and show appreciation in my daily life.

Daily:

Get centered: I read a daily reminder book "for women who do too much." These are reminders that remind me that a) I'm normal, b) I am enough, c) that I can't take care of anyone else if I'm not at my best (physically, emotionally), d) sometime recognizing patterns can help change our lives. I appreciate who I am, just as I am, right now.

Get moving: I walk the pups, every day, twice a day (when I'm in town!). When I'm away, movement is part of how I stay grounded - long walks, physical work, squeezing in push-ups when I can. Workouts happen early mornings after I lead group fitness classes most days. Physical activity reminds me of lots of ways to show how much I appreciate my life: I'm able to move. My body feels strong and healthy. I can take deep breaths. I'm keeping my pups healthy by getting them moving. My hubster and I can chat after a long day and reconnect or decompress while walking the neighborhood. I can take in new sites and meet now people (and dogs, aka "DILP"s ... Dogs I'd Like to Pet). 

Sleep: I'm grateful that I'm able to sleep. I'm a great sleeper! I am my best with 8 hours, but if I only get 6, I am grateful that my schedule allows for a nap! So many things in my physical body have improved with better sleep, and I could go on for days about how my emotional being is better when I'm rested.

Say it OUT LOUD:  I appreciate "x". I'm thankful for "y". I'm so lucky to know "z".   No one must hear it but you. Maybe you write it down, maybe you repeat it to yourself throughout the day, but start by saying it out loud. It makes it real to you, and that will help truly recognize and appreciate these things.

• I appreciate: my husband. His belief in my ability to succeed has given me opportunities to create the life I want, the life we'll live together. We're building together and I'm so excited for all our future adventures!
• I appreciate: my family. No matter how weird I am, how busy I get, how hard on myself I can be, I know I have support and love.
• I appreciate: my friends. Calls, messages, or texts to check in. Sharing a meal, dessert, their spare room couch, friendly advice, a long hike, or a word of confidence when I’m just not sure. You don’t have to have many to appreciate a great friend.
• I appreciate: the leadership in the companies I'm working with. Folks who really have my best interest in mind, and who are helping me make an impact in one way or another.
• I appreciate: the lessons I learned the hard way. While I could be embarrassed of my failures in life, I am looking at them as opportunities to charge course. Things I learned in school, from my parents and family, from old friends, new friends, "frien-emies" who never really had my back at all, and strangers on the street. Showing love and acceptance, seeing things from another perspective, and recognizing that my experiences aren't my truth - they're just my story... and I have the power to change my story.
• I appreciate: the goals and dreams I have. They give me room to reach, something to strive for, and the fuel for the fire to be my best. Who do I want to be, what will my life look like in 10 years, what will my impact be?  Whatever the answers are - and they may change - I'm thankful that I know I can achieve them all, if it's what I want and I put in the work.

I also do things like hug my dogs, look through pictures from trips I've taken, sit in the sun, listen to books that help me learn something, or just sit back do nothing. A deep breath and an easy mantra of "I appreciate" is a wonderful way to shift my mindset and change my energy.

I've been thinking about September and all the amazing things that are coming this fall... trips, events, family, friends, new chapters for me as a wife, parent, friend, mentor, and mentee. I am thankful and appreciate how everyone in my life plays a very special role in my development and success.

I haven't yet decided on my September "One Word" - but I know I'll continue to APPRECIATE and live in gratitude, daily.

Thankful for you taking the time to read this,

<3 Jen

PS - I'd love to hear about how you live in gratitude, the struggles you're facing, and/or resources that you love to help you find appreciation in your daily life!

July One Word Challenge: FOCUS

I don't know where this summer has gone - and I up and missed the June One Word Challenge and we're more than a week into July! Heavens!

Honestly, it felt like I was stuck in June forever, and yet it flew by. Does that make sense? No, I don't suppose. May ended with and June started with travel, and you know how wonky time gets when you are away from home. Whatever happened, it's time to shake it off. It's time to get down to business (anytime I say that, I think of my daughter singing the song from Mulan). It's time to FOCUS.

How easy it is to let life slip us by. Without FOCUS, without a target and a renewed sense of belief in your ability to hit that mark, the whole thing blurs and fades. Each of us have goals, targets. How can we do more to live our life in a way that keeps those goals in focus?

First - I'm recommitting to my routine. My morning routine hasn't been as regular as I'd like. On days when I'm not up leading a class I've been slacking and sleeping in. Sure, some days my body tells me that i need it, but most days I just want to stay in bed comfy, warm and snuggled. (The pups make sure that even when I'm the only person in bed, I'm snuggled in tight!)

