Procrastination

You know those things you really want to do but you end up procrastinating or worse, never start? I have a few tips for when this hits me and I need some extra motivation. Trust me, this is for me today just as much as it is for you guys.

Check in with myself. Is this even a goal I still want to achieve? I think a lot of times we get thrown off by what we think we “should” do and then wonder why we aren’t excited about it. A goal set by someone else will rarely excite or inspire me. If I get quiet and decide, yep, this is something I really want, then I proceed to the next step(s).
Start small. Say I am procrastinating doing a workout. I can’t go in telling myself I have to do an hour on the treadmill. If I am not feeling it, I’ll tell myself just do 15 minutes. If it’s miserable, well then I’m done quickly but I almost always go longer. Once I start with just a little the initial hurdle of overwhelm is gone.
Remember why I started. What made me excited do this in the first place? If I’m training for a race it’s impossible to love every single workout so I need to visualize my end goal. I like to see myself showing up as my most authentic self who is vibrant, confident, and works out because she loves the feeling afterward. It’s normal to not always feel motivated!
Focus on gratitude. I GET to do this. I get to put one foot in front of the other and run or lift weights. I get to cook a delicious dinner because, gratefully, I can afford healthy food. I get get into bed early and read because I have an open schedule, etc.
Finally, let it go. I only truly fail when I quit so I stop dwelling and don’t call myself lazy. Start over this afternoon, tomorrow, or this weekend. We always have a choice to change and redo things. I used to get so stuck if I ruined my exercise streak. I thought I had to wait until the next day or the next first of the month or whatever to start again. Nope. No one gets to set the rules but me.

I usually end up using exercise/running as a metaphor because it is one of the easiest to comprehend but these steps can help with any of your goals you keep putting off.

Bonus tip: If all else fails reward yourself! See pic of me with an oat milk cappuccino. Haha, but seriously, as long as the reward is in proportion to the task, I say go for it.

December 8, 2022

Whitney VictoriaLeave a comment

Fall Fabulous

I always can feel the seasons changing. Even when I was little. It would be steamy August and summer and I’d get (more) freckles each week, and then all of a sudden I would wake up one day and feel the morning air was the slightest bit brisk. Even if the summer sun would burn it off quite quickly, I just knew that that was Fall, hinting at its impending entrance.

This is my ode to Autumn. It’s a little bit funny that Fall has almost become a total basic girl cliché. I realized this today while daydreaming about pumpkin spice flavors, plaid scarves, and apple orchards, even though it’s currently about 78 degrees. Speaking of which, apparently it’s PSL day since Starbucks launches all the pumpkin drinks today. I’m usually underwhelmed by the actual pumpkin spice latte but their new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew sounds like something I might need to try once.

I don’t really care that’s it’s so popular now because I’ve always been into flannel shirts and ankle boots and wandering through leaf-lined paths. Maybe it’s just social media that’s shed the light on the fact that just about every other person loves it too.

That crispness in the air? Pumpkins out front at the grocery store? The Halloween stores opening up? Pinecones, chrysanthemums, leaves of every color? Hiking without the gnats and ticks?

I’m here for it all.

The hot coffee, the beautiful sunsets, the leather jackets, the comfort food. The tights! Haha, a pale girl like me loves tight season.

I think Fall is a favorite for many people because it’s not as harsh as summer or winter. It’s leading into the time when we normally get cozy and slow down a little. School starts, and no matter how long I’ve been out, I get a little wistful for bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils.

I also start to feel more like myself again when the air gets cooler. I’ve often wondered why. Is it because I was born in winter? I feel at home there? There’s just a little extra something in my aura this time of year. As much as a I try to explain it and list the wonderful attributes of the season, I can never put my finger on it. I don’t really want to. If you know me, you know I love a little magic in my life and that’s what the unexplainable is. Magic.

~Whitney

P.S. What’s your favorite thing about Autumn?

