StyleMe outfits for week 1….so fun!

Standard

ImageImage

Loved my ‘watermelon’ pants…and I even got a lot of compliments!
And today’s outfit is kind of awesome for a couple of reasons…one being it’s comfy and two being I had to substitute jeans in for the ‘khaki’s’ because….this morning I went to put them on and they were wayyyyyyy too big!!! Woot Woot!

Check out these awesome Bloggers style and their Blogs!!!

Link

<a href="

” title=”Check out these awesome Bloggers style and their Blogs!!!”>Check out these awesome Bloggers style and their Blogs!!!

 

Life is pretty good when you have a bunch of amazing women embracing style!!! Day 3 of the Style Challenge and I’m feeling giddy…I’m giddy because: I’m taking selfie’s (and actually not minding it), my heart is being filled with the kind words of an awesome group of women, I’m actually pumped to get dressed in the morning…AND the outfits incorporate COLOUR…aside from being able to pick out anything in my closest and love what I’m wearing every day…I totally feel empowered by the amount of women across the globe wearing similar outfits – ALL supporting one another on a journey of fashion, empowerment, style (not just in clothing – but by welcoming and rocking their own ‘chic-ness’)

So, we’ve all decided to do a link up…share our blogs with our blog readers and invite them on this journey of fulfillment in kind words that appreciate each person’s beauty and AUTHENTICITY! 

(hope I’ve copied the link up directions correctly)

In light, 

Becca

Colour. Fun.

Standard

Okay, admittedly it has been quite some time since my last blog…however, it has been report card writing time at school and I’ve been experiencing a lot of ‘stay or go’ feelings about NYC. There is something about the soil there…the fact that you can feel the hustle and bustle of the city but walk outside and in a few minutes you can still find some nature. Yup. The thoughts about moving there have been consuming me. I’ve decided to let it go for right now, and let whatever is meant to happen…happen.

Back to report consumption…well…among all of the others things teachers have on the go, there are about 3 times a year where we are scrambling to get these reports written. Although they are informative to parents and I am becoming a pro at writing them, they are incredibly time consuming. I’ve created a little reward system for myself during report card writing season…If I complete a certain amount in a given amount of time then I provide myself with a glass of wine or yoga class OR even better…a little bit of GROOVING! And then I return to the computer and write again…hahaha

Anyway, round one is done…printing is on Monday, then editing and they are shipped home for parental review…lol…pretty sure since I have completed round one, I’m good for a decent reward! Well, I’ve decided to reward myself with a fun little summer style challenge…TOTALLY out of my realm. Love fashion. Love clothing. Never considered putting this much support into what I choose to wear though. I’ll get back to why there is support in a bit…first I want to share why I have titled part of my blog the way that I have…colourful…

I love colour. I love incorporating colour that flows nicely in all areas of my life. Each day when I’m getting ready I choose a colour to focus in on for my outfit and I go with it. Most of my outfits or writing will have a pop of colour (note to self – when revamping blog…look into changing font colour). I love colour in nature the most…the spring/just about summer time is my absolute favourite! I love being outside and admiring the natural colours coming up…from flowers blooming to the richness in greens all around, sometimes I just simply can’t get enough…aside from it being beautiful, it’s incredibly relaxing and peaceful to just be outside and enjoy the colour that surrounds us daily. When my students ask me my favourite colour…I always respond ‘I have three…can I share all three???’ and of course they say no, just one. And so I share all three anyway…lol…‘purple, blue and green…all shades of all three!’ Really, I don’t even think there is a colour I don’t like…I like all sorts of colours and I literally have a bit of everything in my closest too, and I love colour in meals…I think it is so awesome to make a plate of food that looks rich in colour…mmm

Okay, back to the style challenge…my point above, I already loved putting clothes together based on colour…now with the challenge an interesting spin has been added and it’s kinda fun…PLUS…it’s a huge confidence booster…and got me out of my lulu’s…it’s been easy to say, well I work with kids, I need to be able to move around easily – which is 100% true…I do…but I also get to add the fun accessories and find other things that can keep it comfortable but make it fun, classic, and chic…a friend of mine joined a group doing this as she came off of maternity leave, she told me about it and I decided to join…essentially you are given a list of ‘must haves’ (everyone’s might be slightly different) for the challenge and then over 3 weeks each day you are sent suggestions on how to pair your finds…it’s been a lot of fun to have added a few new pieces that can be paired in a variety of ways to make lots of different outfits…and there is a group where you post your fun finds and combinations and discuss…in other words, FUN! FUN! FUN!

