Inspire Me- Happening

What's the best way to start off the week? With a snow day!!!! We are supposed to get up to 35 cm of snow, plus high winds...none of that is fun, but it does result in a snow day, so yea!! You know the weather is pretty bad when schools- including universities- are closed...usually buses are cancelled but schools remain open.

I plan on spending the day in my pj's, drinking hot chocolate and not doing much. For everyone affected by this snow storm....stay safe and warm

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!! I had an extra, extra long weekend that was cut short. I only worked until 1pm on Thursday, had Friday off and was not supposed to be in the office until noon today. I was away from the weekend-the first time in a month- and I had to leave on Sunday because there was a snowstorm warning for Southern Ontario. I could've stayed put and risked being storm stayed- which would have been fine by me!!- but I need to be in the office for 8:30am on Tuesday and there was no guarantee that I would be able to make it safely back in time. So, I left Sunday morning instead of Monday morning. 

It was nice to get away for the weekend...lots of snow Thursday (after I arrived) and Friday, so I spent all of my time inside. I did a little bit of reading and a lot of DVD watching, but it was still enjoyable. 

Anyway, some inspiration for the week:

This is something I need to constantly tell myself. I have been working on something for the past four months- off and on. Things will be going well, and then it doesn't pan out. The 'not panning out' has happened 3 times. One time, it was so close to working out, I could taste it. Then...I don't know what happened (I have my suspicions)...but it wasn't the end result I wanted or expected. 

Just because it's not happening, doesn't mean it won't happen. I just means the timing isn't right or that there is something better waiting. I just need to keep trying. Every time it doesn't work, I just need to pick myself up and try again. 

It will eventually happen. I need to be patient, persistent and have faith. There is something better, it will work out. 

It might feel like it will never happen...but I know it will. 

There is something better for me. 

It WILL happen. 

Eventually.

Inspire Me- Never Out Of Style

This is the Monday I have been counting down too. I had a HUGE fundraiser for work yesterday and ended up working over 15 hours yesterday. In fact all last week, in preparation for the fundraiser, I was working 9-12 hour days (instead of my usual 7 hours).  So today, I am rewarded with a day off. I have an appointment at noon and plan on doing only things that make me happy today; reading, writing, maybe some Netflix, spending the day in pj's, enjoy cups upon cups of tea. I earned this day off, and trust me...I EARNED the day off. 

 

I've mentioned several times, that my word for 2015 is happy. I am really focused on this word and am really making an effort to be happy. The above quote is from Lilly Pulitzer. Happy is never outdated, or overrated for that matter. 

Inspire Me- Up

Another Monday, another start to a week...boo. I have a huge event on the weekend, so this week will be HECTIC!! Long days, late nights, stress and chaos. I can't wait until next Monday when the event is over and I can have a little break. Work wise, this will not be a fun week, I am planning on seeing a friend tonight, and tomorrow night I have a speed networking event and drinks & dessert outing with friends. There will be some fun this week- if I can escape the office!

If I can't get away from the office, I'll just have to remember the weekend. Another weekend spent at my apartment, instead of at one of my homes. Friday night, I worked late and treated myself to dinner, then it was home for some mindless tv watching. Saturday was busy- Target, Starbucks, Lush, discovering a new mall and coffee with a friend. Sunday, brunch with a friend, some blog stuff and then just relaxing. It was a great weekend!

Anyway, this weeks inspiration: 

How true is this? No matter your mood, if you just get up and get dressed, things improve. It can be a challenge to get up and out of bed every morning, but getting up is half the battle. The way you dress will also influence your mood- if you were something you are comfortable in or something that makes you feel confident, those feelings will transfer and help with the situation.

I know that this is going to be a challenging week for me. I'm dreading it just thinking about it. If I can show up to work, I know I can power through, be productive and overcome all the challenges thrown my way. I need to be persistent, stick to my guns and just plug away- not give up.

This weeks inspiration is really about determination...if I can remember this quote and reflect on it through the week, I know that I will be successful. It's about not getting discouraged or frustrated...just be determined and work hard.

Hopefully, I'll be rewarded with having next Monday off.

