When people hear I work from home, their eyes light up. Almost dreamily they tell me, “That must be amazing! You can wake up whenever you want. Wear whatever you want. Work whenever you want. You’re lucky!” 
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motivation
Three Things I Want You To Know Today
1. You Can Do It 
No matter what it is you’re facing, you can do it. I don’t care if it has to do with your health, your job, school, life, food, unicorns, or finally defeating that last level in that video game you pretend you know nothing about when it comes up in conversation because you’ve wasted so many hours playing, you can do it. It might take some hard work, a few tears, and some less than classy phrases, but know that you can do it.
2. It’s Ok NOT To Do It 
On the other hand, there are times when it’s ok to not do the thing. In a world of social media, we are constantly getting the message that we need to do something great, something big, something more, something better and while that is awesome it can also be a little paralyzing. Maybe everyone you know is traveling the world but you hate traveling. Don’t feel like to be worthy you need to suddenly pack your bags and head to the Sahara Desert. Are all your friends getting married or having babies and that’s just not where you’re at in your life? Totally fine. You don’t HAVE to do the thing. It’s ok to be you and do what gives you joy.
3. Enjoy It 
I took a walk yesterday because it was absolutely gorgeous out and it would have been a crime not to take a walk along the lake. As I was walking, I started thinking about all the things that I needed to do for the week and all the things I wanted to do which of course led to thinking about where my life is going and what I want from the future and getting excited/nervous for things to come or that might not come… and then I paused. I was completely ignoring the beauty around me at that moment. There was a wonderful breeze, the lake was a beautiful blue-green, families were laughing and playing and eating picnics, the sun was warm on my skin but I wasn’t sweating buckets (a small miracle), and life at that moment was good. By constantly focusing on the future we often forget to enjoy the ride. You will get to where you need to be, I promise, but in the meantime don’t forget enjoy each moment because you don’t get them back in the end.
Sure, these might be cliche pieces of advice but sometimes you just need to hear them one more time before they sink in.
Happy Monday everyone!
Health Vs. Wellness
These two concepts are so intertwined that it’s very easy to think that they are the same thing. If you’re healthy you’re well and if you’re well you’re healthy.
That can be true but it can also be a lie and so many of us are busy chasing healthy that we often forget about the wellness. I know I did.
Healthy is eating the “cleanest” or “best” food available even if you don’t enjoy it.
Wellness is eating in a way that you can sustain and brings you joy AND good health.
Healthy is slogging through another draining workout even though you hate it because it’s what you have to do to in order to be healthy.
Wellness is finding the movement that your body loves and makes you feel full of energy and allows you to do what you want the most.
Healthy is ignoring the voice in the back of your head that is telling you you’re miserable doing this even though it’s “what’s best for your health”.
Wellness is honoring all of your thoughts and feelings and making a change in order to not only be the healthiest you but the happiest you.
Health is so personal and we all have different versions of it. What looks healthy for me won’t necessarily look healthy for you. It’s important to find your healthy though so you can also find your wellness.
And don’t forsake your wellness in a dogged pursuit of health.
Your body will let you know what works and what doesn’t, you just have to listen and make adjustments. And it’s ok if what makes you feel your healthiest isn’t what everyone else is doing. You aren’t a failure and you aren’t doing it wrong. This journey is going to be life long and you’ll change and adjust and tweak as you go. Roll with this changes and give yourself what you need in that moment and your health, and wellness will thank you for it.
More Than My Butt
“Hey! You have a nice butt!”
I was walking to the store on a Friday afternoon, not really paying attention to the people around me.
“You in the purple shirt! Nice butt!”
That caught my attention. I was wearing a purple shirt. I turned towards the voice, expecting some guy to be standing there and was shocked to see a boy. A boy that couldn’t have been more than 12 maybe 13 or 14 if we’re pushing it. He was surrounded by 3 or 4 of his friends and they were all snickering as he gave me a thumbs up and then raced off to do something else.
I didn’t think much of it because sadly, this isn’t the first time that someone, usually a male, has felt the need to audibly comment on some part of my body. But as I walked on I started thinking, “Why is a boy that young talking about my butt?”
Probably a million reasons. His friends were egging him on, he sees it in the media all the time, he’s watched other boys/men do it in real life, he really like butts, he has no filter from his brain to his mouth… The list could go on and on. And it’s a sad list. It’s sad that this is what both women and men have been reduced to.
Body parts.
Think about it. Everything is aimed at certain aspects of a person but never the whole person. Magazines tout the latest workout for sexy abs or the newest diet for lean thighs or what you need to do to get bulging biceps. We look at celebrities and covet certain body parts. I wish I had Jennifer Lopez’s butt or Taylor Swifts abs or Heidi Klum’s legs. If I was as ripped as Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds, all the ladies would want me.
We, me included, always pick and nag at our “worst” attributes. I want my stomach to be flatter. Everything I do needs to be working towards getting a flatter stomach. We never take the time to look at a body as a whole machine. Something that works together with all the parts to be one awesome mechanism. It’s always about the one part that doesn’t work or look the way we want it to.
Enough.
I am not my butt. I am not my abs. I am not my arms, thighs, or chin. I am Katie, a human person that is so much more than any one part of me. And so are you. Everyone is more than just a body part and all of us need to start seeing that. To look at people as a whole. To drop the nitpicking over our one flaw.
That woman walking down the street is not a giant pair of legs.
That man sitting next to you isn’t a huge abdominal.
They are whole humans and they deserve to be treated that way. So start by treating your own body as a whole being and then spread that idea to the other people you meet. Maybe, we can start making a difference.
The Power of Your Mind
Do you ever feel like you get trapped in your own mind? It sounds weird, but the mind is a pretty powerful thing and mine can be my worst enemy sometimes. 
I feel like I’ve been in a little bit of a funk lately and my mind is largely to blame. It keeps telling me things that aren’t true and it’s tough not to believe them sometimes. Like, I’m not good enough, strong enough, creative enough, special enough, healthy enough…. the list honestly goes on and on. Every time I try to be positive, the little voice in my head has to bring me down. 
Of course, it isn’t constant and I do have my good moments or days where I feel completely in control, but that voice is just lurking back there waiting for a moment of weakness to pounce. What’s worse is that I know how easy it would be to just give in because I’ve done that before. It’s pretty simple to let your mind tell you you’re worthless. To tell you that you don’t measure up to everyone around you. To convince you that you are just an average, mundane, run-of-the-mill human being. There’s almost a weird comfort in knowing that you can never be great because then you don’t have to try. 
But as much as I want to just let my mind take over and go on auto-pilot, I’m going to fight it. Because I’m NOT just an average, mundane, run-of-the-mill human being and neither are you. Don’t let anyone, even yourself, tell you that. It’s tiring to struggle with something that is so internal, something that you can’t see, but every ounce of effort you put into that struggle is completely worth it. 
Some of you reading this might have no clue what I’m talking about. You might think I’m a little strange for going to battle against my mind but the people who needed to read this will understand. They will get that fight and I hope this encourages them to know that not only are they not alone, they’re strong enough to keep going. To keep fighting. And to one day…
Win. 
Life Healthfully Lived 