Fire Starter Sessions

Between a bad cold and a sprained ankle (took a tumble while hiking), I've had plenty of free time to catch up on my reading. I'm currently devouring Danielle LaPorte's Fire Starter Sessions, and this quote is resonating hard-core:

As people with the creative spirit, we're obsessed with possibility. We live for the rush of turning a thought - an abstract idea - into something real, tangible, touchable, readable, effectual, profitable. We feel empowered, generous even, in the making of our art. We have a practical indignation for mediocrity. We love to get things done.

What am I passionate about? Coaching people, teams, and organizations to set and achieve powerful goals...goals that create new possibilities for happiness and health that wouldn't otherwise exist. This is my art. This is when I feel most empowered, most generous.  This is the rush I live for.

The question I've been asking myself is this. How can I do more of what I'm passionate about? I am so so so blessed to work for a company in which goal-coaching is an intrinsic part of success and possibility is woven into the fabric of our everyday culture. It's so easy though, to become bogged down in the daily to-do's and forget the magic that happens when I show up, really show up as my authentic self.

I need to remember that goal-coaching can happen anywhere, in any context, in any conversation. In fact, some of the best goal-coaching conversations I've had have taken place in the most unexpected settings and scenarios. I don't need to block out a special place and time in my schedule. (This is the reoccurring "obstacle" in my mind, where goal-coaching looks like an uninterrupted hour of wise words and lattes, sipped while contemplating the colors of the sunset.)

The reality is far less glamourous, yet ultimately liberating. The only special requirements are a listening ear and a burning curiosity for that sweet spot where possibility and choice intersect. And if this happens on a splintered bench on my lunch break or in the car against the background noise of traffic, so be it. All the better.

I'm recommitting to my passion. To dreaming big and playing bigger. I'm recommitting to showing up as this person every second of every day. If I have to let go of other things to create a space for this to happen, then I'll consider my load lighter and move on.

What are you reading, learning, and yearning for this week? How are you honoring your passions?

Instagram photo by me

Trail Running & Southwest Salmon Scramble

After several days of feeling under the weather, yesterday found me itching to get out of the house. We made our way down to Peal Street where we noshed alfresco on a lunch of fresh greens & ahi tuna sashimi at Hapa Sushi. Afterward, we meandered in and out of the Pearl Street shops. We ended up at Boulder Running Company where I picked up these beauties, my first pair of real trail running shoes.

In the month since moving to Boulder, I've taken full advantage of the abundant great outdoors. Trail running is one of my newfound loves. The added challenge of navigating rocky terrain keeps my mind and body engaged in a way that road running doesn't. I smile as I look back at the vision & goals I penned nearly a year ago: I will hike, trail run, or practice yoga for an hour each day by August 2012. This goal is quickly becoming a reality here in Boulder. I am so grateful to live here, a place so aligned with the vibrant, active, healthy lifestyle I'm creating.

A brief but lovely visit from a friend who's road-tripping her way across the country and a dinner of salmon fish tacos rounded out a pretty perfect Sunday.

This morning, I somehow managed to sleep until 9:30, which is super late for me. I guess my body is still in recovery mode. Upon finding leftover salmon and a diced onion-garlic-jalepeno mix in the fridge, I was inspired to create a southwestern-flavored salmon scramble, a twist on my usual breakfast of scrambled eggs n' greens.

Southwest Salmon Scramble (serves 2)

• 3/4 cup cooked flaked salmon seasoned with southwest spices (or any other kind of leftover protein you might have on hand)


• 5 organic eggs, beaten


• 1 tbsp organic butter or ghee


• Handful of spinach or other greens


• 1/2 cup white onion, diced


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 tbsp jalepeno, minced


• Dash of salt, pepper, and southwest spices (we use a pre-made spice blend but you could improvise with a mix of cumin, oregano, cayenne, etc.)