My intention with my blog is to appreciate beauty as much as possible, and whereas somewhere along the line in life we all have tough stuff to deal with, I want to help inspire ways to lift people by helping them find even the tiniest bit of beauty in their life and just keep it growing…focus on it…so I encourage you to start by really embrace the colours in nature right now. Even when you are driving…there are plenty of colours happening right now…and maybe even pay attention to which colours you always wear and whether you can find ways to incorporate more colour in your life…maybe through food…drink…makeup…

Anyways, wishing you all an amazing weekend filled with purple, blue and green! hehehe…

Becca 🙂

 

 

What! Grass in NYC?

Image

What! Grass in NYC?

This photo makes me think that there are plenty of opportunities to connect with nature in NYC…

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
― William Shakespeare

Simply Blessed With Natural Habits…

Standard

Wow. The last week and a bit has proven to be very life changing for me. Last week my blog talked about my trip to New York City and finding myself empowered by my adventures. I’m still very heavily weighing my options about spending more time there. Do I invest in some much needed weekend trips? Do I spend some of the summer there? Do I just pack up and move? Time to meditate? lol

Simply Blessed. The title of my blog today is referring to a trip I literally just took to Buffalo. My Principal invited myself and a few other amazing teachers to partake in a Symposium called ‘The Leader in Me’. This Symposium is inspired through the great work of Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and implementing the habits within a school culture. The 2 day experience was very transforming and empowering. This system basically gives us a toolbox to teach children and people to be GOOD people. Naturally I use a lot of the principles already in my own daily life and so you can imagine that it trickles down to my students. The part I love about implementing the 7 Habits in the school system though is that it gives educators and students the language to then take action to become good people.

The closing keynote speaker at the Symposium had the entire auditorium in tears (okay – maybe I’m exaggerating…but my table group was in tears). Muriel Summers is the lady responsible for making this possible in schools and she was incredibly warm and loving.

The habits are;

1. Be Proactive                                                                            

 2. Begin with the end in mind         

3. Put first things first                      

4. Think win-win    

 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood   

6. Synergize (collaborate)

7. Sharpen the Saw (take care of you)

(from Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

I have only recently started to become fully aware of the 7 Habits and how effective they are in practice. I’ve been listening to the audio tape on my drive to work. Like I said, most of them are already a part of ME – but the one that I have committed to work on for myself that I don’t otherwise do is Habit #4 Think Win-Win…here’s the thing about me, too often I think Lose-Win…me being the lose…and not because I want to lose, but because for some reason I think other people need the win more than I do…and actually…it kind of breaks my heart a little that I’ve felt that way in the past. I’ve literally compromised my well-being, my intelligence, my needs – all in the name of making someone else feel good, ‘win’ or shine. When in actuality I should have been thinking ‘win-win’…somewhere where both people walk away feeling happy and content…I have a lot of things to be proud of that deserve equal light and there is absolutely no reason for me to compromise to the point where my needs are not being met…so my personal goal for the next however long it takes…until it’s embedded in my DNA is to improve my ‘think win-win’ mentality.

