Summer Muses: Vaccinated Edition
June 26, 2021
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| Photo by Igor Oliyarnik |
So I took an unintentional break from writing. You know when you get in those moods and just can't find the energy to do the extra things you love? Well that's the vibe I had for most of May, but now that Summer Fridays are in full swing, I'm in my friend Vondell's amazing creative/career/entrepreneur course and have a few vacations on the books to look forward to, I feel revived! Summer is so sweet. The relaxed nature of work, the excitement of being able to internationally travel again, reuniting with friends whom I haven't seen in over a year! This summer is in full swing!! And I want to savor every moment of it by making more time for the things I love. Here are a few things that are inspiring me to have an invigorating summer. From simple pleasures to normalizing luxury in my life, there's a wide range of things I am focusing on consistently doing this season to find more joy. After all, I think 2020/ the first part of 2021 was hard for most of us. We deserve nice things (even if we are on a strict budget) this season. Cheers to a magical, fulfilling and inspired summer!
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| Photos by: Martyna Bober, Will Truettner, Heather Ford, Angelo Pantazis, Mathilde Langevin, Annie Spratt |
Summer 2021 Muses
- Leisurely drinking coffee and tea in the morning
- AM workouts
- Feeling confident in my body, especially through dance
- Embracing the jet-setter lifestyle
- Oranges, pinks, yellows, pastel blues, and emerald greens! These colors are dominating my wardrobe right now. I keep gravitating towards them.
- Tennis outfits
- All the water destinations
- Alfresco dinners
- Long lunch breaks while WFH
- Morning dips in the pool
- Fresh seafood
- Chilled rosè and posh outfits
- Cookouts with friends
- Flipping through a glossy magazine
- Reading outdoors under the shade
- Turning my outdoor spaces into an oasis
- Long walks with good friends or podcasts
- Dancing in the mirror daily
- Fresh mani pedis
- Fresh picks from the farmers market
- Seaside escapes to remote areas
- Luxury handbags and accessories
- Friday nights in, curled up on the couch, snuggling
with the one you love
Mental Spring Cleaning
April 16, 2021
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| Bianka Csenki |
- Overspending/ignoring my budget - like Nia STOOPPPP IT!!!
- Wasting each weekend away by drinking and over socializing instead of focusing on my dreams. I want a healthy balance of socializing and having fun while also setting aside time to focus on my goals
- Smoking weed or drinking instead of dealing with my problems. Weed is legal here, so in moderation, it's great! But when I use it to avoid my emotions... then it becomes an issue.
- Emotionally eating... yeah, this has always been an issue for me, but it really ramped up during covid.
- Procrastinating on my dreams. This is the worst bad habit of them all because it is the catalyst that leads me to all the other terrible habits I turn to in order to distract myself from feeling disappointed in myself... lol, oops.
- Giving guys who don’t act like gentlemen or are just not good fits for me a second chance. As each day passes, the more appealing it sounds to just start a family on my own in 5 to 7 years and just avoid the dating drama. And if I get a puppy, then I won't feel lonely.
- Staying up past my bedtime on weeknights! I know that staying up late is like a domino effect for disaster. Because then I wake up late, destroy my room looking for everything in a frenzy and skip my morning routine. Then I spend money on unhealthy food because I don't have enough time to make food before running to the office (I go into the office 2/3 of the week) and maybe skip the gym if I'm too tired after work. Yeah... I need to break the cycle.
So I sat down and made a list of the things I need to prioritize weekly in order to feel at peace. But unlike in the past where I create these unrealistic expectations for myself and then feel disappointed with myself when I don’t meet them, I’m making a rule for myself that I only have to do one thing a day to move in the right direction. Just one!!
And then once I am in a space where I have more energy and more self-trust, I can kick things up a notch. But for now, slow and steady is the only way I’m going to win my race. Fuck everyone else on social media. Fuck comparing our journeys, our timelines, our milestones to theirs. We don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes and tbh, focusing on them is just distracting us from focusing on our own fabulous lives!
I love creating little brain dumps of things that bring me joy and that keep me on track to becoming the woman I know I can be (aka a woman with healthy habits). These are the things that I need to do each week in order to feel proud of myself:
- Dance class (by far one of my favorites!)
- ⁃Cardio workout class like Pilates, Ass & Abs or a HITT class
- Biweekly photoshoots (plan shoot one week and create content the next week)
- One blog post a week. I miss proving to myself that I can be consistent with something that brings me so much joy and moves my career in the right direction.
- BUDGET!! It’s time to be an adult and say no to overspending and yes to focusing on my financial freedom journey.
- Weekly bedroom clean-up; the messy chaos I’ve been living in does not breed a tranquil environment.
- Weekly meal prep - this is imperative for my fitness journey and my financial wellbeing.
- Daily morning and bedtime guided meditations/short inspiration sessions through sanity and self. I actually can’t fall asleep without this app. It helps me ward off my nightly anxiety spirals about being poor, homeless, or single for the rest of my life (lol anxiety is a hoot, isn’t it).
We will experience so many chapters in life, and not all of them are comfortable. But that’s just a sign that we are on the path to greatest and growing... because growth in itself is uncomfortable. We are being pulled to a higher level each time that pit in our stomach tells us to run towards that thing that terrifies but also energizes us. Our new sense of self is right around the corner. I can’t wait to step into the version of myself that smiles every time I look in the mirror... in fact, I think today is that day. Yesterday I was 100% ready to smash my mirror because I didn't like what I saw, and I don't like treating myself that way. I'm done with the self-mistreatment Loving ourselves the right way is a full-time job, but it’s the most important job we will ever have.
What’s on your mental spring cleaning list this season? Sending you all the love and self-care in the world today. Welcome to our new season of loving ourselves to the fullest. We're in this together.
Spring Decor from Amazon I'm Dying to Buy
March 23, 2021
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| Ella Jardim |
Thank the lord it is finally spring here in the city! The other week, we had 3 days of glorious spring, then it got cold again, but now it's back in the 60s! I hope this glorious weather is here to stay because I'm too deep into a spring mindset to turn back now. I really want to prioritize turning my place into an inspiring little haven this season, and Amazon is killing the game right now.
Clearly, I love pink and like having a feminine space. It just makes me smile from ear to ear when I look up and see pink flowers everywhere. Plus, drinking water out of a beautiful glass truly makes the water taste better. I'm pretty sure it's been scientifically proven... right? Sounds like a study Harvard would conduct if you ask me lol.
Anyway, this is the first round of home decor I'm treating myself to this season. Although it would be extremely fun to binge shop and get everything on my wishlist at once, that's not the most responsible thing to do, so little by little, I will transform my apartment ... and backyard into an oasis. What's on your home decor wish list this season?
Shop my favorite finds below
Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. Your support means the world to me, and I hope we can all create an inspiring and tranquil space for ourselves this season.
March Muses: This Spring is about to get Sprung
March 8, 2021
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| Photo by Ellieelien |
- Commit to my morning and evening wellness routines
- Get back in a healthier fitness routine
- Put effort into my physical presentation before heading into work or running errands... cuz let me tell you, I can't even get coffee in NYC or JC without running into really cute guys
- Have the energy to cook healthy and delicious meals
- Explore the beauty of this city on foot without freezing my ass off
- And enjoy al fresco meals in the warm sun.
- Plan a nice vacation for the near future - I am optimistic that things will be a lot safer this summer/fall, and I am itching to spend a weekend sailing and drinking wine in a nice, sunny isolated spot.
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