Take your daughter to work day

Do you remember growing up as a kid and marveling at what your parents did for a living? I grew up in a working class family with my mom as a Post Office Clerk, grueling out long hours on her feet (especially during holidays), and my dad a delivery truck driver and eventually a small business owner. I remember once as a young child (around 8 years old), we had permission to go to work with a parent instead of go to school! I went with my mother because my father left for work in the early hours of the morning, around 3 am which was much to early for a young child.
The nights before I got to be “mommy’s helper”, my mom took an old work shirt and sewed it to fit my tiny body. The night before my first day on the job, I remember being so excited to see what it was like to be my mom — my hardworking wonder woman. As a Post Office Clerk, my mom joyfully greeted each customer, handled their packages with care, and ensured the package would promptly start its journey to its destination.  She greeted regular business people shipping products to customers, families shipping gifts, individuals moving — every person had their own story and journey, and my mom took great pride in being able to assist them with the voyage.

Fifteen years later, my mom is retired and my dad works as a cross country truck driver (I guess I get my travel bug from him). When I moved up to the Twin Cities, the best perk was getting to be close to my dad. As I have gotten older, he has become a best friend and even more of a mentor to me. So when my dad asked if I wanted to take a work trip with him in the truck I said yes before he finished the sentence. Honestly, I had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Me, Dad, his truck, and the road – the long road from Minnesota to California. 
Last night I packed my things for a 10 day trip that will be spent in an 8’x8′ cab for two people . Winter clothes, pajamas, some food, toiletries…honestly it was like packing for a bike tour with bonuses — I have a refrigerator, plus a small closet, which means more than 3 outfits, and I could even bring hair products, which means more than just a bar of soap!
This morning I walked out of my room with a sack of clothes, a sack of food, a pillow, and my yoga mat. Wearing my boots, jeans, plaid shirt, and baseball cap, I asked my dad, “Do I look like a trucker?” Proudly smiling, he said, “Yes”. We drank our coffee before getting on the road toward the truck yard.
The rest of the day will be spent picking up items to fill the trailer, and then these two truckers are on the road for my first “18 Wheel Ride”!

I wish everyone a safe and celebratory evening tonight, and I want to thank you for following me throughout my journey this year — through this blog you have given me strength and courage along the way

Love & Joy.

Sunsets and Full Plates of “Food”

Today I arrived at my new place in St. Paul, MN! There is snow on the ground, and it is in the single digits!  I can’t believe I live in snow.
While driving to my new home, I was experiencing a lot of emotions and thoughts – sad as I finally realized Sarasota is no longer “home”, proud that I actually took this leap to pursue my dreams, worried about being in a completely new environment with snow and cold, excited about the opportunities to make new friends and see new places, a little overwhelmed by how little I know about where I am moving (like, what do they even call their grocery stores here because I KNOW there isn’t a Publix). However, while I was on the road, I saw the sunset and found all of my worries and fears wiped away. I felt that I wasn’t as far from Sarasota as it seemed, as I was reminded that I am still on the same Earth and in the same life. It doesn’t matter what the temperature is, how many extra layers I need to wear to stay warm, that I don’t know anyone up here yet,  or that I don’t even know the name of a street here other than the street I live on — because I am alive and living, so things will work out.

While I was on my bike trip, the sunset was a sign of the day closing, ending the recording of the day’s venture, and signifying the beginning of a new day ahead. Life in Minnesota is just beginning for me, and every day is a new opportunity to explore, learn, and grow.

This holiday season wasn’t all candy canes and snowflakes for everyone I know. Friends close to me lost relatives, were met with their ongoing struggles of addiction, were faced with the reality of disease in their family and needing to give ongoing care to these loved ones. These are all situations that can’t get sorted out in a day, but require ongoing attention and strength to overcome the various obstacles met throughout their journey, as well as sort out the abundance of emotions along the way. But, each of my friends have been beautiful examples to me of how every situation can be overcome one step at a time.

I know everyone gets overwhelmed by the amount they have on their plate. But I want to encourage you. I encourage you to trust yourself, and know that you are capable of doing what seems bigger than you. Enjoy the journey of each day, and know you can accomplish everything along your path, because your path is your life to live. Set aside your worries and fear, and embrace each step of your life with pride that new events get to be part of your experience.

Enjoy YOUR Journey, and don’t freeze.

Journeying North from Atlanta to Grandma’s

At 6am this morning I arrived at Grandma’s house.

