Motivation Monday: Make Extraordinary Decisions—Decisions You Are Proud to Make

"Don't just let life happen. Make extraordinary decisions. Decisions that lead to living a life you are proud to live." 

Decisions, decisions, decisions. They occupy almost every moment of our lives. They can be big and small. They can be simple and complicated. They can be quick and drawn out. No matter the type of decision, you will inevitably face it in your life.

I'm not always a great decision maker. Sometimes I'm afraid of making the wrong choice. Sometimes I don't want the pressure of knowing an outcome is directly related to a decision I make. Sometimes I really don't care. Sometimes I'm downright lazy.

There are, however, several big decisions I've made that I find myself feeling super proud about making.

A recent one is the decision to move into an apartment by myself.

The other day I was simply washing my dishes and mentally calendaring other household chores I needed to do.

Then I stopped.

And I thought "I am so proud that I decided to live by myself."

This might not seem like a big deal to some. But I love it. I've talked half heartedly about doing it for a while. I'm just the type of person who really enjoys having a whole place to myself and not walking over a roommate all the time. Nothing against the roommate (although I've had a couple, let's say, interesting ones), but there's something about it.

Right then,  I thought, "THAT's how I want to live my life."

I want to more actively DECIDE things in my life rather than waiting for things to happen or accepting the ways things fall. I want to take some risks that lead to more satisfaction in the outcome. I want to actively move forward on dreams and goals. I want every decision to contribute to my living a life I'm proud to live.

Lost...But Never Found

I was putting away some items in my bedroom today and could not stop thinking "Where in the world did all of my baskets go?"

You see, I have this skinny shelving unit and used to have a basket on every shelf. Three shelves are behind a door and THOSE had baskets. For a total of six baskets.

Since I moved, I can only find three. All of the ones I used in the doored shelves are gone.

And it's driving me crazy.

I can not come up with any idea as to where they might be. And this got me thinking about the other random things to go missing from my life.

Like a long black maxi skirt that I wore all the time last year? Nowhere to be found.

I'm hoping that by some miracle I find both of these things again. But have you ever lost something like that and found it much, much later? What's the story? Let's share!

This One Time...We Had a Garage Sale in The Rain

This one time my sister Susie and I decided to have a garage sale. This was in the middle of May when I had just moved, and she was about to move. We both had quite a few things to get rid of and decided that the work of a garage sale was worth it...plus we thought we'd have fun! (Yea, we are kinda crazy like that. 

Well the morning of the planned garage sale (I guess technically it would be a yard sale) turned out to be quite cloudy—with what looked like very high chances of rain. 

We decided to go ahead with our plan anyway. 

I had printed tons of signs with cute phrases like "A gal's dream yard sale" or "Scrapbooking supplies galore" or "Come one, come all" and, uh, "Yard Sale." 

I taught a Zumba class that morning at 8 am, so Susie and I met up early to get everything ready and hang up the signs, and I took off while Susie held down the fort. Our set up quite literally turned out to be a fort. 

The rain definitely came. And it was quite a chilly day. 

All of our stuff ended up huddled together under a large tarp. 

We didn't sell MUCH that day. But I had fun. And I'd probably do it again...and hope for better weather. 

The "This One Time" series is a new thing I'm doing to share some random stories and experiences from my life. One of my projects this past week has been to go through and organize a lot of old pictures and documents. That project inspired this series. 

How to Use #Hashtags (Properly)

It started with Twitter, but you'll see it everywhere these days: Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and—oh, oh—even Facebook. The hashtag. Oh wait, I meant the #hashtag. I already had most of this post outlined, but when Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's Late Night skit exploded via social media this morning, I knew today was the day to post on this topic. (I'll also just say that I love Jimmy Fallon. I really do.)

I hope you enjoy the following video, which pokes fun at the current hashtag mania. And to throw my linguistic viewpoint out there, the practice of verbally saying "hashtag"in spoken conversation seems to have started in a comical, almost ironic usage but is actually becoming more common. Raise your hand if you've heard someone hashtag something verbally. Oh, and look at me using "hashtag" as a verb...


The video is funny. I can't get over "Hashtag I'm the real cookie monster. Hashtag Nom nom nom nom nom."

I've found it interesting that so many blog posts and articles reference the skit as a reason to stop using hashtags and why they are pointless or make us seem dumb.

I don't agree.

Don't get me wrong, I completely get that hashtags CAN be misused and CAN be quite annoying. Do a quick Google search on the top social media pet peeves, and hashtags are likely listed in every source.

But, hashtags DO play a very powerful role in the social media world. They are a great tool when used correctly. So take a quick read below and stop performing hashtag faux pas. (Full disclosure, I also misus hashtags.)

Understand Hashtags:
If you know why people are supposed to use hashtags, you'll understand how YOU can and should use hashtags.

Hashtags are used to organize information. Using a certain hashtag allows people who might not see your original pin, tweet, or post, to find it later. Specifically when they are interested in the topic associated with that hashtag.

Use Sparingly To Categorize Your Posts:
Hashtags are super powerful for businesses, events, or even social trends. If you want more exposure to your posts, choose one or two categories to hashtag.

DON'T OVERDO OR ABUSE THE SYSTEM. Don't use a hashtag your post is not related to. Don't go crazy. And don't be the person who hashtags every word. A single word does not always classify as a category. Which brings me to my next point.