Inspire Me- How To Be Happy

Happy Monday!! I had a fantastic weekend!! It was the first weekend in months that I spent in my apartment, instead of traveling to either my hometown or my second home. I love my apartment, but very little time here. 

Saturday was spent doing some stuff on my blog during the day and watching Netflix at night. It was relaxing and productive. Sunday, I met a friend for coffee and some downtown window shopping- she introduced me to the most amazing furniture and home decor store- and then I met another friend/former co-worker for a late lunch, followed by a nice visit at my apartment. It was great to spend time with both of these ladies...two good friends of mine, and two friends that I haven't seen in months!

But alas, the weekend is over and I have a BUSY week ahead of me! As always, some inspiration for the week:

 

My word for 2015 is happy. I'm making a real effort to focus on happy...being happy and having happy in my life. So far, so good. I'm generally a positive and happy person- even if people think I'm too busy to be happy (true story, someone actually said that to me). 

I do believe that our mood are a mind frame. If you decide you are miserable, you'll be in a miserable mood. If you decide you are happy, you will be in a happy mood. I frequently tell myself that I am happy, even if I hit some bumps in the road and I really just want to be discouraged or frustrated, I tell myself I am happy and start to think of happy thoughts. It really does take some effort and you have to be able to realize when you are not in a good mood.

This rule for how to be happy, is a good one; decide that you are in a good mood. I've decided that I'm happy and every morning I tell myself that 'today is going to be a great day!'

2015 Word of the Year Is...

Happy New Year!!! I hope that everyone had a GREAT Christmas and New Year's Eve. I was off from work for two week- bliss!!- it was just want my soul needed. I spent a the first week in my hometown and the second week in my second home. In both places, my days were filled with friends and family. And, of course, cheering on Team Canada at the World Juniors (WJC)!!

I am ready to break up with 2014 and move on to 2015. I'm looking forward to this year and am hoping for a great year. There will be a lot of changes, but I'm looking forward to it. 

I don't make New Year's resolutions, instead I pick a quote, phrase or saying to reflect on and try and live throughout the year. A lot of bloggers are posting their word of the year and a number of days ago, my friend Jenn asked friends to share with her their word for 2015.

I decided to pick 'happy' as my word for this year. I'm generally a very happy person. I feel happy and people comment on how happy I am. In 2014, I was lacking happiness...I didn't feel happy, I didn't act happy, I didn't think happy. I'm changing that for 2015.

In 2015, I'm going to go back to being happy. I'm going to make up each morning, smile and tell myself 'today is going to be a happy day' and each night, I'm going to reflect back on all of the happy things that happened that day. Kind of like the '100 days of happy challenge' except all year. It's the simple things in life.

I'm looking forward to my upcoming, happy year.

Inspire Me- Mistletoe

Happy Monday!! I had a fantastic weekend; Friday I celebrated a close friend's birthday, Saturday I went to the market with my dad and got to participate in Christmas at the market-made an ornament, had hot chocolate, saw Santa- before heading over to a friend's farm- they just opened a store on the farm. Sunday was spent with family as we celebrated my grandmother's birthday. 

We are in the home stretch- Christmas is this week, World Junior's start this week and there are only two weeks left of 2014. Today is my first official day of two weeks off!! I've been counting down the days to this much deserved and much earned time off. I'm really only taking 2.5 days off, as our office closes at noon on Christmas eve and doesn't re-open until January 5. I'm looking forward to the time off. 

2014 has been a rough year and I'm looking forward to leaving all of the bad experiences and negativity in 2014. I'm looking forward to 2015 and all of the good it will bring. In the meantime, I'm focused on making the last weeks of 2014 great and really enjoying myself. 

 

Some inspiration for this week:

This quote is a play on 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'. The idea being, you can be as wild and crazy and out of character as you want, it won't be held against you. You can let loose and have fun. Enjoy life. I full intend to laugh and enjoy the holidays. I'm going to have fun. I'm going to make the most of my time with family and friends and truly appreciate the memories we'll make over the holidays. 

I'm going to have the mind frame that whatever happens over these next two weeks, 'will stay under the mistletoe' and not count in the real world. It's been a long time since I've been carefree and I'm looking forward to going back to my 'old ways' and loving life.