Beginning in Atlanta, GA, I met my host in Inman Park. I met Ray through CouchSurfing.com, a network for travelers to assist one another as they travel through or visit different cities. Inman Park is a neighborhood district with converted warehouses, an active adult community of runners and cyclists, and my introduction to the Belt Line.
The Belt Line is a multipurpose trail that is being built to connect walkers and bikers through parts of the busy city of Atlanta, without forcing them in the chaos of Atlanta Traffic! Running along the apartments and warehouse businesses, I walked the Belt Line to Krog Street Market. l enjoyed dinner Monday night at Yalla, with delicious Middle Eastern food (kind of a fusion of Mediterannean and Indian foods). The market had cafeteria seating, but delicious, handmade food options. After the meal, Ray showed me more of the Belt Line and the local art displays along the Line.

Before leaving Atlanta, earlier, I explored Ponce City Market and Little Five Points. I enjoyed a delicious Ethiopian coffee from Spiller Coffee, and then walked into a showcase of American Artisans called Citizen Supply. I enjoyed exploring the different handmade crafts like leather wallets, shirts, boots, and some home goods. After Ponce City Market, I drove over to Little Five Points.
Little Five Points is a local, independent culture area with a vinyl shop, a feminist bookstore, independent local clothing stores, vintage clothing, bars, and PIZZA! I explored some of the shops and finished my Atlanta visit at Savage Pizza. The pizza was delicious, and the restaurant was funky with action figures hanging from the ceiling- just my type of place!

As I got on the road, and headed to Nashville, I talked to my dad about the upcoming weather – a huge storm with threats of tornadoes. I planned on getting to Nashville right before the storm and waiting for it to pass. The drive to Nashville was fairly easy, once I got used to winding through mountains. I crossed into Central Time at 5pm EST/ 4pm CST, leaving me about 4 hours until the heaviest part of the storm. I started experiencing some rain and slight traffic, and then I was completely stopped on I-75, 2 miles south of Dalton, GA. An hour later, I was directed off of the interstate because they had completely shutdown the interstate. Riding US-41 through Dalton, I reconnected and got back on track. With about 2 hours left to get to Nashville, I was moslty on track but didn’t have much time to spare.

I pulled up to The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden at 7pm, just in time for the storm. The friendly waitors welcomed me in during the storm, while the wind and lightening started threatening louder and louder. I enjoyed some old-fashioned m3 beer and a Beef Stroganoff Burger with Tater Tots. The meal was delicious and extremely filling. I watched the radar, and around 8:45, I got back on the road with the majority of the storm past me. Afrter a quick power nap, I got on the road with 7 more hours of driving to Grandma’s.

Two iced coffees and one energy drink later, I arrived at grandma’s at 6am. I quickly said good morning and then slept until 11 am. The journey to Elkhart, IN was long and a little scary. I’ve never driven through mountains, or driven for that long. But I made it (Thanks to the company of Adele and Sara Bareilles). Tomorrow I get to enjoy Christmas with family, and then I will soon continue to Minnesota.

Things about the north I am already learning:

1. It gets dark at 4:30pm.
2. When it is windy, it is really windy and really cold.
3. I need snow boots because cold feet are a horrible thing.

What is in front of you?

Recently I have been learning the importance of appreciating the NOW and what is happening in the moment. I have been learning how looking at what is in front of you and spending your energy on what is currently happening will help you more in the future, rather than trying to put your energy toward the now while also trying to work on the things that haven’t happened yet. When we focus on the now, we do better each step of the way, making the future easier and more successful.

I just finished my days of working at Starbucks Coffee Company. Before I left, I had the privilege of training 3 new employees, and this lesson of the now was the key to their success. When making those foamy lattes and sweet frappuccinos it is easy to get overwhelmed by all of the steps required for one drink, and then you see the four drinks coming up that you will have tackle after you manage to finish this one that is currently hissing and steaming at you. I hope you can imagine how easy it is to become overwhelmed. But the key is to master each step as it occurs, and everytime, the steps come together to create a delicious, handcrafted beverage. Next thing you know, you have made 4o drinks in a half hour. My friend characterizes this success as being able to work without raising your heartbeat.