Use the Hashtag Within The Text:
You can typically tell if you are overusing hashtags if you have to clump them all together at the end of your post. Say you have a vegetarian recipe you tried and would like to share. Instead of following your post with things like "#vegetarian #recipe #spinach #mushrooms #yumyum #icantgetenough." Try incorporating that in your text. Maybe use "I just tried this #vegetarian black bean enchilada #recipe."

Have a Reason to Use a Hashtag:
I support being creative and making your hashtag usage your own. For example, I personally tend to post a lot of feet pictures via Instagram and use #theplacesmyfeethavebeen to organize those photos together. I also use #siblingtime for posts related to activities with my brother or sisters. And there are others. But the point is, I use those hashtags to help me organize my social media activity. My purpose is organization. (Yes, I am the type who looks back over my past activity.)

Only Use a Hashtag That Could Be Used More Than Once
There is no point to using a hashtag that you or anyone else will NEVER use again. There just isn't. So don't do it.

Don't Hashtag Your Whole Caption
Most likely you can't use that whole caption again, but this faux pas happens enough that it needs to be addressed separately. Again, just don't do it.

Happy Punctuation Day: A Quick Review

Today is National Punctuation Day. Even though I have known the date for weeks, somehow this day has, once again, snuck up on me. I simply can not let such a day pass by without honoring it with some discussion of punctuation here on writedreamsweat.com. I'm going to keep things simple and share some quick rules and tricks for just a couple punctuation marks. (Come on, we all know when to use a period, right? Right???)

Question Marks
Question marks are pretty simple when we are writing a straightforward question. "How are you?" Simple. What about an indirect question?

"I wonder if she went to the gym." This is a statement. I see people use question marks in that usage all the time. Although a question is tied in, the sentence is not actually asking a question. It's actually stating the act of wonder.

Semicolons
Just remember that semicolons join two COMPLETE clauses that could stand alone. In my experience editing, the semicolon is probably the most commonly misused punctuation mark. My advice—don't use it unless you are 100 percent sure you know how to properly use. An improperly placed semicolon screams incompetence as a writer. I'll tell you now that most CEOs and business professionals do not know how to use this punctuation mark. I guess that's why they need editors by their side.

Three things to remember:
A semicolon must be used with two complete clauses.
Use a semicolon to indicate that information is related.
Use a semicolon as a style choice to add variety to your writing.

Colons
I'll say it right away: when you use a colon in a sentence, it is only used after statements that are complete sentences.

Please make note of the previous sentence. A colon is too often used incorrectly to introduce a series of items. The following example is incorrect.

"The items on the table are: plates, napkins, fruit, and yogurt."

"The items on the table are" is NOT a complete sentence. That example does not need a colon (or any punctuation mark) at all. If you really want to use a colon, try adding "the following." That phrase makes the introductory phrase a complete sentence and makes the usage correct.

Space
One thing I love about Chapter 4 in Grammar Girl's "Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" is that she officially recommends to use—wait for it—one space after a period. If you don't already do this, make the change now. Using two spaces is outdated. (Its usage started to accommodate typewriter spacing. Find more info in my post "Double Spaces—Wrong?" back in 2009.)

Some other articles to check out:
"What's Your Punctuation Mark?"

"Celebrate National Punctuation Day by checking out the big punctuation fails"

"6 Common Punctuation Mistakes That Drive Us Crazy"

"16 Unfortunate Misuses of Punctuation"

An App You Should Get: Google Keep

The time has come. I'd like to introduce you to Google Keep and tell you why you should use this new Google product.

Google Keep was announced in March and made available to smart phone users in the following months. I have personally been using Keep for a little over a month. I admit, I was skeptically at first. I currently use Evernote, Dropbox, Google Drive, Tasks, Pinterest, Blogger, and even Gmail drafts as options for saving and storing information. I wasn't sure if there was a place for another program in my life. I've been trying to streamline where I store information and figured Keep would prove to be just another distraction. That is not the case. I currently choose Keep above every other option. And let me say, Keep is actually an entirely different tool. Keep is a tool I use each and every day to stay organized, record random thoughts or ideas, manage a to-do list or shopping list, save recipes on the go, and many other things. I use Evernote as a more long-term database for a lot of information and records. For any overlap between Keep and the other tools I listed above, well I think Keep is a much better option.

Things I Like About Google Keep

Android Widget
I love the widget on my Samsung Galaxy S3. It allows me to easily scroll through my past notes or quickly add a new one. I can also attach photos and add to existing notes. This is all available right now my screen. I love being able to see it all right there.

Syncs to Google Drive/Other Devices
Anything I type on my phone, tablet, or computer will sync to my other devices. So I have access to that information no matter where I am. Like other Google products (Hello, Gmail), you can archive notes but still search for them. All notes are organized into your Google Drive, plus Keep even has an offline options. (For example, I have written blog posts on my computer while I'm without internet access. Those posts sync once I'm reconnected.)

Photo/Voice Notes
Your notes can be composed of photo or voice. Or both. That's great.

Checklists
Yes, checklists. I love my checklists. This is actually a feature I didn't find until recently. Ok this week. I had actually found myself thinking, "Man, I wish I could make checklists with Keep." And magically, I seemed to find the feature. It's the best thing ever. I currently make a checklist each day. And have a checklist for each week. And have a checklist for the month. I love it.

Reminders
You can attach a reminder/alarm to any note. You will receive a notification or alert via Google Now. This stuff is cool.

