Inspiration

Every week on Friday, I share a list of the most interesting and inspiring content I’ve read lately here on my blog. You can expect thoughts on productivity, happiness, balance, spirituality, politics, and more. Subscribe here to get updates. See archives here.

A.J. Jacobs has some great thoughts for his students (and all of us, really) for the back-to-school season. He’s so cool.

One idea about how we can resist with a sense of humour and zero violence. This gives me hope.

Still feeling hopeless? Here’s an enormous list of tangible ways we can support people of colour and combat white supremacy. I have barely begun reading it but there are so many good ideas here.

Let’s celebrate the back to school season by buying some cool school supplies like other creative people!

The Incredible Jessica James was super good, but warning: it is not a TV show! It is a movie! Do not be heartbroken like I was when I sat down to watch the “next episode”!

Oprah is so interesting and inspiring to me, for a million reasons. This interview was really good. I also endorse Making Oprah and the Super Soul Conversations podcast.

Seth’s post on behaviour addiction is #relevant to me. If you missed it, I wrote about dimming the volume (especially on technology) earlier this week.

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The week has flown, friends! It’s definitely getting cooler here in Toronto, especially in the evenings, which is making me feel all that back to school excitement, even though I’m not in school. What a great time of year for a fresh start, for establishing some great routines, for buying more plants for your house, for pulling out your cozy clothes. This weekend I’m planning to watch one more outdoor movie and hang out at my mom’s with the puppy. I hope you have a wonderful weekend too! xo.

 

Every week, I share the most interesting and inspiring content I’ve read lately here on my blog: thoughts on productivity, happiness, balance, spirituality, politics, and more. Subscribe here to get updates. 

It’s been a dark week, my friends. I am devoting this week’s “Inspiration” post to information regarding the events in Charlottesville last weekend: things I have found to be personally helpful or educational. Obviously the word “inspiration” is not right here (the name of my usual weekly link round-up posts), and yet I have found small glimmers of light in some of these resources, showing us ways to make sense of what has happened, and how we can try to move forwards. Others among these are horrifying and painful to watch, but remember that it is a privilege to look away.

First: this VICE documentary is what has pierced me the most. It is the best reporting I’ve seen of the events of last weekend.

“Imagine if these people ever faced actual oppression.”

Sam Sanders spoke with white people about Charlottesville. This episode provides a lot of practical information about how to be a good ally (And how not to be. Hint: it’s not about you or how personally racist you are or are not.)

Brené Brown’s Facebook Live is a must-watch.

I really enjoyed the Bonus Pod and DeRay’s interview with Common on Pod Save the People. This episode of Pod Save America was also good.

An important reminder about ‘getting political’ and privilege.

Tina Fey is funny but also angry and has some important points to make (while stress-eating).

Another reminder to follow, read, and amplify the voices of people of colour. I’m starting with The Root, Colorlines, Black Lives Matter, HuffPo Black Voices. One super simple way to do this is to like & follow these websites and pages on Facebook. If you have other suggestions, please let me know!

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If you have other further articles or resources that you found powerful or helpful, please leave me a comment below. Thanks for reading. Sending you love & light, always. xo.

Every week, I share the most interesting and inspiring content I’ve read lately here on my blog: thoughts on productivity, happiness, politics, and more. Subscribe here.

First and foremost: Oprah has a podcast now. I have been hella inspired (and a little teary-eyed) all week as a result. Listen!

Maxine Waters inspires the heck out of me. Let’s all reclaim our time!

Absolutely hilarious and so refreshing.

File under: things I want to do with my Bullet Journal next!

Love your dad because he’s your father, because he made you, because he thinks for himself, and most of all because he is a person. Have the strength to doubt and question what you believe as easily as you’re so quick to doubt his beliefs. And if you do pick a side, pick the side of love. It remains our only real hope for survival and has more power to save us than any other belief we could ever cling to. This is good advice for any time we are baffled or hurt by the beliefs of people around us.

Don’t be a victim of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. It’s such a struggle, but I see people (and myself) falling for it all the time.

As a Questioner, I’m storing away this article about a possible link between sugar and depression as more motivation to avoid eating it.

This video of another side of Jim Carrey inspires me to make more stuff, do more art, and give in to my creative impulses.

Reminder: you can change your life. You can make different choices, starting from today.

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Speaking of changing your life by making little choices – guys, I started sleeping with my phone (also my wake up alarm) charging in the kitchen last week and OH MY GOODNESS. This is a thing I have heard about doing and thought about doing for approximately ten years, all the while being like “Why can’t I wake up earlier??” Yeah, surprise, putting your alarm outside your bedroom actually does work, but you actually have to, in fact, do it first. Let my idiocy be a lesson you can learn from. I have been so much more productive and balanced. Yay me!

This weekend we are seeing family friends and I’m so excited to see everyone – including the puppy. Follow along on Instagram stories, if you like. I hope you have a wonderful weekend too. xo.

PS. Last week I updated my Archive page to make it prettier and more functional. Explore almost 10 years (!!!) of posts here.

I loved seeing what Tara noticed about NYC. Her photos are always stunning.

I made these brownies again recently for a friends’ birthday and they were as delightful as I remembered.

Looking for something good to watch? For me the answer is generally “no” but there look to be some good recommendations here!

I signed up for email newsletters this week from BlogTO, our local resource for all things Toronto, and already I feel more connected to what’s going on in the city. Would highly recommend this move for whatever city you live in.

Revisionist History is amazing this season. We all need to be listening to it – not just interesting, but important.

I just started reading Overwhelmed and I can already tell it’s going to be a game-changer for me.

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The week flew by, especially considering that I only got home Tuesday night. What a wonderful time I had in New York with people who make me so happy. I am also excited to be home, and am feeling refreshed and inspired to: be on my phone less, take care of myself more, and spend more time being peaceful. I anticipate that the book I mentioned above will help with that! I hope you have wonderful weekends without too much noise. xo.