Blog

10.22.18

What’s Your Legacy

Going to the Louis Vuitton exhibition got my mind thinking about what kind of legacy people leave.

Not just when a life ends, but when you move to a new country or city, when you leave a job, when you end a friendship, when you end a relationship, what will your legacy be?

What I realized that made me so excited is that it’s TOTALLY up to US! We get to DECIDE what kind of impression we make on people, the choices we make, how we carry ourselves – it’s all SHAPED by us. It doesn’t have to be a globally recognizable legacy, it could be more similar to the song sung by Brad Paisley, “The World”.

Then I started thinking about how a legacy is created and I realized it’s made of a few simple things.

Your Thoughts

which lead to

Your actions

which leads to

How you make others feel

which essentially makes up

YOUR LEGACY

A legacy isn’t something you have to stress over and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s simply the long term impression you leave people with – typically after you have departed the situation. You can start building your legacy TODAY! It’s as easy as considering your choices and how the impact the perception of you and is that perception aligned with who you are and who you want to be.

10.05.18

Getting a Better Connection

Two weeks ago a crazy windstorm arrived on our doorstep around 9pm. About 30 minutes later the power went out…and stayed out…for almost 3 solid days.

We were a little frustrated especially when we realized the water wouldn’t work because of the power being out, but it wasn’t that bad. What I noticed over those three days though was even though we had a lack of connection – no power running through the circuit connections, no wifi connection, no satellite connection, we had a better CONNECTION…to each other.

We saw more of my family because they still had power, so they invited us over for meals. Most of the town had power even though the homes didn’t. Which meant lots of people were in town to eat, use the internet, etc. Even just in the house we had more communication because we weren’t distracted by our devices. My favorite connection was the one with myself, where I had time to just think, because I wasn’t “required” to be online, on instagram, working on something, or some other excuse I impose on myself to give myself stress about social media.

No one wants to give up electricity indefinitely. But not having it for a few days really gave me an appreciation for connection – and for the simple luxury of electricity when the power was restored. Now that I’ve had this experience I’m going to work on a couple things to try and take what I learned from those three days:

Try not to lean on technology so heavily as a distraction for my mind.
Enjoy the COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION with my family and people I care about and put my phone away when we’re spending time together.
Appreciate the little things – like electricity. Sometimes it seems so commonplace, but it really is amazing.

What do you do to unplug?

09.28.18

Following a Dream to Paris – The Long Way

We went to the Louis Vuitton Time Capsule in Toronto to celebrate the anniversary of Louis Vuitton coming to Canada! What I loved about this more than all the beautiful items was the story behind Louis Vuitton’s journey to success. He left his small hometown at 13 years old and set out for Paris. It took him over two years to get there are he worked to earn money and accommodations and then traveled a little farther. Finally making it to Paris and becoming a boxer’s apprentice at age 16. He then opened his own boxing business and then introduced luggage – as they say – the rest is history.

Here is what I love about this. He followed a dream. From that dream he set goals, took action, and created a magnificent legacy. What is most wonderful about the story of Louis Vuitton though, isn’t that he set out to become a famous luggage and handbag designer, but that he followed his dream of going to Paris, and from there found something he was good at and enjoyed and it resulted in a brand with more than a century of history. I believe this occurred because of his passion – that’s what built a legacy that still exists today.

You don’t have to enjoy Louis Vuitton to appreciate his journey and the effort he put into succeeding. There are stories like this from many facets of the world. What I love is when people discover their passion and they pursue it. It creates magic. This story is inspiring because it reminds us that even if we have to walk over 300 miles to achieving what we want, it’s possible.

Anything can be possible with some creativity, imaginative thinking, and the willingness to say “this is what I want” and to then go about doing it!

09.21.18

Kleinfeld Experience

I’m changing it up today and sharing a very special moment.

About five minutes after I got engaged my mum said to me, “So, when are we going to KLEINFELD’S?!’ We love to watch Say Yes To The Dress together, and so when it was my turn to be bride it was something we both were so excited about. So here’s the play-by-play of our days at Kleinfeld Bridal.

We went to Kleinfeld’s in Manhattan and we got a last minute appointment. When we arrived we checked into the waiting room and then after about 5 minutes Diane, the consultant, came out and started calling “Stevie!”. We then proceeded to the famous gray sofas and chatted all about what my wedding was going to be like and my “bridal vision”.

After that we strolled around the salon oohing and aching over Pnina’s and Hailey Paige’s designs. Diane pulled three dreamy gowns of varying styles for me to try, each of which was beautiful. I followed her back to the dressing rooms and we began the whirl of tulle, taffeta, lace, and sparkles!

