Happy weekend...

Happy sunny Friday! This has been some week. Today is my last day of work with my current company, and I'm thrilled to be taking on a new challenge starting after Memorial Day! As Stanley Kunitz says in his famous poem "The Layers," "No doubt the next chapter / in my book of transformations / is already written. / I am not done with my changes." The next few days will be all about celebrating. I hope you have a glorious weekend!

• Listening to classic Beach Boys albums "Pet Sounds" in honor of the summer-like weather we've been having here in the Northeast. The record was released in May nearly fifty years ago.
• Adding these brilliant Chia seed packets to my daily smoothies for an extra hydrating and Omega-packed punch... all while preventing the typical scatter of tiny beads all over the countertop. Genius, really.
• Feeling mesmerized by Korean artist Kwangho Lee's exhibition entitled "Touch," which is comprised of the most lush looking cacti (an oxymoron, if I ever saw one) you've ever wanted to caress. Nature is amazing.
• And finally, a gorgeous poem on transformation from Rilke, that speaks volumes to finding purpose and peace in our ends and beginnings:

"Want the change. Be inspired by the flame
where everything shines as it disappears.
The artist, when sketching, loves nothing so much
as the curve of the body as it turns away.

What locks itself in sameness has congealed.
Is it safer to be gray and numb?
What turns hard becomes rigid
and is easily shattered.

Pour yourself out like a fountain.
Flow into the knowledge that what you are seeking
finishes often at the start, and, with ending, begins.

Every happiness is the child of a separation
it did not think it could survive. And Daphne, becoming
a laurel,
dares you to become the wind."

Weekly Words: "What to Remember Upon Waking"

"In that first hardly noticed moment in which you wake,
coming back to this life from the other
more secret, moveable and frighteningly honest world
where everything began,
there is a small opening into the new day
which closes the moment you begin your plans.

What you can plan is too small for you to live.
What you can live wholeheartedly will make plans enough
for the vitality hidden in your sleep.

To be human is to become visible
while carrying what is hidden as a gift to others.
To remember the other world in this world
is to live in your true inheritance.

You are not a troubled guest on this earth,
you are not an accident amidst other accidents
you were invited from another and greater night
than the one from which you have just emerged.

Now, looking through the slanting light of the morning window
toward the mountain presence of everything that can be
what urgency calls you to your one love?
What shape waits in the seed of you
to grow and spread its branches
against a future sky?

Is it waiting in the fertile sea?
In the trees beyond the house?
In the life you can imagine for yourself?
In the open and lovely white page on the writing desk?"

- David Whyte

Smoky Carrot Margaritas

In my home, a margarita is the "house-special cocktail." The recipe actually changes frequently, as we steer clear of any store bought lime mixers and head straight for the fruit and vegetable aisle to stoke our imagination. Passion fruit, prickly pear, and dragon fruit have all been key players along with almost every type of pepper in the books. And so, it's only fitting that I share my new favorite libation in honor of the fifth of May: the smoky carrot margarita.

This margarita has all of the right elements: it's sweet, tangy, and smoky all at once. While the tequila is an expected player, the real star is a classic Mexican ancho chile liquor called Ancho Reyes which adds a spicy kick. It's then blended with a lemon simple syrup, fresh orange juice, carrots and a good rock salt.

Every summer, I name the drink of the sunny season. While we've still got a few weeks left before Memorial Day, it's safe to say that this drink is a frontrunner on the list. In the meantime, whip up a batch, pair with a good savory guacamole, and press play on some classic sexy tunes.

Smoky Carrot Margaritas

(Serves two)

3 ounces Reposado tequila

1.5 ounces Ancho Reyes liquor (if you can't find it, substitute 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder)

2 carrots, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon simple syrup (recipe here)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/8 cup lime juice

1/2 teaspoon good rock salt (I use Pink Himalayan Salt)

Combine non-alcoholic ingredients in blender, and mix until combined. Fill glasses with ice, pour in mixture, top each with a shot of tequila and a 1/2 shot of Ancho Reyes, stir and top with a wedge of lime.

Elevating Energy with Mental Imagery

When I was a child, I was the textbook definition of confident - fearless, proud, and fully aware of my capabilities. "I can't" wasn't a phrase I recognized. I was also a nationally ranked swimmer, and while I worked hard for my race times, that unwavering belief in myself surely didn't hurt when it came to touching the wall first.

