How to find Joy again {when life throws you lemons}

The other day while watching Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, the following quote came on the screen:

"Find a place inside where there is Joy, and the joy will burn out the pain". Joseph Campbell

I would be lying if I didn't admit to the fact that the past several weeks have been tough for me in a personal level. After coming back from a phenomenal summer in Washington D.C; and a nice vacation in Hawaii- a relationship that was very dear to me came to an end {once again}. I had the heart wrenching breakup talk and for weeks my world felt like it would crumble. If any of you have gone through a breakup you know the type of indescribable pain I am referring to. The tough part is that this was the same person with whom I was dealing at the beginning of the year. I wrote about the first breakup on this post.

We agreed to get back together only to call it quits again a few months later. I have heard somewhere that if something ends is good to let it go for good.  If something didn't work the first time around, what would make us assume that things would be different the next time? Obviously there are circumstances where people get back together and things are so phenomenal that they stay together for good. However, my personal experiences have made me conclude that those circumstances are the exception, not the norm. People rarely ever change. Hence, we have to accept people for exactly as they are or let them go.

Nonetheless, such is life my friends! No need to wallow in sorrow and self-pity for the rest of our lives. If there is one thing I have learned in my thirty years on this earth is that life is full of ups and downs and I remain an optimistic person whom looks forward to a phenomenal and amazing future. So, stay strong during the tough times and remember this: everything is temporary! The sun will shine again.

As I am finally recovering from that pain and I am on my way to the "other side", I want to share with you guys the top 10 things that have worked for me in bringing me back to joy:

1. Be around people that love you unconditionally: I must confess that I practically moved in to my parents house after things ended. I have my own place but it was kind of depressing to be home alone, specially during the evening hours. I had plenty of time to nourish my soul by having talks with my mom (whom was such a support system for me) and fed myself back to happiness while enjoying some homemade goodies and being around the people that I know love me no matter the circumstances. I also went on runs with my sister and made sure I kept in to contact with my best friends, whom also offered words of encouragement. Even if you live away from family or loved ones- make an effort to reach out to the people in your life that you know will always be there for you. Simple phone calls or a venting email can go a long way!

My sister and I after a 4 mile run/bike ride the other day

2. Get some exercise in to your life- Immediately: I must admit that the last thing you want to do when you feel miserable is put on your workout gear and move anywhere. However, I eventually talked myself in to hitting the gym. The endorphins that come from a nice run, a brisk walk, or even some quality time with the elliptical are phenomenal. Exercise and sweat can definitely be the best medicine. As that infamous instagram quote says: "I really regret that workout" -said no one, ever.

3. Make a conscious effort to eat good, clean food: Eating like crap will only make you feel good for about two seconds. Food is fuel and is amazing how it can be used to heal everything and anything, and that includes a sad mood. Eat for happiness! Some foods that have been proven to boost your mood include: Dark chocolate, salmon, walnuts, spinach, grilled chicken, avocado, Greek yogurt, green tea, berries!

4. Keep Busy: This is the time to excel at work and go above and beyond. Working can often be the best distraction. Even if you "hate" your job, it can be a blessing during tough times. Even if you are unemployed, this is the perfect time to give your all to that business idea that has been lingering in your head for ages. Take a leap of faith. They say the best business ideas on earth usually emerge during tough times. Check out this great article on the Entrepreneur website.  

5. Loose yourself in a favorite hobby: This may go hand in hand with the above. However if you have a hobby that you love be it outdoor running, bike riding, readings books or magazines, traveling, or anything in between, this may be the time to loose yourself in that. For me personally, there are a bunch of books I've been meaning to read and some overdue magazines that have been sitting in my apartment for months! Perfect time to catch up on the things I love.

6. Find your "Happy Places" and spend time there: What places bring you joy just because? Many of us have places where we love spending time. We may have no clue why we love  those places but they simply bring us joy. For me personally some of those places include: Barnes and Noble, the library, browsing around stores such as TJMax or Marshalls, my parents house. What places bring you joy?

