November’s First Wellness Wednesday

Had a free coffee at Barnes and Noble.  My darling mother gave me a coupon! Because it’s delicious and I like plain old iced coffee.  Side note: a few people had subtle Halloween costumes on and I take back what I said about being over it;  I feel a little Scrooge-like not even wearing my black cat earrings.  Oh well.  It doesn’t have to be a recognized holiday for me to celebrate and dress up.  IMG_6187

 

November is here!  I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving and the second best holiday, Black Friday (it’s my shopping Olympics!). The month is a the 11th month on the calendar.  11 is a master number if you know anything about numerology.  I’d like to know more.  I didn’t believe in it until recently when I suddenly realized I really am characteristic of a 5…too much?

Isn’t my cat calendar adorable?  I have it on my shelf at my desk.  I bought it in Bryant Park last year and got my sister a Corgi shaped one too.

img_6194.jpg

I wanted to throw in a snap of one of my magnets.  Let’s stop waiting for things.  This isn’t a dress rehearsal.

IMG_6196We all know it’s a cliche now, but I truly believe in the Law of Attraction.  Turns out, almost everyone successful, famous, happy, etc. does too.  Einstein, Tesla, Will Smith, Oprah, the list goes on and on.  It doesn’t have to be some hokey principle that you follow like a cult, although you can be as open about it as you wish.  Basically every athlete sees themselves making the shot/goal/play before they do it.  They’re visualizing themselves as a success.  They feel themselves being who they want to be before it happens in real life.

You act how you want to feel.  You follow things that make you happy.  Those actions lead to more joyful things.

That is all.  Simple, right?  You got it?  Oh good.  Tell me how easy it is.

The more you quiet your mind and sit still for a little, the easier it is to hear where you’re being led.  It’s 1000x easier for your inspired thoughts to come through if you practice meditation.  I used to think it was pretentious to say “I practice mediation.  I’ve been neglecting my bikram yoga practice.”  What, can’t I just “do” yoga?? Why is it such an important thing like a medical practice?  But then, i read somewhere why they call it a “practice.”  It’s hard and you are always going to be progressing and gaining strength and mental focus.  Same goes for meditation. (Tomorrow I’m going to tell you about my experiences with meditation.  You know, really dive deep.)

I had a major epiphany a few months ago and can now see the person I want to be.  That sounds silly but it’s true.  Sooo, I’ve been experimenting and asking myself what I’d do as future me before I make a decision.  It’s magic.  Maybe I clearly know myself more than others, so I’m not sure this would work for everyone.  However, it’s pretty simple when my mind is clear to hear my true thoughts.

Back to attracting.  It’s not about changing what you don’t like, it’s about not focusing on it at all.

Yesterday, I went for a run.  I still haven’t been back on track and I decided to take a different mental approach.  I slept in instead of the gym visit I had planned and honestly thought, “What would I do if I was the person who I know I”m supposed to be?”  Oh, I would readjust my schedule and go running after work!  I could see myself being proud and having that great, sweaty, accomplished tiredness.  All that is exactly what prompted me to pack my workout gear and take it along so I could change and head to the trails immediately after work.  It was a hard 3 miles.  I needed to remember this.  Even at the height of working out, it was still difficult! I’ve slacked so much in the last three months and have’t been consistent with any specific exercise for awhile.  But, I started making it a practice of mine to have (mostly) positive thoughts when I run.  Even if it’s tough and I want to stop, I make sure to turn it around and give myself a pep talk.  Sometimes I play games with myself, like I’ll run to the next tree then slow down if I really need it.  Or, I won’t look at my Garmin until the next miles beeps.  I’m not into music when I run outside and it’s funny because every now and then I start singing a song in my head.  It’s a fun thing that passes the time.

IMG_6222
Yes, those are tiny gnats on my face.  P.S. that shirt is from the little boys’ section of Walmart.  It was literally $1.  I wear it more than my expensive Brooks tops.