August 27, 2019

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Tuesday Turmoil

I hinted at this on my latest IG post…(go follow me to read heh).

When there is something I don’t want to do or something I don’t like but I need to do anymore, I try to make it better, more special somehow. I’m not perfect and there are times when I get stuck in the negative thinking, but my go-to response is to try to make it fun!

A lot of time it’s just for myself, and that’s pretty much all that matters. No one might know that I just went to get a latte at Starbucks because it’s a little treat. Or I took the long way home for a change of scenery. I think it’s so easy to get caught up in our daily lives, doing what we’re “supposed to do.” We forget that we have the power to change anything at anytime. Yes, it might not be easy but after awhile of this kind of bigger thinking, you get the hang of it.

The idea for this came from me hating Tuesdays. I shouldn’t say I hate them, but they sure are my least favorite day of the week. I can think of redeeming qualities for every other day but Tuesday. It’s not a fresh start like Monday. Wednesday is the peak from which you can see the other side, and it’s obviously not a weekend day. I don’t know, it’s just boring. Sorry Tuesday.

Something hit me this morning that I don’t need to just get through all the rest Tuesdays I get to experience in my life, I can actually enjoy them!

Seriously, Whitney. Duh.

How did I not realize this before? I know I always get to decide how I feel so why did I forget I could change my narrative around Tuesdays too?

I started with trying to think of all the good points of Tuesdays. Well, I didn’t come up with more than like two.

It’s a blank slate.
A lot of new podcast episodes are released on Tuesdays.

That’s it, you guys. All I could think of.

Sooo…my next plan of attack is that I create new experiences for myself. Plan a little treat or something unique on a Tuesday every week. Could be little or big. Now this was a fun list to create.

Try a new fitness class
Schedule a wellness practice (ie. salt lounge, meditation)
Cook a special dinner
Go to the library and find a new book
Buy a fancy cappuccino (I basically always get black coffee or Americanos)
Get a facial, manicure, spa treatment (or to save money, have an Epsom salt bath/face mask situation at home!)
Go window shopping
Make lunch plans with a friend
Plan a TV free night
Bake cookies

Of course you can tailor it to your hobbies and things you love. I believe if I make just this little bit of effort to plan a small, fun thing, I’ll break out of my routine bubble and, who knows?, maybe even begin to look forward to Tuesdays!

~Whitney

P.S. What day of the week do you dread? What do you do to make something more fun?

August 20, 2019August 20, 2019

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Laughing’s My Favorite

It’s soooo easy to get stuck in a solemn mood. Maybe it’s because I’m focused on a goal or possibly because I’m determined to craft a new plan of attack for whatever strikes my fancy lately. It’s not always because I’m sad or discouraged about something. These are the times when I stay in a mood. It’s that dull, lackluster, monotonous feeling where things seem to just be rolling along with the clock, no big changes or manifestations.

Ew to that. I like the sparkle and the joy.

It’s like when I want to be dancing around the kitchen, music blaring (Well, not blaring; I don’t like super loud things in my house. I have sensitive ears, okay?), making scrambled eggs or something. You know the feeling, when I don’t have a time schedule and just act a little weird and silly like no one’s watching, even if someone is. It’s freedom to let go of control and literally let loose.

I got to thinking this more and more recently. As adults it’s almost an unlearning of sorts. We’re taught to button up and save the wild times for very specific moments when they’re deemed acceptable.

Hello! There is no scheduling fun when you’re a kid. We can be silly! We can have fun! This doesn’t make us any less responsible or respected as grown ups. In fact, I believe it sends out the message to the universe that we’re having a great time here on Earth and we’re open to more enjoyable moments. So yes, it’s not a perfect world where we never lose our sense of fun for fun’s sake, but this just means we have to be a tad more conscious about it.

I’m trying to make time for the silliness.