7. Write out your goals for the future: There is no better feeling than to sit down with a pen and paper and write out exactly what you want for your future. You can go sit at a local Starbucks and write away! For some reason putting pen to paper in a journal feels "nicer" than typing it out on a computer. However, do whatever works for you! First list your plans for what you want everything from relationships to career plans. Then elaborate plans of action to make those things become a reality. If you want to take it to the next level, why not create a vision board with the things that you want for your future ?!(more on that coming soon).

8. Take a break, Focus on yourself again: I've decided to learn to love myself again , pamper myself, and be selfish. Its been a while since I've done that and this is the perfect time. This doesn't mean I cant meet new people and/or make new friends but I feel that is the perfect time for some "soul searching" and to start my path towards what I really want and what's really meant to be in my life. I encourage you to do the same!

9. Know in your heart that everything will be okay and amazing things are ahead: Never, ever, ever let anyone steal your joy or your expectations for a phenomenal future. Someone may have tried to steal your happiness temporarily but no one on this earth should have the right to strip you away from knowing that your future is bright and amazing. Don't give anyone that much power over you--ever!

10. Feel Gratitude for the things you have in your life: When things aren't going "perfect" we tend to forget that we have so much to be thankful for. For some reason humans have  a tendency to focus on the few things that are going wrong instead of focusing on the things that are going right---which is usually a much larger percentage. I am guilty of this myself but I am quickly changing my ways by realizing that God has been very good to me. It would be a shame for me to forget all the good things in my life (and everything I've been protected from! things happen for a reason)-- and the same goes for you, my friend!

Hope these tips help someone out there. If you have tips that have worked for you personally I would LOVE to hear them. Comment below or send me an email at dolcemabelle@gmail.com. :)
Thank you for reading <3

Fortunate Friday {New Beginnings Edition}

Hi!!

Many of you may be thrilled today is finally Friday. Although Fridays are always great today is a little bittersweet for me because is my last Friday in NYC. Next week I will be starting a new life (even if temporary) in a whole 'nother state. This is what I love about life: That it is unpredictable and sometimes serendipitous-- you never know what will happen to you tomorrow or the next day or the next month. Today you can be sitting at your local café and a year from today you can be exploring the wall of china with your husband and new baby. Life can be so random and that's why we love it.

Anyways, enough rambling. This was a week of a lot of activity. I finally purchased everything I needed for my trip (including luggage) so now is just a matter of packing and putting everything together.

Here is what I feel fortunate for this week:

1. An AMAZING canoe trip this past Saturday. We had such a great time. It was my very first time getting in a canoe and I almost didn't do it. In all honesty, I was scared of falling over or going down some crazy waterfall/rapids and not being able to survive (a vivid imagination can be brutal). However, once I realize how calm the water was and how  safe everything was I was able to calm down, chat, and enjoy quality time. Would definitely do this again.

2. Finished buying every single thing I needed for my trip. I went to target and went a little crazy/over-confident grabbing stuff only because I had about 3 gift cards with me. When I got to the cashier I even had to stop her midway through the ringing up of my stuff to ask her if the balance was accurate (yes, it was that crazy!)...$150 on "Basics" seemed unreal. Thankfully the gift cards brought my balance down to $25 bucks.  You don't know how fortunate I felt that very second!! Halleluiah.

3. More quality time with friends-- I kinda' made it an "unwritten" plan to see as many of my friends and loved ones as possible before I leave to VA/DC. Thankfully, that's exactly what happened. I saw 3 of my very close friends and got to catch up during dinner or a leisure lunch. Great times indeed. Here is a pic with my friend Ana and I:

 

 

Dinner with my Friend Yosie involved this delicious salad:

4. The fact that my internet is still working! I was under the impression my cable company was going to cut off everything today but is still going and I am able to write this post. Yeyy. So yeah, I cut off all bills in my apartment while I am gone. 'Gotta save as much as I can.

5. Fitness-- I know I say this almost every week but being able to keep up an exercise regime has kept me sane and feeling good these past weeks. Sometimes we forget how amazing endorphins are when we go through our "leisure hiatus phases" as I like to call it.

6. My parents-- (yes, again) they came this week to help me clean out and rearrange some stuff from my apartment before I leave. They seriously cant be any more amazing.