Customize Options
Pick the colors you want, rearrange the notes how you'd like. Make this app your own. Use it to simplify your life.

I suggest downloading Google Keep now and putting the widget on your home screen (or a main screen...). Make it an option and explore how you can use it.

Motivation Monday: Do It Now—A Little Effort Now is Better Than Any Effort Later

The thing I personally love about these Motivation Monday quotes is that I keep thinking about them from week to week and see them playing a role in my life.

Today's Motivation Monday carries on from something I've been working on last week.

"Do it now—A little effort now is better than any effort later."

It's simple. But to make it even more simple...now is always better than later.

Throughout this last week, my sister has been awesome at helping me prioritize what I need to get done and keeping me accountable for actually doing it.

As I stated time and time before, I'm someone who likes to THINK about thing a lot before I actually DO those things. In some cases (like big decisions) this is a good thing. But in other cases (like putting bananas in the freezer or putting shoes away in the closet), this process is not a good thing.

Why keep your mind cluttered up with countless items on a to-do list when you can actually...just...do them! Wow, totally new information huh?

I did pretty well this last week. But I know this is something I need to keep working on. I'm hoping to make this habit a permanent part of my life. If I think about something...I just want to do whatever I can for it right then and there. I'll share more on this later.

So when something pops into your mind...DO IT NOW!

Just take out the trash.

Just call that friend.

Just start reading that book.

Any effort counts. If you don't do it now, how likely are you to actually do it later? I know my percentage goes WAAAAY down.

Try it. See how you do.

Time to Get Reading

Is anyone else super excited that tomorrow is the first day of fall?

I am very excited about it, and even more excited about the wardrobe changes. Hello scarf and boots and tights. It has been far too long.

Earlier this week I decided I needed to read more. I have always loved reading, but have gotten out of the habit since college. I can't tell you how many books I read when I was younger, but somehow that hobby got pushed off my priority list.

I decided to make a stop at the library today with the one rule that I had to get at least one fiction book. I only had 10 minutes and I was lucky to find that some items were available on hold for me. Lucky day.

Some of these books are for different blog posts but most are just for fun. But I'm excited to begin reading.

Would anyone be interested in participating in a virtual book club with me? That might be a good way to read regularly. Just a thought...

Little Ways To Live a More Simple Life - What Are Yours?

Several weeks have passed since my organization Motivation Monday with the quote that said organization is about living a efficiency, saving time, and improving your quality of life.  I have continued thinking about little tweaks in my life that can help me be mentally more organized. The nature of this post reminds me of those from the Happiness Project.

(Has anyone read that book?). My basic take-away from that book was that the things that make us happy—in this case through organization—are typically very small things that are very simple to apply to our lives ONCE WE RECOGNIZE THEM. Sometimes we don't know WHY we feel so disorganized or unhappy and might not think that very tiny things can actually make a very big difference in our lives.

That said, I thought I share a few VERY, VERY simple tweaks I've been incorporating that have helped me feel more organized.

1. Keys. 
A few months ago my sister mentioned to me that I always seem to be losing my keys. I thought she was wrong because I didn't think looking in my purse for 1 minute for them qualified as always losing them. They were somewhere in my bag right?

But I decided to have one specific place in my bag for my keys. Now I always put my keys in the buttoned front pocket of my purse when I'm out and about. (It's also been helpful to only use one purse for the past several weeks.) I have occasionally put those keys in a different pocket, and it totally throws me off! I make sure to put them in the pocket because it gives me a little piece of mind and when I have my hands full, I know exactly where to reach to find those keys.

Now when I get home, I've incorporated a little key spot similar to that from the Big Bang Theory.


My desk is right by the door when I walk into my apartment, so I unlock the door and drop the keys in their spot on the desk. I know right where they are and never have to search for them when I need to leave the house. I've also noticed that I've made the habit of jingling my keys as I'm walking out/locking the door as a double check that I have them and don't lock myself out. Because, yea, I've done that.

2. Put personal belongings in back seat behind driver's seat.
I don't have kids and usually drive around by myself so this is the method that works for me. On any given day, I likely have at least 2 or 3 bags with me: purse, laptop case, gym bag. Those are my three staples. For a while I was always putting these items on the front seat next to me. I'd often go to that door to drop them off and then walk around the car to get in. I'd either do the reverse when leaving my car OR I'd try to pick everything up while I'm sitting in the car and basically fall out with all of that stuff attached to me.

It wasn't pretty, let me tell you that.

Then I started putting my bags in the back seat behind me. I've been doing this for a couple week's regularly and it's amazing. 1). I always put my stuff there so I always know where those things are. 2) I don't have to walk around the car. I walk to my side of the car, stop at the back seat, then take one step and I'm in the driver's seat. 3) I don't fall out of my car with a million bags. I'm not even tempted to do this.

You guys, I told you these were very simple things that make my life easier. VERY.

3. Halved frozen bananas for smoothies.

I drink a lot of smoothies for breakfast or between classes when I don't have much time to eat. And any avid smoothie makers know that bananas help make a smoothie thick and creamy. I had previously seen tips for freezing banana slices, but that just didn't work for me. The slices all stuck together and I could never separate the right amount. But I realized that a half banana is pretty standard for most of my smoothies so I tried just freezing them cut that much.

This has worked SPLENDIDLY!

I placed the cut bananas on a plate in the freezer initially. Once they were mostly frozen I transfered them to a basic plastic sandwich bag like shown. They do not stick together and I can easily pick one to put in my Magic Bullet.

