December Newsletter
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Welcome December! I’m totally unprepared for you, but looking forward to your usual magic.

This is the time of year when the hustle and bustle is exciting, but also stressful! It’s okay to simplify the holiday season for yourself if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the list of gifts to buy for everyone, creating the perfect holiday menu, making this holiday the best one yet for you and your family. Give yourself permission to slow it down. Delegate, buy less, say no when you want to, stop the comparison, do less.

This is the first year I’m trying to be really conscious about the gifts that I’m buying. Am I buying this for someone just because I think they’ll buy something for me? Would I want this gift, or is it a cutesy holiday trinket that may not actually be useful? Do I have the time to hand-make something awesome for my circles of friends? If not, that’s okay. I’m sure everyone would much rather have you happy and creating a memory with them, than stressed out and be given something.

Take note of how you’re feeling throughout the month. Be present as much as possible, and enjoy the magic!

TOP READS & LISTENS
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You are a Badass

I’ve been listening to the audio version of this on my way to and from work. It’s fabulous because the author approaches some “woo-woo” topics with humor and practicality. It’s a great motivational book that will make you scratch your head and laugh out loud. I’ve also heard great things about her other book, You are a Badass at Making Money. But I have yet to read it myself!

Emotional Intelligence 2.0

This is actually a required book for me to read at work. It goes along with our mental/ social/ emotional intelligence course that we do during our “free” time at work (ha!). I took the test that goes along with it and I was kind of disappointed in how emotionally unintelligent I ranked, but hey, I have this new book that will help me out with that! EQ is something that can be developed, unlike IQ, and this book goes through the main principles of how to do that.

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Other Inspiration

This personality test from The Good Life Project (podcast I highlighted last newsletter). I found it pretty interesting to go through and I took it after listening to the background episode - #471. It talks about your personality archetype, and how it can be utilized to figure out what you want to do with your life. No biggie.

This article from The Cut about budgeting with a significant other. I don’t write about budgeting per se, but I work in the finance industry and think it’s so important to have an open dialogue with whoever you’re sharing money with, or to give yourself reality checks on your own spending. But I will defer to the experts on that kind of content!

This paleo banana bread recipe that I made a couple weeks ago. It was delicious, and checks all the “healthy” boxes for a baked good :)

This poem. My friend shared it with me (thanks Kelsey!), and like her it gave me some anxiety to read it, but I think it’s because there’s a lot of truth there. Learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable means we’re growing.

Quote I’m Loving

“Release judgment, replace it with loving kindness. Release pressure, replace it with care. Release comparison, replace it with gratitude.”

Cleo Wade - Heart Talk

Top Blog Posts from November
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Sun, Nov 04

Mini Challenges to Create Space

Mini challenges to create space in your life, even if your schedule is busy. Pick one and try it for 21 days or a month and see how it shifts your perspective.

Read More

Sun, Nov 11

Happiness Theories from my 20 Year old Self

My spider diagram of happiness theories that I started creating several years ago!

Read More
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PDX Highlight

Hunnymilk Brunch. This place is less than half a block from me. It’s absolutely delicious, and I highly recommend to anyone who loves the brunch scene (aka all of Portland). I was walking by between 8:30-9am yesterday and there was barely anyone eating there, but it gets PACKED later, so go early!
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See you next month, Happy Holidays!

If you want to see a post in the future, or have any feedback I’m always game to hear :) My contact me form is here.