And that's all folks! I am going to leave it at that although I am sure I can think of a lot more stuff (there is always something to be thankful for). I have a few more errands to run and I woke up a little on the later side today so I am looking forward to making the best out of this day. Next time I post it may or may not be from another state (we shall see)!

Tell Me, What was the best part of YOUR week? Any plans for the weekend?

Another Goal crossed off the list: MBA Completed!!!

Hey Everyone,

I can finally say that I am finally living the "calm before the storm". I started an MBA degree part time back in the spring of 2010. Although I often felt like I would never finish, I have to be honest in that I took it slow and steady. I never took more than 2 classes per semester and didn't always take summer classes. However, when I realized during the fall of 2013 that I could actually finish my degree if I took up four classes the following semester I decided to suck it up and do it. And so I did. As one of those sayings go "don't delay happiness".

If you are a close family member or friend you can be a testament to how difficult getting his degree has been for me and how many sacrifices I had to endure in order to get through semesters. From missing celebratory events of loved ones to having my laptop and books with me during vacations or mothers day/fathers day celebrations, to crying by myself at night feeling alone and wondering whether so much sacrifice would be worth it. But one thing is for sure. The support from my parents, my sister and friends was always incredible. And that means the world.

Despite my love and passion for finance I have to be honest in that my most difficult and challenging classes where all finance related (note: finance was my concentration!). There were times where I either wanted to quit because of how difficult things would get and I have to admit there were a couple of times where I would fear I would fail a class (I have never failed a class in my entire life *knock on wood*). However, thanks to a whole lot of focus, determination, and most importantly-- prayers; I managed to pass each and every single one of my finance courses as well as all other courses I took on. I maintained a GPA over 3.0+ during my entire MBA career which was no easy task working full time and going to school at night.

Today I can finally add the "MBA" designation next to my name and I am also incredibly excited for what's to come in my life. I am so incredibly lucky to be starting an internship with one of my favorite companies this summer (will share more about that soon) doing what I LOVE. And after that, the sky is the limit. I am not sure what exactly is going to happen in my life going forward but all I know is that I have goals, plans, and an incredibly good feeling for what's to come. Instincts never lie!

Something I am very proud of is that I was able to finish this degree with very minimal debt. I was lucky enough that when I started this degree I worked for an employer that was paying for my courses. When I changed employers, although they didn't pay for the courses, I was almost done with the MBA and I managed to work out my finances in a way where I was able to  keep loans at a minimum. I plan to start paying back ASAP and have a clean slate once again. I also welcome donations if any one out there wants to be a generous soul :)

Now that school is behind me I will have more time to blog and do the things I enjoy. I have so much catching up to do and looking forward to it. Thank you for reading and cheers to new beginnings!

I forgot to mention this but my MBA is in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

Additional Photos:

The Ceremony:

 

Dad and I:

Grandma and I:

 

Couple of classmates I found (we were all scattered!):

 

 

 

Mom and I:

 

"Mystery" ensemble under the gown (dress from express):

 

...And in honor of my favorite author whom passed away this week, may God rest her soul. I leave you with a very relevant quote:

Like her, I don't want to just live. I want to THRIVE and leave this world with a legacy that can continue on for generations. Thank you Maya for the gifts you gave to this world!... Lets get this show on the road.

Tell me: What is your favorite Maya Angelou quote?

Love,

Mabel A. Nunez, MBA

:)

Fortunate Fridays {Gym and School Edition}

Hey Everyone!!

So I "survived" my first week of "unemployment" and LOVED. IT. Caught up on sleep, went to the gym, and spent a whole lot of time at school and finishing up final projects and presentations. I cant say I loved the latter much but I am happy that school is almost over so god willing this will all be a distant memory in the very near future.

I am not done with final projects until next week and still working on this as I write this so I'll be brief on this one. So, without further 'ado here is what I feel fortunate for this week {including but not limited to}:

1. Catching up on serious sleep and feeling refreshed!

2. More time to prep and enjoy yummy foods:

3. Working out almost every day this week. One of the workouts included my sister :) We went for a quick run mid-day and it was amazing:

4. Getting an A on my consulting project presentation & paper (and I am praying this also means an A in the class ;)...I truly had an amazing team for this project. Couldn't have done it without them. Here are some pics I took pre-presentation:

5. Also, doing great and completing a presentation for my Business Policy course. Now all we have to worry about is finishing the paper.