4. Organizing notes
I currently use Google Keep and Evernote to keep track of notes, blog ideas, important reminders and such. Google Keep is brand new and I'll do a post on it soon. I have the Google Keep widget on my phone and can add a note, photo, etc. with comments at any time from anywhere. This program works offline too and syncs with your Google Drive. But both programs are great ways to organize your thoughts, access information from anywhere, and have searchable files. I'll do a post looking more specifically into these programs soon.

Anyways those are my simple tips for a more simple life. I have sooo many more ways to simplify and organize my life. So think about what you do and let me know.

My Popsicle Experiment Roundup

I can't believe I posted "Let's Make Popsicles" at the end of July, and it's already the middle of September. Time sure does fly! I have actually tried making three types of popsicles since then and am excited to share the results.

1. Gummy Bear Surprise Popsicles
I love gummy bears—like seriously, I could eat them all day long..if only they had any nutritional value. Sooo, when I found this little recipe in the midst of the online world, I knew it was something I'd have to try. Actually, I didn't think that it would taste like anything. Sprite doesn't have much flavor. And gummy bears don't have much taste either. So why would the combo create anything tasty? My friend wanted to try it with Sour Patch Kids and that was actually the best combo. I guess a little (or a lot of)  extra sugar can go a long way. I'd suggest maybe a little extra flavoring (crystal light esque) or additional sweetener of some kind

Ingredients: Gummy bears or Sour Patch Kids, Sprite (I used Sprite Zero as I don't like having calories from soda), additional flavoring (optional).

Directions: Place candy pieces into the molds. Pour Sprite over them until the mold is a little more than 3/4 full. Frozen stuff expands folks. Then place the molds into the freezer.

  

I would love to make these for a bunch of kids. I'm sure they'd love it. The gummy bears got a little soft when frozen, while the Sour Patch Kids got a little harder.

2. Watermelon Delight Popsicles 
I made these popsicles using the same Sprite from the Gummer Bear Surprise as well as some of the frozen watermelon I had stored in my freezer. I realized I'm not a huge fan of the concentrated watermelon flavor that this produced. I did add some sweetener but think I'm also going to try either a little additional flavoring or strawberries to mellow and balance the flavors.

Ingredients: Watermelon (mine was frozen), Sprite Zero, additional flavoring/sweetener as needed, Strawberries (recommended)

Directions: Blend watermelon and Sprite. If adding strawberries, add and blend. Taste and add additional items as needed per your taste. Freeze. 

3. Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles

The RECIPE's CREAMIES

My Blueberry Yogurt Popsicle

These are perhaps the popsicles I was most excited to make. I LOVE the Weight Watchers Strawberry Smoothie Yogurt Bars and desperately wanted to try making my own. Cuz ya'll, that stuff can be expensive. But you should take note of the look of MY popsicle and the look of the original recipe's popsicle. 

They don't look the same. :) 

I made half of the recipe, which fit perfectly in my six small popsicle molds.

Ingredients: 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 tablespoon honey, (additional sweetener as needed.)

Directions: Blend ingredients together. The consistency is very liquid (think smoothie drink consistency - I didn't expect that) Fill popsicle molds. Freeze.

The consistency of this popsicle is not creamy like I wanted. It's a very icy but flavorful popsicle. The Greek yogurt also contributed a slight bitter taste. I used plain, but I would recommend using Vanilla to contribute to the taste. I don't know what to do to make it more creamy... I wonder if I used slightly too many blueberries.

 

Taste of Utah Valley 2013

Last Saturday I was invited to go to the Taste of Utah Valley with some friends. I had heard of this event before but had never attended. It was basically an outdoor festival with food tasting and samples from a variety of restaurants in Utah Valley. And let me tell you, Utah Valley has some great restaurants.

I got to try food from some familiar places: The Olive Garden, Costa Vida, Utah Valley Convention Center, and Los Hermanos.

I got to try food from some places I'd only been once or twice: Station 22, Heirloom Restaurant Group (think Communal or Mountain West Burrito), Gloria's Little Italy, and Rubio's.

And I got to try food from places I had either never tried or never hear of: Old Towne Grill (hands down my favorite), The Choc'late Mousse Pie Bar, Sweeto Burrito (member of Provo's growing food truck family), and Enliten Bakery and Cafe.

It was a super fun event and a great way to get lunch on a Saturday. (I was stuffed and saved some things for dinner.) While I attended via friends, tickets are usually $10 — and that's definitely a steal! I've heard of several cities across the country doing similar events, so check to see if there's a good option near you! A tasting event is a great way to try new restaurants and get a taste of what's available in your area.

After the event you vote for the following categories: Most Unique, Best Hospitality, Best Presentation, Best Kept Secret, and Best Taste of the Valley. I've tried looking to see who won but no luck yet! (I'm betting Old Towne Grill did for their gourmet hamburgers. They've won in the past and definitely had the longest line for the entire event! Costa Vida's tacos were actually something I took home for later and mmm, mmm, it was pretty good. Crazy I had never tried them.

I didn't get as many pictures as I felt like I was taking but here are a few. The above picture is Olive Garden's sampling of bread/tomato...whatever fancy name that is, and delicious orangey slushie drink. Yea, you can tell I'm a total foodie right? :P

This was the line for Old Towne Grill...we had probably already stood in line for at least 15 minutes at this point.

