Stress is a crazy thing. There are million and one proverbs, clichés and admonitions about how going through times of trial and tribulation bring out one's true colors or show what someone is made of. And while that's all true, valuable, and potentially reassuring - it often doesn't feel like it (or like it matters) in the moment, nor do I always like to be reminded of that fact. I've mentioned before that my own personal, very unattractive natural tendency when I am out of time, patience, or energy is to become a "dictatorial steamroller." Since I am aware of this proclivity, I try to pay attention to the times…
What I Read Last Month :: October
I have been excited for this month of reading for probably almost a year! While doing my Happiness Project, I found that knowing myself better was a key success factor which enabled me to get real about what would likely impact my subjective wellbeing as opposed to what I thought shouldmake me happier. So I spent some time figuring out how to build a life better aligned with my own values, interests, and personality. And throughout that process I found that I really wanted to dedicate some time to learning about various personality theories and frameworks. Although I suppose this could have been a theme within that year, I decided to…
There is Still Plenty of Time to Finish 2018 Strong!
Although there is probably not a word strong enough to express just how much I loathe the colder weather and precipitation that accompanies it, I have to admit that I do enjoy this time of year. I'm a "finisher;" someone who gets a bigger kick out of squeezing the VERY LAST drop of toothpaste out of the tube as opposed to feeling satisfaction in starting a new one. I like to reach a point of completion on a personal or work project whether that is in total or just my small part of the big picture. This is in contrast to an "opener" who really gets enthusiastic about starting new…
Broaden-and-Build, the Benefits of Positivity, and a Whole30 Chicken Chili
I would consider one of my strengths to be my ability to both formulate and execute a plan. I LOVE planning - everything from meal plans to barre choreography, from vacations to my wedding, and everything in between. I would consider one of my weaknesses to be my strong distaste for not knowing what to expect. I'm not great at "going with the flow" and just seeing what happens when it happens. In fact, "not great" hardly scratches the surface. I loathe being in the dark and thus ill-prepared for anything of importance. Thus the logistics of moving and such a big transition have my anxiety levels above optimum at…
Joy, Cozy Weekends, and Whole30 Mushroom Asparagus Cauliflower Risotto
Although I knew that it would come up quickly as soon as we had finalized the decision to move back to the US, I have to say that I am still shocked by the fact that we will be sailing away less than 7 weeks from now. There are a multitude of things that I will really miss about Ireland and our lives here, most especially the friends I have made of course, but also the little things like walks to Coco and Lulu's favorite park, the familiar faces of the baristas at Cork Coffee Roasters, "our spot" at The Spitjack and the Sweet Potato Toast there, and the ability to…
Paleo Banana Bread Muffins (Easy Enough for Even the Non-Bakers)
Yesterday marked three years of #mandjhappilyeverafter. It seems simultaneously that our wedding was just yesterday and yet so long ago since so much has happened since then. We've moved internationally (and are currently coordinating the move back home!), traveled all over Europe, adopted our two little fur babies, and have grown tremendously as individuals and in our relationship. Anytime that I stop even briefly to consider my life, my relationship with Jonathan is something which I never cease to be grateful for. Even when I'm really feeling sorry for myself, I cannot ever come up with any evidence contrary to the fact that he is the best husband in the world. Thankfully…
Barre Better: Breaking Up with Bad Habits at the Barre
So lately in an effort to fix some of the ongoing issues and imbalances that I have within my own body, I've been calling on some extra expert advice by taking 1:1 Pilates sessions with Ireland's Master Teacher Trainer up in Dublin. I have to say that something that continues to amaze me is how often (in virtually every aspect of life) there is such a leap between good and outstanding. And when it comes to an eye for detail and understanding of body mechanics, she is outstanding. However, although her insight is invaluable and there have been several things which I hadn't considered previously, I am particularly struck by the…
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? (and a Whole30 Smoked Salmon and Peach Salad)
So my latest obsession is learning about all things personality related. It was something which I felt it would be interesting to look into in more detail based on my experiences with my Happiness Project. In short, a major finding is that although we can all move the needle in a more positive direction, what exactly leads to a happier life for me is probably not identical to what would for you due to our individual differences. Starting out that project, I remember reading Gretchen Rubin's argument that one of the keys to happiness is self-knowledge, and she says that "we can build a happy life only on the foundation…
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What I Read Last Month :: September
Among some of the most influential or impactful books that I have read over the past year or so, I would definitely have to include Laura Vanderkam's 168 Hours which completely changed my perspective on how I manage my time and focus more energy and effort on things that matter or add value and meaning to my life (I've wrote about her a few times here and here). Recently, she wrote a book called Off the Clock, which includes a chapter about investing in your happiness based upon her time use research which showed that people who have high time perception scores (that is, feeling like time is memorable) were…
Consistency > Perfectionism :: Whole30 Avocado Compound Butter
Originally I had planned to write about the topic of perfectionism today in light of some of the recent internal dialogue I have been having on the subject after recently reading Brene Brown's, I Thought It Was Just Me (But It's Not). I have been someone who has struggled with some relatively serious maladaptive levels of perfectionism for probably my whole life. In her typical penetrating style, Brown's insight on the topic was a bit deeper and more nuanced than the usual on the perils of perfectionism and it's been something which I have kept coming back to over the past few weeks. But as I sat down several times to try…