I have been very busy recently moving and making big changes in my life. Packing my entire apartment, getting rid of a lot since I am downsizing to a single bedroom, changing states from Florida to Minnesota, saying goodbye to friends and family, preparing my car for the cold, quitting a job, starting a new job, enrolling in yoga teaching school – honestly, I’m feeling a little tense just typing it all. But I have managed to compete the entire list in less than a month because I focused on one task at a time. The biggest struggle for me was packing. I was overwhelmed by the multiple rooms, so I separated the task into separate rooms. Then separate rooms were broken down into what I was keeping or getting rid of. Eventually, the huge burden of an entire apartment became focusing on each small item. I couldn’t focus on the three items around it, but one thing at a time.

Life is big. There are a lot of elements – love, religion, work, learning, travel, home, family, friends, identity. When we become overwhelmed by how much we have to do in life. Break it down to a day at a time, and then break that into a task a time, and then break that into a step of a task at a time.

You are strong and capable, just focus and keep moving forward.

With Love,

Jennifer

 

P.S. Like I said, I have been extremely busy. I am currently in Atlanta, on my way to the North for Christmas, and then Minnesota from there. Sorry for not posting as much, but I  am thankful to  be able to share my journey with you when I am available. Merry Christmas, and I hope your holidays are peaceful.

The Right Decision

Let’s picture the journey of life as a road with roundabouts in it – traffic circles that have opportunity to get out, but also have the option to stay in the circle.

Earlier this week, I discussed that fear can sometimes hold us back from moving forward. Life never completely stops, so it is in these moments of fear that we get stuck in our roundabout. Moving in a circle while others cross our path and proceed forward. We can often get stuck in this roundabout, and refuse to move forward because of the fear of possible obstacles on the upcoming road. What if I get hurt, or don’t make enough money, or get lonely – all become the flat tires and misread maps on your journey. But once you accept that all of these obstacles are capable of being overcome, you are faced with choosing which exit of the roundabout will you take? This decision seems so finite. What if you take the exit and end up unhappy, unfulfilled, heartbroken, humiliated – you picture these upsets as dead ends. But that thought is a complete illusion. Guess what, life goes on.

Life goes on, because you create your path. If you don’t like the road your on, turn down a different one, find an alternative route, choose a different destination. When you trust yourself and love yourself, you become in control of your life and you are capable of anything you want. Success and happiness is grounded in honesty and love.

We – maybe it’s our culture, maybe it’s most of humanity – are so scared of making the wrong decision that we just don’t make a decision at all. This leaves us following the crowd, doing things that please others’ agendas, and settling for less than we are capable of.
When you are pursuing your happiness, you can not make a wrong decision. You may make a decision that could have been done differently, but you aren’t going to ruin anything or destroy your life – you’ll just end up on a scenic route. So stop being scared of messing up, and let yourself move forward – take the next step.

When I graduated college, I was on the path of some one else’s dream. I pursued a life with a predictable outcome because that’s what people do – when you graduate college, you move to a new job, meet a partner who might end up being your spouse, you settle your roots, and you “start you life” as an adult. Well, the more I tried to journey down that road, the more I felt anxiety, disappointment, and unfulfilled. I met neat people, and was pleasing my family, but I was never satisfied. Anytime I tried to imagine my ideal life, the voice in the back of my head would laugh at the silliness of doing something different – the little voice would remind me that, “Everyone lives this way, and it works. So if I do something else, it won’t work because it isn’t normal, and I will probably fail.” Well, I’m just going to call bullshit – that voice was only my the illusion of doubt and fear. Finally, I let go of my reality, so I could pursue my dreams, and I have never felt happier, stronger, or more successful.

Life does not have to have a finish line – and when I say that, I mean that you don’t have to know what “success” look like. Life can be a journey that you constantly grow, and success is achieved through your growth. Maybe that looks like a big adventure like moving or a new career, and maybe moving forward on your life journey means bettering your health or connecting with new friends or reconnecting with family. In any situation, we all have dreams in our life that we aren’t pursuing because we are scared of failing, so we stay in the roundabout of being stagnant. It’s time to embrace your dreams, let go of the fear, and enjoy your journey.

I send you love and encouragement,

 

P.S. This week I got to see my great friend, J Robb perform. He is a passionate musician, and this was the last time I’ll get to hear his music before I leave. I also got to eat breakfast with my loving friend Danielle and her baby-pup Jolene. I am so fortunate to have such compassionate, and encouraging people in my life. Thank you to all of my friends that are supporting me!

Fear. If you don’t have it, you’re doing it wrong.

