Live like you are traveling

I recently read a few pages from the book Art of Traveling by Alain de Botton about how we view our worlds when we are traveling versus when we are "at home" or in a routine.

Traveling is one of the most exciting activities because we are so aware of what is going on. Everything is new and fresh. And we, in turn, have the opportunity to be new and fresh, maybe even a little different, and daring.

When we get home, or even while we are still living abroad, we can tend to get into a rut or slump. We view our lives as normal, boring, nothing special. 

Chocies are calculated. No time for funny business. No chance encounters. We MAKE things predictable. 

The magical feeling of traveling is gone.

What is it about the way we live, the way we allow ourselves to be when we are traveling that is so liberating?

1. Being aware
    When we travel, everything is new and our senses are on the verge of being overloaded. We are observing the cashier's hairstyle, colors, buildings, and movement of people on the street.
When we are in a rut, we tend to zone these things out. It all becomes a blur as we are on a mission to get things done and meet our deadlines. Its like we are living in this unknown place, trying to catch up with the future that we have planned out for ourselves.

2. Appreciating WHAT IS at that moment
  When I'm traveling, I am on a journey. I am having an experience and don't need to question why things are happening the way they are. When I miss my train, or get caught in a rainstorm, I think to myself, "Aren't things suppose to happen to you on a trip? Isn't that the adventure of it all?"

What if we could view our everyday lives as this type of adventure and not only accept, but appreciate the moments for exactly what they are?

3. Letting go of control
When you travel, you have to accept that you cannot control everything. Your flight could be delayed, you might get lost, you will probably have to try some new food.
There is something liberating about acknowledging that we are not fully in control of our lives. The Universe will bring us beautiful things if we are open and willing to let go of the way we think things should be.

4. Believing your life is interesting and exciting
Do you believe your life is interesting? That there are opportunities for delight and adventure just around the corner? Believing your life is boring and that nothing spontaneous can happen might blind you to the chance encounters and delights that life can bring.

Why not live like you are traveling?

Your everyday life could be way more interesting than you think!

4 Reasons to Impress Yourself!

I walked into my boss's office the other day and commented on how clean his office was.
Well, we need to impress ourselves, he replied.
His comment really caught me offguard.
I started thinking about my motivations for what I do.
Who am I trying to impress?
When I walk down the street, order a coffee, teach a class... how am I gauging my self worth? 
How much of my behavior, my self talk, my "success" is determined by my assumption of what PEOPLE (whoever they are) will think of me? 
Will they think I am professional enough? Smart enough? Beautiful enough?
I found that I have been shrinking and trying blend in for fear of being judged negatively.
I was honestly feeling quite sheepish when I realized how often--almost consistently--I am thinking about what others might think of me, how they might judge my appearance or behavior.
It seems ridiculous that I have allowed my behavior to be driven by my fear of being judged or labeled.

But, how often do we make decisions, be it small or large, based on our idea of what people will think?

What is the real consequence of someone having an opinion about you?

Is their approval or disapproval going to have a real effect on your life?

How much would letting go of their approval or disapproval affect your life?

Yes, people will always have opinions about us. For those of us in the working world, some of these opinions do have an effect on our day-to-day lives.
We all have goals and standards that we need to meet. We all want to succeed and be perceived as people who are talented and valuable, but it is impossible to control what others will think of us. That is a futile effort that will leave us frustrated and constantly needing approval and validation from others.

 What if we could go about this in a different way?

What if we turned this vicious cycle of people pleasing, this endless appetite for others' approval into working towards our best lives from a place of peace and passion?

What if instead of trying to impress others, we focused on impressing ourselves?

4 Reasons to Focus on Impressing Yourself 

1. You are placing value on your relationship with yourself. 
You are taking your value and worth out of the precarious position it has been in--the hands of others, and are willing to be responsible for yourself; namely for giving yourself the direction, the self-acceptance, the love, the motivation, and the discipline that you need.

2. You are taking back your power. 
You are placing value on your own opinion about yourself. The validation for your efforts is coming from you. You can define who you are and what you want to be.

3.You remove yourself as a victim and become the leader of your own life. 
You have the power to make changes in your life. Others are not in control of your life and your happiness.