Watch a funny movie/TV show I know gets me laughing or smiling or just feelin’ good.
Daydream.
Sing out loud to my favorite songs.
Color.
Play dress up.

None of this is relegated to kids; we just seem to forget these are options.

Last night my mom and I went to see I Love Lucy in the movie theaters for Lucille Ball’s birthday and it was so fun. They showed a couple episodes in color and even though I’ve seen them all (many times) before I still laugh so hard! It was worth the staying up a little later. If you know me, you know I’m in bed by 8:30pm on a weekday…

This was the reminder I needed that I can laugh and have a great time any moment of any day. A “normal” schedule doesn’t allow time for that. It doesn’t always come naturally but it always boosts my mood for a long time after. It’s something I’m working on and I think it will keep getting easier to do without thinking.

So for now, I’m just over here connecting with my inner child, people!

~Whitney

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019

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Trying too hard?

Trying too hard has been such a theme in my first 30 years. I’ve gotten tons and tons better but it would just sort of stop in one area of my life and stay present in another.

Trying too hard to be perfect.

Trying too hard to be nice.

Trying too hard to be organized.

Trying too hard to look pretty and polished.

Trying too hard to be something (everything) I’m not.

There is much to be said for self-improvement. In fact, it’s basically my favorite pastime. However, the feeling that I need to change in order to feel better about myself or more worthy of my dreams I’m trying to manifest is completely insane. That’s what trying too hard has done for me. It was almost always never about growing and chasing my goals. It was almost always about striving for perfection so the world would think I was good enough. It was never for the sake of having fun and being myself.

The act of trying is really an act of doing nothing but spinning my wheels. Stuck in the mud, trying to run away and gain some traction. It was usually something I had to force myself to do and something I did not really enjoy. I would even try to like whatever I was forcing myself to do!

I lost all the magic, all the spontaneity, all the fun.

Now, there is a time and place for planning and pushing myself. There’s even an instance or two when I need to force myself to do something, but that only works when the end goal I dream of requires consistent action.

I swear I won’t always use running as a life metaphor but it just works, okay?

Case in point: I’m running a marathon this November (115 days to go!) and there are some days I reallllly don’t want to get out and run my miles even though my training plan says so. This is when I let my (old friend) rigidness come out and show me who’s boss. I need this run or else I’m going to regret it on race day. This run makes me stronger and more prepared. This run gets me closer to my dream of crossing “Run a marathon” off my bucket list. It’s those literal steps that are taking me where I want to go.

That, to me, is not trying too hard. It’s just fighting for my goals.

I’ve been really into surrendering lately and that’s what kicking this habit of trying too hard means to me. Surrender has been quite the trendy word but, man is it a tough one to actual practice. I’ve never noticed just how tight my grip on the world is until I started to let go.

What a work in progress I am. Aren’t we all?

P.S. I like fun things too. It’s not all a lot of words and thinking and pondering life’s purpose up here…aka in my head.

August 2, 2019August 1, 2019

Whitney Victoria2 Comments

Inspired

Basically as soon as I knew how to screenshot something on my iPhone I was hooked. I began saving pics of pretty scenery, quotes I loved, outfits I wanted to emulate. The word “muse” comes to mind but this is not the extent I want to relay. To me, “muse” is long-term. It’s someone who serves as constant inspiration for whatever your project maybe. These moments I compile are tiny hits of inspiration that are ever-changing and always being replaced or forgotten. It’s the things in life that come across my path that cause me to make a certain “small” decision. It’s like this: I see a bright bunch of flowers at the farmer’s market and then choose my outfit based on that combination of vibrant orange and hot pink that I saw in those flowers. Get it?

Boom.

Inspired.