6. Spontaneous trip to Walmart. Minus the fact that I spent two much money; I am absolutely loving the new rugs I got for my kitchen {Sorry I cant seem to be able to rotate these pics :(}

 

7. Learning everyday to stay in the present (practice makes perfect!)

8. Getting myself flowers :)

9. Having a peaceful heart, a peaceful mind, and looking forward to what's to come!

And this week's favorite quote comes courtesy of "Oprah for Starbucks":

 

"The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want".

-Oprah Winfrey

Thanks for reading :) What are you feeling good about this week?

Fortunate Fridays {Feeling Good Edition}

Hello all!!!

A new Friday is upon us and I have a lot of things to feel fortunate for this week. At first I had to take a moment and think about it but I've found that when we focus our minds on gratitude the amount of things to be thankful/grateful/fortunate for is overflowing!!! Are you currently breathing and alive? That's kind of a big deal!!

Without further 'ado this is my fortunate for list of the week:

1. Today is my last day of work in a career that I did not enjoy. I cant even begin to express how amazing this feels.
2. The amazing opportunities and possibilities ahead
3. Casual talks that turn in to "omg if I hadn't found this out I would be screwed" type of conversations
4. Making it through this week :)

5. My dad whom drove me to queens over the weekend to complete a task for my consulting project (love this man!)

6. The fact that all I'll have to worry about in the upcoming weeks is Myself and school!!! <--- God is good!!!

Any plans for the weekend? For me it feels like most of my final projects are due next week so I'll be spending a lot of time on school work and likely at one of my favorite places. I also want to clean my entire apartment (like, inside out serious cleaning) and my mom offered to help so I'm happy about that :)

Tell me, what was the best thing that happened to you this week?

My absolute favorite quote this week:

Love,

Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {The Week I did something daring}

This week was full of surprises and I kept calling it my "best week ever YET" in my head.

I am feeling so much better about everything (one day at the time).
I have a feeling a lot of amazing things are in store.

And here is what I am feeling fortunate for this week--

{Including but not limited to}:

1. I FINALLY had the courage to quit my job after 8+ years in the industry and knowing (long ago) that this is not a field I wanted to be in (ahhhh!!!!!!) <--More on this coming up. I have A LOT to say on this one. Long post coming up. 5.21.14

2. My mom returned safe and sound from the Dominican Republic (and brought goodies)

3. The fact that I am learning how to be resilient in life, which is a great trait to have

4. I am currently doing business consulting for a company called "Brooklyn Sesame" and got some freebies during one of the meetings. Not only that but I ran in to the product at my local Whole Foods. #socool

 

 

 

5. Running again and reminding myself how incredibly AMAZING endorphins are :). I think I mentally solved all my problems after a few nice runs at the gym this week. Is incredible how perspective can switch to something positive after a couple of sweaty miles.

6. My sister is my new neighboor! And she came to visit me :) Love, love, love having her so close!

7. Spring break was over this week but the majority of my classes were cancelled! We are now on the last stretch of the semester! And school!

Now is friday afternoon and simply enjoying some yummy berries while wrapping up the work week.

 

 Quote of the week:

Tell me, what are YOU feeling fortunate for this week? Weekend plans?

Thoughts from the Soul Thursday

I went through a painful breakup recently.

It took me some time to realize that it was over considering I still lingered with the idea of getting back together. I would wake up and constantly think about what I could have, should have, or shouldn’t have done and with incredible feelings of regret that would try to take over my mind at least every 5 minutes. The pain and suffering came as contractions. I haven’t had a baby yet but from my understanding; contractions first come slowly and then come very close together until eventually the birth happens (this is a very condensed version). 

 

In my case, and as it probably is in these kind of situations, it was the other way around. The contractions right after the breakup where VERY close together. I would be perfectly okay for a few minutes and then the excruciating pain, suffering; regret would come again-- Unannounced and aggressively. One of the main reasons for this was the fact that I remained hopeful that things would turn around. Although being hopeful brought some brief relieve; it wasn't long until the pain would gear its ugly head again. I soon realized holding on to the idea of what we were was not taking me anywhere.