Every season, as part of our training we did something remarkable to prepare for the season's biggest swim meets: we visualized our heats. Dozens of swimmers, ages eight to eighteen, would take over the racquetball courts at the YMCA, and lie on our backs in the dark. Our coaches would then take us through guided mental imagery - from stepping up to the block and diving in, to pushing through the final third of the race and hitting the finish. Though the memory of this tickles me now, I remember the power of my imagination in helping me envision that wall, and how I recalled that in every race I swam in.

Creative visualization, mental imagery, envisioning. In their basic form, these skills involve imagining all of the elements and parts of a specific activity - the images you see, the physical motions you go through, and the emotions you feel - as if it were taking place in the ideal environment. These are all skills that have been practiced by professional athletes for decades - and yes, practice is the key word there, as the effects most frequently reaped come after regular repetition of the exercise.

It's an exercise that has helped basketball players hit free throws, golfers drive the right shots, and Olympic skiers hit their mark. The New York Times details how U.S. freestyle aerialist Emily Cook created and recorded imagery scripts after recovering from an injury:

“Cook then played the recording back as she relaxed, eyes closed, feeling her muscles firing in response. She said that such mental work helped her return to the sport a better jumper and that she also had used imagery to break the cycle of negativity. Whenever fear surfaced, she would picture herself pricking a big red balloon with a pin.

’That sound and that immediate switch would kind of snap me out of it,’ she said, adding, ‘The last couple years, I’ve definitely gotten to a point where when I’m on the hill, it’s very quick for me to switch from a negative thought to a positive one.’”

In our daily lives, we're quite often held back from achieving our potential because of inner road blocks. Perhaps you want to achieve something, but just can't get over the external circumstances in the way. Maybe you truly want to reach a goal, but just don't know where to start. Or, like many of us, you might be your own worst critic, and as a result you embody the exact low energy that holds you up from actually taking the first step. 

So what if we could use that same mental imagery to envision reaching this personal life goal? If you think about it, goals like presenting at a conference, making a physical transformation, or moving towards the next chapter in your career might just be longer term activities than hitting a basket or sinking a golf ball. But they're still activities that could benefit from the power of imagination.

When we develop a mental image of a personal goal, we recreate the image of ourselves in action. We can see ourselves take the first step towards it - that powerful awe-inspiring act of overcoming inertia. We see ourselves performing, and allow our bodies to feel what it might be like to actually be doing it. And then we bask in the achievement of completing the task, and connect to the emotions of achievement, whether it be a sense of gratitude towards our abilities, a sense of new found purpose, or a growing confidence in ourselves. In essence, by imagining yourself actually doing these things, you're simply elevating yourself from that negative "I can't" belief to a positive "I will." You remember that you are your own best motivator.

It's important to note that once you get to the point of motion, that's when the real work begins. But a series of well-planned steps and level of accountability can help you actually manage the tasks of doing. Guided visualizations are a great tool to help you truly connect with yourself and gain a bit of clarity in order to take the first step in reaching your goal.

For more on how to use visualizations, check out "7 Tips for Creating Positive Mental Imagery".

Happy weekend...

Happy Friday, and happy May! Apologies for the radio silence, but I think I've just wrapped up one of the most busy weeks in quite a long time. I feel a shift towards newness and light, and I'm excited for what's to come. I'm looking forward to settling into this new space (literally, and physically) and enjoying some warm weather. Here are a few things that kept me grounded this week:

• Revisiting Paul Simon's "Concert in the Park" this time of year feels so fresh and right, and has me yearning for my years of concerts on the Great Lawn, at Rumsey Playfield and along The Mall, as the sun set in New York City's beautiful refuge.
• Bringing all good vibes to our new apartment by burning some Palo Santo incense sticks.
• Loving this travelogue of a drive up the California coastline, and jonesing to get back to that windy and unplugged open water highway soon.
• And finally, a few gorgeous lines by Katrina Kenison that speaks volumes to the type of things I've been meditating on over the course of a few tough months. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the piece, and sitting with it during times of difficulty or unrest:

"When the going gets tough may I resist my first impulse to wade in, fix, explain, resolve, and restore. May I sit down instead.

When the going gets tough may I be quiet. May I steep for a while in stillness.

When the going gets tough may I have faith that things are unfolding as they are meant to. May I remember that my life is what it is, not what I ask for. May I find the strength to bear it, the grace to accept it, the faith to embrace it."

Weekly Words: "Time is Land for Tilling"

"One of the most important characteristics distinguishing man from all other forms of nature is his knowledge of transitoriness, of beginning and end, and therefore of the gift of time.

In man, transitory life attains its peak of animation, of soul power, so to speak. This does not mean man alone would have a soul. Soul quality pervades all beings. But man’s soul is most awake in his knowledge of the inter-changeability of the terms “existence” and “transitoriness.”