I live in Florida. It is a well known fact that Florida isn’t the best place if you want to experience the seasons. We have summer that smells like flowers, summer that smells like grass, summer that smells like pumpkins, and summer where you can’t smell because your nose is frozen! Yesterday, when I walked out of my front door, I walked back inside, folded my tank top and put on a pair of jeans! Ladies and gentlemen, winter is here!
While I’ve been spending more time in the warm indoors, I have been sipping on my successful homebrew kombucha! This has been something I have wanted to try for a while. The only thing that has held me back from trying before now, was the fear of messing up. I was constantly making excuses: “I dont want to spend the money for the equipment if it doesn’t turn out”, “I always give up on projects like this, and this won’t be any different”, and on and on… These excuses were only fears of failing and finally I realized that not trying something because I was scared of failing was the same as failing before I even began.
Recently, I announced that I will be moving to the Minneapolis area in less than a month! Want to talk about winter, well there it is. Honestly, I forgot that extreme seasons occurred, so when I signed up for Minneapolis, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The more I talked to people, the more I questioned if I had made the right decision – moving to cold in the middle of winter, leaving the sunshine, leaving everything behind for a new city. My fears and doubts started to scream in my head, and I started to feel tension pulling me back. I felt like I was in a Sci-Fi film when the monster with tentacles slowly grabs a hold of the hero’s limbs and pulls them into its mouth. Fear was grabbing ahold of me. But, I stopped it.

Fear is natural. Doubt is natural. It’s just an alternative outcome to a plan. It isn’t wrong to have fears and doubts. What matters, is what you do with them. Recognize your fears, understand why you have them, and plan how you will overcome them.

I am scared of moving. I am leaving my network of a lot of people, downsizing my living quarters, entering very new weather and environmental conditions (and don’t forget I am an outdoors enthusiast), and starting a new job. So I recognize these thoughts, and I embrace them. I am going to have so many opportunities for new experiences, and to meet new people, and to see new sights. I remind myself that I am doing all of this in order to reach my goal! This leg of my journey is going to win me my yoga teaching certification. I will be growing and strengthening my mind, body, and soul. I will be empowering myself with knowledge, experience, and health.

My purpose and goal is to help myself and others recognize their strength and ability to achieve their best. I believe that positivity is contagious, that leaders lead by example, and that is what I am here to do.

Achieve what you want to achieve, and be proud that you are stepping out to make changes in your life.

 

A quick shout out to my beautiful friend, Emma. She is following her dream of exploring different cultures and ways of living. She is from Sweden, moved to America a little over a year ago, and this week she embarked on her exploration of Central America. Good Job Emma, I know you were nervous about the unknown, but you are so strong and smart that this journey can be nothing but extraordinary for you. Enjoy every moment!

 

I send you all love and encouragement to pursue happiness this week.

XO

“So, where to next?”

It seemed like as soon as I got finished with my bicycle ride to Texas, people were asking when and where my next adventure would be. I didn’t know.  I was still getting used to having an entire closet full of clothes, fresh coffee and tea, and getting to go grocery shopping. But then, as I was in lizard pose at my Monday morning yoga session, I realized, I did want to go somewhere, I wanted to go forward. Forward toward what made me happy. To keep on my journey, and grow stronger and beyond my current state. It was time for change.

I’ve always said the best time to accomplish a goal is now. There will never be a good time for something to happen, so if you want something you need to do your best to make it happen. So that is what I am going to do.

I am moving to Minneapolis, MN.

I am moving in 27 days.

This path is a completely new journey for me. I have never lived outside of the sunshine of Florida, and I am moving to a state that is supposed to have a “less harsh” winter this year even though it was 14 degrees yesterday. I have never started a race without a finish line, but  I don’t know where this path will lead except that I will be learning to teach yoga. Maybe there is no finish line, but this journey will equip me with the tools I need to keep moving forward and on to the new chapters of my life: a new hometown, a new job, all new people.

Am I scared? OF COURSE! But fear does not have to be a disabling feeling. Fear is an opportunity to grow and strengthen yourself. Breathe in, and exhale positive energy and thoughts to fuel your journey, instead of lingering in the smog of idle fears.

As I prepare for my move, I had a great experience this week that I promised I would blog about. I took my car to the mechanic.

