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What does 2019 have in store for you?
| Welcome January! I hope everyone has enjoyed some rejuvenating time off from work with family, friends, good food, and warmth. I found some time to slow down and let go of the need to be productive, which is new for me. And hence why I wrote a grand total of 2 blog posts in December. But who’s keeping track anyway? Because this is the thing to do, here’s a recap of this last year for me. It’s amazing how a busy year can be summarized in a few bullet points.
I went to Colorado twice, Costa Rica, Austin, North Carolina, Washington and Italy. I completed my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training. I got married. Best day ever. I left my previous job and started a new one, that I LOVE. I launched ericagiselle.com I moved from the burbs to the city. And a million little adventures in between. In 2018 I had a word theme each month that I would focus my energy on and create mini goals for, such as “gratitude” or “power”. I really enjoyed that process of shifting gears consistently and checking in with my accountability buddy, Kelsey, each month. This year I’d like to do something similar but expand into longer themes on a quarterly basis to really dive deep into each one. Here’s what I am hoping: Q1: Health - focusing on nutrition, diet, and a healthy exercise habit. This has been top of mind for me at various points of my life, but it’s something that is back at the forefront. I’m trying to use good food as much as possible instead of getting prescribed a pill to cover a symptom. Q2: Internal Relationship - mindfulness, gratitude, self-appreciation, self-advocacy. Moving from physical to mental. After I build on the physical microhabits, I’ll build some mental microhabits for my internal well-being. Q3: External Relationships - family, friends, community. Building on the previous two themes, once I feel more grounded in health and where I stand on my own, I’ll move the focus to my community connections. Q4: Drive - career, education, future goals. This is where my head is at normally and so the other areas that receive attention are sometimes secondary. To leave this as the last theme of the year is counterintuitive for me but I think it’s a good shift to build the foundation in other areas before I jump off into my “drive” areas. This is the time of year where goals and resolutions are flying everywhere and it’s easy to want to jump on the bandwagon and create a giant list for yourself. I’ve written a blog post here on how to create sustainable goals for yourself if you are interested in joining the annual movement of resolutions. Need an accountability buddy? Let me know! If that doesn’t interest you right now, that’s great too. Stay true to what is right for you, not what others create as the “thing to do”. I’m also pretty excited about the extra 2 minutes of daylight we’re getting each day now that we have passed December 21st. Yay sunshine! |
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The Minimalists Podcast
This is one that I stumbled across recently. I remember really enjoying their documentary on Netflix a while back, and Dan Harris referenced them in one of his 10% Happier podcast episodes so I’ve been listening to a few. They have a great format for their episodes and have zero ads. They talk about practical ways you can apply minimalism, not just throwing out all of your possessions.
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10% Happier episodes #163 and #167
163 - an interview with executive coach Michael Gelb. Fascinating conversation. He’s the author of a few books like How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci (which I’ve been waiting for a copy at the library for a few weeks!).
167 - interview with the coolest dude Ben Feder. He used to be the CEO of a huge gaming company then decided to take a sabbatical and move to Bali with his family for a year. He recently wrote Take off your shoes about his experience.
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Your Brain at Work by David Rock
Brian and I are both going through this book right now, and every once in a while we’ll say to each other - “Did you hear that wild stat?!”. The whole book is about your brain’s capacity, dealing with overwhelm, prioritizing, distractions, and how to develop focus. The book’s format is in “scenes” like in a play because our brain processes things in this manner much better than abstract concepts.
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Other InspirationThis crazy inspiring documentary about Wim Hof. It’s 40 minutes and it will blow your mind. Known as the "Iceman" due to his ability to control his core body temperature in extreme conditions, Superhuman: Iceman follows Hof as he trains Vice correspondents Matt Shea and Daisy-May Hudson in his meditation technique in an attempt to prove that anyone is capable of exercising mind over matter with the same level of aplomb. This 30-day challenge that Yoga with Adriene is starting on January 1st. It’s free, no yoga experience needed. This Portland based artist. She does art over the top of maps, and it’s gorgeous! It makes me want to try to map art. Is that a thing? This company that provides household basics at the fraction of the price because there is no brand associated. As far as I can tell, they have mostly organic options for food and options for dietary restrictions. My yoga practice playlist. I love doing yoga to music but I struggled to find the right kind of music - I didn’t want just acoustic versions of popular songs, or classical music, chanting, or nature sounds. I wanted a little bit of everything and these songs are just that! The 30-day minimalism game. Josh and Ryan from theminimalists.com have a short video describing how to play this game. You get rid of one item on the first day of the month, two on the second etc. Buddy up with someone and place a bet on who can last the longest. Do I have any challengers? This app for helping to manage anxiety. There is a free trial and after that there is a subscription fee, which I think is totally worth it. There’s a community and coaches and daily exercises to help manage what can sometimes be overwhelming. This “Simple Year” program. I love reading Courtney Carver’s newsletter and she has a 12-month program that brings together material from other like-minded bloggers/ authors. I went through the list and I think I’ve read the books or listened to the podcasts of at least four others! If you’re not interested in the program because of the cost, check out the resources provided by the contributors. It’s good stuff if you like any of the topics I like to write about. |
“It never ceases to amaze me the previous time we spend chasing squirrels around our brains, playing out our dramas, worrying about unwanted facial hair, seeking adoration, justifying our actions, complaining about slow Internet connections, dissecting the lives of idiots, when we are sitting in the middle of a full blown miracle that is happening right here, right now.
We’re on a planet that somehow know how to rotate on its axis and follow a defined path while it hurtles through space. Our hearts beat! We can see! We have love, laughter, language, living rooms, computers, compassion, cars, fire, fingernails, flowers, music medicine, mountains, and muffins!”
Jen Sincero - You Are a Badass
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“It never ceases to amaze me the previous time we spend chasing squirrels around our brains, playing out our dramas, worrying about unwanted facial hair, seeking adoration, justifying our actions, complaining about slow Internet connections, dissecting the lives of idiots, when we are sitting in the middle of a full blown miracle that is happening right here, right now.
We’re on a planet that somehow know how to rotate on its axis and follow a defined path while it hurtles through space. Our hearts beat! We can see! We have love, laughter, language, living rooms, computers, compassion, cars, fire, fingernails, flowers, music medicine, mountains, and muffins!”
Jen Sincero - You Are a Badass
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Top Blog Posts from December |
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Sun, Dec 09 Day of rest
Give yourself a day of rest. What does yours look like? A cup of tea and a book, baking with friends, hunkering down on a project?
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| Sun, Dec 09 Day of rest
Give yourself a day of rest. What does yours look like? A cup of tea and a book, baking with friends, hunkering down on a project?
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| Sun, Dec 16 When to push pause on creating goals
Do you need to take a step back and evaluate if you’re too much or not enough of a goal-setter?
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| Sun, Dec 16 When to push pause on creating goals
Do you need to take a step back and evaluate if you’re too much or not enough of a goal-setter?
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PDX HighlightThis is a vegan pizza/ coffee/ ice cream spot in SE Portland. I’ve been a few times and have never been disappointed. Anywhere that I can eat pizza without getting a tummy ache is a win in my book, but their pizzas and ice cream are delicious! Option to have GF crust. And I hear they have great brunch… |
BONUS! Portland Highlights coming up soon:
Jen Sincero (author of You are a Badass) will be at the Powell’s on Burnside on January 7th Michelle Obama is in town on January 9th at the Moda Center Vegandulgence Series at Salt ‘n’ Straw. So many delicious flavors that are DAIRY FREE! |
See you next month!Can you think of someone who would like to received this newsletter? Share away! |
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