To man, time is given like a piece of land, as it were, entrusted to him for faithful tilling; a space in which to strive incessantly, achieve self-realization, move onward and upward. Yes, with the aid of time, man becomes capable of wresting the immortal from the mortal."

- Thomas Mann

Happy weekend...

Happy Friday! We're in my old beloved city of Philadelphia this weekend, and I'm excited to love up some of my bests and enjoy a gorgeous wedding. I hope you have a nice weekend! Here are a few things that caught my eye this week:

• Spinning Father John Misty's newest album on overdrive. Sure, Josh Tillman was great in Fleet Foxes, and equally as transfixing as J. Tillman, but his new spin has been positively glorious (and he is fantastic live). Check out "True Affection."
• Using my awesome new reusable coffee mug all.the.time, and stepping away from disposable coffee cups when I get my caffeine fix outside the home.
• Thinking harder about fashion and sustainability after learning from Avneet Basi (of the gorgeous jewelry line Krysos + Chandi) that the fashion world is the second biggest polluting industry on the planet, and then reading this related piece in the Times.
• And finally, a gorgeous poem on spring and the renewal that comes again every year:

"Just before the green begins there is the hint of green
a blush of color, and the red buds thicken
the ends of the maple’s branches and everything
is poised before the start of a new world,
which is really the same world
just moving forward from bud
to flower to blossom to fruit
to harvest to sweet sleep, and the roots
await the next signal, every signal
every call a miracle and the switchboard
is lighting up and the operators are
standing by in the pledge drive we’ve
all been listening to: Go make the call."

- Stuart Kestenbaum, "April Prayer"

On Noticing

I've been living in overdrive mode for the past few weeks. Between planning a wedding, working on my coaching certification, traveling, and moving, it's a wonder I've even had time to come up for air. So nothing took me by surprise more when I had a chance to take a leisurely walk one afternoon and ran smack dab into a blooming magnolia tree. The first thing that crossed my mind was..."when did that happen?" The second was a strong reminder that while I was busy, life was still ticking along beside me. The only thing missing? My attention.

So often we get caught up within ourselves and life that we forget the simple act of noticing. Noticing in its simplest form is both a skill and an art. It involves maintaining a general awareness of what is going on around you and paying attention to details that you might otherwise miss if you were just going through your day on cruise control. Noticing, however, makes living proactive. It helps you take a step back, intuitively know where to probe deeper, and bring a greater consciousness to decision-making.

In the workplace, the practice of noticing is invaluable. It allows us to see the whole picture, stay attuned to dynamics, and question things that might be misaligned with strategy or direction. In an article for the Harvard Business Review, Max Bazerman notes that in the business world today, "failure to 'notice' and take action can mean losing an important customer, getting edged out of a market, or even going to jail."

In our personal lives, noticing plays a similar role. It allows us to look and listen to ourselves, seeing every experience as a data point and a lesson to draw from when considering future moves. In his piece for The New York Times, David Brooks highlighted Dwight Eisenhower's humble recognition of his own terrible temper as an example of this type of self-confrontation. He noted that Eisenhower "did silly things to tame his anger. He took the names of the people he hated, wrote them down on slips of paper and tore them up and threw them in the garbage. Over a lifetime of self-confrontation, he developed a mature temperament. He made himself strong in his weakest places."

This type of self-work elevates us to a higher level of extreme noticing. Truly being right-here-right now is the foundation for being self-aware. Want to practice becoming a better noticer? Here are a few things that you can do to bring a greater sense of conscious noticing to your daily life:

• Practice empathy. An excellent way to start becoming a better "noticer" is to mentally remove yourself from a situation, and think about what might be important or how something might affect the other person. Doing so will help you be more conscious of social cues, become a better communicator, and allow you to act with compassion.
• Be enlightened. When posed with a question or an idea, allow yourself to consider a solution from every angle, even those that may not be the final answer. Maintain a sense of intellectual curiosity and tap into lessons learned so that your final decision is a holistic view of the big picture.
• Look inward. Really check in with yourself, even if it's for a few minutes a day. Those moments that you spend considering your thoughts and actions adds up over time, and help you build a more natural sense of noticing. In an interview with Krista Tippett, Seth Godin said, "the only way you get that discernment is by practicing. Is by saying, when I pick this am I right? When I put this in the world, did it resonate with the people I was trying to reach? And then, so then we get to the 10,000 hours and the whole notion that if you practiced noticing enough, you'll get good at it."