• Slices of lime (optional)


• Corn tortilla (optional)

Heat the butter or ghee in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, and jalepeno until slightly translucent. Pour in the eggs and quickly add salt, pepper, and southwest spices as you stir the eggs. Continue stirring the eggs into a scramble until they are cooked through. Serve atop a warm tortilla with slices of lime for garnish. Add a drizzle of hot sauce to taste.

I hope your week is off to a great start. My family is in town through Friday so I'm taking a few days off work to spend time with them. I can't wait to show them my new town! Photos to come...

Down for the Count

After a weekend that included a long (for me) run, a hike in the searing heat, and a super-detoxifying yoga class, I awoke this morning to realize I may have asked just a wee bit too much of my body. Fever. Body aches. Sore throat. Yuck.

Thankfully, I was able to work from home most of the day. Now it's time for my immune defense remedy: endless mugs of ginger tea, a big bowl of nourishing soup, and the next delicious chapter of The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels with a few Hulu episodes of Revenge thrown in for good measure. Clean eating + light reading + delightfully trashy TV = my surefire formula for recovery. That and plenty of sleep.

Wishing you a happy and healthy week!

P.S. What's your favorite sick day recipe?

Instagram photo by me

Lately

Why, hello there. It's been a little quiet around here lately, but I haven't disappeared. Truthfully? I just haven't felt called to write in this space. Life feels so full and satisfying these days: quiet mornings with a mug of coconut milk coffee, days at lululemon spent goal coaching and dreaming up community events, hours on my yoga mat, and long meandering hikes on the many nearby trails. My evenings consist of a simple dinner, a walk down Pearl Street, and perhaps a glass of wine enjoyed on the rooftop deck before falling into bed with the latest issue of Sunset or Whole Living. I feel good, tired, and intensely grateful. Sometimes days go by that I don't flip open my laptop. I just feel too inspired to be out there in the world, soaking it all in.

Tonight, Jason met me after work for an impromptu date night. We went to the newly opened organic vegan cafe, Native Foods. I'd already eaten lunch there twice this week with co-workers and absolutely loved both the Crunchy Kale Salad and the Sesame Kale Macro Bowl. (Yes, I have a thing for kale.) Tonight, I tried the roasted chile taco trio and a side of sweet potato fries (above) and topped it all off with a big glass of pure, unsweetened watermelon juice. Mmm...so good. One of the things I love about Boulder is that it's super easy to eat healthily, even while dining out. After a long day at work, a homemade meal isn't always in the cards, so it's nice to have options.

I'll leave you with a couple things that I've been enjoying lately.

Mary Beth LaRue's musings

Ladies of Castor & Pollux (via Heidi Swanson)

Madelyn Mulvaney on creativity

These Things I've Learned in 30 Years ...she is just my favorite

Justin's Maple Almond Butter (based in Boulder!)

Let My People Go Surfing

What are you loving these days?

xox

Instagram photo by me

 

We are in Boulder

...and life is sweet.

We could not be more in love with this place. It is everything we hoped for...and then some.

My favorite things so far:

Hiking almost every day in nearby Chautauqua Park//Mountain views everywhere you look//Mountain sunsets every night//Mountains...in general//Intensely blue skies//A varied and surprisingly lush landscape of mountain/desert flora//Feeling embraced by the warm and vibrant energy of the people here//The most amazing Whole Foods ever (that carries tons of local products!)//Iced almond chai lattes in the afternoon from local Bhakti Chai//Our light-filled apartment that is close to everything//Walking everywhere//The wonderfully colorful shops and restaurants of Pearl Street//Oatmeal brûlée topped with fresh berries at Snooze Eatery//The farmers' market (Oh. my. goodness. more on this soon.)//Homemade dinner and wine with best friends//Meeting my lovely new co-workers//Slowly exploring the local yoga community (there is SO much to explore here)//Long walks with the man and the pup

These are the highlights, but there is so much more. I am still absorbing and soaking it in, so I will leave it at this for now.

Lately

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Analiese on Pinterest

Skipping the gym in favor of hot vinyasa classes at my favorite yoga studio. Loving the peace of mind and detox effects that come with renewing my commitment to regular practice. Feeling a sense of health and a glow that only yoga brings me. Not missing the treadmill.

