the break-up...

I'm going through one of the toughest break-ups of my life. I'm leaving my job...

As with any life event, my emotions are all over the place. I'm nervous, anxious, scared, and sh*tting my pants. This is how I know I'm doing the right thing.

I spent a few weeks worried about what people would think and second guessing my decision. I have had to give up the idea that I had something to prove by going back, and I also had to give up the idea that people won't take me seriously if I stay home. It was a hard pill to swallow but I've finally realized that no one will be upset with me for choosing to put myself and my family before work.

I had over identified with my job title. Once I was able to recognize that, I was free to make the right decision. I am not my job title. Today, I declare that I'm not giving up my career, I'm starting a new one. As a mother, as a writer, and as a, "what ever I %$#@&^% want to be!"

Working for lululemon athletica has changed my life in a million positive ways. I could never repay all that I have gained from my four-and-a-half years with the company. I am an ambitious, goal crushing, leadership loving, positive light beaming, marathon running, entrepreneurial badass now! I have never worked for a company more rooted in its core values and dedicated to the success of their people. They truly are making a difference in the world and I am honored to have been a part of it. lululemon is not going anywhere and I have goals to work with them again. I trust that, if and when, the time and opportunity properly align again it will happen.

Just as there must be a transition from winter to spring, maternity leave has been my transition into a new season of life. I do not want to play mother nature and upset its course by forcing something that isn't meant to be... right now.

I will never regret spending more time with my little girl. I will never wish I had made money over memories. While being a mother is a full time job, in and of itself, I now have the opportunity to work on other areas of my life; writing, running, travel, and family. While I am sad to be leaving behind one hell of an excellent chapter, I am excited to begin writing a new one.

cue nostalgic photo montage...and wipe away tears.

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top ten viewed posts...

While I was pondering what to write about for my 100th post, I poured a cup of coffee and read back though my most viewed blogs from the past two years.

I'm super delighted that 2 of the 10 were guest bloggers! That means that I can serve as a platform for others to share their lives, their feelings, and what awesome things they are up to in the World. That's rad, yo!

Here they are...

1. Bump to Baby
2. Positive Gain
3. Beets and Cookies
4. Push Ups Make You Stronger
5. The Greatest Finish Line Ever
6. Sick Day
7. Feeling Fully Charged
8. Discovery- Guest Blogger Cristina Houston
9. Sweating Once a Day- Guest blogger Amy Shenk
10. Failure & Resistance

Next time you find yourself with a little extra time on your hands I hope you can enjoy one of my posts.

If you have something YOU want to share with the World, let me know! I'd be happy to feature your work right here.

5 ways to (slightly) lessen your social media addiction...

Are you addicted to social media? Have you ever thought about deleteing your Facebook account? Ha! Yeah right! I read a post on Elite Daily recently that reported the average person checks their phone every six-and-a-half minutes, or 150 times per day. That is insane.

I love social media. It's not going any where and I don't plan to stop using it. I would however, like to decrease my usage just a teeny, tiny bit. I've found myself in this place where I've stopped reading books, having face-to-face conversations, and avoiding old fashioned phone calls. I'd rather be on my phone checking e-mail and looking at photos of friends, or sending text messages. Ick, it sounds bad when I say that outloud.

For one week, I read books while I was nursing my daughter rather than surfing the web and reading status updates, and guess what? I read two books! I don't think I've done that as quickly since college. Talk about productivity and feeding my brain some good food.

Here are a few new tips to try for loosening the grip social media may have on you:

1. Set healthy boundries. Try a '"no social media before noon" policy. Turn off your notifications and have confidence that whatever comments, posts, or pictures await you will still be there at 12:01p. Fill your morning with a healthy breakfast, a sweaty workout, or meditation. *If you want to be a bit more extreme actually delete the apps off of your phone and only will check from a laptop or desktop a couple times a day.
2. Get an (old school) alarm clock. Drop the excuse that your need your phone next to your bed becuse you have to use it as your wake up call. Charge your phone in the kitchen or office overnight.
3. Leave your phone in you bag, or pocket, while you're with others. Nothing says, "I really care about you," less than when you take out your phone in the middle of a conversation to check Twitter.
4. Keep a book or a magazine with you and pull it out while you wait for your doctors appointment or in line at the grocery rather than checking your social media. OR just practice sitting still.
5. Pick up a new hobby. Running, biking, stamp collecting, whatever excites you. Fill your time with activities that don't involve a computer or your phone.

Are you nervously sweating yet? You can do it! Try out a couple of these methods for a day, or a week, or if you're feeling a little crazy, A MONTH. Let me stress that I am not recommending cutting social media out entirely. I just want you to be aware of how awesome YOUR life is outside of it. We throw away hours every week on social media and still complain that there never seems to be enough time in the day. Take back that time, put down that phone, and reclaim your real-time life.

 

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thankful...

96 of 365...

96 days. I've set out on a mission to fall in love with green food. It's working...

In January, I felt excited about my New Years resolution. In February, I had to constantly remind myself not to forget about it. However, During the month of March, I noticed that I was naturally gravitating towards greens. 

When I'm out for lunch I order salads. When I plan our dinners I pick what protein goes will go best with the green I've choosen to feature. I slow down at the market and look to buy something I've never tried before (like the 8 ball squash pictured above.) 

I'm really enjoying this challenge and I invite you to join in. I hadn't really thought of a catchy name for this adventure but I'm going to keep it simple and dub it "Everyday Green." Use the hashtag #everydaygreen and share your scrumptious recipes and stories via pics and status updates. If you've read my previous posts about this challenge you know it's not complicated. Just eat a green vegetable every single day for 365 days. Boom.

I want to spread the love. Let's eat green together!