4. You can produce your best results because you are living up to your own standards. 
You are no longer limited by someone else's standards. You can focus on challenging yourself to go the extra mile to be the best that you can be...whether you want to improve your body, expand your business, or learn how to be your authentic self.


By focusing on impressing ourselves, we are on the right track to living our best lives. When we are working on impress ourselves, there is a very good chance others will be impressed as well.
Since we have taken back our power, we are setting our own goals, standards, and limits. We will be more confident, more secure, and have our priorities in the right place because that important person we are trying to impress is US.

Being in love

I have decided that no matter where I travel or where I live, I can find a way to have all the parts of me. Being in love doesn't mean giving up or losing who you are...it means being able to be the most true version of yourself, to laugh, to feel alive, and to have the support of someone who truly believes in your magic and the dreams you are chasing. - Lacy Edney

When at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

I'm going to be completely honest...

I deserted my blog for a little while because I got scared.

But,
I'm back again to fight my fear and continue.

There is something so powerful about starting again after you "fail" because you are giving yourself the freedom to be imperfect.  

I started this blog, and then I was overcome with the need to "succeed." And by "succeed" I mean--have a perfect blog.

My demand for perfection has sabotaged many endeavors and caused me enormous amounts of stress.

I have always expected myself to be productive without making any mistakes.


I feared that not living up to my expectations of perfection would be the end of the world.

This unconscious belief affected everything. It caused me to feel anxious, stressed, and always behind. I felt ashamed of myself for making mistakes or not being "on point" all the time.

As I am getting to know myself and relaxing into BEING, I am becoming aware that this pressure to succeed is springing from my fear of not being enough.

 I have been pinning my worth on how "successful" and perfect I look to others, but that will not make me feel truly successful and satisfied with my life.

I realized I need to redefine my definition of success.

4 LIFE-AFFIRMING DEFINITIONS OF SUCCESS:

1. Success is being true to yourself.

2. Success is getting back up and starting again. 

3. Success is accepting "good" instead of demanding "perfection."

4. Success is valuing our best efforts as enough for this moment, and being willing to forgive ourselves, and start again fresh.


Redefining success will not make us lazy, but give us room to be human.

It's time to give ourselves permission to be imperfect.

We all fall down sometimes, but the truth is...we rise stronger after we have fallen.

When what we feared actually happens, we realize it was not the end of the world.

We are stronger than we realized.

It IS possible to recover from a mistake, trip, or tumble.

True failure is not a slip or a stumble, but the refusal to participate in your own life. Failure is letting fear keep you from being true to yourself.

Success is continuing to be true to yourself and your goals. That might include a few falls and some stumbling in the dark, but that is the beauty of being human and imperfect. 


What is your belief about success? 


Have you given up on something important to you?


It is never too late to start again.






*If you have any thoughts/comments on the topic I would love to hear from you!

Getting uncomfortable

I have started this blog as a challenge to start facing fears. It is all too easy to let fear silently control my life. I have been a people pleaser since I was a little girl. I thought my acceptance and love came from keeping others happy. Over the years, I was always afraid to stand out, to really speak my mind, or follow my heart-- for fear of displeasing others. My father's opinion was so important to me. I was trying to stay on this perfect daughter pedastal he had placed me on.

I read the book "The Four Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss. He said that, "A person´s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." That got me thinking how many things I am uncomfortable with. Why were these things uncomfortable for me? I came to realize that I was uncomfortable because I was afraid.

When I took a closer look at my life--from the big decisions of colleges and boyfriends, to the small decisions of what shoes to buy or what to eat for breakfast-- I was being driven by fear.

I have made this commitment to myself--to start getting uncomfortable. I am challenging myself to start identifying things I am uncomfortable with and start doing them.

Two weeks ago I bought my flight from Rome to Rio. My father was completely against me moving to Brazil. He told me bluntly that I was throwing my life away. Deciding to go against my dad's opinion and move to Brazil anyways was very stressful for me. I was full of doubts and fears. What if I can´t trust myself? What if everything goes wrong? What if I´m wrong for wanting to go? What if, what if, what if.

What if questions are the enemy to following your heart and living the life you desire. I had to fight these questions and doubts by asking myself different questions:

What good could come out of this experience?

By taking this risk, what opportunities could I have?