Inspire Me: Smiling's My Favourite

Happy Monday!! We are in the home stretch, Christmas is 10 days away! I think I'm in pretty good shape...I just have my mom's present to take care of, I have tons of gifts still to wrap, but shopping is done! Cards have gone out and I decided to pass on Christmas baking this year; time is running out and I decide just to pass on it all together instead of stressing about it. Holiday parties are in full swing and visiting with friends is keeping me busy. 

One of my favourite Christmas movies is Elf and I've already watched it a number of times this year (you can find my other 'must watch' Christmas movies here). So, I thought I would use a line from the movie as inspiration for this week:

 

It's no secret that I have been struggling and dealing with a lot of negative things recently. It's also no secret that I am (usually) a happy person- always laughing and smiling. In fact, my bio for this blog and all my social media says that I am a lover of laughter. 

With everything that I have had going on, I haven't been laughing and smiling as much as I normally do or as much as I would like. This has not gone unnoticed by those who are closest to me.

This quote is a way to remind me that I like to smile and that smiling isn't that hard. I need to be aware of when I'm smiling, make an effort to smile and eventually, the happiness and laughter that I'm used to, will naturally follow.

When you smile, the people around you smile and eventually your smile will become genuine. The good will overcome the bad. 

Inspire Me- Better Than You Ever Imagined

Happy Monday!!! Things have been quiet around the blog, but I've been keeping busy. I had a fantastic weekend spent with friends- a Girls Night Out/Christmas Party and a movie night where we watched all 3 Austin Powers movies. It was nice to spend time with so many friends. I was in a car accident almost two months ago and am slowly recovering- lots of pain and soreness, but nothing too serious. My dad's inauguration was last week- it was pretty typical but still fun. 

Professionally I've been busy too. Lots of meetings and events, and of course long days in the office (including today). I've been struggling to keep a work life balance and have been burnt out since February. I constantly feel like I'm drowning, not even keeping my head above water, so to speak. There have been a lot of changes- not improvements- over the past 13 months and there are more to come. I'm desperately trying to stay positive, keep things in perspective, move forward and make changes. Every time I see a glimmer of light or a door start to open, it quickly becomes dark or the door slams shut. It's discouraging. It's frustrating. 

 

This weeks inspiration is one I've shared before, but it holds true:

I have my dream job and for a few years, it was everything I imagined it would be. Then, the above mentioned changed happened. As time went on, it was a downward spiral of negative, very little good. 

The past 13 months, and everything that happened, are in my past. I knew the changes were coming, but I was told they were going to be good...I was optimistic and even excited. Things didn't pan out the way anyone thought. 

In my case, things were actually worse then I ever could imagine. I was the punching bag and the sacrificial lamb; people were quick to throw me under the bus, risk my reputation and credibility for "the good of the organization". While the work that I do is VERY important, it wasn't seen that way. Me and my work were constantly pushed aside and not taken seriously. 

I can dwell on everything that has happened in the past year or I can move on. The past year was nothing like I had imagined, hoped or lead to believe it would be. 

But I know that something better is coming my way...I know that I won't be stuck in this situation forever...I know that my future will be better than I have ever imagined.

Inaugural Fashion: Sydney

It may have been mentioned once or twice that my dad is a politician. There was an election recently, which means I have an inauguration to attend! My life has been so busy and hectic the past few months, that I wasn't sure when I'd have time to figure out what to wear to the inauguration. So, I decide to reach out to some of my favourite bloggers and ask them to help.

The first blogger is Sydney from Summer Wind.I've always admired Sydney's classic style and knew she would be a perfect blogger to reach out to and ask to help inspire my outfit for the inauguration.

Sydney suggested this beautiful Elizabeth McKay dress:

 

I love this dress and can understand why Sydney picked it! It's classy and conservative- which is key for an inauguration- but the little bit of sparkle keeps it fun and age appropriate. 

Sydney actually owns this dress and featured it in a recent blog post; You can go here to see how she styled it.

Thanks so much Sydney for the style suggestion! For more of Sydney's style, check out her blog, Summer Wind.