I am a collector of beautiful things and by “beautiful” I mean something that provokes emotion in me, just as much as something that I see as physically and aesthetically pleasing. Pinterest and Instagram has made this possible

As we speak, I’m sitting at a Panera drinking iced coffee and I can hear one of the male cashiers tell every customer to “have a beautiful day” at the end of their order. This is something that inspires me. The same man let me know he loved my dress while I was getting my coffee. Some people barely squeeze out a “thank you” or a “bye.” I always know that I am in that specific place and time because I was meant to witness that kindness and beauty. (Huge believer in timing right here.)

Anyway, I feel like starting a regular recap of my own inspiring moments I collected with all of you. Thursday night seemed like a good time to do this. Right before we head into the weekend, the last night that isn’t particularly joyful for most since we have one more day of work. Some times I might have lots of quotes, one time I may seem to be drawn toward landscapes, and I just know that my collection will include a lot of style, fashion, and even some gorgeous people.

I’m hoping that by sharing my inspirations, you notice those moments in your own lives and let them inspire you to do something wonderful.

Beauty is all around.

I’ve started here with my Instagram picks from the last few days.

Umm, hello, I’m going here. Something for me to reach for.

This one is all about the caption!

Every struggle is a chance to grow.

Seriously. My astrology sign cat is Indiana. It’s fate.

Listen to yourself. You will hear what you want.

We can heal ourselves from within. Oh yes.

I’m betting on myself. How about you?

Yessssss. No one is telling you what to do, say, think, or believe. That’s all you.

Yours,

Whitney Victoria

July 6, 2018July 5, 2018

Whitney Victoria1 Comment

Joy & Muffins

I decided to bake last night. I usually don’t bake during the week. I think I always feel like it will be an all-consuming 4 hour process or something so I push it off until I have “adequate” time on the weekends. Baking gives me a little jolt of accomplishment so I really need to stop assuming my other to-dos are more important and I don’t have time. You know what they say when your assume. The best part is that I had plenty of time to whip up muffins, pack some lunch for tomorrow, and do lift a few weight. Oh, and most importantly, I had time to watch Young and the Restless #priorities

My point is this: Don’t Postpone Joy. Chase it now.

So, what did I bake, you ask? In my head, you’re asking, ready for the recipe.

I always have criteria for my recipes. Usually I need to have everything on hand and easily accessible. No surprise that I couldn’t find something suitable from a quick Pinterest search, so I made up my own recipe.

Enter my Cinnamon Sugar Snacking Muffins.

They’re semi-healthy. Recipes like this I consider sorta like half-caff coffee. You’re still eating a little sugar and gluten but not near as much as in traditional recipes. The taste is still there and you most likely won’t miss the extra calories. It’s good when you want to bake something for a person who eschew healthy food. Most of the time I just can’t bring myself to not do some clean eating swaps.

This muffins are moist and have a cinnamony bite to them. They go well with tea as a snack. Since the batter doesn’t have as much sugar as most muffins, the topping adds a welcome sweet crunch.

Next time I plan on making them in my mini muffin tin. Like muffin poppers! Is that a thing?

Cinnamon Sugar Snacking Muffins

makes: 12 standard muffins or 18 mini muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour (can use Bob’s Red Mill GF too!)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter – melted

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp baking powder

pinch Himalayan salt

1/3 cup milk

1 flax egg (can sub for 1 egg)

Topping:

1/4 cup white sugar mixed

1 tbs cinnamon

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk all liquids together. Slowly incorporate liquids into dry ingredient bowl, until just mixed.

Mix topping together.

Spray 12 muffin tins with cooking spray. (I love this!) Pour batter evenly into muffin tins. Sprinkle topping onto each muffin. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. They should be golden brown with a slightly crisp top. Don’t over bake!

Tip: You can fill just 8 muffin tins to the top for bakery-style muffins.

Let me know if you whip these up! I think adding apples would be great. : )

July 4, 2018

Whitney VictoriaLeave a comment

Whitney Lately Vol. 2

Admiring lately:

Lower Manhattan

This is from a recent Uber ride from Brooklyn to MSG to eat gluten free pizza and have have macaroons from the bus station. This view will be a part of my daily life. It’s always been in me.

