Mind
"There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn't matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone his or her path is wrong" - Hindu Proverb
The pressure of providing content, staying connected and actively scrolling through social media for enjoyment is real. It's pretty pathetic this is the challenge our generation faces on a daily basis.
When you are constantly posting (or keeping busy with the posts of others), you aren't present in what you are doing. I love to share experiences, and perhaps offer something that I am experiencing that will be helpful to someone else...but it's also important to recognize that being present in your own life is more important than that.
I'm finding that balance.
*Read this excellent article inspiring continuing that topic* It's absurd this is actually a problem faced these days but nonetheless it can't ignore that. It's a longer read but definitely eyeopening!
The real content: A couple messages gather around this theme of paths (whether it's in what you do each day, how you choose to live your life, or in work)
The paradox of opportunities: One of greatest beauties of life derives from the vast amount of possibilities and boundless directions. It's this same beauty that also bears one of life's greatest challenges. While so free, we can become overwhelmingly restricted...as if there's a perfect path to be chosen. In business terms, "opportunity loss". Some struggle with finding something to do and where to work ...a difficult decision nonetheless...however for myself, it's choosing between everything I want to do. I don't know if it's any better but it's an ambitious problem to have and keeps me hungry and on my toes.
The MA program fills our days with opportunities for networking, learning and career advancement. Lunches with corporate executives, board of directors and professionals (which are all super awesome!) however it was the counseling from a 10 year-old that I want to share.
At last Friday's Wake Soccer game, we made friends with some kids (clearly I'm winning for grad school social activities). Who I really was talking to was myself, 12 years ago - hyper, full of energy, understanding of others, confident, bold, and dreaming.
My teammate had her dog (in a dress)...so like every other person...I figured these young girls were going to stop by, pet the dog, and leave. Like most people.
..the rest of the soccer game was spent having all kinds of conversations ranging from school to life plans with elementary schoolers.
When kids ask you what you want to do with your life...there's this sense that you need to over-simplify things so they understand...and here's how I found myself explaining what I wanted: "I want to be moving around where people are fun and doing crazy things, I want to create solutions that change the world, and lead people toward a healthier and more improved life through health and food"
And here's where 10 y/o me comes in - she starts doing the "twitchy jumpy thing" as she excitedly exclaims that she holds the answer. She so confidently tells me I need to be a counselor, that I love helping people, that I need to own a healthy store where I have solutions for people revolving around food and exercise.
(And so we began bouncing and talking about farmers markets and haircuts and essential oils - so innocently and unconcerned with how we just picked up a completely new conversation and never finished the other. That's also how I knew it was me)
It's funny how I spend hours with all these career experts - asking them where I should go, what I should do. Yet I meet this 5th grader at a soccer game and she had the answers. The answer being that we each have it inside of us - and that there are many paths to get there. Her understanding and genuine energy was so pure and unpolluted by the outside influences, ego, and norms that society inadvertently places on us. We go out searching for all these answers, waiting for someone to confidently send us in a direction and validate that our choice is the best one - yet, kids - with their unbrainwashed wonder, clear lens for dreaming, and invincible sense of possibilities - are often the greatest reminders of what we really want to do.
Meals
- Apples, cabbage, tomatoes, collards, cucumbers, green peas, herbs, corn, kale, lettuce, 'shrooms, bok choy, blackberries, pumpkin, raspberries, peas, spinach, sprite melons, sweet potatoes, turnips, zucchini, beets!
- RIGHT NOW..is the peak of the best of the best selection...this summer to fall transition is the only time of year where you'll ever have such a wide variety
Is it important to eat certain foods during specific times of the year?
There's a whole area of study stemming from the understanding on what to eat and when but here's what you need to know...
- Fruit's and veggie's beautiful spectrum of visual appeal come from their pigments (like our skin colors). Just like we have shades, so do plants. Chlorophyll (greens), Flavonoids (blue, red, cream), and Carotenoids (orange/yellow). Each are special in their own way, providing unique and different nutritional benefits (hence, why we are told to "eat a rainbow" b/c of the diverse essential vits+mins and nutrients necessary from all of them)
- Carotenoids (organge/yellows) bring this to the table: Vit C, Beta-carotene, Vit A, Potassium, Lycopene, and Antioxidants
- We are creatures of habit. We get in routines and purchase the same foods every week. Technology has enabled us to eat whatever we want, whenever we want. However the combinations of vits+mins and nutrients that our body craves for optimal functioning constantly change throughout the year.
- Eating seasonally: It tastes better, it's cheaper, it's sustainable..even nutritional analyses have shown significant antioxidant content differences (freshly harvested, rotated...more bioavailable nutrients)..combat flu season with a simple coordination of your diet.
- Also next time your fake tan goes wrong and you'll look like this - just say you over did it on the fall vege's carotenoids
Moves
Ironically, it's the fitness junkies who can be the most sedentary. A 3 hour workout does not give you a free pass to sit all day. Being that I'm in class from 8am-5pm, I'm experiencing this corporate-like culture. I experienced this, gained perspective, and am now changing it. So I left off last time switching things up: had an epiphany, made some changes. Here are the few major ways to inject a bit more movement, improve your level of work, and elevate your well-being:
- Combat the movement discouraging clothes - so long heels, restrictive skirts and even those damn tote bags.
- Biking to school - Active commuting gives a major boost to psychological well-being (school or work, this is important for us all), including happiness and ability to concentrate. Well-being is found to be higher for people commuting by active travel like walking or public transport compared to driving (and obviously the physical benefits follow, as well as increased creativity)
- Sitting on the floor - Chairs are a luxury and not doing us any good ...instead of going into depth on this, you can follow the link to read more.
- Cut the Commute? - I recently came across this....startling (but not surprising) that the simple act of community is killin' us. Cutting you commute is equal to the equivalent of making $40,000 more in yearly salary! Right now I am paying that much...so I'm pretending that by walking/biking to school they balance each other out :) (I'm not even considering what it would be if I was actually commuting ..that's a whole other story...)
More
For the sake of entertainment, wonder and to reassure you that there is never a dull moment - my attempt to recap the past three weeks through the wisdom of one-liners:
-When attending a career fair: professional frat party - packed, sweaty and thirsty for conversation...yet crucial for networking
-When at a Wake Saturday football game: proof of what the power of free food/drinks and Harambe can do
-When attending your professor's husband's concert: if there is no divide between the band and audience, it's acceptable to go on stage
-When recovering from an unfortunate butt dial: nothing...just never take your phone into the bathroom
-When surviving your first financial case competition: 48 hours of Finance requires 96 hours of recovery...never underestimate the importance for a platform of creativity
-When competing in grad school field day: competitiveness and sun-burn susceptibility doesn't change with age
make it a great week! - ap