lifestyle

7 Things I’m Grateful for Right Now

My yoga teacher always says that gratitude is the vehicle needed to drive more happiness into your life. And I think he’s right because if I’m being honest with you this year I haven’t been very happy and I haven’t been very grateful, either. There was a time when I wrote gratitude lists every night before bed, but that’s a practice I abandoned months ago. Now here I am writing a gratitude list because it’s Thanksgiving Day and as a blogger, a post about the things I’m grateful for seems required.

Sure, there are some things I’m always thankful for — neighborhood walks with my husband, the strength to run, dance, and do yoga despite my connective tissue disease, girls night with the few friends in my life who love me for who I am and not what I do.

But lately, I’ve been in a foul mood because this year has been a bit disappointing. I am not where I had hoped to be by the end of 2017 and I’m frustrated. Tuesday morning I had a chat with my business coach about these feelings, these feelings that I know come from falling into the trap of comparison. After reminding me that these feelings are normal, she urged me to make a list of all the things I have accomplished this year.

If you’ve been feeling disappointed or discouraged, I encourage you to make a list of your own. Instead of beating yourself up about all the things you haven’t accomplished this year, celebrate all the things that you have.

Here are 7 accomplishments and opportunities I’m grateful for right now:

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30 Things I Love Right Now

(1) Working on my selfie game. | (2) @ColorMeCourtney Instagram Stories.| (3) Wearing boots with everything. (4) Jon Bernthal. | (5) Being my husband’s wife. | (6) SOL Dance Experience.  | (7) Wednesday afternoon yoga classes.  | (8) Training for road races. | (9) Feeling like a runner again. | (10) My Tidal subscription.  | (11) My pouch clutch collection. | (12) Teaching 7th graders.  | (13) FINALLY hiring a soclal media manager. | (14) Cantu hair care products. | (15) Writing for StyleBlueprint. | (16) YouVersion Bible reading plans. | (17) My button and lapel pin collection. | (18) Seeing See Jane Write members quit their day jobs to follow their dreams. | (19) Miniature Twix bars.  | (20) Preparing to slay 2018.  | (21) Wicked nail polish by Essie.  | (22) Hot Diggity Dog. | (23) Black Bloggers United meetups. | (24) The Marble Ring.  | (25) Seeing my coaching clients meet their goals. | (26) Being confident that I’ll meet mine, too.  | (27) I’m going to Wrestlemania 34!.  | (28) Being a woman with a plan. | (29) Being a woman with a tribe. | (30) Blogging like crazy!

What do you love right now?

My Holiday Wish List

It’s that time of year when close friends and family start to ask me what I want for Christmas and being a blogger makes it easy for me to answer. I simply write a blog post about my holiday wish list and share the link. So here goes…

FitBit Bracelet

This year I lost 20 pounds and I believe it was my FitBit that helped me accomplish this goal. I am obsessed with tracking my steps. I never want to take off my FitBit, not even when I need to be extra chic for a swanky blogger event. With this gold-plated bracelet, my FitBit will no longer clash with my outfits.

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5 Things That Made Me a Happy Feminist This Week

Having a SOL Dance Experience with the ladies of See Jane Write was the highlight of my week.

Being a happy feminist has felt nearly impossible these days, for reasons that are obvious to anyone who keeps up with the news. And as we learn of more and more women who have suffered sexual assault by male politicians and celebrities, what’s almost just as enraging is the “Why is she just now coming forward?” bullshit that so many people — including other women — are saying in response to the allegations.

But the purpose of this post is to add a little happiness to your day, so I’ll step down from my soapbox and share with you 5 things that added a bit of joy to my week.

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