H E A L T H

When I was scrolling through my photos, selecting images to put into my 2017 “unpublished” images via Instastories, I saw consistent series of photos of my work in progress abs and general fitness. I worked out all the time beginning of last year and I ate very healthy. I guess my goals were catered to the fact that I was going on a beach vacation in January but looking back, I was super proud of myself in retrospect for the dedication and discipline. Not that I have been eating unhealthy or have picked up bad habits or anything. Just seeing how high I set the bar for myself allowed me to remember what it was like to feel healthy inside and out. It was a feeling of giving back to oneself and treating one’s body with the utmost respect and kindness, apart from painfully sore muscles.

Instead of spurts of ambition and drive and bouts of laziness, I decided to make healthier decisions. Knowledge is power, so I researched Tom Brady’s nutrition plan and habits and incorporated it with my lifestyle in a reasonable, approachable manner. Why Tom Brady? Because I’m a Patriots fan and his lifestyle/nutrition is known for being strict yet yields actual results. The man is 40 years old and truly a fountain of youth. So here’s what I’m going to stick to:

• Upon waking, drink 1-2 glasses of lemon water (or with electrolytes)
• Make time to eat breakfast (preferably high in protein)
• Lunches and dinners consist of veggie + protein OR veggie + carb dishes
• Drink more water
• Work out 4-5x a week (plyometrics) for 1-1.5 hours
• Drink a protein shake immediately after working out (no more than 20 mins)
• Eat dinner early

As you can see, none of the above are ridiculously strict besides the post workout protein shake which is totally feasible I made it point to not cut out carbs or sugar or caffeine. I expect to wean off of these vices slowly and naturally with more conscious eating. It’s been over a week and I’m already getting through my day without coffee which was an unexpected but pleasant and highly welcome surprise! The hardest part is experimenting with different meal combos and thinking of new dishes to cook. That is something I need to research more.

W E A L T H

Immediately, the term wealth translates to monetary value in our minds, but I am increasingly thinking of wealth as what I am fortunate enough to have that doesn’t have a monetary value attached to it. Though, it is inevitable to think of wealth in terms of money, I am going to take time to evaluate my wealth for 2018 in both ways… tangible and intangible wealth.

Let’s start with tangible. In 2017, I worked for myself for the first time ever as a full time blogger and freelancer. It was a bit daunting and I was only halfway prepared but I dove in and embraced it. I started working full time again towards the end of the year and am now juggling a few different paths which hopefully, will all converge into one, fun, crazy, busy year of hard work and passion projects.

Now, the intangible wealth is something I am going to remind myself to think of everyday. My challenge is: wake up, go about your day, but take time during the day to stop and think about what you have that adds value and happiness to your life. Quick story, a few weeks ago, I sprained a muscle in my back. First time I’d ever experienced that and let me tell you, I never felt so much like a grandma and don’t get me wrong – grandma’s are amazing, they’re the best, the OGs who have a wealth of knowledge – but I had the crane walk going on, all slouched over, and could barely do a damn thing. It made me grateful for my working body and health once it healed. It was also a lesson in stretching. Stretch more, let’s add that to the list of 2018 resolutions.

I determine value added to my life in terms of happiness and what brings happiness to my life without effort. I surround myself with a very close knit, handful of people who are spread out across the world whom I have met in different chapters of my life. Weeks could go by without speaking, and we catch up as if not a day went by without a gap in our seeing each other. There is no judgment ever, there is nothing but full acceptance, love, and deep understanding for and of one another. These people, family, friends, and my significant other included, add the most value to my life. I’d definitely be in a dark hole somewhere without them.

C A R E E R

As a Capricorn, I am very much goal oriented – once I set my mind to something, it’s very hard to steer me away from achieving that goal. Though I must admit, as any person my age, I still am navigating the world and figuring it out as I go. I mentioned earlier in this post that I have a few different paths moving forward adjacently – those are interior design, blogging and content creation, managing an investment home, and working a 9 to 5 job Monday through Friday. It’s truly a no-days-off lifestyle but I’ve always, always, always put heavy emphasis on having a good work-life balance. These paths are intertwining and moving at their own pace. A lot of 2017 felt like my life was up in the air with no real certainty or grounding factor. Now, I feel more stable with a healthy level of uncertainty. These projects have allowed me to believe in the fact that, no matter what I want to do or end up doing, it’s got to be something I love…. it’s going to be something I love, and I will be happy at the end of it all because I worked my tail off juggling passion projects that turned into a career.

My advice? Don’t worry about the conventional path that everyone tells you is the right way to go about your career. Take the advice from people who have experienced it, keep the helpful tips and use them to your advantage and if what they advise doesn’t feel right for you, then navigate what does feel right in your gut. Build that gut and stick with it. If you think you’re getting paid too little for what work you’ll be doing, negotiate the terms. Do what feels right to you. In the end, you’ll have created a path never walked before. You’ll be a trailblazer for those who are trying to figure it out on their own, too.

5 years from now, I can (vaguely) see exactly where I want to be. The picture is painted, I’ve just got to fill in the details. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here or email me!

L O V E

Oh, love. Love is a practice. Everyday, you must practice how to love. Not every day will be perfect but as long as you work towards loving this person, that is all one could ask for. I am working on loving with more intent, with more kindness and patience, and more listening than talking. Listening more allows you to be more aware. More aware of what is going on with others, and most importantly, what is going on with yourself. I’m practicing listening more to my S.O when we argue and it helps diffuse and prevents misunderstanding. I am also practicing on listening more to myself – my thoughts, my gut. I’ve told myself so far that I need more me time, whether that be in the form of working out, yoga, writing, masking, it’s important to take that time out strictly for myself with no interruptions.

I could go on about love and loving for days on end. Maybe another post 😉