I know that I am not the only person that dreads going to the mechanic. If I am not throwing $500 into the air and hoping it fixes the small clicking noise, I am listening to a greasy mechanic ramble on about the five other things that “Really need to be done”. My car is old; it is from 1997 and I have had it since I was 16. So the older my car gets the more those fixes turn into a new game show called “Fix or Buy” where the contestant will always spend money, and hopefully end up with a car to drive. This has always been my reality with car repairs, until I met Charles. Charles is the manager of Firestone Complete Auto Care on Bee Ridge Rd in Sarasota, FL. I actually first met Charles when he managed the Downtown location, but when he moved so did my car fixing adventures. He serves his customers with integrity, equality, and passion for customer service. He never judges, he is patient, and he personalizes his suggestions to the needs of each customer. So when I knew I would making a 1,500 mile trip with Olga (that’s my car’s name), I called Charles. I knew he would do what was necessary, explain why it was necessary, work with my budget, and get me safely on the road. And that is exactly what happened. I walked in with my keys and said, “I am moving to Minneapolis in a month. I need to know what needs to be done in order to make the journey, and how much it is going to cost.” In less than an hour Charles showed me this list that every mechanic has for my car, but then he explained that what was actually necessary was the ball bearing and alignment. He advised some other work when I get up north, and he even showed me how to check my own oil (because I have a small leak that costs way too much to fix) and how to get coolant for up north. With the keys in his possession and my bike by my side, Charles and his great team did the necessary work, while I went on a gorgeous bike ride around Sarasota. When I came back, Olga was ready to roll.

This has been the first step in preparing for my move, and the truth is that until my car appointment on Tuesday I was holding a lot of fear and apprehension about my decision to move. Don’t get me wrong, I was going to pursue my dream. However, in the back of my head, I was asking myself, “Am I doing this too quickly? Should I wait for a better time?” But when I walked away without emptying my bank account, and a car that was going to be my companion for this next leg of my life journey, my fears were answered with nothing but affirmations of, “I can do this. This is going to all work out just fine.”

I am so thrilled to be chasing after my dream. I am trusting myself. I am capable of making this dream happen. I am wise enough to make new decisions. I am responsible enough to not get swept down a wrong path. I am focused on my goal, and my new journey, though not precisely mapped out, will lead me there – BECAUSE I CAN.

I think we should all actively affirm ourselves. Tell yourself that you believe in yourself. Tell yourself good job. Tell yourself you can do it.
Though this may seem a little tacky, think about a goal you are currently working toward achieving in your life. Now read the previous paragraph to yourself.

Trust yourself. You are capable, wise, and responsible. Stay focused on your life goals and your journey will guide you to that achievement.

Have a lovely next couple of days. I will be posting more often as I try to keep friends and family updated on what is happening.

Love & Joy.

 

Chain Reaction

 “A series of rapidly occurring events, each of which precipitates the next.” –Collins English Dictionary

Every action, event, movement around us is the result, or effect, of a preceding action, the cause, before it. Because I drink coffee in the morning (cause), I have a surge of energy to start my day (effect). When you sequence multiple actions, you end up with a chain reaction. I drink coffee in order to have a surge of energy, in order to have a productive morning which includes cooking breakfast, working out, and check my email. Now each of these three last mentioned events are each separate effects. So to continue the chain reaction of my life – working out is a cause for the effect of staying in shape which brings me strength and good health. I hope you get the picture. If not, here’s a picture to help:

Life can be one big chain reaction, where every morning we wake up and one thing leads to another. These reactions can go down all different types of paths depending on the variables in each reaction. Some chains might be happy, sad, productive, boring, frustrating, common, or new experiences. Sometimes we can form habits from the reoccurence of  certain chain reactions that occur every day in our life. Can you think of a relationship that you formed a bad habit with? For example, maybe in the beginning of a friendship you would always be fully present with the person, and dedicate your time together to only that person’s attention, and then one day you pulled your phone out during conversation and spent some extra time on your phone instead of being in the conversation with your friend. Next thing you know, almost every encounter with that friend, you find yourself checking text messages constantly, instead of just talking to the friend that is in front of you. Eventually, your encounters and relationship don’t have any substance, and you wonder why you don’t feel like you are connected with your friend. Here’s another image to help you take all that in:
But, just as easy as bad habits are formed, so can good ones be made.
1. You must always remember your goal.
2. Know the steps and materials you need to achieve the goal. I’m going to call these positive events
3. Identify the habits or events that occur in your life that currently restrict you from achieving your goal. I’m going to call these negative events. They might not be horrible things, but they are taking away from you achieving your goal. These can be thoughts, events, unknown information, materials needed…
Now, to start forming those good habits, start substituting a negative event with a positive event. DO NOT expect to completely change your life or a habit overnight. Remember, “Success is a series of small wins.” (chain reaction?). Everyday  is a day that we can make good decisions which lead to satisfying results. Be proud of each small victory as you come closer and closer to victory. Remember to enjoy each step of growth because it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Live the journey you want, and your finish line will be a great victory.