I enjoyed 5:30am class this morning,a 3000 meter row and a TRX workout afterward, home for about 90 minutes of work, tea and my morning shake, and then out for a 3-mile walk with the pups.  This is a very sustainable schedule for me, but the toughest part is GETTING OUT OF BED when I don't have class.  Time to toughen up. Routines have been proven to help calm the mind and even enhance creativity. While moving through your routine, your mind has more time to notice those inspirational bits that are everywhere.

Second - my "To Do" list is built on weekly goals. Sunday evenings I set the week up. I check my calendar, acknowledge deadlines and benchmarks and resources I need. I'm outlining who I need to speak to or follow up with, who is waiting on me, and how these tasks will help me achieve my weekly goals. Some of my projects I "save up" and knock out all at once. You know the projects that require some uninterrupted focus, it's better to block out 3 hours than to grab 30 minutes here or there.

Third - Getting Outside for ME.  Y'all know that I spend a lot of time out with my pups and taking care of my yard, but I'd like to focus on things that recharge my batteries in a different way. I've been enjoying time on a local lake with my new kayak and that is just what I was looking for. Being active and outdoors is wonderful, but getting to hang with my kiddo or hubster (it's a 2-person kayak) has been a triple bonus! I'm getting some sun, fresh air, exercise, good conversation (when I have someone with me) or great thinking time (when I'm alone).  I always wondered how and why folks who surfed would bother going for just an hour here and there. Now I get it. Kayaking on a local mid-western lake isn't exactly surfing, but I see how the habit of making time for what lights you up, the benefits of activity, sun and water on your soul, and then popping right back into your day makes a lot of sense.


Those are my Big 3. My lists get bigger and bigger every week, and prioritizing what will get me to my goals has to be balanced with what makes me happy, contributes to my emotional health, and builds up and supports my family and friends. Isn't that the trick really? Finding the balance?

I found this reminder while walking around Ventura CA in June.  Life isn't all about the work and the goals and loving the life you live, laughing often and loving selflessly sounds like pretty great goals, too.

Of course I've got a ways to go to find balance in life and it's a constant trial and error system. But guess what? That's what life is!

What helps YOU focus? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks! drop me a comment or find me on social media! I'm heading out for a few laps around the lake!

Side note: What should I name my kayak? Every respectable boat needs a name!

Ciao for now!
<3 jen

May One Word Challenge: TEND

Happy MAY! HOLY GEEZ, how'd that happen?!

It's been a busy spring already, and things are just going to pick up from here. So it's with that in mind that I've chosen (with a little help from my friends) my May One Word: TEND.


TEND: 

1) To regularly or frequently behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic.

synonyms: be inclined, be apt, be disposed, be prone, have/show a tendency, be likely, have a propensity
2) To care for or look after; give one's attention to.
synonyms: look after, take care of, care for, minister to, attend to, see to, wait on, cater to.

Not only do I love how this plays into my love of gardening and planting (especially in May!) but it is also very important in growing to accomplish my business and professional goals, but also for my family and relationships, and my personal development. 

With a LEAP to start, I began to ENGAGE in order to build some momentum. I had to MARCH ahead and find ways to BLOOM despite challenges.

Now, it's time to be disposed to the habits that will help me find success. To be prone to listen and learn. To look after the relationships I've built. To minister to those who need guidance and support. In all these ways, I can TEND. 

In what ways will you tend to your emotional and physical needs? I have made habits of daily meditation, regular exercise, long walks and talks, and now that the weather is nicer, long bike rides in fresh air. I've practiced saying "no" when something doesn't fit with my plan or schedule. I've practiced saying "yes" and "thank you" to help and compliments.  

I've also been tending to my mental needs - the need to learn and grow, listen to others' experiences, and hear things that I'm sure I intrinsically know, but haven't convinced myself of yet.

In a very literal sense, I am reminded to tend to my follow up lists. It's a daily task - return messages and emails, follow up if it's been a while, check in and communicate with those I'm working with.

This idea is important - for all of us - to "tend to what matters most"! Often we focus our time and attention on things we cannot control, things that do not serve our health and wellness, and things that do not benefit our lives moving forward. Why? Out of habit? Peer pressure? Expectations?  I don't know about you, but I'm too far in life (aka OLD) to let those things consume my energy anymore. It's time. Truly. 

I hope you'll join me - or at least follow along - as I TEND to the month of May and all the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.  I'd love to work together - let me know your One Word for May, and how it's shaping your daily life. 

Here's to what matters most!

Ciao for now!

<3Jen

Bloom Where You're Planted

Spring weather is finally here!