After calming my fears enough to have some peace, I bought the ticket to Brazil. Believe me, I was still completely terrified, but after I bought the flight I felt a new surge of energy. I felt stronger and more open to life. I got an inkling that this new path is come from me. I am actually starting to follow my heart and not let my fear prohibit me from being true to myself.

I am discovering that the more uncomfortable things I face, the more life expands and the less fear is controlling my life.

This is becoming a life revolution, one day at a time, one uncomfortable thing at a time.

What are you avoiding doing because you are uncomfortable or afraid?

Waitress Wanted

 I had just recently quit a job I hated, because I wanted to follow my heart and start in a new direction that was more in sync with my passion and my talent. I was doing my part to find a new job. I posted advertisements for American English classes in different libraries and laundry mats. I invested time in networking and giving out my business card, but I was not getting any feedback.

After a few weeks without find a new job, I started to panic. I was worried my worst fear was coming true--that I had left the safety of a job I hated only to realize that my ideal job didn't exist or was unattainable. I was so desperate to find a job that I even applied to work at a low class restaurant. I would never eat there, but there was a sign in the window that said "Waitress Wanted." When I took my CV into the restaurant, the manager didn't even give me 2 minutes of his time. I left the restaurant so angry because I had lowered myself to the worst job I could possibly apply for, and I was treated disrespectfully.

I know I have so much to offer. I had quit the first job to pursue what I truly wanted to do and to develop my talent. I knew that I did not want to be a waitress at all, and that I was reverting to old self defeating patterns based on fear. It was enough to jolt me out of my paralysis an help me regain my resolve to pursue what I truly want.

I cannot let myself wallow in fear. Fear could be a good thing. A sign that I'm heading in the right direction because I am actually concerned about the outcome. I want to succeed. I am discovering that it helps to acknowledge my fear. When I allow myself to feel the fear, it releases me from my paralysis and I can move forward.

What if we can welcome fear, let fear have a healthy acknowledged place in our lives. Fear will always exist, but if we make friends with it. Feel the fear. Accept it, and then choose to move forward.

I am starting to seek out things that make me afraid. Like Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Do one thing everyday that scares you."

You are stronger than you think. Explore what you can accomplish when you feel your fear but choose to act in your own best interest.

The first step

This year I am dedicated to taking good care of myself, developing my talents, and getting outside of my comfort zone. The only way I can have this kind of life is by letting go of fear and trusting myself and God. I have named this blog "Get Uncomfortable!" as a reminder that it is easy to get stuck in my comfort zone, to be unaware of the ways in which I sabotage my own success in any area of my life. I want to use this blog to share tidbits from my life as I let go of fear and move forward in my life.

I am breaking new ground. About 6 months ago, I accepted a job offer to work for a study abroad program in Florence, Italy. I am a globetrotter, and this seemed like a solid excuse to move to Italy. Everything sounded great, and it would look good on my resume, but after the first week I realized the job wasn't a good fit for me. It required long boring hours doing a little busy work here and there. I wasn't able to use my Italian language skills or interact with people. I continued trying to make it work over the next 4 months. I was throwing all of my energy into my tasks, obsessing, stressing myself out--but my heart wasn't in it. After trying to coerce myself to be happy and enjoy a job I despised, I decided to quit. I have never been a quitter, in fact I have put myself through many painful situations just so I could claim that I didn't quit. But in fact, quitting was the best decision I could have made because I was honoring myself. I started listening to myself, to who I am and what inspires me.

I have recently moved from Italy to Brazil, and I am starting to write. I am taking small steps, but I feel much more in tune with myself.

I have come to realize that I have to work with something I love. Life is short, and my God-given talents are not being developed or shared with anyone.

It is easy to get stuck in a rut because its comfortable. Fear of the unknown can keep us stuck in jobs or patterns that we know are not good for us.

Are there things you would like to change but are stuck in your comfort zone?

How much is this job/pattern/belief/behavior hurting you or inhibiting your happiness?

If you took a chance and changed this one thing, how much could it improve your life?

I believe that there is so much more potential within each of us than we give ourselves credit for. Each of us has talents that we could develop. The world is missing your talent. There is space in the world for what you have to contribute.

I believe that good things are coming. It's time to get UNCOMFORTABLE!