Taylor Swift, inspiration and creation

Taylor Swift, inspiration and creation

2020 has not been the year that many of us expected when we made plans for the Roaring 20s or the Best Decade ever.  It’s been a challenging year for most, and much harder for others who have suffered illness and loss.  And yet Taylor Swift just released what I, and actual music critics, think is her best album yet.  

It’s easy to think of celebrities and artists as special or different from the rest of us, however, 2020 has not spared anyone.  Like many of us, her year didn’t start off as expected.  She said in interviews, “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening.”  She had to reschedule her Lover Fest shows promoting her last album, and she missed headlining this year’s Glastonbury Festival because the concert was cancelled.  

If she spent time in suffering, it couldn’t have been for long because she began working on this album in April, and released it in July.   She turned her focus, her attention, and her energy to what she does best - she wrote great songs.  “In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result.” 

I am inspired that she could experience the same grief and disappointment that many of us have experienced this year and still release her album Folklore in 4 months.  I am impressed that she did all of this in isolation without the benefit of the standard process it takes to create an album. 

She is not the only one who created during challenging times.  During the plague of 1606 in London, William Shakespeare wrote King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra while in quarantine.  I know that Taylor Swift and William Shakespeare were not homeschooling their children while they were creating, however, it still made me think about my own year and whether I was living and creating fully.  It’s easy to distract ourselves and seek comfort, but what if in that distraction we were missing a huge opportunity that would be more fulfilling? 

• What if we each decided to live our own lives with the same intention, inspiration and wonder?  

• What if we didn’t wait to do the things that we’ve been putting off? 

• What if we sought progress over perfection?  

• What if we created, built, and experienced things NOW because we see each day as a gift?   

• And, what if we didn’t wait for the perfect time to fully live our lives?  

“Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when I release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, “But the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed.  My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.” - Taylor Swift 

What if 2020 is meant to be the year that we grow, transform, and reach our highest potential? What will be your masterpiece this year?

What your food cravings are trying to tell you

What your food cravings are trying to tell you…

Our bodies are innately intelligent.  When we are healthy, we don’t have to remember to breathe, or tell our organs to work, or to adjust our body temperature.  We heal when we cut ourselves, sleep to renew and restore our energy, and make internal adjustments constantly to keep ourselves in balance.  

However, we tend to beat ourselves up when we experience food cravings, especially for things that aren’t healthy.  What if we instead examined our cravings and asked ourselves “What is my body trying to tell me?” 

Our cravings are signals that we might need to restore balance in our lives. Let’s examine some common sources of cravings:

1. Dissatisfaction with other aspects of our lives

Are you dissatisfied with a relationship or your job?  Are you bored and in need of new hobbies or activities that inspire you?  Many of us eat emotionally to compensate for imbalances in other areas of our lives. Food may be our drug that temporarily fills a void and distracts us in the moment from things that are more difficult to examine. 

2. Water intake

Sometimes when we think we are hungry, we’re actually dehydrated.  Drinking at least half of our body weight in water is a great way to reduce cravings, regulate our portions, flush out our systems, and to make healthier choices throughout the day. 

3. Craving food from your childhood 

When we are stressed and seeking comfort, we can crave foods that we ate during our childhood that made us happy and filled an emotional need.  I know for me eating my mom’s crepes takes me back to childhood breakfasts when I didn’t have a care in the world.  You may also crave foods that you recently ate that are associated with a happy memory.  When you crave these foods, examine if you are craving the food itself or the comfort and memory that the food represents. 

4. Seasonal foods

Our bodies tend to crave foods that are in season at the moment.  Right now, you may be cravings ice cream and barbecue.  However, summertime is a great time to take advantage of the fresh produce at farmer’s markets and swap out fresh fruit instead of ice cream and salad instead of heavier side dishes.  

5. Lack of nutrients

Our bodies crave balance and sometimes our cravings may indicate a lack of certain nutrients.  Do you crave salty snacks after you work out?  Perhaps your electrolytes are depleted.  Did you know that your chocolate craving may be tied to a magnesium deficiency, and red meat cravings may be tied to iron deficiency.  Examine recurring cravings and talk to your medical provider or health coach about any concerns.

6. Stress and hormonal changes

Stressful times, especially like those during the past few months, can lead us to emotionally eat.  Be kind to yourself, examine your cravings and see if they are telling you something.  

I have 4 free health coaching consultations left this month.  Book your free call with me today!

Where To Begin?

Where To Begin?

My heart has been broken over the past week since the murder of George Floyd.  I’ve found myself processing my feelings, struggling to find the right words and also the actions that I should take.  As a spiritual person, I look up and ask for guidance and direction.  This weekend I felt compelled to create a loving kindness meditation to share focused on creating more love, light, and compassion and release feelings and energies that harden our hearts. You can access the meditation below.  I hope that it helps in any small way.

I also was led to many verses and quotes that provided me with some comfort.  One book that I was led to was Where To Begin by Cleo Wade.  Cleo is a very talented, insightful and inspiring young author. She is wise beyond her years and I find myself referring to this book and her book Heart Talk often.  I wanted to provide a selection from her book that I included in yesterday’s meditation.  I hope that it helps you as it has me.  Cleo reminded me that we each are more powerful that we think we are, and that we can impact change in our homes, our communities and on a broader scale.

“We spend so much time thinking we don’t have the power to change the world,

We forget that the power to change someone’s life is always in our hands.

We all have the power to relieve someone’s pain with our embrace.

And lessen someone’s suffering with our kindness.

Change-making does not belong to one group of people.

Change-making belongs to all of us.

You do not have to wait for anyone to tell you that you are in this.

You don’t have to wait around wondering what you should do.

Get to work on what you can do. 

The time has always been now.

Begin.

Start by doing what you can with what you’ve got.”

Where you are, and in your own way.

We don’t have to be heroes, wear a uniform, call ourselves activists, 

Or get elected to participate. 

We just have to be brave enough to care.

In love and light,

Aneta