5 Ways to stay Motivated during the Cold Season

I don’t know about you, but as much as I love how magical snow is and having hot chocolate near the fireplace or going hiking being surrounded by a winter wonderland, with the daylight saving and the dry cold weather I find it hard to stay motivated. 

My life is always changing, especially being someone that is slowly making their side hustle a dream day by day. Being an entreperneur, sometimes you have good weeks and sometimes you have bad weeks, and unfortunately and fortunately, that all part of signing up for your dream. Nobody said it would be easy, and if it was easy, would it be worth fighting for? Probably not. 

So after a week of countless surprising events, writer’s block and feeling down, I decided to get back to my routine. Now everyone has a different way of staying motivated however here are five tips on how I stay motivated. You can always try it out and see if it works for you:

1. Get Organized

I know. Another generic tip that almost every blogger or life coach can say but seriously get your s$&^@ together! Who else is going to do it if you don’t? Now, to be honest, I as weird as it sounds, go to a cute bookstore, you know the one with the Kate Spade looking Pinterest stylish stationery accessories and find a journal and agenda that you find visually appealing or better yet has a life quote that you live by or you can connect to. Just having an agenda and journal that looks nice will motivate you to write in it. There is nothing more satisfying than going to a cafe and pulling out my journal and agenda and getting excited to plan out my life in something I am proud of owning. 

In your journal use the first page wisely. Write down your dream and where you see your self in the year. Now make sure these goals and achievements push you out of your comfort zone because the rest of the notebook is going to be your sketchbook to get to those achievements.

For the agenda, really it’s self-explanatory. You are 75% more likely to achieve a task if you write it down and don’t even look at it then you are if you just think about the idea. Putting it in writing is where you really make that goal official. This of it as a contract to yourself.

2. Get active

Now lucky for me I love breaking out a sweat and being drenched in it for that matter. I honestly feel like I can take over the world after a good sweat. Now if you are reading this and thinking ” I hate working out!”, “It’s so boring” they find something fun. Dance in your room for 30 minutes, do a workout class with a friend, walk your dog. Whatever you do get moving. If you can do it first thing in the morning. Why? It is the best thing to do to get your mind going and moving. You are getting your self mentally ready to start your day. Being active is also amazing to ensure you are more likely to be in a good mood for most of your day espeacilly when you look outside and its snowing. You want to make sure you are able to make the best of the weather and push yourself to stay active.

3.  Mentor

Mentor. Such an intimidating word sometimes, especially if you really do not know what it is. I will tell you what a mentor is to me and what I mean by a mentor. A mentor is someone that when you have coffee with them, you can leave the conversations fulfilled and with a fresh pair of glasses on a topic or opinion. A mentor will give you what you need to hear not what you want to hear. A mentor will be there for you if you have a question or need advice ( there are no such thing as stupid questions by the way). A mentor is your cheerleader in life. Everyone needs one. It can be a family member, friend, personal coach, manager. Someone you look up too when you are at your best and worst and make you the best version of your self.

I can tell you right now, without my mentor’s I would not be writing this post for you chicas. Without my mentor, I would not be going after what I want and rather going after what society tells you that you should have. Mentors remind you of your purpose and/ or ensure you know your ‘why’ in life. 

4. Eat healthy

Being someone who is doing one hundred and ten projects all the time making sure I take care of my temple is key. The number of times I will have a rough week and the cycle begins where I start eating all my meals out, binge eating and then my motivation also goes down. Esepaclly with the cold weather you want to make sure your body is getting all the nutrition it needs to stay concentrated, alert and well rested. 

5. Be happy

I know I say this all the time but be happy. Find something that makes YOU happy. That is what is going to make you smile to your self on rough days. Happiness will make you celebrate those personal milestones. Happiness is going to allow you get the most that you can possibly get in life. 

As I get older and hear the story of others, I find out how many people really are not happy and how much happiness can really put a huge effect on your thoughts, and your thoughts control you. 

I have attached an amazing TED Talk by Lori Harder  that I love where they are taking on of the concepts I discussed, staying active, and how you can apply it to life and stay motivated. 

Featuring @carlascakes- What’s in My Bag?

Every girl has a huge bag that has countless items that we probably never use, just throw into our purse just in case or just want to smell like three different type of perfumes. I have teamed up with Carla’s Cakes, a local Ottawa bakery that does everything you need to satisfy that sweet tooth. From cupcakes to cakes to cookies to pies, with a creative spin and amazing attention to detail, there is a cake for everyone. 

I decided to choose five items that I always have in my bag. These are my die hard items that I have regardless of the occasion:

1. Lotion

One of my pet peeves is having dry hands. No one liked having dry hands especially when you live in a country like Canada where the climate continuously changes and you love to travel to various destinations with various climates. I decided to choose Body Shops Grapefruit Body Butter. It’s a bright smell and it is lasting both in moisture and scent. 