The good thing about any kind of significant suffering in life is that time heals everything. Things may hurt like no tomorrow for some time until they no longer have an effect on us. I am not here to sugar coat anything. Memories hurt. The idea of "what could have been" hurts. Having to fill the void of someone you got so accustomed to hurts. Deleting future plans from your mind hurts. The thought of waking up in the morning and having to face reality hurts. For some time even going to sleep on an empty bed hurt like hell. But then it doesn’t hurt anymore. And that’s probably one of the most liberating feelings in the world! Welcome peace, & serenity. Welcome. I missed you.

The bad news—having to pick up the pieces of your heart, put them back together, and live again. The best part? Living again! Is all how you look at it, see? I was so consumed in this relationship that things that made me happy took a back seat. In other words, I stopped doing every single thing that brought me joy when I was single: Running, blogging, reading magazines, watching my favorite shows, being joyful and optimistic, planning for the future. I don’t blame him for that. I blame myself. Why? Because I replaced all those things that brought me joy with a person and then I expected that one person to bring me just as much (or more joy) than the things that intrinsically made me happy when I was on my own. If that’s not the key to unhappiness I don’t know what is.

Yes. There were red flags from the very beginning. We started off as friends and I knew the type of person he was prior to us getting romantically involved. However, in love you take chances and that’s what I did and I don’t regret it. In retrospect, I knew better but I decided to listen to my heart and you know what--- that’s TOTALLY okay. Is life. Life ends. We have to live it. I just have to remember to take my brain with me next time I want to jump in to something without a parachute.

One of the main things I learned from this relationship:

1. My happiness depends on me and me alone. Giving up the things that made me happy and replacing them with a person and then placing the responsibility on that person to make me happy will only take me down one road (the one I was on when things ended).

2. People are who they are and they don’t change. The more we push a person to change the more complicated things will get and the more arguments that will arise. People change when THEY want to change and IF they want to never because anyone is forcing them to be a certain way. We either accept the person as they are, put up with whatever it is that bother us and "hope" that one day things will change…or we simply walk away.

3. If you can clearly identify a pattern of the type of people that constantly break your heart; you’ve won 80% of the battle! (The other 20% is not falling in to the same pattern again).

4. It is true what they say--- never, ever, ever, go to bed angry with your significant other. If its someone you want a long term future with (otherwise, who cares ;).

For some time I wanted to hold on because the idea of letting go and starting fresh was too painful. The idea of transition was painful. Today I accept that I had to go through that pain but also realize that the pain was illogical because I wasn’t happy, most of the time I was miserable, and I knew it! Yet I still wanted to hold on to the idea of what "could be". And that was probably my biggest misconception.

So how did I heal? It wasn’t easy at first and it takes time but I promise you that the other side is wonderful and it will wait for you with open arms.

"When someone leaves is because someone else is about to arrive". -Coelho

The strangest thing is that once that was over someone asked me out almost immediately. The person that asked me out didn’t even know I had a boyfriend so it had nothing to do with me announcing to the world that I was ‘newly single’. Although I was very flattered I declined because it was too soon and I knew in my heart that I needed some time to heal and be okay on my own again. My point is that I am almost certain that when we finally let go of something that’s not currently meant to be in our lives we open up the doors for things that should be. I like to think of it as clearing the space for my true destiny—whatever that may be. And It may be scary but is also exciting.

Exciting > Scary

Until I am ready to date again and reunite with the love of my life I will be keeping occupied by doing the following activities; including but not limited to:

Working out




Cleaning out my fridge (and my apartment) of any reminders of that person




Going grocery shopping for fresh produce! Goodbye orange juice!




Food prepping




Writing out a workout schedule for myself




Planning trips to visit people around the US



Planning dates with my friends (the ones who remain)




Watching my favorite shows while browsing my favorite magazines




Learning to cook with mom




Spending quality time with family and loved ones



Taking care of myself inside and out





Meditating (Finnally try some Yoga?!)