It’s all about not focusing on the hard stuff.  I could easily think, “oh my god.  It’s cold. I’m done,” the entire time and end up miserable.  But I know how great I feel when it’s over, knowing I persevered.  Today was good for me because it was chilly and I forgot how much breathing in cold air makes it even tougher to breathe.  I had some side stitches because I haven’t stuck to my normal decently healthy diet that I would do when running regularly.  There was a moment when I was mad at myself for letting my fitness level slip.  Right then, I had a small/instrumentally huge thought. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten good at switching gears to happy thoughts or maybe the universe told me but this is what I thought:

“It never has to be this hard again.”

That’s right.  I could take where I was at that moment and keep moving.

Every time I run I’ll progress.  Even if it feels physical just as tough, my mental state will have improved.

There never has to be a day that I quit.  I always get a second chance to do it again.

~Whitney Victoria

 

Starting Over!

Good morning!

Mondays are my favorite.  I’m crazy.

The weekend was fun!  I did some new things…like making a wreath and eating gourmet tater tots.

I’ve been on a quest to be super cliche and “follow my bliss.”  I don’t think I’m alone in that it’s much harder than it sounds.  Most of us have spent our lives doing things in order to make others happy or to at least appease them.  You say or don’t say this or that because of what someone thinks.  You say “yes” to a party you desperately don’t want to go to just because you feel bad turning down the invite.  Etcetera, Etcetera…

So, I’ve tried to pause and examine “why” I’m doing what I’m doing.   Is it really going to make me happy?

Things that made me happy this weekend to follow.

My Charlotte Olympia knock-off cat flats and my pleather leggings.  😻

IMG_5426Holiday decorating!  Before: It took me 20 minutes holding up flowers and accoutrements together in AC Moore for me to pick out the supplies.  Next time I’m going for the bigger wreath.IMG_5122IMG_8530IMG_5116After!  It’s a little different for “fall” colors but that’s what I was going for.  As much as I love oranges and leaf hues, this season I was ready for something new.img_4756.jpg

Saturday was an open house at Sorrelli to meet the founder, Lisa Oswald.  The brand started in Kutztown in 1983 and is now sold internationally.  I love that she went to KU too!IMG_5431Sorrelli has a jewelry store in Kutztown that all about the glitz.  There’s a reason their instagram handle is @sorrellisparkle.  The whole store glitters and is full of pieces you want to try on and fantasize about wearing to a gala. There are cuter, more dainty collections too if you’re not all shine all the time.  Everything has a unique shape and look that just screams Sorrelli.  You can tell. img_5442.jpg

I was enamored with the jewel tone collection.  I usually don’t even like purple!  But this caught my eye and needed to come home with me.  The combination of purples and blues are magic.  Plus, I can wear each piece separately if I’m not into the matching set.img_5441.jpgThere were snacks!  Free food is always a draw for me.  I had a baby biscotti and a kir Royale…totally never new what it was until I drank it.  Now I think I love them!  It’s champagne and Chambord.  There’s something classy and magnificent about carrying around a champagne glass.  img_5444.jpgIMG_5447If you bought something at the event, you got a signed tote or jewelry role from Lisa.  Obviously, we bought things!  I’m going to use the tote, I’m over that stuff you keep somewhere, because it’s special and then never enjoy.  IMG_5445IMG_6770There just so happens to be a fabulous doughnut shop darn the block from Sorrelli.  IMG_5476IMG_5439We split two so we could both try different flavors.  They’re small but in a good way.

Blueberry Crumbcake!IMG_5477French Toast!IMG_5478Even a plain doughnut would be great because the dough is that flaky, and delightful. Mmmm.IMG_5479

I enjoyed some interesting “tater tots” with crab salad on top here. Hmm, would I order them again?  Possibly.  IMG_5450Sunday morning meal planning at Giant before shopping!  I had an Americano and tiny hits of gluten for breakfast.  Two French Toast Bantam bagels.  They were delicious.  If you look closely, you can see they’re about the size of a golf ball and are closed bagels filled with cream cheese.  It’s a pretty genius idea.  I had no clue they were actually backed by Shark Tank investors!IMG_5462Sunday night meditations.  I mentally prepped for getting back to my healthy status. It’s long overdue and I can trace it back to around January when I stopped being motivated to my natural level.

This candle smells heavenly.IMG_4486Enjoy your Monday everyone!

Follow your happiness.

Do something that excites you today!

~Whitney Victoria