 We are defined by what we choose to reject. -Mark Manson I am a HUGE fan of quotes. I consume quotes every morning before doing anything else. It's just part of my morning routine now. Consuming quotes that are meaningful and purposeful helps me prime my brain to be open, patient and a little kinder for whatever the day's chaos will bring me. If you are need of some super intentional quotes to prime your mind for the day, I have listed my favorite quotes (there's thirty-one of them to be exact) from the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. It's a book that I recommend to anyone who's ready to take action and live their life with more intention to be a hella lot happier! ENJOY READING FRIENDS!  INTENTIONAL LIVING QUOTES to prime your mind with the goods
FROM: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck A counterintuitive approach to living a good life by Mark Manson "Life is essentially an endless serious of problems. Don’t hope for a life without problems…instead hope for a life full of good problems." "Happiness comes from solving problems. To be happy we need something to solve. Happiness is therefore a form of action; it’s an activity, not something that is passively bestowed upon you." "Happiness is a constant work-in-progress…and the solutions to today’s problems will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s problems, and so on." "True happiness occurs only when you find the problem you enjoy having and enjoy solving." "Negative emotions are a call to action. When you feel them, it’s because you’re supposed to do something." "To deny one’s negative emotions is to deny many of the feedback mechanisms that help a person solve problems. If they can’t solve problems, then they can’t be happy. Pain serves a purpose." "A more interesting question most people never consider is, What pain do you want in your life? or What are you willing to struggle for? This seems to be a greater determinant of how our lives turn out. Happiness requires struggle." "Real, serious, lifelong fulfillment and meaning have to be earned through the choosing and managing of our struggles." "What determines your success isn’t, What do you want to enjoy? The relevant question is What pain do you want to sustain? The path to happiness is a path full of shitheaps and shame." "To be successful you have to be in love with both the struggle and the reward, the process and the result, the fight and the victory. Because the joy is in the climb itself." "The current media environment both encourages and perpetuates anyone who is offended about anything because it is good for business. This triggers a kind of echo of bullshit pinging back and forth between two imaginary sides, meanwhile distracting everyone from real societal problems. The more people who proclaim themselves victims over tiny infractions, the harder it becomes to see who the real victims really are." "People get addicted to feeling offended all the time because it gives them a high; being self-righteous and morally superior feels good." "Outrage is like a lot of other things that feel good but over time devour us from the inside out." "We should prioritize values of being honest, fostering transparency, and welcoming doubt over the values of being right, feeling good and getting revenge." "We shouldn’t seek the find the ultimate “right” answer for ourselves, but rather, we should seek to chip away at the ways we’re wrong today so that we can be a little less wrong tomorrow." "Certainty is the enemy of growth." "Accepting the inevitable imperfections of our values is necessary for any growth to take place." "Instead of striving for certainty, we should be in constant search of doubt; doubt about our own beliefs, doubt about our own feelings, doubt about what the future may hold for us unless we get out there and create it for ourselves. Instead of looking to be right all the time, we should be looking for how we’re wrong all the time." "Being wrong opens us up to the possibility of change and brings the opportunity for growth." "Our values are imperfect and incomplete, and to assume that they are perfect and complete is to put us in a dangerous dogmatic mindset that breeds entitlement and avoids responsibility." "This openness to being wrong must exist for any real change or growth to take place." "I say don’t find yourself. I say never know who you really are. Because that’s what keeps you striving and discovering. And it forces you to remain humble in your judgements and accepting of the differences in others." "We need to reject something. Otherwise, we stand for nothing. If nothing is better or more desirable than anything else, then we are empty and our life is meaningless. We are without values and therefore live our life without any purpose." "The act of choosing a value for yourself requires rejecting alternative values." "We all must give a f*ck about something, in order to value something." "Part of having honesty in our lives is becoming comfortable with saying and hearing the word “no.”" "Confronting the reality of our own mortality is important because it obliterates all the crappy, fragile, superficial values in life." "The only truly important question in our life is, “How will the world be different when you’re gone?”" "The only way to be comfortable with death is to understand and see yourself as something bigger than yourself; to choose values that stretch beyond serving yourself, that are simple and immediate and controllable and tolerant of the chaotic world around you. This is the basic root of all happiness." "Our culture today confuses great attention and great success, assuming them to be the same thing. But they are not." "You are already great because in the face of endless confusion and certain death, you continue to choose what to give a f*ck about and what not to." I hope your mind is fueled with intention to have an awesome life! Always craving health + happiness, Jillian
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 "Release your attachments to how things "ought" to be and instead surrender to how they actually are." -Dr. Shefali Tsabary My husband and I did a crazy thing --- we flew out of the country to visit friends with our 13 month-old baby girl! Wowzers, right? We both made a conscious decisision (not coersed by any means) to fly eight hours, for the first time, with a baby, to a different country, for ten days. Did I mention there is a six hour time difference between Maryland and Denmark? To many people this may sound like a total disaster, wrapped up in a pretty bow of course, waiting to happen. And I would be lying if I didn't have doubts or a mild freak out in the beginning. But when I say this trip was PHENOMENAL, this trip was PHENOMENAL! If any parents or caregivers are thinking about embarking on a crazy adventure, I'm here to spread words of encouragement that YOU CAN DO IT and IT CAN BE AMAZING! Here are our TOP 10 TRAVELING TIPS WITH A BABY that my husband and I both agreed made our trip a little less chaotic and a whole lot more fun!  