Crushing lately:

Tone It Up Bikini Series

“Crushing” might be a little strong but I’m officially on the last day of the TIU Bikini Series. I gotta say, it’s 8 weeks, but those weeks really did fly by. There’s an app that has free daily moves every day. Each day is dedicated to a certain body part you’re working. You swipe through the moves and then the last screen is this one. A little encouragement is always welcome.

Seriously check it out. I’m a TIU girl now for the long run.

Sipping lately:

All the iced coffee

I’m loving my coffee cold even more so than usual. It just tastes sooo good to me this time of year. Who am I kidding? It tastes good any time of the year but in winter my hands start to freeze if I don’t get hot drinks. But then again, that’s what I have gloves for.

Researching lately:

Summer Events

On July 18 I am going to an event for the Almost 30 podcast in NYC and I cannot wait. I took the day off and the next day just because I’ll get back late on a “school night.” Even though the event only starts at 6:30 pm, I’m planning on taking some time in the city before it starts. Right now, my schedule is wide open. I’m a planner but I’m working on being more flexible with my schedule. It’s actually way tougher than I thought it would be when I started to work on this trait a few months ago. I actually feel stress when I have something “fun” planned but I don’t have an entire, completed, highly-detailed itinerary in my possession. Anyway…I am slowly getting there and am allowing myself to enjoy some true free time. So, for this day trip I had to at least have some things in mind. As we speak I have a few options:

Catch a matinee show on Broadway (This most def. revolves around finding a good price.)
- Currently cruising this site right here for tips and tricks – Last Minute Broadway Tickets
- I’m dying to see Anastasia and Dear Evan Hansen (amazing music that I only know because of my Greatest Showman Pandora station)
Find a new cafe and people watch while I enjoy a great coffee and pastry
Eat at a top chef restaurant for lunch and take my time enjoying the meal
FINAAAALLLY go to a Soul Cycle class
- I so want to do this eventually but my main reason for most likely striking this one from the docket is that I won’t look super cute for the Almost 30 shindig a few hours later
Possibly find a semi-affordable hotel for the night so I can leisurely enjoy myself without rushing home at 9pm

Watching Lately:

Imposters

This was just recommended to me by a friend and I’m hooked. A Bravo show that follows a team of con artists and the jilted marks who are trying to catch them. I”m currently catching up on the first season on Netflix and will probably finish it in a few days.

Tonight I’m heading to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and can’t wait. I haven’t looked at a single review because I want to just go enjoy Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum, and some Velociraptors.

June 30, 2018June 30, 2018

Whitney Victoria4 Comments

Underestimating Ourselves

Why do we underestimate ourselves so much? Is it out of fear? So we don’t disappoint ourselves?

I was born with a huge imagination and with that came a knowing. A knowing of just how much I could accomplish. Lots of things pile on and make it seem impossible but deep down I still have my voice telling me to just do it because I’ll succeed. So I’m not exactly sure what the answers to my aforementioned questions are. What do I let stop me from following my dreams? Maybe that’s just fine. Maybe it’s in the asking that I’ll make a difference in my life or yours.

When I write something here, I like to help. I like to give some sort of advice or tricks or inspiration. Me asking a question and not giving an answer used to seem wrong. Unfinished and unsatisfying.

A wise friend said this the other day and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

“Maybe you’re not supposed to be the one with all the answers, just the questions.”

My favorite uncle, Tony Robbins, says you have to ask quality questions. I agree.

(source)

I don’t need to help everyone all the time, including myself. Just because I don’t know exactly what needs to be done next doesn’t mean I’m stuck and creating nothing.

I don’t need all the answers.

I don’t need to be perfect to help people.

That’s all.

~Whitney Victoria

January 10, 2018January 10, 2018

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Changes Afoot

With the new year comes new moments, new goals, new lives. Changes can happen any time of the year but something is different when the calendar starts over.

