Inspiration

The Pantone colour(s) of the year for 2016 make me feel so calm and optimistic.

Public service announcement for all mankind: Serial. Is. Back. I listened to the first episode yesterday morning on my way to yoga class and I can tell you, that it’s totally compelling and I can see that it’s going to be great. Even though probably nothing can ever totally live up to Serial Season 1.

This post was wonderful, it’s one of my favourites in recent memory: Minimalism for the Mind.

Two little gifts I bought for myself this week: yoga tune-up balls and this cold brew coffee pot.

I’m adding this bread recipe to my to-bake list.

On the podcast this week we’re talking about our experience doing a zero waste month! Read more and listen in here.

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This week I really tried to live by the maxim “create more than you consume”. I spent my week working on projects for work, for the podcast, and for an upcoming e-course I’m developing! I also tried to take breaks in the afternoon and snuck in an acro yoga session, some nice walks, and a little reading. I’m really pushing it to make my reading goal for the year but I think I can do it!

This weekend we’re having a Christmas party with my boyfriend’s family, going to Cirque de Soleil (which we’ve been looking forward to since before I arrived!) and then PACKING to go home to Canada for the holidays. Hooray! All good things, friends. Lots of love.

Introversion 101, in comic form. (Painfully accurate!)

As we become Real Adults, let’s try to figure out how to be a great host for our friends & families.

Photographers shooting the same subject (banana, flower, egg) but always in an unique way. I loved the creativity that came out in this video.

Turns out, feeling happiness is partly about faking it until you (literally) make it. See how I personally practice gratitude here.

We are all going to need to take care of ourselves over the holidays: here are 30 wonderfully simple ways. I especially like the ones about going internet-lite and maintaining our morning routines.

I adore this: holiday gifts two ways, one way more focused on beautiful things, and one way focused on beautiful experiences. Such great ideas.

Give yourself the simple, lovely gifts that you really want. Here are some nice ideas.

I made this cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread this week and it was delicious.

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It’s been a good week. I’ve been playing with getting up earlier, and taking advantage of the gorgeous fall-like weather here in Quito by sitting up on the roof to do my morning routines while drinking my coffee. I estimate that this change alone has increased my quality of life by a good 30%. I’ve also been taking daily walks and spending LESS TIME ON THE COMPUTER. I made a holiday season bucket list, shown above (I’ll share more on the blog soon), so we’ve been trying to do a fun new thing every day and it’s been awesome. This weekend: lots of yoga, a BBQ with my boyfriend’s family, and lots of downtime. Have a wonderful weekend! xo.

I listened to the latest episode of the Lively Show about enneagrams and was totally blown away. I had never heard of this personality test, but it’s extremely powerful – I nearly cried when they shared the healing attitudes of my personality type on the show because they rang so true. I’ve since read more about my type and find the knowledge incredible helpful and motivating. You can listen to the episode here and take a mini version of the enneagram type test here.

Brené Brown is starting an interview series on her new project Courage Works, and her very first guest was Oprah. It was so refreshing to hear Oprah’s real responses to tough, personal questions. Really inspiring.

A really beautiful idea for a simple, meaningful advent calendar focused on experiences more than things (or chocolate).

Podcasts I’ve been really enjoying and learning from this week: The One You Feed, The Everybranch Podcast, and The Chalene Show.

I’m not much for Dancing With The Stars usually, but I really liked this special routine Bindi Irwin did in tribute to her dad.

I got super into automation apps this week after listening to this episode of Elise Gets Crafty. That meant I downloaded (and am quickly falling in love with) Hazel for Mac, set up a few recipes on IFTT, and downloaded and am obsessed with the ease and usefulness of the Do Note app.

On the podcast this week, Laura and I are talking a bit more about my experience doing a 10 day juice detox.

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This week went by so quickly. It had some ups and downs – the ups being dancing in the living room with my boyfriend, talking to my mom on her birthday, and reading really great books; the downs being worrying about my visa for coming back to Ecuador, and wanting to find some more community here in Quito. Overall, I had a great week full of growth and inspiration, and I’m trying to develop positive habits like reading first thing in the morning (instead of Instagram), logging out of my Facebook profile to make it harder to just click over to it throughout the day, and going for a walk by myself every morning. This weekend I’m looking forward to yoga in the park, working on some exciting new projects, and taking some new online courses. I hope you have a great weekend!

PS. My monthly newsletter usually comes out on the last Friday of every month. That’s today! It’s basically a short summary of the best content of the blog from the month, so if you’re not much of a consistent blog reader but want to see the highlights every so often, sign up right here. Thanks for reading!

What a gorgeous idea: a Thanksgiving Reader full of ideas for gratitude and appreciation, to be read around the table at your family’s celebration. Read more about it here or download it for free here.

I found a lot of fresh ideas in this post about habits for healthy relationships.

Barbie put a boy in an ad for the very first time! He’s adorable, and moreover, it’s awesome to have some more different kinds of representation happening.

In response to the tragic events all around the world this past week: How to Stay Optimistic When Everything Feels Horrible. Great advice in here.

From the same blog, another great post: How to Chase Your Dreams (without hating your life).

I’ve been so enjoying a couple new podcasts: Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham and Hidden Brain from NPR.

I’m trying this new thing on Instagram where I unfollow almost everyone – my goal is to get down to only 100. The reasons are twofold: to spend less time checking Instagram overall, and to only follow accounts I really like. So far it’s been going so well – less time spent on my phone, less time scrolling quickly past photos to make sure I see “everything I missed”, more peace of mind. Oh and I never miss any posts from the accounts I really like because my feed was clogged with yet another photo of a mountain from one of those travel photography accounts or a delicately placed coffee cup from one of those lifestyle accounts. Win-win-win.

Delicious things I baked this week: sticky buns and chocolate banana bread.

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This week went by in a blink! I was feeling under the weather for part of it, but I still had some lovely walks outside, a chat with one of my sweet Grandmas, time to read, a recording session with my fave podcast partner, a work meeting and a chance to bake delicious new recipes. Overall, I’d say that this week was a big success. This weekend we’re teaching yoga in the park, driving out to see some of Paulo’s family, and participating in another one of those horse parades in a small town nearby! Wish me luck. Hope you have a fabulous weekend! xo.