Inspire Me: Why Not?

Happy Monday!! I can't believe that we are in the last week on November and that the Holiday Season is essentially here!! I have a busy week ahead of me; Christmas Dinner with my Sorority Sisters, Chamber Awards, work meetings and a kinda farewell lunch for a co-worker (she's leaving our office and moving to another one). There are some fun things coming up, but it will also be an insanely busy work week for me and I'm not looking forward to it.

In reflecting on the past little bit and knowing where I currently am in life and currently dealing with, I thought this quote would be great for this week's inspiration:

I'm finding myself, recently, in a position with I am being questioned on everything that I do...and I'm being questioned on personal things, that have nothing to do with my professional life, nor do they interfere professionally. I'm really bothered by it; I'm feeling disrespected and my invasion of privacy, and I'm feeling pressure to change who I am as a person, which I refuse to do. 

All of the questions and negativity has made me evaluate my life and my priorities. There are a lot of people who discourage me and question my actions. When they ask why, they are trying to create doubt, lower my self esteem and make me question and second guess myself. 

To all those people who ask me why, I ask them why not? You'd be surprised how many people are unable to answer 'why not?'...and if they can't answer that, if they don't have a valid reason for me not to do something, I tell myself that their questions and opinions don't matter in the situation. There is no reason for me not to do it.

 

Even if I am the one questioning myself, asking myself why, I then ask myself why not? And if I can't answer or come up with a reason not to do it...I know that I have no reason to doubt myself. I move forward. 

Inspire Me- Expiration Date

Happy Monday!! I had a great weekend. I was able to leave work early on Friday, which allowed me to come home and rest- I was in a car accident a few weeks ago and am in constant pain with my neck, shoulder and back...it was good to rest my back for a bit before starting my weekend. I spent the weekend in my hometown; so lots of time with family. 

 

I had a great talk with my dad on Saturday...he's going to 'assign' me a really fun, daunting, exciting project. I can't say too much about it yet...but I'm looking forward to the challenge! 

Sunday was a brunch that went on for hours with one of my really good friends. She's getting married this summer, so it was fun to hear about her wedding details. Home to rest for a bit before heading off to a wedding show with her and her mom. We were at the wedding show mostly to look at the dresses...she saw three that she really liked. 

I ended my weekend by stopping by a friends' art gallery Sunday night. I had a nice visit and chat with him and his girlfriend. They are such a great couple, perfect for each other. 

This week is going to be a busy week for me, with a number of long days. I have a HUGE event for work on Friday. It should be a funny event, but I'm not confident in it...there's a lot of unknowns and the committee is a bit...of a learning experience. Fingers crossed that everything will go according to plan and that we raise a TON of money.

It's going to be a very busy and very stressful week, so I will definitely need some inspiration:

This quote is such a great reminder. How many of us have dreams or goals that we start to pursue and give up on when things don`t go our way or we get too frustrated? I know that this has happened to me on more than one occasion.

It's so easy to have things fall apart and give up on our dreams. We need to remember that just because things didn't work out the way we wanted them too the first- or second or third or...- times, doesn't mean that it will never happen. 

 

Dreams and goals don't expire. You just have to keep working at them and keep believing until you accomplish what you set out to do. 

Take a deep breath. Try again, Eventually it will work. 

Things will work out the way they are supposed, when they are supposed too.

Inspire Me- Courage

Happy Monday!!! I can't believe it\s November already!! I hope everyone had a great Halloween and weekend! 

My co-workers and I dressed up as a road crew, so that was pretty fun. My weekend was really low key. I was able to leave work early on Friday (that happens when you work 20+ hours in two days) and escape to my parents weekend house. My cousin and her daughter came over Friday night, Saturday I went to a craft show and ran errands in the morning. The afternoon was spent getting caught up on blog related stuff- mostly emails. Sunday, I did more blog stuff, read and relaxed. It was relaxing weekend.

Also, I've teamed up with a bunch of great bloggers for an amazing giveaway...someone is going to win $1650 cash!! You can enter here.

