Fab Finds Friday #16 {A Different Kind of Inspiration}

So this post is going to be a bit unorthodox. In a way it’s an anti-Fab Finds post, but it’s also the most inspiring piece of content I can possibly share with you today while remaining authentic (which is always my number one priority here).

The truth is I don’t have anything to share with you today from the web, the reason being that I just haven’t been consuming much content lately.

Not for any particular reason, not even because I was too busy or didn’t have enough time, but simply because it’s not what I felt like doing. Most of the time, I ate my meals with Big Bang Theory instead of with a blog, and listened to music or just looked around in my walks to class instead of listening to podcasts.

I suspect part of this is because I have so much going on in my real world that I can’t overwhelm my mind further.

But another part is I’m being really present this semester. And that means I’m more tuned in than ever before. I know now when I need to pull back from something, or when I can push myself harder. I know when it’s totally okay to let go of something and when I should try harder to hold on.

So I haven’t felt like reading blogs or listening to podcasts. So I haven’t been too inspired to write posts or record podcast episodes (except for the few already in the pipeline). So what? I’ve been tuning in and making sure I’m feeling good.

I’ve been doing lots of yoga instead of HIIT or weights, choosing extra hours of sleep in favor of writing blog posts, and generally just giving myself what I’m craving. Because when I’m working so damn hard in school and at work and in my relationships, sometimes I really just need to give myself a lot of grace and love and just let go and rest. That’s been the interesting unfolding of this semester thus far. I’ve been busier than ever in college, but also happier, freer, and more content than ever. I feel more attuned to my mind and body than I have in a long long time, and I’m finally not pushing or shoulding or putting unnecessary pressure and expectations on myself. I’m just doing me, and sometimes I fall short, and sometimes I feel guilty, but the more often I practice this, the more natural it feels.

The reason I’m still filing this under Fab Finds Friday is because I don’t want you all to think I haven’t been inspired.

I’ve been inspired by my friends, who are doing such amazing things and I’m so proud of them; by the people I follow on Instagram who radiate such positivity and represent the kind of wellness world that I truly believe in (I’m thinking for next Fab Finds Friday I’ll do my favorite positive wellness Instagrams if you’d be into that!). 

I’ve been inspired by my classes and professors, where I am learning more practical useful information than I have in most of my previous semesters. I suspect it’s because I am finally doing almost exclusively major and minor-specific classes, which truly interest me and fire me up.

Most astounding by all, I’ve been inspired by myself, and I don’t mean that in some kind of arrogant self-obsessed way. I’ve just genuinely liked my choices lately and how I am choosing to treat myself and others. I’ve been listening to my thoughts more often, not because it’s something I should do but just because it’s what feels good. I’d forgotten how good it feels to just let your mind wander sometimes and dream, without planning or worrying. To just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling and be.

Ive been watching movies and cooking meals for friends and going out on shopping and cupcake dates. I’ve been letting myself drop the ball on things I used to think were entirely non-negotiable (spoiler alert: they’re not).

I don’t know, maybe the reason I’m so good at this right now is because I am so busy and productive in my school and work, so I almost feel like I have permission to be kind and gentle with myself outside of that. But at the same time, I know I’ve gone through quite the transformation since freshman year of college, and particularly this past year. My days used to be chock-full of obligations and things I felt I had to do for some reason or other. Follow a designated workout plan, go to a club meeting I didn’t really care about, go to a job that wasn’t fulfilling me, go to class, repeat. No wonder I felt so lost.

But as I began to build strong relationships here, as I began to develop my new identity as a college student and a 20-something and a blogger and a marketing employee and all these new things, I also began to slowly relax into myself. Because finally I felt like my choices and the things taking up my time were truly in line with my values and who I am.

I am being more authentic than ever before in every one of my interactions, and I am finally not too scared of someone not liking me to be my full self. I’m just being me, and it’s so indescribably liberating. Most importantly, it’s helping me connect with others on a much deeper level, not for any end purpose or motive, but just because I truly love people and think we have something to learn from everyone.

I’m definitely not an expert. I screw up all the time in this. I push too hard, I stretch myself too thin, I’m not the best friend or daughter or student… but I am doing my best and staying 100% true to me. At the end of the day, isn’t that all we can ask of ourselves?

I love you guys, and thank you for following along. I hope this post inspired you in some way to maybe look at ways you can be a little more honest and gentle with yourself.

And if you’d like to read more, here’s a post I wrote last year about being gentle with yourself and others.

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!

 

 

Do you feel like you’re being authentic to your core values right now, or are there things you are doing that don’t feel quite right?

What can you change today to live a life that is better aligned with your values?