Utah Valley Convention Center Sample. We had a lot of work events there, and the food was always great. This is...meat...and a fried artichoke heart.

This wasn't up our alley but Station 22 had a polenta crostini with shrimp and grits, covered in a crawfish etoufee. Now THAT's how a foodie talks. And I stole that description from their Facebook page.  

Oh man, who had this? I don't remember. Penne with sauce and red velvety dessert. That's me again.

Sweeto Burrito food truck sample. It was good. 

Motivation Monday: I Can Do Hard Things, I Can Accomplish Great Things, I Can Be the Person I Want To Be

Last week I read this article called "11 Things Powerful Women Say to Themselves." The article illustrates this by using photos of sticky notes with phrases written on them. Among those included were "I will wake up motivated," "I will go to the gym," "I will talk to that cute coffee shop guy," and "I will dominate any task at work."

Most of these sayings resonate with me as I try every day to overcome my insecurities and weaknesses and live up to the potential I know I have. But the last phrase the article shared—"I will end the day knowing that I am a fierce awesome lady"—brought to mind my personal mantra that I came up with back in 2010.

That phrase is as follows: I am a beautiful daughter of God. I can do hard things. I can accomplish great things. I can be the person I want to be.

I actually designed a very basic little printout of this mantra and have it hanging on my door. I don't always refer to it as often as I should, but when I first came up with it, I would repeat it every morning. If I have a hard trial or just a hard day, this phrase pops into my head.

Reading the article I mentioned above reminded me of the power of a personal mantra, and I've decided to refer to it more often in my life.

Developing a personal mantra is listed as the first tip in "How to Get Motivated—8 Tips to Break Your Motivational Funk." I also loved this little post "The Power of a Personal Mantra," which shares suggestions for mantras and LifeSupplemented.org's similar posts will advice for coming up with your own mantra.

So today, I invite you to come up with your own mantra. Or share what you already have! Remember you are awesome. And have a good week.

Hat, Welcome to My Head.

I'm trying to become a hat person. I actually bought my first hat in Hawaii in April. Don't judge me by that picture. I wore it a lot on that trip—it has a very beachy feel—but have only wore it a couple times since.

I'm working my way up though, because I find myself wearing hats a lot more since my U-Jam training last month. The trainer actually told us to try wearing a hat to help capture the "feel" of the hip hop choreography.

Well I did just that. As seen in these next couple pics. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I was trying to dress with more swagger...and then realized I was wearing a Taylor Swift shirt....oops. And you can't see it but that hat is a golf tournament hat with the Realtor logo on it. That's totally hip, right?

I've been looking for other hats that I think I could feel comfortable in. This black and white polka dot has definitely caught my eye on Ebay. LOVE IT!


And P.S. I just ordered something else from China that seriously came in about 1 week. Not too shabby.

While roaming Walmart for some much-needed food last night, I found this plain white with mesh hat for the lovely price of $1. That's how I like it. So I wore it today while practicing stuff. Selfie alert!!!

(And now I kinda want to get another one to maybe dye or get all crafty on. In a cool way, of course.)

I've also realized that hats can go a long way in hiding my sweaty self from the public. I seriously need this super power ya'll! Or when I'm in a public place working on Annesali stuff, the hat helps distract me from everything else going on and get more work done. It's like magic.

Oh, the downside? Hats give you hat hair. Imagine that.

How Dance Prepared Me to be a Fitness Instructor

I often reflect back to my days spent in various dance studios after school when I was younger. As much as I loved dancing (I even pursued a dance minor in college), I don't think I ever imagined myself doing something related to dance later in life. I had no plans to be a prima ballerina or dance with a professional team. I danced because I loved it and was kinda good at it (it's all relative :P).

I continued taking classes in college and got to participate in a variety of new styles of dance I hadn't done before. Hello ballroom. Hello clogging. Hello Irish dance. I had dozens of classes available to me at any time of the day and I took advantage of that opportunity.

When I graduated college, I no longer had that access to dance. I joined a local gym and started attending various fitness classes. Kickboxing, yoga, pump, and more. Eventually Zumba came along, and the format was a perfect fit for me. And here I am, years later, teaching Zumba and U-Jam, and plans to continue to expand into other formats in the future.

I recognize several things I learned through my dance training that transfer over to the world of fitness—both as an instructor and a participant.

Exercising in Groups is Fun & Motivating
Sure you can dance or workout alone. But when you do it with others, you will likely accomplish more and work harder. Make your workout an enjoyable experience. Let yourself learn from others. And let their strengths push you. If others can do those last 5 reps, so can you!

Mirroring can be Tricky (no concept of right left)
As an instructor I face the class and instruct via the concept of mirroring. So when I move my left arm, the class is moving their right arms. My first time mirroring was as a junior in high school on my new dance team after my family moved across the country. None of my teachers had used it before. I kept trying to switch the choreography and do exactly what the leader was doing. (When they did right, I wanted to do right too). Once I realized what I was expected to do, I understood, but it still took some getting used to to forget my left and right or the instructors left and right. Several of my students struggle with that, so I always share my experience so they relate.

Picking Up Choreography is a Learned Skill
I can't say how many routines I've learned in my lifetime, but the process of learning choreography is something that allows me to more quickly pick up new routines. When I attend a class as a student, I'm usually able to guess what they next move might be and recognize patterns when they appear in the moves. I encourage my students to recognize that this is a skill and takes practice, but that they will get better and better as they do it more. (And they do!)