Slowing down the pace. Allowing myself the time and space to focus inward and take it easy. Writing more. Drawing more. Sitting down with this book and a cup of tea for several hours at a time.

Cooking homemade meals almost daily (a ritual that got a little bit lost in the craziness of the holidays). Trying new flavor combinations. Paying close attention to what I'm hungry for, and cooking nourishing meals that satisfy me with their warmth and depth of flavor. Paying less attention to strict ideas about "healthy" and "unhealthy" food, and instead, letting my body guide me toward what it needs.

Sending fewer emails, both work and personal. I'm lucky that my workplace instituted an "email savasana," meaning we make an effort to email minimally or not at all, instead connecting in person when we next see that person. It's amazing how much mental space an empty inbox has created. I've committed to regular in-person "check-ins" with my manager and my direct reports, and look forward to our catch-up sessions.

Listening to lots of new-to-me music and rediscovering old favorites.

Dreaming of the gourmet food shop I will open one day. It will feature local and sustainable products, and will serve as a community gathering spot for cheese tastings, cooking demos, and wine happy hours.

Saying no to social events in favor of quiet evenings in with the husband and dog. Sharing a homemade meal followed by a movie has become my ideal Friday evening.

Feeling a new softening and gentleness toward myself and others, deep in my soul.

You?

Saturday Inspiration: A Problem Worth Having

Yesterday was a much-needed time for solitude and introspection. After many consecutive days of appointments and obligations, I cleared my schedule as a day-long retreat from the world. A day that included many cups of tea, many pages written in my journal, and a leisurely solo grocery trip taken at a relaxed pace that allowed me to savor the process of choosing nourishing and wholesome foods for the weekend. Aside from my interactions with the grocery store clerk, I did not speak to another human soul (the dog doesn't count) until greeting my husband upon his return from work. The space and time I created to turn my focus toward my own heart - to hear my own voice amidst the chaos of the outside world - was so restorative. As with yin yang yoga (a stye that tempers active, warming yang poses with passive, cooling yin poses), I felt so beautifully balanced by the yin-paced day at the end of a decidedly yang week.

Today. Waking early, but staying in bed for some doggie and husband cuddling time. Freshly made coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with arugula and herbs. Smiling at the memory of last night's phone call with a best friend across the country, a conversation filled with laughter and plans for the future, spoken in that special shared language of a friendship that has withstood many years and miles. Feeling my energy revived and creativity renewed by yesterday's inner journey. Pulling up my new MacBook Air to engage in some delicious new projects, chief among them a business plan that speaks to a newly discovered career goal.

Perhaps it's the second cup of coffee (a weekend indulgence) or the crispness in the air, but I am feeling so alive and alert. Every fiber of my being is so eager to soak in new possibilities for doing and being.

I have been meditating a lot on something I heard said recently. I'm sure I'm not quoting verbatim, but it was along the lines of this:

"For most of us, the problem is not that we have problems. It's that our problems aren't big enough or worthy enough of our time and energy. If your problems in life are things like an ornery boss or a forgotten utility bill that's now doubled in size or the number of emails in your inbox, look carefully at what you're devoting your life to fixing. Are these the problems worth your life? No. Get a problem that's worth your life. Get a bigger problem."

The idea of getting a bigger problem - one devoting your life to - is sort of an interesting proposition, isn't it? What would be worth devoting your life to? This is the question I'm inspired by as I create new possibilities and new directions for myself this morning. The resistance is there of course. The voice that questions where I would find the time, the money, the resources, and the knowledge, to accomplish such lofty goals. Those, however, are small problems compared to, say, the problem of making the world a healthier, happier place to live. Or teaching people the power of goal-setting to change their lives. Or enabling a more sustainable and innovative private sector.

Take a second and ask yourself. What would be a problem worth having? Worth devoting your life to? What's the bigger purpose you're unable to see or hear through the noise and dust of the smaller problems in your life?

xox


Image via Valorie