 

This weeks inspiration:

 

It's so easy to get into a routine and just settle for what you have. It's easy to sit there and think "I wish..." or "What if..." or "It would be great...". So many people give up on their dreams, dreams as big as being an astronaut and dreams as small as being happy. 

 

People get discouraged, frustrated, negative thoughts take over. I think the biggest factor in not pursuing dreams, is failure. People fear failure. It's easy to get scared, not want to fail, give up and just stick with what you have.

My dreams have been put on the back burner for too long. I know I need to make changes in my life, some small and some drastic, but changes need to be made. I've know this for months. Changes don't always mean improvements, and I really can't let things get worse. 

I've taken small steps to get my dreams back on track. I'm working on that courage thing.

Inspire Me- Right Thing

Not only is today the last Monday of October but it is election day in Ontario. Today is the day that residents of Ontario will be heading to the polls to elect our mayors and councillors; the people that will lead our municipal and regional governments for the next four years. 

I don't want to make this a political post; and as a daughter of a politician, I could do it no problem.

 

Elections are like my Superbowl or Oscars; I analyze, research, predict and am glued to the TV and internet, tracking polls as they come in.

My dad is a politician, so I thought it would be fitting to use a quote from him as this weeks inspiration:

"Always do the right thing, not the popular thing. The two are rarely the same thing."

~Dad

Inspire Me- Smile & Move On

I don't know about you, but I could definitely use another day or two attached to my weekend! The days and weeks- and weekends- are going by too quickly for my liking. I need time to slow down a bit, I feel like everything is passing me by, that's how quickly time is moving. 

Despite the weekend ending too quickly, I had a pretty good one. The Battle of Cooks Mills, which was part of the War of 1812, took place 200 years ago. In honour of this anniversary, they had a re0enactment of the battle. It was interesting too see and learn about the way of life in 1812. There were over 400 actors involved and a number of people in the crowd also got into the reenactment and dressed up. I was also invited to a Hungarian Church lunch. One of the ladies at the table started to speak to me in Hungarian and I had no idea what she was saying to me, but the food was pretty good. 

This week is going to be a busy one. I have an event for work on Thursday and tomorrow is our off-site prep day. I'm also going to attempt to go to the movies with friends- the last movie I saw in the theatre was The Great and Powerful Oz, so it's been awhile- and I'm meeting a friend for dinner, whom I haven't seen since August! Lots going on and lots to look forward too. 

Recently, I have really been struggling. There have been a lot of changes over the past year, but not improvements. There has been a lot of negativity and unhappiness and I thought this quote would be the perfect inspiration for this week:

 

I don't feel that I am in a situation where I need "revenge", but then again I am not a vengeful person. I feel like there is someone in my life who is trying to "break" me. Normally, I would just cut this "toxic" person from my life and move on. Unfortunately, that is not an option at the present moment. 

This quote is what I need to do- smile and move on. Every time this person is negative towards, I need to bite my tongue (which I have been doing), but just smile and move on with my day. This is easier said then done, but it is inspiration, right? I just need to remember this quote, smile and move on. I need to show this person, they don't get to me and have little influence and effect on my life.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!! It was a weekend full of family and food. All of my siblings were home and I got to see some of my cousins. Thanksgiving weekend is also my parents wedding anniversary and when we celebrate my cousin's birthday...so lots of celebrating this weekend.

In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving to give thanks for the harvest, which is why we celebrate in October.

I have so much to be thankful for. From the country I live in to the clothes on my back, from my family and friends to my education and opportunities. The things I can give thanks for are numerous. I am thankful each and every day for everything in my life, every aspect of my life.

I am truly blessed.

Inspire Me- Original Copy

Happy Monday!! I know that things have been pretty quiet around here...each week, I have the intention to get back to blogging daily. I have the same intention this week and will try to make ti a reality, but no promises.

Things have been much the same, just lots going on. I'm in the middle of one of my dad's campaigns, work is keeping me on my toes- I had two events in September, one this month, one in November, one in December and four in January. I'm working a lot more than my 35 hours a week. My social life has also kept me busy- dinner with friends, nights out dancing and even a day trip to Toronto to see Wicked!