Meeting new friends




Meeting new people



Moving forward

The future is bright!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am happy. One day this will be a very distant memory. I choose Joy :)

I share this not for any kind of pity but because I am sure there is someone out there that can relate and make feel peace from reading this right now. We are never alone!

As for my ex, he is not a bad person. I hold no grudges. I have no regrets. Maybe we will go back to being good friends or maybe we’ll go back to being acquaintances or maybe the future may have different plans for us. Maybe the love will blossom again one day under different circumstances. Only God knows!

One thing I know for sure is that when people are meant to end up together there is nothing that will keep them apart and when they are not, the opposite is also true. So I move forward in peace, leaving the rest in God’s hands and with this, I finally let go and and I fly...

Fortunate Fridays (Last Friday of March 2014 Edition)

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing well. Back on the blog to say hello and to bring back one of my favorite features which I stopped doing some time ago, most likely due to time constraints: Fortunate Fridays! I have been reading and listening to a lot resources on happiness lately. To be quite honest, I was looking to learn more about the subject and cheer myself on regarding some less-than-happy moments during the past week.

As much as we sometimes feel alone with what happens to us in this world the absolute truth is that we ALL go through difficult times. The times make get so difficult that we wonder how the heck we will keep on going. Well, guess what, just we all go through pain we all go through happiness and I am a firm believer that happy moments last much longer than any less-than-happy ones (thank god for that!). So, is just a matter of staying strong through the storm. A BEAUTIFUL rainbow awaits on the other side. Trust that. Just hold on to your faith (whichever form that may come in) and stay strong.

One common theme in all of this happiness research focuses on the idea of being grateful and thankful. One specific Ted Talk, based on studies, actually indicated that gratitude brings happiness and not necessarily the other way around. I can totally see that and I have to agree! So, without further 'ado, here are some of the top things which I can be feel fortunate/grateful for this pass week:

1. God & Faith 
2. Friendships
3. The FACT that we can all choose how we feel and although it may be tough at first (and comes with practice) eventually we realize that:

"Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it".

4. Online resources on absolutely anything we may need at any given moment
5. Motivating and oh-so-uplifting sermons by TD Jakes & Joel Osteen
6. Being happy now + looking forward to a [maybe] uncertain but certainly AMAZING future.
7. Having my mom in my life and the way shes always there no matter what. Now that I am older, she's becoming a friend much more than just a mother.
8. Remaining optimistic against all odds

...And for some reason [ironically enough] I feel I can go on and on but I will stop right there :)


Tell me, what are you feeling fortunate for this week?

August Recap: Some Deep Stuff

So I don't know if its because I just finished a long run this morning (nearly 6 training miles) but I am ready to pass out!

Me Being Silly:

I came to my favorite Saturday morning spot: a Barnes and Noble/Starbucks that's near my apartment. I LOVE this place. I swear the only thing keeping me from passing out on this wooden bench is my grande coffee and fear of embarrassment.

As I sit here I am trying to remember what the heck happened this past month because it seems like such a blur ! Time continues to pass us by, my friends. As one of my favorite quotes says: "If you are worried about whether or not you should do something because it may take too much time: Know that time will pass by anyway". (or something among those lines!). Note to self: Google quote and find out who said it.

OK so for this post, I figured I'd focus on the five top "significant" events of this past month. Although I may not have updated the blog as often as I should have; I went through a few events which I feel where significant "transition" periods in my personal growth. 

I seriously feel more confident, stronger, fearless; and all of these have been more INTERNAL changes which have started manifesting themselves externally. Some of the points I will note below probably deserve their whole entire post so I may briefly summarize some of them and elaborate more on future entries. Please bare with me!

1. Finished my 30 day Meatless-challenge successfully: This is one that deserves its own post. However, I'd like to quickly point out that this was a pure success! I fiished strong with my 30-day challenge around 08/04 (zero meat for 30 days). During the past few weeks I've started re-introducing chicken but mostly chicken that I prep at home or eat at my mom's house. My desire to order chicken at restaurants and anywhere else outsize my home has completely subsided, borderline disappeared and it feels so good! When I prep my own chicken/meat and it comes from a place I trust I feel better about eating it. I look for hormone-free, grass fed meat for the most part and I think this may be something I'll carry out for the long term. *I did make the mistake of ordering a chicken wrap at a quiznos about a week ago and it was so horrible that it just strengthened my mission to let go of "fast food chicken/meat" for lack of a better phrase.

