Blog

06.20.18

Living In The Moment

What does living in the moment mean to you?

Sometimes I forget to take time to slow down and appreciate the little things that I really enjoy and that bring me happiness. And there are so many! But sometimes I just get wrapped up in whatever else I have going on and I totally forget to just enjoy the moment. Especially when it comes to documenting for social media (and memories).

Sometimes I feel guilty about it! Either way! If I’m not documenting I have fomo that I’ll regret not capturing the moment, and other times I feel regret if I’m not putting my camera down and taking in the moment!

What I’ve come to realize is, it’s all about balance. Take the photo and then spend another 10 minutes (or however long) just enjoying the experience. I often think I’m in much more of a hurry than I actually am. I feel a sense of anxiousness to “get on to the next thing”. But if I rush off to the next thing I can end up feeling like I didn’t really experience it. So I’m working on slowing down to actually enjoy the moment not just document it.

This was the case (and often was) when I visited somewhere and I’m only there for a short time. Recently we spent just a few hours in Quebec City between travels. I loved the city and didn’t want to miss any of it, but I also didn’t want to feel like I spent the entire time taking photos. So instead, I balanced the time we had there with taking in the history and beauty and also capturing it.

Next time you start to feel like you’re living for a social media post or “the perfect shot” just take a step back. Life is meant to be lived, and the truly perfect shots happen in a moment. Don’t sacrifice every moment in your life trying to instagram it. Look up, look around, and take it all in, and then if you need to, take a moment to capture the moment.

06.18.18

Talk To Yourself

How you talk to yourself matters. The words you use matter.

The other day we were at a drive through coffee shop and we ordered, “Could I have a tea with honey, no milk”, and the woman working there said, “Got it! But for future reference, if you don’t want milk don’t say milk at all, because all we here is “milk” and you’ll end up with milk in your tea”.

I realized she was right of course. But it also made me think about the language we use. You can say, “I don’t feel sad” or you can say, “I feel happy”. They have similar meanings, but one has a positive connotations and the other a negative connotation. Why does this matter? Because the specific words you use affect the way you feel and affect your actions. If you want to make a change in your life you have to start by changing the way to you talk; to yourself, to your family, to the world.

You can do this in all sorts of ways and it’s simple to start and easy to get the hang of. Before you make a statement think about the words; are they positive or negative? It’s really that simple.

At first you might feel silly, or as though it doesn’t really matter what words you use. I promise you, it does matter. Slowly overtime you will change your thinking to focus on the positive before you think of the negative.

I once heard someone say that a small change in the direction at the beginning of a journey, even by five degrees, will completely change the entire outcome of where you end up. Changing the words you use is exactly like that. It’s such a small change but then impacts are huge; it’s a butterfly effect.

What’s something you can change the language on from negative to positive and make a small change in your life starting today?

06.15.18

Welcome to Peggy’s Cove

I love to travel, especially to unique places like Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia.

Peggy’s Cove is like a picture from a book. Travel brings me a lot of joy. I love to see different places, take in the beauty around the world, try new kinds of food, and to meet people. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have been to lots of beautiful places all over the world. Which is why I know you can have an adventure an hour from where you live or 3,000 miles from home.

Peggy’s cove isn’t in my back yard, but it was definitely worth the trip. It’s such a picturesque seaside town, with the most beautiful lighthouse. The little town is a cluster of brightly colors homes dotting the hill behind the lighthouse. The landscape was so windswept and almost rugged and I just loved spending the afternoon in this adorable little fishing village.

Sometimes a change of scenery can change your entire vibe. Many years ago when I wasn’t in the positive mindset that I am now, my mum took me for a drive out of the city we lived. We drove through the mountains about an hour from our house and the change of scenery suddenly helped me see that I could carry the pain around with me or I could let it go.

I’m not saying this is the solution to any and every problem, but sometimes just realizing there is more out there, more than the situation you feel overwhelmed by, can be the difference between “I don’t know what to do” and “I know it will all work out”.

06.13.18

Change Your Perspective

Yes, people say over and over that you have choices and that’s true.

You can change your CAREER, you can change where you LIVE, but what a lot of people don’t say is HOW. Which is often the hardest part. We can want something but if we don’t start speaking it, taking action, and intentionally moving towards it change can be slow…or non existent. You need to believe that you DESERVE it…even though you already deserve it. You just need to BELIEVE it…but how?

How to CHANGE? I’ve put some thought into this and I have two answers.

It’s your MINDSET and that leads to what I think is the real root…your PERSPECTIVE. Perspective is the personal lens through which we see the world as an individual. It’s made of our experiences and the stories we have told ourselves about why we are the way we are.

So how can you change perspective? The good news is…in MANY WAYS!