Last week, I found myself in a situation that made me very unhappy. This lead to self reflection and the realization that it might be time to end a specific journey that I am on and start a new one. It's scary for me but something I need to attempt. I made some very small steps this weekend...I have faith that everything will work out the way it's meant to. If I'm supposed to start a new journey, I will be given the opportunity. If my current journey it's over, I have faith that will be made clear to me and I will stick to this path until further notice. But I really do want to start that new journey. I'm ready.

A bit of inspiration for this week:

 

The first time I heard this quote was actually the first time I saw this image. I love this quote!! I pride myself on being an original, on being different and unique- ever since I was a little kid. I had no desire to fit in and be like everyone else. I was happy to be an individual. I still am. 

I am a VERY creative person. Recently, I've been noticing that my creativity has been lacking; no desire, motivation or time. The worst part was, it was ok with this...I felt empty, smothered, tethered...but I couldn't bother to make time, find motivation or desire. I was ok to let this stuff go because I couldn't be bothered. I was just being and I could feel myself becoming a shell. I was loosing who I was.

Change is needed. I need to go back to being creative, being social, getting back to blogging. I need to go back to being an original. I'm too good to be a copy. 

I know that going back to being myself, an original, won't happen over night and that it will take time. But I realize I need to be an original...it's who I am and I LOVE who I am!! I'm going to work at it. I'm going to make changes. Will go back to being one of a kind.

Inspire Me- Reasons to Cry, Reasons to Smile

The past couple of weeks have been a struggle for me...I've struggled to keep up, I've struggled to be happy. I've struggled to sleep, I've struggled to be motivated, I struggled to... It's been tough. I'm incredibly lucky to have friends that I can turn to, who will listen to me vent, who will distract me, who will make me laugh. It's going to be awhile before things get better...I know that...but I just have to stay positive and keep moving forward.

I had the most amazing weekend!! I started Friday off by celebrating a friends birthday. He hosts a party every year and the same people show up. This party is sometimes the only time I see these people. It's always great to catch up with them. I look forward to this party every year...it's always a lot of fun. It's also a chance for me to escape and to just laugh. 

Saturday I was at Brock University for Homecoming!! I had a fantastic time! It was great to go back to Brock and connect with Alumni- see old friends and meet new people. I'm hoping to write a more detailed post soon. 

Today, I met two of my closest friends for brunch. The three of us haven't been together since just before Christmas! It was so great to see them and spend time with them. I love those girls...spending time with them is exactly what my soul needed.

I know I have a challenging week ahead of me, a lot of hard work and long days. Here is some inspiration I'm hoping will get me through the week:

 

When I get frustrated, I cry. I've spent a lot of time crying the past couple of weeks and it hasn't been fun. Life has given me reason, after reason, after reason to cry in the past two months. I've really tried to start focusing on the positive. I've started journaling; keep track of my daily high/low, 3 things I'm grateful for and a sentence to sum up my day.

I have so many frustrations in my life right now, but I have so many more reasons to smile and be grateful. I'm blessed beyond words and have millions of reasons to smile. It's ok to cry and get it out of your system. But you need to wipe away those tears, focus on the good and the smile will follow.

Inspire Me- Do It Now

I hope that everyone is having a great long weekend and enjoying Labour Day- yea for not having to work!! I was lucky enough to have an extra, extra long weekend; I always take the Tuesday after Labour Day off and last week my boss told me I had to take time off, so I also took Friday off. I've been up at the vacation home, enjoying the last little bit of summer. 

My dad was here Thursday-Saturday morning. We went out for dinner, the beach and just hung out on our patio. I spent Friday afternoon and most of Saturday at the beach. Between the beach and the backyard, I'm trying to spend as much time as possible outside. 

Here is this weeks inspiration:

 

I thought this was the perfect quote for this week!! I spent all winter counting down the days until summer. Summer FINALLY arrived and it flew by...I feel like I didn't do anything this summer. While there is technically still a couple of weeks left until summer, summer essentially ends with Labour Day. 

I always take the Tuesday after Labour Day off, it's my attempt to squeeze an extra day out of summer. I will be spending the next two days, doing as many of my favourite summer activities as possible; breakfast on the patio, walking around town, reading in the hammock, swimming in the lake, making s'mores, sitting outside and star gazing. 