2. Ran a whole lot (every other day 2.5-5.5 miles average) and continued my strength training (my arms are toned!): No explanation needed! Only that I feel stronger, my stamina continues to strengthen, and my fitness level continues to improve. So incredibly thankful for my legs, my lungs, my heart, my entire body and all the work they do for me. My body-image and self-esteem has reached new, incredible heights. I'm learning to see my body with different eyes. I may not be Adriana Lima but I have a body that can do amazing things and that's simply, priceless. "If you have health, you have everything". 

3. Decided to adopt a "Guilt-Less" eating mentality: Although I strive to eat balanced, wholesome  healthy foods that are good for my body around 80-90% of the time; up until recently I still struggled with feelings of "guilt" when I reached for a candy bar (usually out of boredom), ate too many chips in front of the television after dinner, or had 1 too many servings of my mom's food or bowls of cereal, just to name some examples. Well, I've realized that a lot of this "extra" eating arise from certain triggers (sadness, boredom, occasional loneliness, anxiety, etc.). I know what my triggers are (thanks to years of food-journaling) and I know that there is nothing wrong with me. People deal with things in different ways and I know this is something I can consciously work on. However, I have decided to STOP feeling guilty about these things. Its not easy at first but when I find myself thinking "oh man! I shouldn't have eaten all that candy" or "why did I just eat all that food?" I STOP myself and let the harming thought "pass me by". I have been watching some meditation videos which have thought me that, when it comes to those kind of thoughts; is okay to "acknowledge" their presence and then LET THEM GO. And that's what I've been doing and is working wonders. Still a work in progress but I shall discuss this more in the future. 

4. Took the initiative to end something that was not adding significant to my life: Wow! This was kinda' hard. But in a nutshell, I had been dating someone on and off for about 9 months. He was (is) a wonderful guy and I was having a lot of fun. However, I knew from the beginning that something was "off". He wasn't contributing anything significant to my life, other than occasional dates, which where in fact fun. But his actions were often misleading and one day I woke up and realized that I needed to move on and let go of that. So, I had the "talk" and pretty much layed out that, although I feel he is a wonderful person, we are better off as friends. I cant begin to tell you what a RELIEVE I felt after that. Although I did have some feelings for this person i realized that's not the person I meant to be with and so, I let that go and it was a huge weight off my shoulders! There is more of a "back ground" story to this but I just want to share how amazing it feels to let go of something that is not meant for you.

5. Told someone how I felt about them, expecting nothing in return <--- this was hard and so incredibly liberating at the same damn time). This deserves its own post. HUGE milestone for me and something I've never really done before. This story is still "developing". But my heart is happy just because I finally allowed it to speak!

6. Learned to care less about people's opinion (AND IM SO MUCH HAPPIER). Need I say more??? This is still a work in progress but such a HUGE step on the right direction for me. As another one of my favorite quotes says: "when you stop caring what people think, you've already taken the first step towards success". Not sure who said this either but love it.

7. Finally learned (learning?) to rely more on my instincts and quiet the noise around me (goes hand in hand with trusting myself more about certain things rather than asking a million people about their opinions and ending up even more frustrated).

8. The LOVE for my parents grew even more: this is random but they went on vacation and I missed them terribly. I was so happy when they came back. I just figured this deserved to be on the list.

  9. Spent some quality time with good AMAZING friends, strengthening bonds. Check out the Blast from the 90s post. I also met up with another group of great friends at central park last weekend. Here are some photos:

*We played "cards against humanity" and some other silly games. Had a blast, met some new people, enjoyed a gorgeous summer day in NYC. Life is good. 

Ok peoples, there you have it. Cheers to Agust 2013. Its been real! Cant believe we are soon entering the "-ber months", as I like to call them (September, October  November ..) and my absolute 'fave month of every year: December! 

However, lets not get carried away. My mission for the upcoming months/days: to live in the present moment as much as possible, to strengthen my internal-trust, and to be patient & enjoy the journey <3