that time i took my shirt off in SoulCycle.

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Yeah yeah, total clickbait title 😉

Something cool happened this morning at my SoulCycle class that I couldn’t wait to share with you.

First - some back story. About a month ago, Sydney, Rachel and I came up with a little challenge for ourselves called #MissionSBOnly. We made it to be a fun way to hold each other accountable as we all wanted to take our fitness to another level and get in our best shape ever for this summer + some upcoming trips.

What does SB stand for, you ask? Sports Bra. Mission Sports Bra Only. If you’ve ever taken a group fitness class, or even just been at a gym, you’ve probably seen that chick who has the confidence (and probably the bod to match) to rock no shirt - only a sports bra.

Well, at SoulCycle, those girls are everywhere. And they are quite inspiring, to say the least. Not just because they have rockin’ bodies, but because they have that confidence to go with it. I’ll be 100% honest with you - sometimes I look at those girls and think, “why not just put a shirt overtop?” But you know what? When I stop and check myself, I realize that that’s me judging, and even more so - that’s me being envious. I want to rock the SB only too!

Anyway. I digressed a bit there. My point is that my goal isn’t just to have that body, it’s to have that confidence. Of course one day I want to feel like my hard work has paid off and it shows on the outside. But today…today I decided that I’m not going to wait for the abs any longer.

So in the middle of my class with Danny (my first class with him - he’s definitely a new favorite) - I don’t know what came over me, but I realized I wasn’t going to wait for some big, special moment any more. I was going to MAKE that moment. So I peeled off my sweat-soaked pink tank top, and finished the class in all my sports bra only glory.

Did my body jiggle and roll in places I’d rather it not? Sure did. But did I care, or even think once what anyone else thought? Hell. To the. No. Even though my body isn’t where I want it to be one day, I rocked that sports bra only like I was the hottest, fittest girl in the room.

The funny thing is, that small decision motivated me to get where I want to be a trillion times more than feeling like I had to keep myself “covered up” until I reached my goal. It was empowering. It was freeing. A shift happened in me - not just related to fitness, but in my character.

My main takeaway from my first time being that girl in her sports bra? Don’t wait until tomorrow. Life doesn’t start 5 pounds from now. It doesn’t start when you get your dream job, meet your dream guy, or when you make six figures. It’s happening now.

And look - that doesn’t mean you can’t/shouldn’t have goals. I sure as still heck do, and getting a flatter tummy is one of them. But I wonder if the whole idea of faking it ’til you make it can help those goals come to fruition just a bit faster…

Can you relate to this? What goal in your life can you fake it till you make it right now?

strategically unstrategic.

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As someone who works in Social Media, I must say the word strategic in one form or another like, 5 billion times a day. It’s a great buzz word, really. Clients love hearing that there’s a planned, well thought-out method behind the process of reaching their target demographic (and rightfully so).

Lately I’ve been thinking about this whole idea of strategy, and how it’s something we all use in our lives more than we may even realize. Think about it - so many important aspects of life are characterized by some sort of careful plan or method.

Want to win the game? Here’s your strategy.
Want to get healthy? Here’s your step-by-step guide.
Want to land the job interview? Here’s exactly what to be prepared for.
Want to get the guy? Wear this, say that, and follow this 54 page manual of how to text him.

That last one was a joke. Everyone knows the manual is only 10 pages.

Don’t get me wrong - there’s obviously a time and a place for being strategic. I’m pretty sure most of our lives would be complete messes without basics plans and methods that help us get through the everyday. But I’ll be the first to admit that I’m totally guilty of being too strategic in certain areas of my life.

For example, I actually want to think less before I speak. I find myself caring so much about what other people think that I hold back what I actually want to say. Granted, that might make things a little awkward for both parties, but I honestly don’t care anymore. I’m sick of Communication 101 conversations with people - I want truth serum!

Speaking of Social Media, I kind of think it is one of the main causes of everyone being so damn strategic these days (funny how I’m always dissing the thing I make a living off of, haha, oops). But seriously - it’s like, everything we say or do ends up out there for all the world to see, so we have to be all sorts of careful with what we’re putting out there. Even with texting, we have this time we didn’t have before to think about what we’re going to say, how we’re going to say it, and how many minutes (or hours, or days) we strategically leave in between messages. Come on, well all do it 😛

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of life being so perfectly mapped out all the time. So I’m going to do a little experiment of trying to be strategically unstrategic. No more plans, methods, or what some may call “games” to try to navigate myself to what I want.

Less thinking. More doing.
Less thinking. More saying.
Less thinking. More feeling.
Less thinking. More living.

And most importantly - more surrendering my plans to God, and taking on HIS strategy.

Anyone with me?

treat yourself right, darling.

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We always SAY we’re treating ourselves right, but are we really? Are the things we think are helping us actually harming us?

Being stressed out does not mean you’re being responsible.
Depriving yourself or shaming yourself does not mean you’re being healthy.
Dwelling on the past or living in the future will not get you to where you want to be.

This weekend (and beyond, of course), I’m challenging us to ACTUALLY treat ourselves right.

* Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to your best friend/someone you love.
* Savor (and I mean really savor) every sight, sound, bite, conversation, and moment.
* Give yourself permission to go at least 24 hours without working, or even thinking about work.
* Eat and move for the pleasure of it.
* Write down the things that have been hold you back and tying you down (whether you realized it or not). This is the weekend to release those things once and for all.
* Put a little extra time into getting ready. Wear your favorite outfit…even if it means you’re slightly overdressed.
* Be okay with saying no.
* …but also be okay with saying yes, even if it’s breaking your “normal” routine. Because don’t forget - YOLO 😉
* Treat yourself right, darling.

lessons lately.

