I’ve been doing a lot of journaling/brainstorming/strategizing/soul-searching over the past few days, and rather than try to focus on creating something finished and pretty, I’m just hammering out raw, unedited thoughts. Thoughts about blogging, thoughts about business, thoughts about me and who I am, thoughts about what I stand for and what I value. About writing, and about stories. Between The Blogcademy (which has wiggled its way into every sentence to leave my mouth over the past 3 weeks), some major life changes, and ruKristin Papercraft’s Find Your Voice workshop (hello-oo fellow Kristin with an ‘i’! I make a mental note of our ranks, because I think we’re grossly outnumbered in the world) I’m finally getting things in my head organized about the person I am. For a while I think I lost sight of my goals and ambitions and frankly, didn’t give myself enough credit.

So here’s my friendly reminder to you: You are beyond awesome. You are an incredible, magical superstar full of energy and light who has so much to share with the world. What you have to offer is unique and valuable and you don’t deserve to settle. So get out there and kick butt!

♥ I cannot recommend Kristin’s Find Your Voice workshop enough. When I first heard about it I loved the idea, but didn’t think I could commit to something that sounded, frankly, so intense. But then I saw all of the wonderful things my friends were creating just through sitting down with themselves and thinking about it. Everyone should sit down at some point and evaluate themselves, their goals. And if I didn’t take charge and do it then it wasn’t going to magically make itself happen. Like I said before, it’s not pretty, it’s nothing dazzling, but it’s been a great way for me to take a look at who I am and what I value.
♥ I’ve been on the hunt for a nice set of colored pens, mainly to better color code my Filofax. And by nice I mean ones that won’t bleed through to the page behind. The pens I’m currently using are okay, but just some cheap, random colored pens I’ve had for eons. Plus, there’s only 5 of them so I’ve got to be pretty crafty with my coloring coding. I bought a pack of Stabilo .88 which are amazing to write with and have tons of colors, but they do bleed through to the back a bit. Ah well…but the colors are pretty!

♥ The Fascination Advantage Test. Take it. No really, it’s worth the money. Whether you’re trying to analyze your strengths and style for a particular goal or just want to understand how to turn on your natural charm and play to your strengths as a human being, it’s worth the brief 20-some questions. I know some of my key personality traits – I’m pretty reserved, detail-oriented, and consistent – but never really understood what value those characteristics had.

little loves
embracing my freckles ♥ grilled pineapples ♥ speaking up for myself ♥ Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, which I piggybacked on reading when Mum checked it out from the library ♥ thoughtful notes ♥ hilarious work antics with the most fun, loveliest ladies that I don’t see nearly as much as I should ♥Blogilates workouts that kick my butt ♥ grilled chicken & pineapple salads ♥ going to the same froyo shop not once but twice in a matter of hours ♥ uniting friends

What are you loving this week?