It was truly a whirlwind. The hour and a half appointment felt like 5 minutes and an eternity all at the same time.

I ended up trying on three dresses (I know, just three!) the first one was almost all lace details, but it had long sleeves and as soon as I came out to the main salon we knew it wasn’t the one. Which was a little concerning, because it was the one I had been thinking of! But then I put on the second dress. As soon as I came out the dressing room door people in the hall were telling me “this is your dress!” and then when I saw my mum and she saw me, I think we both knew at that moment – it was the one.

They were filming an episode of Say Yes To The Dress so we got the whole experience of what being on the show is like, but without the pressure! I’ll share my fitting experience in another post, but to summarize – Kleinfeld is where bridal dreams come true. They act like every girl is truly a princess and they treat your day as if it’s the only one they are thinking about.

09.19.18

Silencing the Overwhelming Stress and Anxiety

Preface: This is an ongoing process, something that you get better at, and hopefully master, over time.

I recently someone asked about suggestions for overcoming stress and anxiety. It’s something most of us typically have dealt with once or twice. What’s unfortunate about it being so common among people is that it’s really not healthy. Stress causes all sorts of negative reactions in the body from inflammation to lowered immunity.

So I’ve come up with five things you can do anytime you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress or anxiety.

Breathing

There’s a reason the apple watch has a breathing app. It’s becauseslowing downis really good for us. And breathing allows that to happen. When you focus on your breathe you can’t focus on whatever is causing the stress in your life. So you can just sit for a few minutes and focus on your breathing, try the Calm app on the app store, or try meditating with the focus on your breathing. Psychology Today outlines a practice I have been using for years called Nadi Shodhana – which you can read more about here.

Take a Break

Take a few moments to go for a walk, get a snack, call a friend, stop your mind from fixating on whatever is overwhelming by just stepping away from it for a moment. Set a timer if you need to, but allow yourself to totally tune into something else, especially something that you find relaxing.

Do Something Fun

Plan something fun! Plan a vacation, a staycation, mini golfing, hiking, anything that’s light hearted and fun. Doing something active will help because the endorphins will help raise your mind and get rid of that stress and anxiety!

Action Plan

Is there an action you can take that will alleviate the stress of anxiety? Sometimes creating a to-do list or a plan of action will allow you to move past the anxiety by accomplishing the task that was causing it in the first place!

Does It Matter

This is the most important thing to think about when feeling overwhelmed or stressed; does it really matter or will it matter in 6 months, 1 year, or five years? This is hard because I feel like if I’m worked up about something then it obviously matters, but if I’m honest with myself, some things don’t matter as much as I make them matter to me. In essence, in those cases I’m causing my own overwhelm! So I ask myself if it will matter in the long run, and usually that helps me get perspective.

What do you do to stop stress or anxiety in it’s tracks?

09.17.18

Change Five Things

You can change your life.

I know, I know, everyone says that. But how can you change your life?! Well, I’ve put some thought into it and I’ve come up with five things you can do right now to change your life. Not 5 epic, huge, big jumps, but 5 practical things you can easily apply right now.

Words

Change the words you use. Use words that are positive and affirming. Think before you speak. Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, and your actions become your life. So speak the words you want to hear and speak the kindness other people need to hear.

Put Good In

What I mean is, eat good food, think good thoughts, watch good movies, and spend time with good people. Your body is what you feed it; if you eat a moderately healthy diet it benefits your energy levels, your cells, your sleep habits, so many things! This is true of everything you put in, on, and around your body. There’s a reason people talk about “Fresh air”, because good air is good for you! So think about what good you have around you, and where you can do better.

Routine

A little routine every day is really good for your mind and for keeping balance. It can be VERY small; mine little routine is making brushing my teeth the very first thing I do as soon as I get out of bed. It makes me feel ready for the day! So find a little something to add routine to your life, it will help you feel grounded.

Slow down

Stop to smell the roses! Life moves at such a fast pass, if you don’t stop and enjoy it you’ll miss it. What are you rushing for anyway? The things worth doing are worth doing well and that means slowing down to put in the time. So put your phone down for a few minutes, take a walk, call your mother, and go to lunch with that friend you’ve been meaning to grab coffee with. You are not your accomplishments, so don’t make them the sole focus of your life.

Relationships

Invest in relationships with people you care about. When you spend quality time with people it strengthens the bonds between you and allows you to connect. Try deepening relationships with a friend or relative, you will both benefit from it. There have been studies done that show people feel less connected, even though with social media we are more digitally connected than ever, but without actually communicating, seeing each other, or doing an activity together our brains are getting the same in person stimulation that humans crave from community.