The best part of the warmer temps for me is getting to take my pups out on two walks each day. On  the morning walk, it's just me and them, no music, no conversation, just us walking and listening to the sounds of birds and dogs and cars and the wind. We take the time to sniff, stroll, and wander over the extra loops in the neighborhood and get in a little over 3 miles.  It's my moving meditation.

This past week I've been thinking a lot about BLOOM. Where does a bloom come from? That got me thinking about how I can relate spring time concepts to my personal (and professional) journey this year.

Where does a bloom come from? 

I found this online:

"WHAT MAKES FLOWER BULBS SPECIAL

Flowering bulbs have an important advantage over regular plants: they can store energy from one growing season to the next. When a bulb starts to grow, it uses these stored reserves to develop roots, shoots, leaves and flowers. Being so self-sufficient means that flower bulbs don’t have to wait for perfect weather or ideal soil conditions. By nature, they already have what they need to thrive."

One more time, with feeling: "By NATURE, they already have what they need to THRIVE."

As I'm learning and developing, I'm storing everything I need in my "bulb" - everything that makes me ME, my experiences, my failures and victories, my perspective, my crazy snarky sense of humor, my relationships - everything! - is going to all ow me to BLOOM and THRIVE. 

Wow. That's something to sit with for a second.

I mean, think about it: the most beautiful spring flowers come from cold, hard, seemingly dead soil with only the promise of sun and warmth and success. Beautiful flowering trees spent the entire winter dormant, dark and bare. But in the spring, buds appear, and flowers fill the branches and later still, leaves grow and line each bough beautifully. We aren't so different. The ability to BLOOM is inside of each and every one of us. 

The hubster gave me a gift years ago (when I was changing jobs for the first time in 13 years) - it was a fantastic picture that my daughter took of a field of daisies (my favorite flower) with the phrase, "We are all just one adjustment away from being the person we were meant to be."  Each adjustment gets us closer to our glorious bloom! And then, when this season ends, we'll build up the knowledge and experience and passion and BAM! Bloom again. And again. And again.

I hope that you have considered how you can BLOOM where you're planted, right now. You have what you need to thrive. All you need is to give your bloom water and sunshine (literally and figuratively!) - and see all the wonderful things you're capable of!

Check out these photos from my daily walks with my pups - and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers every now and then (even when your pups want to get that squirrel!).

With hope and love and the promise of spring~

<3 Jen

April One Word Challenge: BLOOM

I don't know how it happened, but it's here. April.

January seemed to hang on for months, and February was cold and snowy. But leap and engage kept me busy. March seemed to fly by, all because I chose to march.

This April I can feel that I'm coming into my own in a way. I'm embracing the challenges, learning to manage all three rings of my circus, doing my best to take care of myself so that I'm better able to take care of others. This April it's time to BLOOM.

April's One Word Challenge just happens to correspond with one of my favorite things - planting and gardening. While I'll likely hold off planting the garden until Mother's Day weekend - I'm starting to get excited about the types of flowers and plants I'll have, wandering through the garden center and scrolling through Pinterest. I feel a smile spread across my lips - the smile you have when you know that you reap what you sow, that your efforts will result in something beautiful that you'll enjoy day after day.

As I consider M3 Living & Events, the clients that I work with and the people I touch, they are just like my garden. I plant seeds and nurture and worry and fuss over them - and with patience, the beautiful blooms remind me of why I was planting seeds to begin with.

I'm excited to dial in on my fitness and nutrition this month as I wrap up a 16 week challenge with the hubster! I started off my Monday April 1st with a fantastic workout, and even had my daughter as a guest (at 5:30am, no less). I walked the pups with a friend/client and got some extra mileage in because it was so beautiful. I enjoyed a veggie filled lunch and am looking forward to a committee meeting tonight for an event that I'm involved with over the summer.  What a fabulous way to kick off this month!

Truly - it's time to BLOOM!

I'd love to hear about your One Word Challenge choices and how they are keeping you motivated. Are these words helping you stay focused, motivated and positive? 

Let's share, connect and BLOOM together!

Ciao for now!
~jen

Get Your Mind Right - Reset to March Forward in a Positive Direction!

Here we are, just about half-way through the month, on Pi Day!

Today I had plans, weather changed those plans, decided to treat myself, came home to a broken garage door and a section of fence blown down. Flooding, crazy wind, mud everywhere. I was feeling the frustration build and I had to stop and reset. Sometimes you need to MARCH - actively move forward in a positive direction.

So, I'm listening to a pod cast about positivity, I'm going to work on my vision board and my MARCH One Word project. Then, I'm going to go to the grocery store for some healthy foods and ingredients for my Pi Day treat. Then, I'll revisit my business to-do list.

I have to get my mind right!