Okay, back to Muriel…this woman took these ideals and used them in her school to build a culture of students who respect one another as people…and she extended it so much as taking care of the lives of her staff also. When she spoke I felt a really warm feeling of love and care in my heart…. for me, it was like everything that I love about teaching children came flooding back into my heart. For the last 10-15 years I have felt that the education system was truly failing to meet the needs of the HUMAN beings passing through. I felt like the heart and compassion needed to educate young people was missing. Everything about the 7 Habits puts becoming good, loving people first…get it…first things first…you can’t learn until your soul and being feels loved and safe. Gosh I’m incredibly lucky for having participated in such an inspirational event. lol

So much of what Muriel said resonated with me and one of them was this quote;

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

– Mark Twain

Amazing. Celebrate life people!!! Your presence on this earth is on purpose and likely for a pretty stinking cool reason…but…as much as I loved what she said, I don’t think I have entirely realized my purpose. I know a lot of what my purpose is…but there is so much of the ‘why’ that hasn’t presented itself yet. I’ve had many traumatizing experiences, uplifting experiences and inspirational ones…and really everything in between also…but there is something that just hasn’t clicked…but in hearing Muriel speak about motivating children to be their best person as they find their why, I felt a huge sense of hopefulness shoot up and down my spine, that I, like her, will eventually find my ‘why’ and change people’s lives…

I would absolutely love to hear from you about your ‘why’ … Have you found it? What’s it feel like? How did you notice it? If you haven’t found it…what are you feeling? What are signs that are showing up for you?

In Kindness,

Becca

xo

 

Incredibly Brave or Wildly Dumb?!?

Standard

So it has been a couple of weeks since my last post…life consumes us sometimes…in good ways and in bad. Luckily over the last couple of weeks I’ve been consumed in the good. Between a couple of meetings with my editor, writing a little more…oh and an amazing trip to New York City – and let me tell you this place has the capacity to tell many stories. It inspired me to write more…right from the moment I arrived at the airport in Canada to wait for my flight until the moment I boarded to come home this morning. This place really has you explore your power.

On the evening that I flew in, my friend was at an event so I found my way from New Jersery to the Village…I contemplate this trek being one of the sketchiest moments of my life…my flight had been delayed a couple hours, so what was meant to be a 9pm subway ride turned into a 12am subway ride. I met an incredibly nice couple that were on my flight and they brought me to Penn station (my first NYC heroes) lol…they got me on the right track to the Village…after saying our goodbyes, I got on the Subway train and immediately realized I was either incredibly brave or wildly dumb. Who takes the subway in an unfamiliar place, with basically no idea where you are going at midnight??? With luggage??? Why didn’t I just go onto the street and take a cab???

As much as my heart was beating with all of the bizarre stares I was getting, I felt slightly empowered that I was actually navigating the City semi-independently…then the train stopped and it was time to get off…I needed a big gulp of strength, because as soon as I stepped onto the plat form, people disappeared (except for a few scary stragglers) and I started to panic…which stairs to take?! So, I befriend this man (hero #2) passing by and ask him kindly to get me to the street…he laughed and agreed…FINALLY I’m in the lively streets of NYC…I call my friend, who has started to panic because she hadn’t heard from me in a bit, luckily she was just arriving home from the event and races down to meet me…I’ve never been so happy to see a familiar face as I was at that moment….this might not be the most sketchiest moment in another person’s life…however, it did a number on me.

I’m curious…was it incredibly brave or just wildly dumb of me?! Luckily I was accompanied the rest of the weekend…I had a total BLAST!!! I can’t quite figure out my favourite part – exploring the streets and passing through Little Italy, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square fun, Broadway, Piano Bar, and much more!!!

Since my blog’s purpose is to appreciate the beauty in life, I must touch on my entire trip being fruitful and inspirational…when I landed in Toronto this morning I immediately wanted to return to NYC…this city is incredible, the way of life is chic, inspiring, a ton of fun, and just simply AWESOME. I’ve met some really great people…it was really neat to learn about the people I met and realize that ‘everybody has their story’….the subway story is only the start of my weekend’s adventures and a small story in the grand scheme of my life…lol

Do I see myself living there at some point???…quite possibly…soon.

