MY CURRENT INSPIRATIONAL, THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND FUN READING LIST

I have always liked to read. I remember secretly loving school trips to the library, haha!  But as school workload increased throughout the years and as college came along and then grad school I had no extra time to devote to reading anything that was not school related. But, now that I have been out of school for over 2 years my book collection is consistently growing. There are SO many great books I cannot wait to get my hands on!

Earlier this year I told myself that I would aim to read one book a month. That didn’t happen. As much as I tried to stick to one book at a time I just couldn’t do it. The untouched books just sitting on my bookshelf were such a distraction that I had to dive into those too! So now, I am juggling three great reads:

This book has been around for quite a bit of time and it has been on my short list of books to read for several months. One of the main reasons I really wanted to get my hands on this book is because it is referenced SO frequently by many great speakers and entrepreneurs’ and I really wanted to know first had what it was all about.

This book has a very solid core message around society, education and our modern corporate world. It is a definite must read that will allow you to view our modern society from a new perspective and may or may not influence future decisions you may need to make.

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

This book is very different from all of the other ones I have read in that it is partly written from a musical conductor’s point-of-view and experiences. The main takeaway from this book is certain practices that can be incorporated into our daily lives that will enhance the way we view events, people and society. I will admit that some of these practices will take time for them to feel like second nature to you BUT if we take small steps daily towards making them second nature I will drastically change your outlook. It is a must read!

I have a constant smile on my face when I read this book. Jen does a great, great job at turning what would be and are serious topics into these funny stories and experiences that just get the point across so well.  This book is most definitely in my list of top books to re-read – aside from being inspirational it does it in such a fun was that I totally lose track of time while I am reading this.

Now your turn – what is on your current reading list for the next couple of months? 

WHAT I HAVE DONE TO BECOME SOMEWHAT OF A MORNING PERSON

Being a “morning person” has always been a foreign subject to me. Even when I think back to my grade school days I remember my dad prodding me to wake up and even pulling my toes – that always got me right up!

I’ve heard people equate “non-morning” people to lazy people and from first-hand experience I know that is not necessarily the case. We all have an internal clock, also known as a circadian rhythm which is a biological function that operates on a (roughly) 24 hour cycle. 

So, there are morning people, night owls and I’d like to throw a third category in there or intermediaries (which is me!) I am neither a morning person nor a night owl – even if I fall asleep at a decent time (say 10:30-11PM) I STILL hit the snooze button at 7AM.

If you can afford or have a lifestyle that can support your internal clock then have at it! Sleep at whatever time that rocks your boat. I on the other hand need to be up in the morning and be at work by 9AM (although I have been shooting to get in by 8:30 and not too successful at that lately).

I used to think that my snooze hitting habits were a by-product of our long and cold Boston winters but I've come to the conclusion that that is not the case - it's simply me.

Here are the things I have worked on in the past couple of years that have helped me become (somewhat) of a morning person.

Consistency

In order to make a long term change in your life it is crucial to be consistent. This means that, in my case, I set my alarm clock for 7AM every day including weekends. Yes, even weekends. Even though I usually allow myself to fall back to sleep on Saturdays and Sundays I want my body to get used to a 7AM wake up call.

Time Management

If you know how many hours your body needs to function to its optimal level make sure you do everything in your power to make those hours sacred. For me that means I need a solid 8 hours to feel good in the morning, therefore, I do all of the miscellaneous things that need to get done in the morning at night. This includes, picking my outfit, prepping my lunch bag and prepping my coffee machine. I do all of this at night because I want to get every minute of sleep I can in the morning.

Drink water

Since I have started to drink water in the morning at I am getting ready I have noticed such a positive change in my morning attitude. It is such a simple and easy thing to add to your morning routine that will immediately give you positive results.

Aside from beginning to drink water every morning becoming consistent and effectively managing my time has by far taken the longest time to work on. For example, if I knew I had to be at work by 8AM on any given day I would go to sleep earlier and set my alarm earlier for the next morning. Then, the next day came along and I reverted back to my normal sleeping schedule which completely threw any progress I had made out the door.