What are some of your favorite 'reset' buttons? Here are a few of mine:

Play with the pups. - If it were nicer today, we would be clicking on the harnesses and heading out for Patrol. Physical activity, fresh air, and my fur buddies always helps me find the positives!

Laugh at funny memes. - Yes, your favorite cat memes, silly memes, bad lip reading, whatever you're in to, can help remind you to laugh, to smile and to let go what has tilted your attitude to the negative and frustrated side.

Get sweaty. - There are lots of way to get sweaty - dancing, getting a tough workout in, doing yard work, getting freaky with your partner, all are great ways to boost those feel good chemicals in your brain and lift your spirits. There are so many benefits to your body and mind, this is one of my all time favorite 'reset buttons!'

Meditate. - I've got a fantastic app that I use, and most of the guided meditations are 10-15 minutes long. That's just long enough to get a good reset going - focus on breathing, and gratitude, and feel more settled and ready to march forward! You can check out the app I use here.

Listen to your favorite song. - We all have a song that makes us smile. Classical, hip hop, pop, country, indie rock, alternative, polka... cue that song up and play it loud! Sing it, dance, toe tap or just close your eyes and let it wash over you.  My current reset song is  Good, by Twin XL. That dang whistle just makes me smile! (It also gets stuck in my head!)

Listen to an audio book or podcast. - I just finished Michelle Obama's book, Becoming and Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis. Both are fantastic reminders of how we CAN overcome challenges in our lives through a positive outlook, hard work, some patience and some self love. I like to listen while I walk, drive long distances, clean the house or do the dishes.

Put away the tech. - Ya, this is a tough one for some of us, but a necessary reset. Put your phone on airplane mode (or turn it off all together), close the lap top, turn off the TV. By simply removing that stimuli, you may feel your nerves sooth and your attitude mellow.

Bake. - I love to bake. There's something soothing about measuring, mixing and timing. Baking has a rhythm, a reason, and an order. I follow recipes, embellishing or substituting occasionally, but within the parameters of the tried and true. And, as many of you have heard before, my love language is FOOD. I enjoy making treats for those I love.

Take the time to do nothing. - There are days in the summer and fall, where I just need to sit. I pull up a chair by the fire pit, no music or books, just me and my thoughts and a fire. Listening to the sounds of the wind, the crackle of the fire, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, or the cool breeze on my skin, the feel of crushed limestone under my feet. This is like meditation, but less structured.

Get out of town. - Sometimes you need a hard reset, a change of scenery, schedule, and maybe people. My family's go to is get-a-ways that involve mountains and hiking. I am better when I'm in nature. But I also enjoy tacking on a day or two when I travel for events to explore the cities I'm in and appreciate the unique activities and scenery they offer!

That's my short list of favorites - did any of them show up on your list, too? I'd love to hear about which ones did - and even hear about some that I didn't list that you love!

Resets are necessary. Success isn't a straight line from start to finish. We have ups and downs, and wrong turns and course corrections. I'm learning ways to help get back on track towards my goals and dreams.

The break has done wonders for my attitude today, and I'm ready to MARCH on with the rest of my afternoon and evening.

Until next time...

Ciao for now!

~jen

Let's MARCH.

I can't believe it's already March 2019!

Despite the prolonged snow and cold here at home, time still seems to fly!  Moving ahead with my One Word challenge, I've been brainstorming words that have come up in my meditations, in my reading and research, or in my action plan. What I've decided on seems simple (and cheesy) enough for me...  it is time to MARCH!

Wait, really? MARCH in March?

YES!

I plan to MARCH forward. It's time to follow the path I've set for myself when I decided to LEAP and ENGAGE. Moving forward with the pieces that are in place right now will help me find where the gaps are and where my challenges may come up, but I will be progressing all the while.

Marching isn't the fastest way to get somewhere - it's often slow, deliberate and measured. But it's consistent, and purposeful. And that's where I need to be right now. I need to build on what I've done, and continue forward. Progress, not perfection. Forward, but not in a hurry.

The month of March is usually about the time I get fed up with winter, can't seem to stay motivated, cave into my cravings (damn the Girl Scouts and their tasty cookies!) and have a tendency to take a step back in progress I've made.


Well, friends, not this year!  I'm here to MARCH forward, to make solid choices that support my goals, to be measured and deliberate in my actions. 

Throughout the month I'll be sharing how MARCH has shaped my intentions, actions and ultimately my results, so stay tuned for that. What is your One Word Challenge for the month? How have you been implementing the challenge into your overall goals? I'd love for you to share and we can help encourage one another!

My Craft project for ENGAGE didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped, but the process provided insight on how to improve. I'll be coming up with something special (and different) for MARCH, so hang tight for that to come, too.

Ciao for now,

Jen