Every day when the sun rises, we have the choice to create our best life. Mornings tend to be my most favorite part of the day because they are full of possibilities. We have the chance to start fresh + a new blank slate lies ahead. April is National Stress Awareness Month + I think we owe it to ourselves to s l o w d o w n. HERE’S WHY...
Starting Chi Chi Life last year was an exciting leap of faith. Working for myself also creates the feeling of never “leaving the office”. Most people have the weekends off + last Fall I ran into the problem of taking on too much work with my teaching fitness, training people 1:1, Pilates Mat training + several event clients. I had 3 days off in 3 months. Often I worked nearly 16 hour days and I quickly ran myself into the ground. I promised myself when 2016 arrived, I wouldn’t let myself fall into that pattern again. I did this by establishing boundaries + learning how to feel more comfortable with saying “no”. I have a huge heart so I always want to be giving, doing, helping. However, I’ve been learning that it is essential to build downtime into my life.
When we create space, we allow the opportunity for new + magical experiences to show up. I used to feel like I wanted to have every moment planned to soak up the most in life but lately, I have actively carved out open time to ensure I recharge but also have the time to wander + explore.
Managing my schedule + time has been my largest challenge + the mantra of “start fresh” allows me to remember that I have the power to dictate how I spend my energy. The balancing act is certainly still a work in progress but I am so grateful I have the ability to create my own work.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Thích Nhất Hạnh quotes with I shared in my article feature on The Sweat Life. It goes: “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”