It is so tempting to stay inside and get caught up in social media and netflix. It can be hard to drag myself out of bed, all I want to do is get caught up on sleep. There are things I haven't done yet this summer and if I don't do them know, I won't be able to do them until next summer. I don't want to wait that long. 

Essentially, if you want to do something, do it. Don't keep putting things off. The next thing you know, it'll be winter again and summer will be a distant memory and something too far away. Don't let these last days of summer slip by without embracing them, enjoying them and celebrating them.

Inspire Me- Why Not?

Mondays are tough, especially in the summer. This is not news and I am not the only one who feels this way. I received a grant to hirer two students for the summer; they are both great and I'm really enjoying working with them. But Monday morning are our team meetings. We report on what we did the previous week, what needs to be done this week and divided up between the three of us. 

 

This is also a chance for me to check in with them and see how they like working with us, what I can do to help them, etc. I want this summer to be a fun experience for them and I actually want them to learn and develop skills. Which means, I try to keep the menial office tasks- such as filing and stuffing envelopes- to a minimum. 

I'm trying to be a good leader. I've always tried to lead by example but this is the first time where I am officially in a leadership role and I have to supervise, manage and motivate other staff. It's a learning experience for me. On Friday, both of the students told me that they really liked working for me, that it was fun. I was happy to hear that. 

 

As you all know, I like to start my week with a quote to inspire me and focus on for the week. This is what I picked for this week:

 

I have used a variation of this quote since high school. Every time there is something I want to do, I ask myself "why not?" and if I can't come up with a reasonable answer as to why I shouldn't do it, I do it. 

This is also something I hope my summer students walk away with after this summer, that they can do anything. There is nothing stopping them from achieving anything they set their mind too. I am giving them both challenging tasks, and I'm there to help them, but I'm also letting them take the lead. I want them both to develop critical thinking skills, to think outside of the box and to approach challenges from different angles. I want them to know there are so many ways to do things- we can take different paths to get to the same destination- and there is not single or 'right' way to do anything.

 

I want them both to have the confidence to take chances in life and know whether or not they succeeded, they are still successful for trying.

Inspire Me- Wasted Time

I can't believe that we are in mid-July! This summer is going quickly and I feel like I haven't done anything! This could also be because last summer was so packed full of fun activities. And because last summer our office closed at noon on Fridays, making the weekend seem longer. I honestly feel like I've wasted my summer and haven't done much to fully enjoy it.

Plus my summer was 'delayed' by 6 weeks to work on my dad's campaign. My dad didn't ask that I give up my weekends at the beach to help with his campaign, this was something I voluntarily did and I was happy to do so. Working on campaign's, especially my dad's, are fun to me. A LOT of work, but fun.

This weekend was a fun one for me...it started with dinner at our family cottage, with my parents and cousins on Friday night. The cottage is owned by my great-uncle, with his kids primarily using it. My parents have their own place about 10 minutes away, so no real reason to be at the cottage. I love the cottage...5 generations of our family has and currently spends time there. You can check my instagram for some pictures from the weekend.

I have another busy week full of meetings and a summer student starting, before I can get to my next beach weekend. Here is some inspiration to help me get through the week:

A lot of people, myself included, suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out). This results in packed schedules, running from one event to the next, and not being able to really enjoy life and the experiences we find ourselves in. 

I do so much during the week, that when the weekend comes, I kind of crash and don't do anything. Even if I have a list of things I want to do; Beer tent, Summerfest, Farmer's Market, Flea Market, visit a neighbouring town, laundry, organize my room, get caught up on blog stuff- all things I wanted to do this weekend and, with the exception of laundry, didn't. 

What did I do this weekend? I alternated between napping and reading, with movie watching at night. I wasted my time. But, as this quote points out, if you enjoyed it, it wasn't wasted time. 

Some people might think I did waste my weekend...and I did too, until I remember this quote. I was relaxed and happy. I got caught up on my sleep and worked on my summer reading list. I didn't use my time as I had originally planned, but I still did something with my time and I enjoyed it. 

Maybe next weekend, I'll be more productive.