Music Makes All the Difference
Music can speak to the soul. My most natural form of expression (along with writing) is dance, and music drives that expression. Sometimes music hypes us up and gives us the energy we thought we were lacking. It can motivate us to work harder and stay longer. It can inspire us and leave us leaving a workout happy and excited about life. Embrace that influence and use it for good.

Form Matters
"Tail down, stomach up." That's what one of my dance teachers always said. I'm thankful for my training in dance form to help me correct positions I see regularly in my students. A plie squat is foreign to many, as is the idea of opening the chest and reaching for the ceiling with the top of ones head, while relaxing the shoulder and neck. Some people have not had any exposure to these types of things, and they struggle with form a lot. Again, all it takes to improve is a little educational and instruction.

"Perfection" comes through Practice
You'll never come in and have a routine perfect the first time you learn it. Come to class again. You'll get better and better, and that routine will become easier and easier for you. As an instructor, the first time I teach a routine is never the best. I gauge my students to see what kind of instruction and cueing they best respond to, and I get better and better at teaching that routine. It's a two-way street. We all need practice.

There is Always More to Learn
This speaks for itself but is so true.

What Would Be Your Super Power?

Someone asked me last week what super power I would choose to have. And asked for no lazy answers. (I assumed that to mean no flying, invisibility, or teleporting. Although all of those would be awesome.)

I thought about this for a couple days. My two initial thoughts were these:

1. The ability to remember anything I see or hear. (Like a photographic memory but oh so much better!) (I just realized this would make conquering choreography so much easier.)

2. The ability to move things with my mind. Specifically chore-related things. So I could sit on my couch and thiiink about doing the dishes or putting away laundry and—walaa—those dreadful chores get done.

But finally the most appropriate choice came to me. This choice needs a little explanation. Let me try to begin.

First, the process associated with working out doesn't make sense to me: When we work out, our bodies sweat. We become wet and smelly. As a result, we have to shower to clean ourselves and then go through the process of getting ready again. (Yes, this is way more complicated for girls.)

Now, our bodies need physical exercise. Exercise is good for us physically, mentally, emotional, and more. But this good thing leads to a "bad" outcome: wet and smelly people.

My thought is to reverse this process. I believe working out, and sweating, should be the actual process that cleanses us. Not only would we have additional incentive to work out, but it would cut out the step of showering. If you are feeling particularly unclean one day, maybe you workout a little longer or attempt a more difficult routine. Plus, after my workouts, my endorphins are high and I want to be more adventurous, spend time with people, and more fully embrace life. But I'm often stopped by my unappealing appearance and need to take time out to shower and refresh. By the time I'm done, I'm tired and am more likely to just hang out at home.

But imagine if your workout actually left you clean, refreshed, and full of the same endorphins. Check a successful workout off your to-do list and immediately proceed to spending time doing productive activities, not showering and getting ready.

So that would be my super power: Sweating yourself clean.

The end.

The Little Things of Social Media

Can I just say that I love things like this? 

The folks at GymPact tweeted me about my blog post on the company's app. (And shared the link.)

And I'll never get over people pinning my designs. The most popular pin is from my organization Motivation Monday post. 

 

Motivation Monday: You Will Achieve Grand Dreams a Day at a Time

Sometimes it's easy to be overwhelmed. Sometimes the pure magnitude of things I need to do seem so daunting that I'll just lay in bed pressing snooze as I think about everything I'm putting off and my deadlines inching closer. And closer. And closer.

Granted, I think everyone experiences some level of this at some time. But I know the importance goals play in helping me prioritize and enabling me to jump out of bed excited about the prospects of the day and all that I can—and will—accomplish.

Today's Motivation Monday quote is by the same person as last week's. (Did I mention that I'm in awe of this Og Mandino.) And it reminds me of an earlier post about goals.

Anyways:

"You will achieve grand dreams a day at a time. So set goals for each day. Not long & difficult projects, but chores that will take you step by step toward your rainbow. Write them down, if you must, but limit your list so that you won't have to drag today's undone matters into tomorrow. Remember that you cannot build your pyramid in 24 hours. Be patient. Never allow your day to become so cluttered that you neglect your most important goal to do the best you can. Enjoy this day and rest satisfied with what you have accomplished."
—Og Mandino

I stuck with the same design idea as last week, but I mixed in some different colors and a second font. 

This quote is long. And there are multiple parts that are so great alone. I probably could have split this into six or seven different Motivation Mondays, but you get the treat and power of having this presented all as one. But I'll split my thoughts for ya too.

1. Grand dreams come one day at a time. 
Don't be overwhelmed or discouraged from dreaming grand dreams. They are possible. And they are worth the wait and the work. What you do each and every day will get you there, so remember those goals every day. Go get 'em.

2. Set small step-by-step goals to help you accomplish big projects.
It's ok to break things up into little tasks. Baby steps. It's all about baby steps. There is no need to try to everything all at once. Take something you can do and do that. Now! Then you can focus on something else. You can do it.

3. Limit your list of goals for each day. But write them down.
I love me a good to-do list. But I also love the reminder to not overwhelm myself. Don't take it too easy, sure, but only give myself approachable challenges that I can actually accomplish that day. Award yourself with a sense of accomplishment.

4. Nothing amazing happens in 24 hours. Be patient.
Ah, yes, the patience advice. Keep trekking along. Keep the faith. Focus on the little goals and accomplishments you reach every day, week, and month.