I can feel it this year way more than others. I remember last year trying so hard to make 2017 begin with some kind of magic that just wasn’t there. I guess you just can’t force the magical moments. You gotta just let it flow.

I’ve been on a tiny health kick since January 1 and it feels good. It was not a big plan I set out to do but it’s been nice eating my vegetables again and not being so quick to add in junk. (I say this after eating 4 pieces of chocolate but still, that’s better than last week! Eeeesh!) Basically the whole month of December I had dessert every night, dairy in my coffee, sugar at evvvvery meal in some shape or form. There was less sleep, more drinks. Less meditating, more late nights.

Pic from my (free) Shady Maple birthday breakfast. It was heaven. Let’s not talk about how many plates I packed away…

It was fun in small doses but I’ve never been one for that lifestyle. I’ve been going to bed by 9pm for as long as I can remember. Seriously, my friends made fun of me in high school. I never cared because sleep makes me feel amazing.

Finally, I feel the tides turning back to my norm.

Along with the healthier meals, I’ve always been reading before bed. (Real live books!) I’ve missed that and even in just a few days I notice the calmness I feel when falling asleep.

I am completed excited and ready to manifest my goals but I’m only sharing a few here. No shame whatsoever but I’m still working through the specific on some steps and I’d like to keep ’em close to the chest for now.

A smattering of 2018 #goalsss:

Read at least 25 books – self-development, fiction, whatever!
- So satisfying and I learn massive amounts of great things from reading, no matter the genre.
Build my blog – I know it seems simple but I love it.
- It’s good challenging and I have hundreds of ideas of what I’d like it to become.
Meditate and/or journal daily – no matter how little it is.
- I love a good ritual.
- I’m allowing even just one sentence jotted down or like 8 minutes of mediation if that’s all that happens one day!
Kick-box (and train hard again)
- I’ve been talking about kickboxing for YEARS and never tried it. No idea why but it’s time. I see myself loving it and it fits in with my slightly obsessed Rocky, triumphant underdog fantasies.
- I also need to get my semi-abs back and stronger than ever.
Speak up. Put my true self out there. Stand up and be confident.
- It’s so easy when I stop “trying.” Trying to be perfect, trying to make someone else happy, trying to take care of things.
Be debt-free
- One of those things I took for granted until I realized it was an issue. I’m ready for financial freedom. I 100% believe it’s possible because I’ve seen it.
Follow a mostly clean diet with indulgences I truly enjoy.
- How I feel the best. No time for eating junk that doesn’t thrill me anymore. You know you’ve eaten a cupcake purely because it was there? It was dry, the icing was too sweet, and all of a sudden you feel gross. Yeah, not happening.
- One, amazing slice of peanut butter pie? Baby, it’s worth it.

A super flattering picture of me cradling my new matcha set! I’m really excited to get into and even, dare I say it, drink a little, tiny bit less coffee this year.

Do a monthly check-in with myself
- I’m using my beautiful Desire Map Planner that I highly recommend. Check it out right here! (I’m gong to do a detailed post about tit. It’s not too late to get one for the year!
  - My planner actually has a check-in prompt at the beginning of every month so it makes it super easy for me. I’ve done the overall 2018 pages and obviously the January one.

And a snap of my planner and breakfast (real muffin pieces in this bar, people)! Weird color, trust me, the actually shades are much prettier and ocean-esque.

Those are the “big goals.” I have a few random to-dos like go to another Broadway show and learn to roller blade (I know, I’m 29. I should already know how or I shouldn’t bother. hah! A girl can dream…and boy, do I. Always have, always will. )

Think big or stay small.

Please share any goal you want to achieve this year with me! I’m so curious how everyone is feeling about their clean slates, excited, anxious or anywhere in between.

Much love! You deserve it.

~Whitney Victoria

January 5, 2018

Whitney Victoria4 Comments