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Ah, what an amazing week it’s been. Spring is in the air, fun things are happening, and I’ve just been all sorts of thankful lately.

I’ve also been doing quite a lot of…oh, how do you say, pondering about life. But who am I kidding? I’m always doing that 😛 Lately, that has looked a bit like…

1) Did you know that awe is awesome for your health? Sometimes I find myself in awe of the dumbest, most insignificant things (I can’t even imagine how I’ll react when I finally start to travel more, ha). But I really want to make it a point to be even more observant of the world around me. Not just nature/sights, but conversations. “Average” moments. Even the tiniest of miracles and surprises.

2) I want/need to start acknowledging my story more. I always discredit it because it’s nothing special - what I’ve “been through” is the same as most other people. Fear. Insecurity. Anxiety. Heartbreak. The same old, same old.

But last week I got a message from a reader that left me nearly in tears because I could so deeply relate. It brought back so many old emotions, and I realized how thankful I was for certain experiences (no matter how difficult they were) because I could empathize with her and maybe shed at least an ounce of hope on her situation.

I’m rambling. But I guess what I’m saying is that even though my experiences/story is similar to so many others, I’m the only one who can tell mine. That transparency, though, it ain’t so easy…

3) Being an adult rocks. Yeah yeah, technically I’ve been an adult for 10 years. But over the past year I really feel like an adult, and it’s awesome. It’s not so much feeling old - it’s feeling comfortable in my own skin, more in control of my destiny, and much easier to let go of the things that don’t actually matter.

4) Flexible dieting is where it is AT. I can’t believe I let myself think that bread, cheese, and even quinoa were “bad” for me at one point. Seriously, that’s not cool.
(left - avocado toast. right - a bowl of awesomeness from Roast Kitchen)

5) I need a personal mission statement. I may or may not be working on it already 😉 The other day I read an article about creating your own mission statement, and I actually got sort of pissed at myself that I didn’t think to do it before. Basically it’s a compilation of your core values, goals, etc. Now that I think about it, I should do a separate post about this - yes?

6) You’re (I’m) never ever EVER too old or too far along to break a bad habit. Same goes for starting a new (good) one.

7) I have a feeling that by this time next year, my life is going to look drastically different. Do you ever feel that way…?

8) I’m a sucker for a good inside joke. The more we have, the more I probably like you.

9) Always ALWAYS sleep on your decisions (when possible). Give a few weeks for the bigger ones. Personal example - if I did not do this, I would own the adorable-but-not-good-decision of a bunny rabbit right about now.

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What’s a lesson you’ve learned lately? With me on any of these?

 

if i’m being honest.

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This was going to be another style post. And I guess it still is, sort of.

That’s mostly because…well, it’s “easy” content. Shoot some photos, say what I’m wearing, and boom there’s a blog post.

Gracie Gordon

But let’s be real - GML was never and will never be a fashion blog. I’m too dramatic/too much of a rambler to keep things that focused (ha). Not to mention I just don’t have that fashion-passion that so many (amazing) bloggers have.

So here’s that honesty part. Sometimes - a lot of times, lately - I struggle with GML. I don’t do it for the income (anymore), and I don’t fit perfectly into a niche. I love blogging about food and fitness and being silly and being serious and makeup and *takes breath* - that can get a little confusing, no?

Gracie Gordon

I also have this problem where sometimes I like to be open and transparent, and other times I desperately crave as much privacy as possible (which makes blogging + working in social media an interesting gig, to say the least).

I’ve gone through phases like this in the past, and I always get over them…so apologies if this isn’t the first tantrum you’ve seen me, have, ha!.

Gracie Gordon

I’m not quite sure where I’m going with this, other than to lean on that open/transparent side with you all. I never want to forget that my readers (you!) are actual people who have followed my journey for a while - some of you since way back in 2010 - and I never want to take that for granted. You’re truly like friends to me!

I can tell you that I’m not going anywhere, but I may just test the waters with some new things here and there. I’ve always hated when blogging started feeling more like a job, so perhaps less “official” content and more rambling is in order 😉

Gracie Gordon

On that note, I might as well still share this looksie - no?

kimono - Necessary Clothing
tank - Target
jean shorts - Top Shop
necklace - Speakable
sunglasses - Quay Australia

Photos by Sam Ruby

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p.s. For those of you who love the “day in the life” recaps, I document that stuff more regularly on Instagram (@girlmeetslife) and Snapchat (@alagracie)!

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What’s your favorite type of blog to follow (fashion, health, beauty, etc.)?

inspire: happy triggers.

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I’m not really sure how it happened, but over the past 6 months or so I’ve gotten slightly obsessed with having fresh flowers in the apartment. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already noticed this…

I never used to be a “flowers girl.” They didn’t really do it for me. I thought, what’s the point of spending money on something that’s going to be dead in a few days anyway?

Such an optimist, I know.

After getting flowers here and there over the past year, though, I realized what a huge difference they made in the overall vibe of my shoebox-sized tiny NYC apartment. Even if only for a week or few days, I love how flowers bring a little bit of nature into my 5th floor walk-up. Life. Color. Happiness. They’re a little touch of joy that when I walk out of my room in the morning make me smile and feel a bit of extra excitement for the day ahead.

The point I’m trying to make isn’t about why you should have flowers in our house/apartment. It’s about making a point to intentionally place Happy Triggers throughout your day.

I know, Happy Triggers is the cheesiest term ever. But it works 😉

I always knew the importance of the little/simple things in life, but lately - as I find myself rushing through the day from one thing to the next - I’m realizing how important it is to strategically place those things in my life, right where I can see them.

fresh flowers
frothing the milk for my morning coffee
lighting scented candles before I go to bed
etc.

We all have those little, seemingly insignificant things that actually make a bigger difference than we might realize…

What are yours?