5. Never allow clutter to distract you from your most important goal.
Distractions can be the worst. But having a goal can help you stay on track and better prioritize your time.

6. Do the best you can.
And accept your honest efforts as your best. Remember there are ups and downs, but always strive for your best.

7. Rest satisfied with what you have accomplished. 
Look back at No. 3. Make an honest effort and when you have reached your goals for the day, ACCEPT THAT. Maybe take a break. Oh, and have some fun! :)

What Do You Remember From General Conference?

A couple weeks ago the Deseret News published an article/quiz focusing on what we might remember from the April 2013 General Conference. (The LDS Church organizes this conference for ALL its members across the world twice a year. Find more information here.)

Personally, I LOVE General Conference. The weekends when these events take place are easily among my favorite of the year. In the past I've tried to create little word art images from the talks to display in my home and remind me of the messages I heard (Check April 2012 here). I've been lame and haven't really done this for the past couple conferences.

Anyways, I appreciated this article because it reminded me that 1) I need to review the past conference messages and 2) General Conference is only a month away!

I've downloaded audio versions of every message from April and plan to relisten to them before October 5-6.

Head over to the quiz to see what you remember. And if you are LDS or want to hear a lot of inspirational messages, plan to watch, listen, or stream the conference in four sessions on Saturday and Sunday October 5-6.

Fight Procrastination Today!

Did you know that today—Sept. 6—is National Fight Procrastination Day?

I'm a terrible procrastinator. Sometimes it takes me forever to do things. Overcoming this is something I am working on every single day. 

PsychologyToday posted a few years ago some strategies to help procrastinators fight the urge to put things off—the top strategy being pre-commitment. What strategies can you put in place ahead of time to prevent you from procrastinating? (Think the example of throwing away unhealthy food so you won't eat it later while you are on a diet.) The article mentions perhaps setting up some sort of time blocker for your internet usage to help you stay on task. 

I've personally opted to NOT have internet in my home. This is annoying sometimes, yes. But I also find that I'm more able to stay on task, have incentive to get out of my house and working on things, and actually get to sleep occasionally without this additional distraction.

I also enjoyed Real Simple's article "How to Stop Procrastinating" includes the following tips:

1. Do the worst thing first
2. Start your day over at 2 p.m.
3. Make the job smaller
4. Create an audience
5. Race the clock
6. Don't interrupt yourself
7. Plan an unprocrastination day (I need this!)

So today find something you've been putting off and just DO IT! Tell me how you do. 

My project is to finally organize my finances according to my new streams of income. Wish me luck. 

And while you procrastinate that contemplate what to do, here are some additional comics to enjoy. 

Things I Learn From My Siblings

Today is my brother—the youngest child and only boy in the family—Mckay's birthday. While most of us in the family still think of him like the picture below, he is actually turning 22. (What??)

I have to say that little Mckay has grown up to be a pretty cool kid. I have the lucky role to be the only immediate family member in the same state as Mckay, so I get to see all of his grown-up skills and characteristics a lot. I find myself looking to him as an example for things I don't do well and realized I do the same with each of my siblings. (I was also thinking about this on my sister Julianne's birthday a couple weeks ago.) So I've decided to give a little shout out to the amazing people that they are and share some of the many, many things I learn from my siblings—youngest to oldest.

All of the siblings together in May 2013 at Aspen Grove, Utah.
Julianne, Susanne, Mckay, Christianne, Karianne, Ruthanne

Mckay—This guy is very responsible, organized, and dedicated to excel. Even as a freshmen at BYU, he never goofed off or wasted time. (And we all know how the stereotypically freshmen male behaves.) He continues to show this dedication to doing well—in his school work, in his music, and in his professional pursuits. Mckay schedules to spend his "free" time in practice rooms (he's a drummer and music major). He knows when he needs to be doing school work and dedicates WAY more time to that stuff than I remember ever doing as a student. He is currently trying to get an introductory job related to his major and has dedicated his time this past week to learning programs and skills needed to spiff up his application. He's impressive. And he is never idle. Never. As a college student, Mckay doesn't necessarily have much money, but he is so incredibly responsible with his spending. He knows exactly where every dollar is going and what he is supposed to spend. He has a budget and sticks to it. Plus he's a saver—he rarely even spends his dedicated "spending" money. Happy birthday Mckay! Some girl needs sing this to ya: "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22. Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you!" 

Susie—She inspires me to be more outgoing, become a morning person, and also pushes me to be a better runner. Growing up, Susie was always the most fun and bubbly girl that everyone wanted to be friends with. She sees the fun in everything and has no problem striking up genuine conversations with perfect strangers (not a natural ability for me!). When she sets her mind to something, she does it! For a while, we'd go to the gym together at 5:30 am, and she'd have to call me every day to wake me up. She makes the perfect running buddy because she is patient with my slow running but also encourages me to go a little longer or a little faster. She also doesn't settle for the status quo. She is also a great example of taking leaps in life and letting go of what I'm comfortable with to experience a little adventure in life.

Ruthie—She pretty much knows everything, or at least how to find information about it. She is always the one I call with a question about how something works, where something is located, or who said what. (Before smart phones, she was my go-to GPS.) She is super smart and can pretty much pick up any skill. She learns quickly and will often dive into projects and learn how to do things as she goes. I'm pretty sure she could do almost ANYTHING just because of these skills, and I think that is amazing. She is also a great teacher and speaker and impresses me with her preparation when she does those things. 