It’s easy to get caught up in the motions of life and lose sight of goals. I write down and plan my goals in my diary. My diary is something I skim through weekly, so my I can stay reminded of my goals. One of my friends has a daily reminder on their phone of what their path and goal is, and what their current focus is. And of course, you can tell a friend about the change you want to make and ask them to hold you accountable!

I shared in my last post that my friend, Kris, started chemotherapy to treat his recent diagnosis of Leukemia. (If you want more info, and a place to donate to his recovery – HERE, PLEASE CHECK IT OUT) The truth is that Kris is definitely not the only person I know with cancer. I have family members who are survivors and lost victims, friends’ loved ones, people in the media – cancer is becoming too common. I guess Kris was different because seeing someone my age was when the reality of cancer kicked me in the face. I’ve been doing some research on diet and cancer, and I learned about cancer-free cultures. These cultures are communities that build their diets around fuits and vegetables instead of red meats and processed carbs. Studies have shown that cancer returning in patients is 300 time more likely to grown back in patients with a “traditional Western diet” than patients who eat lots of fruits and veggies. See we can make differences in our chain reaction of personal health! So before cancer is present, this research motivated me to re-evaluate my diet and start a positive chain reaction of health in my life. I am going to transition away from meats and cheeses and carbs, and live more plant-based which will reduce the bad cells in my body that cancer cells like to fed off of, and decrease my risk of cancer and increase my overall health (CHAIN REACTION). Here is my plan:

My goal is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet, eliminate red meat consumption, and limit processed carb consumption (multiple links of my chain) in order to reduce my risk of cancer and live healthier (the product of the reaction).

What is your goal? Maybe you want to learn a skill, start a new job, break a bad habit, it could be anything! If you want, email me and tell me about it! (There is a link to the right) I would love to hear what you are going to achieve, or maybe what you are currently in the process of achieving.

Be proud of yourself; you are strong and capable.

 

 

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On a less constructive note:

 

I apologize in advanced if I don’t post for a while because I will be sipping on my first batch of homemade kombucha and flooding my house with the new Adele album that gets released this week!

Where is your focus?

So when I think of life, I always envision myself on a path. There is a road behind me that I can reflect on, and I have a tendency to forget the horrible parts of that journey and cling on to the great parts. Then ahead of me, is a pathway I can see. The path ahead is very long, but I envision my viewpoint as being slightly ahead of me, but not too far ahead –maybe 10 yards ahead and not too much more. Have you ever run, or biked, or driven down the interstate counting how many miles until your exit? When I focus too far ahead, I get overwhelmed by all of the turns, hills, and traffic between myself and my destination, and I try to reason the possibility of staying in my current location and making things work out the way they are. But the problem with staying in one spot, with not moving forward, is the world is leaving you behind as it moves forward, and life could be better if you keep growing as you continue going.When I focus on my path, just slightly in front of me, I have a lot more energy and enthusiasm to keep going on my journey of life.

Envisioning the path of life, it can seem serene, until you zoom in to stop along the trail which is full of fatigue, loss, pain, tough decisions, and other obstacles that we wish could be lived without. But the truth is that all of these obstacles are inevitable at some point in our life, and they are opportunities for us to grow – it just depends how you choose to handle these moments. WIth a goal ahead of you, and focus on the journey along the way, any person can create a great successful life. You celebrate small accomplishments along the way, do your best each step of them way, and when you reach your finish line your product will be a well accomplished goal.

Back at home, my adventurous routine has slowed down, but staying motivated to have a successful and happy life has only become more of a focus of mine. Starting with the small tasks like organizing and cleaning my apartment, I have focused my perspective to small tasks and small accomplishments that gradually move to an overall successfully cleaned house – I even created my own art!

Simple, but I did it myself!

In my fitness life, I have stopped worrying about running a certain distance or biking fast enough to my destination, but I am now enjoying every moment of my journey. My perspective change of living in the moment and doing my best in each moment gives me more energy to keep going wherever my path leads. In one week I have had enough energy to work 34 hours, as well as run or bike every night. AND I increased my usually running distance of 4 miles to 5.25 miles!