Gratitude. We can all feel more grateful when we think about people in third world countries or when a natural disaster happens we all find the gratitude that we live in a place where that’s not happening. That’s perspective. It’s seeing beyond the trees to see the forest and that’s the same kind of thinking you can use to begin to change.

Value. You don’t need to do or be anything to have value as a person. You’re here and that’s enough. Just by being here you matter. Even if the only thing you do today is breathe, that’s enough. You don’t have to gain validation through accomplishments if it doesn’t bring you joy.

Inner Monologue. How you talk to yourself matters. The words you say to yourself sink in. You can change how you feel about yourself. See yourself differently, see yourself in a light of value. See the gifts, strengths, and natural talents that you have. Voice out loud to yourself your good qualities even if you don’t totally believe them…yet. Keep speaking good words over yourself. Eventually there will be a change, maybe small and slow, but it will change your perspective.

Sending you INSPIRATION and PEACE and GOOD VIBES always.

06.11.18

Time To Empower

There’s something I’ve been contemplating for the last few months. Empower.

What does being EMPOWERED look like? What does it mean? Last week we all heard the news that Kate Spade took her own life. Then we heard the same news about Anthony Bourdain. These people were professionally SUCCESSFUL and had, what looked from the outside, to be GOOD LIVES. Then we all see the tweets, the instagrams, the notes of concern, consideration, condolence. We have public conversations about being there for people, or watching for the signs.

But then, time SOFTENS the shock, and life dictates that we continue to carry on. Not to be CALLOUS or to show indifference but because that’s what must be done, we must carry on. Whether it’s a school shooting, a suicide, depression, lack of confidence, or something else that makes anyone feel unworthy of their own LOVE AND RESPECT, we try to help each other, but when the pain doesn’t present itself obviously we sometimes miss it.

I’ve DECIDED that I’m not going to feel ineffective against these things any longer. I’m going to actively seek to EMPOWER people to recognize their own worth and potential. I started to feel a SHIFT in this direction recently when working on my EP because I didn’t want to sing songs that would do anything but make people feel WORTHY AND POWERFUL. I wanted to empower people and to lift them up by making them feel and RECOGNIZE they had inner strength.

I have known that place of powerlessness in the past and once I realized those feelings I promised myself from that moment on that I would never let my inner power be anything but UNBRIDLED, CHANNELED, and FREE. So, I’m not sure what this will look like as I move forward, I’m guessing it’s going to be reflected in blogposts, my MUSIC, in interviews, and in other mediums as well. But I know that I am done seeing people suffer needlessly when I can DO SOMETHING, however small, about it. We all have every tool within us to discover SELF love, self POWER, and self HEALING, it just needs to be uncovered.

To be honest, even writing this and before posting it, I was thinking, “WHO AM I to say these things?” But then I realized who am I NOT TO? What if it helps ONE person? Because I’ve been thinking these things for a long time, and it’s time to try and INTENTIONALLY help others with these words. I am not going to let self-doubt hold me back from anything, and you shouldn’t let it hold you back.

Going forward I hope that I can offer you some INSPIRATION and PEACE; to know that I will be here to empower you with words, songs and music, stories, and good vibes that I’m sending to you always.

06.08.18

30A Beach Days

It’s almost summer time! Which means it’s the perfect time for a road trip….especially to the beach! We recently went down to Florida for a little Memorial day getaway and had such a good time. I had so much fun in fact that I’m sharing with you some of our favorite things we did while on the 30A stretch of the pan handle!

The Donut Hole

I have a few favorite things about the donut hole, beginning with the laid back vibe and centering around red velvet donuts for $1.35. It’s the perfect way to begin a beach day and if you happen to be dining alone you can usually skip the line and sit right at the bar! Order the “diet plate”, it’s more than you need but it’s worth it!

Dogs after 4pm

This is something I was so excited to find out about. After 4pm, on some of the beaches, you can bring your pup! Audrey is almost always with me and I was so excited that she was going to be able to go to the beach with us! She had a great time and loved all the attention from passersby.

Seaside

A trip to the beach wouldn’t be complete without a stroll through the beach towns! We love Seaside because of the vintage airstream food trailers and also because we found this great little taco stop that was so good! Seaside also has this open air market just off the beach with tiny little booths. These booths don’t have hardly any of the typical tourist items that are overtly branded with the location, it’s more of a curated collection of beach inspired items. You can usually find something special that will perfectly mark the memory of your trip.

A Room With a View

Find a rooftop bar with a view of the ocean! We found one in Rosemary, but there are several along 30A to try! It’s really just about the experience and in my book a rooftop ocean view is the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon!

What does living in the moment mean to you?

I love to travel, especially to unique places like Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia.

Yes, people say over and over that you have choices and that’s true.

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