{a particularly} thankful thursday.

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Today I am thankful for…

This day. The opportunity to spend time relaxing, reflecting, and celebrating with my family.

How many incredible and unexpected things have happened since this time last year.

The fact that New York City is my home.

…but that I don’t have to brave it during the parade today 😉

Slowly but surely crossing things off my holiday bucket list.

(Santa and I had a heart-to-heart, clearly)

Movember. Not only does it hit close to home this year, but I’m just a fan of facial hair in general.

Pre-Thanksgiving feasts.

(honey-baked ham, eggs, spinach, avocado, classy paper plate)

Marshall Eriksen.

That feeling that exciting things are about to happen.

Faux fur.

The troubles I don’t have.

Tattoos.

That it’s never too late to start over.

“Selfie” named word of the year by the Oxford Dictionary. I COULDN’T AGREE MORE.

The fact that I have never once shopped on Black Friday.

…and probably never will.

“Ordinary” moments.

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What are you thankful for today?

the thing about striving.

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Confession time. For most of today, I found myself in a constant state of striving too much. I spent hours wracking my brain for how I can make things in my life better – GML, FreelyBe, my apartment, my relationships, dream endeavors, my finances…

…yeah. It was exhausting.

Naturally all of that striving led to comparing myself to others, and before I knew it I had make-believe competitions going on in my head. I know, I’m crazy. I told you this was a confession!

I don’t know about you, but this is something I struggle with way more than I’d like to, and way more than I should. I often just accept over-striving as normal a part of life, and I let it run its course until it goes away. But today, I remembered this image I repinned this very morning:

And then it hit me. Everything I was striving for – the things consuming my mind –was driven by negativity. As much as I thought these were positive things that would improve my life, what I was believing wasn’t even based on the truth. Instead it was based on speculation, fear, and worry. The thing about over-striving is that it rarely gets you what you actually want. And if it does, you’ll probably be too bruised and beaten to actually enjoy it.

I’m not saying that all striving is bad. I think it’s crucial to have goals and dreams and to work for them. In fact, none of the things I was striving for today were necessarily bad in and of themselves. But I think that it’s important to pay attention to our intentions behind those desires, as they can become quite unhealthy without even realizing it.

So what did I do with my weary mind, full of over-striving buildup? I decided to let it go, and instead grasp onto the truth. I let myself rest. I let my mind rest. I’m trusting that all of those “important” things will get figured out in their due time, and all I have to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other.

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Can you relate to this? What is the truth behind what you are striving for?

thankful thursday.

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Today I’m thankful for…

Thanksgiving being one week away.

Loving what I do.

Caring less and less about what people think.

Free coffee every morning.

Grocery shopping. One of life’s simple pleasures.

Discovering KIND Healthy Grain Bars.

Second chances. Giving and getting.

Boots and scarves and sweaters and beanies and gloves and *takes breath* all things cozy.

All of this to look forward to.

Growing friendships.

The motivation that only an early morning workout gives.

Low key weeks followed by not-so-low key weekends.

Life. The straight and the crooked.

What are you thankful for today?

weekday wisdom: be the one.

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“Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and forgiving heart. One who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than how you found them.”

thankful thursday.

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Today I’m thankful for…

Inside jokes.

Dreams. Seriously…how cool is it that we go into alternate worlds in our sleep?

Great roommates. That’s a rarity.

Instagram filters.

God’s assurance when you obey Him even when you reeeeally don’t want to.

Streetside produce stands.

The smell of cigarettes. And bacon. But not together.

Andi visiting this weekend, yay!

Fake leather pants, for those of us who can’t afford the real thing.

When the train gods are on your side (NYers – you know what I’m talking about).

My trip to Florida next week.

Sleeping with the AC on super freezing but being cozy under blankets. Nothin’ better.

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What are you thankful for today?

the sunshine award.

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I was recently given the Sunshine Award from Teri, which I had seen swirling around in the blog world for a while. Thanks, Teri! :) It’s a fun opportunity to get to know fellow bloggers more, and Q&A is just always a fun way to mix normal blog posts up, don’t you think?

Rules:
1. Include award logo in a post or on your blog.
2. Link to the person who nominated you.
3. Answer 10 questions about yourself.
4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award and ask them 10 questions.

Here are the questions Teri asked!

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1. What’s your favorite holiday and why? I have to go with the obvious one – Christmas! There’s just no other holiday that is filled with so much love, joy, and reflection. Not to mention it’s like a month-long holiday, haha. I must say, though, as I get older I have much more of an appreciation for Thanksgiving and how it brings people together without the need of decorations or gifts.

2. If you could go any place in the world, where would it be? How can I pick just one?! I’ll go with a few – the South of France, New Zealand, Iceland, and Fiji.

3. Are you an introvert or extrovert? What’s an trait you have that obviously proves it? I’m an introvert in the sense that I need alone time to regain energy and “pull myself together,” so to speak. BUT, I don’t like being alone for too long. I love being social and much prefer experiencing things with other people than by myself.

4. What was the first-ever blog you read that wasn’t a close friend or family member? Carrots N Cake.

5. Why do you keep blogging? Mostly because I love having a voice and platform to express myself. It’s pretty awesome to have a “job” where you can just share about things you enjoy! I also love being able to interact with like-minded people on a daily basis.

6. What are you looking forward to during the rest of 2013? The holidays, of course! As well as a week in Florida visiting my sister, my first visit to Washington DC in November for the Visionaries Retreat, and some other adventures in the works. Not to mention that this is just my favorite time of the year.

7. What is a goal you are working on right now? Growing GML, improving my fitness, and saving more money.

8. Do you believe in fate? Yes…well, sort of. I believe in fate/predestination, but I also believe that we all have our free will, which can change circumstances. But then even the outcome of those circumstances is fate, if that makes sense 😉

9. If you had unlimited money, how would you fill your time? I would travel much more, become a full-time blogger, do more to help other people, and take up hobbies/activities I’ve always wanted to try.

10. What’s your favorite TV show? Right now – New Girl! And Modern Family. I’m also a sucker for The Bachelor…yeah I said it.

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10 bloggers I nominate: (sorry if you’ve already gotten this! You can just ignore or answer the questions again if you’d like.)

Your questions: (I’m stealing some of Teri’s because they were so good!)

1. What’s your favorite childhood memory?

2. What are your top 3 favorite things about yourself? Go on, brag 😉

3. What inspired you to start a blog?

4. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

5. What’s your number one guilty pleasure?

6. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

7. Who is your celebrity crush?

8. What goal are you working on right now?

9. What makes you feel the absolute most loved?

10. What are you looking forward to during the rest of 2013?

 

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Your turn – pick one of my 10 questions to answer in the comments section!