In order to combat that from happening I landed on 7AM as a good time for me to wake up every morning. If I need to be at work by 8AMthen I know that 1 hour is just enough time for me to get ready and get to work (those days Iprep a little extra to make my morning routine as quick and simple as possible). But if it’s a normal work day I know I can take my time getting ready – I can watch a video as I get dressed and as I make my coffee.

Those early days do not happen very often so I am OK with the tight timeline I have created for myself on those days. My main goal here is to train my body to wake up at a consistent time every day and hopefully someday I will not even need an alarm clock!

And, while I still end up hitting the snooze button it is not nearly as bad as it was a few years ago. I can say that I do have a little more discipline around that these days.

So, as a “non-morning” person or intermediary I’d like to say that no, we are all not just lazy people. And some of us do try very hard to train our bodies to adjust to the work hours we need to adhere to.

As for me, I still envy people to wake up early in the morning without even trying!

How about you – are you a morning person, a night owl or an in-between like me? And have you always been that way? Do share below! 

9 EASY WAYS TO BE A HEALTHIER (AND HAPPIER) PERSON

I believe that being happy and being healthy are two things that go hand in hand. There are habits we carry with us day in and day out – some of them are good for us yet some of them are really bad for us.

The way we see the world is merely a reflection of what is happening in our minds and bodies. While we cannot control what happens out there in this great big world we can choose to find the good in it. But, in order to be somewhat successful at that we must first start with taking care of ourselves mentally and physically.

The list below is things you incorporate into your life that will bring more wellness and happiness into your life.

Have a glass of water

Start your day with a glass of water. This simple act will re-invigorate and energize you’re your body from the inside out. You will feel better almost instantly and have the energy to start your day off on a positive note.

Go outside

Make it a point to intentionally breathe in some fresh at least once a day (weather permitting, of course!). Taking in fresh air can be done by taking a walk in a park or a trail or maybe even just sitting in a park – that is the easy part.

The most important part is to do it intentionally, meaning, that you are fully present with your surroundings and that you cherish every breath you take.

Reduce stress

Find your stress reliever a do it whenever you need to reduce stress. I have two stress relievers – cleaning and yoga.  Yes, cleaning. Whenever I am feeling somewhat stressed or feel my mind cluttering up with all sorts of things I need to do I turn to cleaning. There is just something about a freshly cleaned home and good smelling candle that give me the space and clarity that I need.

The second is yoga, I do yoga at home from time to time but if I am ever really feeling stressed I do like to go in to a yoga studio. The calming environment and soothing music does the trick for me.

Get some sleep

Make sleep a priority and always strive to get the amount of sleep your body needs. Some people only need 5-6 hours while other need 8-9 hours of solid sleep – I fall right in the middle of that and need somewhere in between of 7-8 hours a solid and good quality sleep every night. Making sleep a priority means that you back track the start of your day.

For example, let’s say you need to be at work by 8AM and it takes you 30 minutes to get to work – that means you need to need to leave your house by 7:30AM. Now, let’s suppose it takes you an hour to get ready – that means you need to get up at 6:30AM. This means that you need to be in bed and ready to sleep by 10:30PM at the latest.

Which means you need to have everything on your to-do list checked off for the next morning by 10PM. This will allow you 30 minutes to wind down and get mentally ready for bed.

Exercise

Getting your body moving (aside from eating healthy) is probably the most obvious way to be a healthier person. There are many benefits to exercise and one of them is getting your blood flow moving which helps your internal organs do their jobs. 

Eat mindfully

Eating mindfully is one thing I am working on. While I know the importance of focusing on JUST your food while you are eating I can sometimes find it difficult to put my phone away to not be distracted by YouTube videos, shows or podcasts. Eating mindfully is about relaxing yourself while you are eating and savoring whatever you are feeding your body.

Stand more often

For those of us who sit for long periods of time at work it is very important to stand up and walk around throughout the day – I find this especially important after eating lunch.