The Best Way To Check In and Recharge…

Standard

This past weekend has been filled with complete abundance for me, and likely for more than a handful of women I consider my closest friends. These women are angels in my life. They have taught me so many things and loved me unconditionally. More than just listening and sharing their feelings, they honour my being and path. They truly seek the best for me and I for them. They are so safe, caring, kind, beautiful and compassionate – I really can’t imagine life without them. From an a great dinner catching up with an old friend, to celebrating 30 years of another, and having a slumber party with my angels…my heart is overflowing with love as I write this post…

What I would like to focus on and share with you all today is how to truly nurture the ‘girl friends’ that you have in life. Far too often we have made excuses not to acknowledge what our friends truly need from us (we are all busy with work, children, boyfriends, husbands – these all fall under the category of excuses…) The truth is, in order to show up for the ‘excuses in your life’ – which also happen to be beauty in your life, at your best, you need to replenish yourself with the women (or men – actually…I’m not sure men have as much difficulty allowing guy time as women do) who feed your soul. These are the people you can trust…but in order to be a good friend effectively you have to show up on the in between…it includes the big ways too like; investing in some quality time, sleepovers, chats, dinners, etc…but also – but be there in between also…the world has made it way too easy to check in with your family and friends – a simple/quick phone call or message/email to let your friends know you care is the best way – you never know – your friend might be needing exactly the message you decide to send…and then setting dates to meet in bigger ways through events, dinners, etc.

I invite you to think about all of the amazing friends that you have surrounding you..and ask yourself:

Are you present enough in their life?…

Have you connected with them to know enough to know what is going on in their lives?

Have you honoured their path as much as they have honoured yours?

How could you make the friendship richer?

We are all at different stages, and I feel truly blessed to have a group of women who are at different stages than I – but – fully support and understand where I am at – AND – they show up for me. The feeling is mutual – I show up for them in the way they need also. What truly makes a friendship stronger and fills it with love and support is the ability to acknowledge where you are in your life, where your friend is in life, and meet somewhere in the middle so that both friends needs are met…

I care deeply about my friends and it is extremely important for me to be there for each one of them and so this topic is incredibly important and sacred to me…know that your friends need you just as much as you need them and sometimes that means stepping outside of the ‘grown up world’ and being that silly playful friend, like you are 8 years old all over again…it’s incredibly empowering, fulfilling and FUN!

I hope in someway today’s post inspires you to invest some time with your friends honestly, in a way that honours both you and them…to keep your connection to life and friendship as strong as possible.

And…so I will leave you with this quote…

“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.”

– Khalil Gibran

In Kindness,

Becca

 

Community

Standard

This past week I received the first sketch of the main character for one of the children’s books that I have written AND I was completely ecstatic when I got it! The little character is PERFECT! I am seriously trying to contain myself as I wait for the rest of the process to unravel…It was a really cool feeling to open a package for this purpose – almost like another step in my journey as been unlocked and life has given me more opportunity to be authentically me. And as much as I want to surprise the people in my life with the final product, I need to share my excitement.. It got me thinking about who is in my life and who has supported me through my journey and who will still be there once my books are published…and so this past week I’ve also been taking a look at my ‘community’. By this I don’t mean the place in which I live and am therefore a part of…I mean the people and places I associate myself with. Especially the people. I am incredibly lucky and blessed to have the people in my life that I do, that goes far beyond my family. I have a community of beautiful best friends, friends, yogis, groovers, and just people I’ve met along the way in life. Some of my community members I can’t imagine life without and I thank my lucky stars for them.

I’ve decided to spend the next – how ever long it takes – sending  thank you notes to my community – for being in my life in whatever way they have been, supporting me on my journey – some people have played a bigger role than others but I thank each person just the same. I have also shown the people that I care about that I care about them, and I will ALWAYS do that regardless of what life has to offer…and my message for today is to invite you, others, anyone to join me in this ‘gratitude’ shift…appreciate the people who make a difference in your life, the people who have believed in you and your dream – sometimes more than you have…because there comes a time when your dream comes to fruition and those people need to know they helped you in some way shift into the person you have become. This gratitude shift is meant to be different than your average ‘thank you’ -way bigger than just a simple thank you…it’s telling the people why you thank them and showing that you want them in your life regardless of where life takes you…

Today’s blog is short n’ sweet – because – well…it’s absolutely beautiful outside and I can’t wait to get back out there and soak up some time with the sun! I hope you get to also!

If you took the time out of your day to read this or support me in some way – please know that you are part of what I’m feeling grateful for on my journey…

In Kindness,

Becca

xo