On a bigger note,this past week, a great friend of mine, Kris Carrier, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Since high school, Kris has been a bright spirit in my life. He has always worked hard and followed his dreams and is now a great musician and fellow adventurer who loves to travel almost as much as I do. Now his journey in life is bringing him on a path that many of us never even imagine venturing.
This new path could definitely be overwhelming if Kris looked at the months of recovery that he will be taking on, but instead Kris has the right attitude – he is appreciating his journey. I am so grateful to have a friend like Kris, someone that is strong, daring, and living life with energy in every situation.

So where is your focus? Well first, do you have a goal? Then, where is your focus? Are you looking too far ahead and the overwhelming size of the journey is stopping you from moving forward? Focus on the next step, and do your best – I bet you can do a great job!

I hope you are accomplishing today, and reaching toward your dreams.

The company you keep. (and a Name Change)

I hope you never stop learning, is how I am going to begin this. I know my audience (my friends, family, neighbors, possibly future employers because this website is on my résumé) is an array of different ages,education backgrounds, and career levels, but I hope all of you never stop learning.

I watched a video yesterday that said, “You will succeed when you want to succeed as much as you want to breath [when you are held underwater].” Success takes sacrifice, personal motivation, and the desire to persevere. But you can do it. Think of a necessary success – for example, I paid my bills on time. How? I have a job so I have an income, I budget my money so I have enough money for living expenses. I took 2 minutes out of my day to log in online and pay my bills. SUCCESS! Now apply that to a dream – for example, I biked 1,250 miles. I researched bikes. I discussed time off with my boss and negotiated a reasonable amount of time. I sacrificed going out to fun events with friends all the time so I could save money for the trip. I purchased my bike with support from friends and family I went on the trip. I almost gave up at mile 750 when I was tired and feeling alone, but then I was met with love, support, and encouragement from my friends. I arrived in Austin, TX, mile 1,250, on day 23 of my journey. SUCCESS! There is nothing you can’t do, you just have to want it, prioritize it, and work for it until you reach the finish line.

I have always been a positive and strongly goal focused individual. I planned my entire high school schedule in eighth grade so I could take the coolest classes and build a glowing transcript for college applications. I always wanted to be a leader in my activities, and I was often in leadership positions throughout college. However, something happened when I met my college sweetheart. My goal fixated eyes became fogged by the new priorities in his, or our, life. His goal in life wasn’t, “let’s learn new things, do our best, and build ourselves stronger,” He was focused on doing what he knew he was good at, and accepting a lifestyle of stagnancy – BORING! No matter how hard I tried to stretch and grow, the drag of my partner’s company and attitude held me back. I had to change my relationship with that person, so I could move forward in my life – to move toward my vision of success and happiness in life.
People always say that a smile is contagious. Just as much as the smile is contagious, so is the energy and attitude behind it. A necessary fuel to my energetic days, is the positive, encouraging, motivating company in my life. Surrounding myself with people that get the same excitement and motivation from accomplishing goals and reaching for dreams drives me every day to keep making goals, checking tasks off my checklists, and growing every day.
Your company. Surrounding yourself with the attitudes and lifestyles that you enjoy, with people that you view as wholesome and positive individuals, and with kindness that is contagious is important to becoming and staying a happy and satisfied individual. I’m not suggesting you ignore and cast away the people you encounter in life that might not equate to this, but maybe it’s time you prioritize them differently.
There will be people in your life that are good for certain things – coffee dates, exercise, new foods, a little party every now and then. Then there are people that understand what you need through every part of your life. They are your enablers, the treasures in your life that explore with you, challenge you, watch you struggle but never let you fall, and celebrate throughout life with you. (You should hug on of your treasured enablers today)
Are there people in your life that might be holding you back from your dreams and successes? Can they change, so they are better enablers in your life? Or maybe you need to reprioritize how much they are a part of your life.

Today is the day to recognize what makes you happy and pursue it. Make sure the obstacles that hold you back aren’t tying you down and overcome them. Live your life so that it’s your success.

Success.

P.S. I changed the name of the site, because I am continuing to post on this site, beyond what happened during the 1,200 miles. So now I introduce to you, “Jenn’s Helmet”, where I share my thoughts and life lessons that are helping me become the happy, successful person I want to be.