Julianne—She is the business queen and who has already paved a path for me to follow by earning her MBA and using her awesome skills to get a start-up company off the ground. She shows me that hard work and some smart skills pay off and to not let my training go to waste. And that sometimes you have to invest a bit of time and money to get a result that pays off in the end. She is also a world traveler and inspires me to embrace unique opportunities when they come my way. She is always game for a trip and is AWESOME at balancing her career and personal life. 

Christianne—As the oldest of the bunch, she is a natural leader and knows how to get things done. One thing I always notice when I'm with Christianne is that if we talk about something, she'll just do it. I tend to want to plan things out and think about things before I do them. But if we're like, "Oh let's make a headband," she leads us to just sit down right there and make a headband. She is also the craftiest of us all and knows how to do all kinds of projects. I'm pretty sure she could create anything. And she's not afraid to learn new skills. She is also the mother of 4 and is so good and teaching her kids and being able to teach them at their level. I hope to be a mom like her some day.

Pretty much all of my siblings are awesome. And this small post doesn't even touch on all of the great characteristics they each possess.

My Decision to Quit My Full-Time Job—Part 3

Recap: I left off after deciding that I would make the leap out on my own in April. For full details, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. 

I'm the kind of person who needs to process all the different aspects of a decision (especially a big decision) to mentally prepare for it. I'm not an impulsive person. I like thinking things through and taking my time to kinda ease my way into things.

So when I decided on April, I needed that time to process everything. As I mentioned in Part 2, I was slightly worried this would be too long. But I set to work preparing. (And honestly, I didn't do as much preparation as I wanted.) The next several months included getting my finances in line (I didn't have any debt but wanted to save some more money and get some big purchases out of the way), strengthening my Zumba business/income, exploring other career opportunities, and increasing my focus on my own business.

If you have read my blog over the last several years (previously at skariann.blogspot.com), you've probably read me mention Ramit Sethi of "I Will Teach You to be Rich." About 3 years ago I purchased his online course called Earn 1K that focuses on helping you building a side income. I started working on several of the exercises through that program to help put me in the right mindset for going out on my own. This included organizing and recognizing exactly what my business service is and who my target audience is. I reached out to potential clients and started building my network of leads.

A major aspect of my final decision to quit dealt with my Zumba business. I love teaching Zumba, and these classes are always the highlight of my day. When I first got started, I had a hard time actually making money from this, and honestly that wasn't my focus. Zumba was a side hobby for me and I never even looked at what it was bringing in financially. As long as I wasn't in the negative, I was fine. But the past year had opened up more and more opportunities that lead me to making money with this fun, little hobby of mine.

During the months leading up to my decision to quit my job, I started weening out the Zumba opportunities that didn't pay out enough to be worth my time. I even started teaching at a new place but had to leave that behind when I didn't get enough support from the owner who brought me on. I had to develop the mindset of being aware of my time and its worth. I also started working at the fantastic new facility in Provo.

I even interviewed for several other positions with various organizations. I knew that I didn't really WANT to postpone my desire to start my own business, but I went through a couple days where I just sent my resume for a dozen job listings. And I was surprised at how big of a response I got. I turned down a couple requests for interviews. I turned down a job offer. Part of me wondered why I had even looked at job listings, but this part of the process was another confirmation that even if everything failed miserably, I could always get another job. The option to go back to a traditional job is always there. 

Then, April came. I mentally pushed my deadline back to the end of April.

May came. May continued. And the end of the month approached. Those I had asked to follow up with me for accountability gently inquired about my plans.

I started feeling the pressure. I NEEDED to do this.

An opportunity came up to sub a Zumba class during the day for a couple weeks. I took it. Another opportunity to sub someone's class starting in a month
during their maternity leave for a couple months came up. I took it. And finally, the opportunity to start teaching Zumba Kids (which I had certified in but never taught) opened. I knew I wanted to do it. Taking on this class would require me to teach 1-2 classes during the day twice a week. This, combined with the other opportunities and my desire to have some resemblance of a life outside of work, was the final push for me to take initiative and move forward on my decision.

I went to talk to my supervisor. This was right around the end of May/beginning of June. I told her about these opportunities and that I felt that I had to take advantage of them. We discussed some options and decided to potential move toward me working part time and bring on someone else part time to eventually take completely over. In my head, I knew this option was a baby step for me to go completely on my own. At this point I was fine with the slow transition. However—and I told her this—if things didn't work out, I knew the alternative was just the kick in the bum I'd need to MAKE me move forward. My supervisor took this part-time option to her boss and a couple days later told me that he didn't think the part-time option would work for my position. I said OK, and we set my last day two weeks out.

Over those two weeks I saw multiple confirmations that I had made the right decision. Opportunities I had previously pursued suddenly showed up in my life again. I was reminded that jobs are jobs. That I am talented, hard-working, and have great experience under my belt. Those types of confirmations are incredibly beneficial in times like this.

I worked hard those last couple weeks to get everything order and leave everything in the best order possible for the next communications director to come along. I helped review resumes and provide feedback after the interviews. I got all my materials together and, while I was sad to leave that great work environment behind, knew that I was making a good decision for me. Even though I was closing a door and jumping out a window, I knew there was a parachute waiting for me. A parachute I had made and prepared for just this scenario. It was waiting for me and all I needed to do was summon some courage, take the leap, and pull the string.

Next came Annesali.