annabel of blushing ambition
What a great inspiration for the office! It’s been tough for me to bring some fun into the corporate environment, and pops of color are definitely on my DO list for 2012.
Jenni Kayne you make me want to walk along Venice Beach in the 1970’s. You also make me want to grow 10 inches and lose 10 pounds so I can look like that model in your pretty dress.
I’ve never really been a Burberry fan—that hideous pattern became such overkill after a while—but the new, stream-lined clothes and accessories that Burberry has been putting out the last few years has really been growing on me. Christopher Bailey has won me over.
Courtesy of Daily Worth: Be Happy, Spend Better, Save More
You’ve known since childhood that money doesn’t lead to happiness—but can happiness lead to money?
Laura Vanderkam, author of the upcoming book All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending, says yes.
“Smart women figure out what, exactly, makes them happiest. They spend generously on those things but cut out the rest,” she says.
In other words, focusing on joy is a brilliant way to spend better and save more. Try this exercise:
- Go through your receipts and bills for a day, week or month. Write down the items that trigger positive feelings—and why they make you happy.
- Group them into categories and keep the list in your wallet. “You can remind yourself that supporting your local pizzeria owner is more in line with your values than swinging by a fast-food chain,” Vanderkam says.
C’mon, get happy. Which items on your bank statement trigger joy—and which ones make you wince?
For me it’s definitely clothes. Clothes make me happy, and supporting local boutiques makes me even happier. I’m also big on splurging for exercise—yoga, pilates, and most recently, the lithe method. If I’m going to be buying clothes, I might as well look damn good in them.
Skinny legged wolves
Sami Viljanto
Daily Om: Our True Selves
Identity is an elusive concept. We feel we must define ourselves using a relatively small selection of roles and conscious character traits, even if none accurately represents our notion of “self.” The confusion surrounding our true natures is further compounded by the fact that society regularly asks us to suppress so much of our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual vibrancy. Yet we are, in truth, beings of light—pure energy inhabiting physical bodies, striving for enlightenment while living earthly lives. Our true selves exist whether we acknowledge them or not, often buried under fears and learned behavior. When we recognize our power, our luminosity, and our divinity, we cannot help but live authentic lives of appreciation, potential, fulfillment, and grace.
At birth and throughout your childhood, your thoughts and feelings were more than likely expressions of your true self. Though you may have learned quickly that to speak and act in a certain fashion would win others’ approval, you understood innately that you were no ordinary being. There are many ways you can recapture the authenticity you once articulated so freely. Meditation can liberate you from the bonds of those earthly customs that compel you to downplay your uniqueness. Also, communing with nature can remind you of the special role you were meant to play in this lifetime. In order to realize your purpose, you must embrace your true self by letting your light shine forth, no matter the consequences.
Rediscovering who you are apart from your roles and traits takes time and also courage. If, like many, you have denied your authenticity for a long while, you may find it difficult to separate your true identity from the identity you have created to cope with the world around you. Once you do find this authentic self, however, you will be overcome by a wonderful sense of wholeness as you reconcile your spiritual aspect and your physical aspect, as well as your inner- and outer-world personas. As you gradually adjust to this developing unity, your role as a being of light will reveal itself to you, and you will discover that you have a marvelous destiny to fulfill.
Attention Philadelphia-Area Writers and Bloggers!
I am in need of several of you! I have a client looking for web content writers out in King of Prussia and really want to put you to work and get you paid. If you’re interested, email me: hilary.siegel@creativegroup.com
Work, Now Life Balance.
I can officially report that my first week of work was a success! I am loving the new job, the new coworkers, and the fact that my days now have a sense of purpose. I am completely confident that I am going to be an amazing Recruiter. It’s sort of unbelievable to me that I never considered it before—it’s all about connecting with people, listening to what they want and helping them achieve their goals. It’s certainly the most corporate job I’ve ever had; I get dressed up every morning and have to be in the office by 8am (and then don’t leave until 6pm). The hours are the only thing I’m a little hesitant about.
It’s important for me to create balance in my life, as I spent so much of this year feeling imbalanced. I’m very aware of the fact that work could quite easily take over my life and I really am trying to be conscious of not going back to that lifestyle. I spent six years doing that in New York and I just don’t want to do it again.
So moving forward I think it’s important for me to create good habits for myself—doing what I need to do at work (and killing it!) but also making sure to take time to see the people I love, go to the gym, read a book, or just relax. Next week’s focus of The Hilary Project is going to be setting up a gym routine for myself after work.
Luckily, my friend Amy has offered to partner with me on this. She works for the Associated Press and her office is right down the block from mine. She’s going to be my after-work gym buddy. My goal is to get 2-3 workouts in during the week and another 1-2 on the weekend. If I can maintain that schedule, then I know I’ll have created the ever-elusive work-life balance.