2. Liquid Lip Stick

I am sure everyone went through the stages of loving the Smackers lip glosses as a child (#90’s kid’s problems), though they can get sticky. Hence, I decided to choose a mate alternative that is still more hydrating than most, NYX Lingerie Liquid lipstick in the color Teddy. This is a great nude for all skin tones especially dark to olive skin tones. This literally makes me look amazing even when I got to the gym and I want to look maybe a bit more extra, I slide this bad boy on and I’m ready to go hard on cardio.

3. Perfume

From going t the bus and maybe encountering an unpleasant scent to touching up a bit in the bathroom during a dinner gathering with friends, I always have a small travel size perfume in my bag. I am one of those people that love having a scent. I think someone’s perfume is like a clue to someone’s character. Plus who doesn’t like smelling amazing? Here is one of my go-to staple faves, Candy Prada edition. 

4. Saje Pharmacy Kit

Being a part-time team member at Saje, this is my die hard item I always have. I grew up using aromatherapy from my grandma and have seen it first hand how it has cured many people in my life including myself. The pharmacy kit has stress release to help my feel relaxed, immune so I am germ-free just in case I feel a cold coming along, pain release to rub myself down after going to the gym, peppermint halo for headaches and to keep me cool and eaters digest for tummy aches. I use this package daily as I have made it a staple to my lifestyle routine. 

5. Face powder

The weather is getting warmer which means makeup can get a bit sticky. I like to throw my face powder in my bag to touch up and to avoid a greasy face. I am currently using the NYX Mate Powder

So those are my staple items in my bag. I have a few extras if I want to be a bit extra (pun intended lol):

  • Deodorant 
  • Hair brush 
  • Face powder 

Check out @carlascakes!

Self Growth- How to Not Limit Yourself

We all do it and if you are reading this say you don’t you are most likely lying. It is natural for us to doubt ourselves especially in situations that we are not used too, however it is better to be aware of it and push through the inner fears that we may have towards limitation in our life ( whether they are mental or/and physical). 

So here are some tips on how you can work towards the best version of yourself while overcoming those limitations:

1. Balance

One of the hardest and sometimes neglected ingredients to ensuring you do not limit yourself isbalance. Ever felt like everything is falling apart in your life and you are continuously rolling down a hill hoping for it to stop? Yes? Well, it’s normal. Why it happens you ask? Lack of balance. Without the mental balance of ensuring that you allow your brain to have 30minutes to an hour a day to clear your mind (ex: meditation, listening to your favorite tunes, coloring in those cute adult coloring books) you allow external stresses and thought to continuously occupy your mind. Also making sure you have physical balance in your life such as going for a walk, hitting the gym, yoga or doing an activity you have never done before like paint night. Sometimes the reason why you are rolling down that hill is simply because you are letting yourself get lost in what is around rather then focusing on what is within you.

 

2. Change

No one likes change. Humans love being in a routine. Though without change you can not grow. It is uncomfortable, sometimes seems impossible and sometimes can be a risk. Though when you do decide to change for the best, it is the most self-fulfilling and liberating experience anyone can do. Find something in your life that you feel you are not benefiting from or is stagnant and change it. Usually making a change can be the best decision you have ever made. Remember, to FAIL means the first attempt in learning and during change you must be prepared to learn alot of things before coming to a solution.

 

3. Risk

Life is a continuous game of poker. Sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose. Funny enough you win more than you lose when you decide to go with your gut and put everything on the line. In other words, take a risk. By everything being on the line, I don’t mean quit your job and decide to join the circus. By everything being on the line I mean use the tools you have currently, regardless if you are in a bad or good situation ( no bad situations just better ones), and take a risk that will let you grow. A great example is going into a profession such as singing which is a ‘make it or break’ it industry. Use the tools you have and make your play by play plan and do it. The last step is the most important, JUST DO IT (great line Nike). It is one thing to plan and it’s another thing to actually put those plans into action. Again, remember, to fail means first attempt in learning and while taking a risk get prepared to fall a few times and get back up again.

 

4. Motivation

The first 20 minutes of your morning determines your mood, energy, optimism and efficiency for the day. An individual’s most impressional time is the first minutes in the morning that you wake up. Instead of looking at your Instagram why not switch it to a 5-minute journal, motivational TedTalk or 10-minute meditation session. Use the first minutes of your day to prepare yourself for any limitations that can come your way (then you can check that Instagram feed). Down bellow is one of the most inspirational individuals that has motivated me to take steps forward in my life, Tony Robbins. Why not start your day with some uplifting words of wisdom and watch this amazing Ted Talk. 

 

Those are my main pointers to limiting yourself. What are yours? Let me know I would love to learn and try your tactics too.