If it’s the 13th Fab Finds Friday, does that mean it’s Friday the 13th? *insert pondering emoji face here*
Hello lovely faces! I’ve missed you!!! It’s kinda funny, most times when I take a break from the blog, it’s a very intentional choice. It’s me noticing burnout coming on, or noticing I’m not as creative as I’d like, or that blogging is starting to feel like a chore. This time, it’s totally different. I literally had no time for it. Which, in a way, scares me because then it feels like, oh my gosh what if I NEVER have time for it? Like what if this entire semester is just sayonara to blogging??
But then I stop, breathe, and say to myself, “No, Nicole. This is just your ego talking. Time will open up after this week. And this is only temporary.”
I think what’s good about this is it really forces me to stop putting so much pressure on this space. It just reminds me what a privilege it is to blog and how intuitive and lovely it is when it’s what I feel like doing.
Which, I just realized, is pretty much exactly the trajectory my relationship with exercise took. At first it was all about obligations and “shoulds,” and though I always loved it, I often overdid it and ended up burning myself out. Which, then, led to me having to take entire weeks off to recover.
These days, I work out when and how feels best for me in that day. And because I often have days where I don’t have any time whatsoever to work out, the days that I do, it feels like the biggest treat. It just reminds me how lucky I am to have this able body and to be giving it this movement that feels amazing.
Wow, I guess that sort of counts as some inspiration for today haha? 😉
I do have some posts and pods from the inter-webs to share with you today, though, and I’d love to see you link up down below, so let’s head straight into the fun stuff!
Welcome to Fab Finds Friday!
A chance to reflect, not on the things you did, but on the things that did something to you!
Whether it’s something you heard, a sentence you read, a quote that spoke to you, or even something you wrote yourself, if it inspired you and you want to share it with others, we want to know about it!
Make sure you have a hyperlink in your post to both Laughing My Abs Off and My Little Tablespoon. Then drop your link below and discover what inspired others. You never know when you’ll stumble upon the next life-changing nugget of wisdom. Happy Friday!
Practicing Mindfulness and How it Changes Your Life
I really REALLY love this blog. I discovered it at some point in the summer and basically binge-read a bunch of posts, forcibly tore myself away after Bookmarking a bunch more to read, and then somehow forgot about it as the craziness of school settled in. Well, I recently rediscovered it, and this post in particular caught my attention.
I love everything about this post, though it made me realize something interesting.  I talk about and think about many of the things written here, but I don’t refer to them as mindfulness. Instead, I call it being present, or noticing and truly believing in the magic of the everyday…but really, all that is mindfulness at its finest. Which just means that as with all such things, mindfulness is a universal concept that will work for absolutely everyone but can also be conceptualized and customized on an individual basis.
Highly encourage you to check out pretty much all the other posts on the site.
Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern
This is another one that somehow managed to resonate with me like crazy, while also feeling totally novel. The theme of this post seems to be paradox heh. 😉
Basically, Connie talks about how there is such a thing as a circle of concern, which encompasses all the various things you might have on your mind but that are not particularly pressing and that you also cannot do much about at the current moment. The circle of influence, meanwhile, are all the things that are directly in your control and are what make up the present. She suggests that no matter what our situation is, and no matter how good it might feel to escape into the circle of concern and try to avoid the more uncomfortable or more boring or mundane circle of influence, we risk passing up incredible opportunities that way.
I love this idea, and it’s something I wholeheartedly believe it. If you are in a situation that isn’t super awesome, just try and search for the silver lining. There is always a lesson or a good thing that comes out of it. Just focus on what you can control and see how you can radically improve the situation and your mindset about it.
Liveng Proof Podcast Episode 78 with Davida Lederle
Y’all know I adore Davida, and Engrid is also my newest WC. They’re both such bosses, and putting them together resulted in such a raw, open, and vulnerable conversation that left me inspired and feeling so much less alone in the things I went through as well.
Definitely a great episode to listen to, especially if you have struggled in the past or are currently struggling with mental health and/or a disordered relationship with food or exercise.
The Lively Show Episode 207 (Quantum Living: making changes in identity without pain)
Yes, I’m still obsessed with Jess and her show and now have a new dream of one day attending one of her talks or retreats. For right now, though, I’ll just keep listening to her voice in my ear pretending she’s my inner spirit guide. This lady is truly INCREDIBLE, and she has a knack for putting super woo woo crazy topics into very digestible simple terms. This episode is part of her larger project to put the law of attraction into the framework of quantum physics, which is absolutely fascinating and actually makes much more sense than you might originally think.
This episode, in particular, stuck out to me because she talks about how hard it is sometimes to let go of a certain identity because we are terrified of losing a part of ourselves. I DEFINITELY can relate to this and know you all can too. I love what she has to say about how living with flow and intention make identity changes just a fun part of the journey, instead of something scary or negative. Be sure to check out the rest of the Quantum Living series too!
Alright that’s it for me! I’m gonna go back to the books, but I’ll hopefully talk to you soon! Enjoy your weekend, okay? Do something nice for yourself, spend time outside, and connect with your loved ones. And remember that you are doing great and are exactly where you need to be <3
Drop them links here!
What a wonderful post. Your own words are total level playing field to any of these other women and other posts you have linked to. “….how intuitive and lovely it is when it’s what I feel like doing.” Bam. Right? I felt absolutely zero drive to blog in this last half of the week, so I barely touched it (hence why you ended up flying solo today – thank you love). But I can do this more and more these days because I know that drive will come back, some time soon, and at that point it will feel GREAT to do so. I look forward to that passion returning. But pushing something when I don’t want to do it doesn’t allow for those wonderful feeling times to come as often!
So many intriguing posts here. All a bit mind blowing actually! Going to have to take them all slow, haha.
Cora recently posted…Recent Food! New Snack Plan, More Chocolate, Plus Very Specific Cravings
Oooh, those blogs sound like they are right up my alley. Thanks for the suggestions!
Laurie recently posted…Runfessions – September Edition
I Love the lively show! need to listen to more episodes of that – also that blog you shared is amazinggg. Hope you have been enjoying the weekend!