Relax

Taking a few minutes here and there to relax your mind and body will only have great benefits. I do this by sitting down and reading a book for 20 minutes or so and I know that relaxes me and gives me that little break I need on a busy errand filled day.

Choose happy thoughts

Think happy thoughts – I know, easier said than done. But your mind is a muscle you need to work on a train and over time the not-so-positive thoughts will become very few and far between. 

What healthy habits do you have now? And which are you working on incorporating into your life? Do share below!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR BATHROOM CLEAN AND ORGANIZED

I like to think that I am a pretty organized person and tend to keep my home organized and clean as much as possible. Although sometimes things get out of hand if I have had a very busy week but for the most part I give myself kudos in that department. However, the one place in my home that tends to suffer the most is my bathroom. If you are a female reader or if you live with a female you can probably attest to the amount of things we have to use in order to get ready – lotion, make-up, hair tools and the list goes on.  Sometimes when I am in a rush to get out of the house I tend to leave my blow dryer and hair brushes on the counter which then drives me CRAZY to see them sitting there when I get back home. So below, I will share with you guys a few changes I have incorporated into my day to day management of my bathroom and I must say that they have made a world of a difference!

Purge

The very first step in maintaining a clean and organized bathroom is going through EVERYTHING in there and placing them in one of three piles:

1.       Use every day

2.       Use occasionally

3.       Haven’t used in six months

For example, the items in my use every day are products I actually use every day – my moisturizer, eye cream, mascara, eye lash curler, deodorant. If a product does not fall into the everyday category but you do use it quite often then it belongs in the use occasionally category – for me those are my hair masks and face masks things I use every other week or so. Then there is everything else, items I have purchased and later regretted but felt bad in throwing them away. Well friends, you are going to have to cut that umbilical cord and just get rid of it – one product that made into my have not used in six months was a body lotion I purchased from Origins (side note: I really love their products). The scent from that particular lotion is amazing and I absolutely fell for it in store but the thing is that I am very sensitive when it comes to scents and if a scent is the slightest bit strong instantly makes me nauseous and gives me a headache that can last hours. That’s what that scent did to me and I finally worked up the courage to put it in the purge pile.

Once you have placed every single product in your bathroom into one of the three above mentioned categories you have completed the most important step in this process.  The hardest part of this process for me is letting go of those items I have not used in a really long time but I have to remind myself that if I am not regularly using them then they are simply taking us space and creating clutter.

Organize

The next step in this process is to find a way to organize these products in a way that makes sense to your lifestyle. I get ready in my bathroom in the morning, meaning that is where I change, apply my makeup and style my hair. So, for me it makes sense to keep my skincare and makeup products and hair tools in my bathroom. For example, in my bathroom cabinet, I have two drawers that are exclusively dedicated to me every day items – one is for only my skincare and makeup products and the other is only for my hair brushes and hot tools (blow dryer and curling iron). Then, under my sink, I have a space that I use to store my occasional items (this is where the bulk of my items are). To be fair, I used to be subscribed to Glossybox and Birchbox which is how I ended up accumulating so many products. So with the use of some mesh stacking bins I got from The Container Store and some (many!) makeup bags I organized my occasional pile into eye, lips, hair, skin products. Then I found a way to neatly organize them in the mesh bins.

Maintain

Now that you have gone through and organized and re-arranged the products you use (which is by far the hardest part!) all you need to do is maintain the organization. But, I know, that is easier said than done. So I have one rule and one rule only when it comes to my bathroom: when I walk out of the bathroom it has to look exactly as it did when I walked in. This means if I need to use the blow dryer and round hair brush I have to put them back in their place as soon as I am done with them. That rule applies to everything in there, now that every item has a home it NEEDS to stay there. No exceptions.

Remember that it takes 21 days to form a new habit and I am a firm believer that coming home to a clean and organized home makes a huge and positive impact on your overall lifestyle and outlook on life. When you have less physical clutter then you have less mental clutter which allows you to see life and make decisions with a clearer state of mind.

Try the steps above to clean and maintain an organized bathroom and share how it goes below!