TOP 10 TRAVELING TIPS WITH A BABY 1. Have ZERO expectations. We went into our vacation with no expectations of how it was going to go. This made every little accomplishment that much sweeter! Baby sleeping for 3.5 hours on the flight to Copenhagen was a two thumbs up for us because our expectation was zero :). 2. Pack as minimal clothing and accessories as possible. Have you heard of the story of how mama bear, papa bear and baby bear all fit their belongings into ONE BAG?! It's true - my husband and I packed around 10 articles of clothing each, as well as our daughter's 8 onesies, two shorts and two pants, accessories, cosmetics and a rain jacket into one rolling suitcase. This made checking backs in the airport and carrying luggage a breeze! Especially because we brought the Pack-n-Play and stroller too. We definitely made use of the washer and dryer available to us in Copehagen because we sweat a lot and baby food stains definitely occured. 3. Save money for what you truly value. As a family we value good food and new experiences. This is why we saved more than enough money, starting well in advance, to spend on good food, lots of coffee and fun adventures while in Copehagen. Having the peace of mind that money would not be an issue made spending money fun and stress-free on vacation. 4. It's worth bringing the big and bulky stroller your baby can comfortably sleep in. We were unsure if we should bring the larger of our two strollers. But, bringing our more industrial size stroller was probably the. best. decision. ever. Our BOB stroller made the time change for our baby girl so much easier to manage. She napped in this stroller whenever she got tired while we're out exploring, and the rubber tires were a life-saver on rough cobble stone roads. 5. Stay in a place that has a kitchen. Having access to a kitchen made me feel a little less stressed and more at home, as I like to cook most of the meals we eat. On vacation I would usually cook or provide a healthy breakfast to fuel us for exploring. I also used the kitchen to prepare and pack our daughter's lunch each day to take with us. Doing this made me feel a little better about eating whatever we wanted out (hello yummy pastries), because we at least put one nutrient dense meal in our bodies each day. 6. Make space and time for exploration and sponeity. This tip was a huge sanity saver for us! It was important for us to NOT have a jam-packed and rigid schedule to follow. We wanted space in our day for things to go wrong. If something didn't go as planned, (which totally happened) then having space in our day allowed us to have more patience and kindness in order to find a solution. Doing this made every moment on vacation, even the struggles, more enjoyable. 7. Establish roles with your partner when traveling. My husband and I didn't do this intentionally in the beginning, but I realized after the trip that subconcsiously we gave ourselves specific responsibilties that made traveling less chaotic. For example, my husband handled everything related to transportation, like holding the passports, plane tickets, bus cards, etc. While my role was taking care of our baby girl, feeding her, soothing her and making sure she didn't get too many bruises along the way. Other responsbilities like changing her diaper were definitely shared equally. One person shouldn't handle that shit, pun intended. 8. Pack simple snacks for traveling on the plane and when going on vacation adventures. Nobody likes a hangry person, especially one like me. No joke though, when I'm hungry I turn into a crazy person. Knowing this, I made sure we had plenty of simple snacks to bring with us wherever we went. Some of our favorites include Lara Bars, PB & J sandwiches, beef jerky, and those fruit and veggie pouches for the babe. 9. Bring a backpack, water bottle and blanket. Staying hydrated is super important for our health, so we made sure to fill our water bottles before venturing out to see the city. I also carried a backpack with all of our diaper supplies, snacks and extras we may have needed for emergency blowout situations. We also brought a thin blanket with us and stored it under the stroller. This blanket was used probably twice a day, for both a crawling space for our daughter and for picnicking. Anytime our daughter needed to stretch her legs or if we wanted to picnic at a random grassy area, we busted the blanket out and just chilled. This blanket made relaxing that much easier for all parties. 10. Enjoy the adventure! As adults we tend to only do things for a specific outcome; we work to make money or we exercise to lose weight. But for once, forget the outcomes and do things just for the sake of having fun! Let's take a lesson from the kids -- no stress, just play!  I hope these tips help you embark on a happier and less chaotic adventure.
Please feel free to share below any tips or lessons you have learned along the way when traveling with small children! Always craving health + happiness, Jillian 7/1/2019 0 Comments 10 x 10 Clothing Challenge It's better to have extra time on your hands and extra money in your pocket than extra stuff in your closet.
-Joshua Becker Want to simplify your wardrobe? Want less descision fatigue when choosing what to wear? Want to appriecate the clothing you own more? Want to stop your habit of mindless clothes shopping? I have a solution that may help you! THE 10 X 10 CHALLENGE It's super simple! Let me tell you how it works. First, simply choose 10 articles of clothing to wear for the next 10 days. Please note, this doesn't include accessories (like jewelry and hats), shoes, bathing suits or exercise attire. Then, use only these 10 articles of clothing when putting an outfit together for the next 10 days. Trust me, YOU CAN TOTALLY DO THIS! Feel free to get creative and use differnet accessories and shoes to fancy an outfit up or dress it down. This is when the creative juices start flowing. But most importantly, have FUN with it! What I've learned after completing many 10 x 10 Challenges: 1. I enjoy having less clothing options, because that means less time spent thinking and choosing what to wear. This means LESS STRESS! 2. I've discoverd my realistic style versus my dream style. I didn't need 5 pairs of high heels, just 1-2 pairs of really stylish and comfortable shoes. 3. I feel more grateful for the clothing I own, which helps me appreciate and take good care of the clothing in my closet. 4. I am more confident and feel sexier than ever because every piece of clothing I own is my FAVORITE (and fits perfectly). 5. I have found new healthier habits (like walking) to replace my shopping addiction. 6. When I shop, I choose quality versus quantity. This means I take my time choosing a new wardrobe item. No more impulsive purchases! 7. I am more creative when I have less stuff to work with. 8. Accessories like jewelry and hats can really change the mood of an outfit - I don't need a completely new or different outfit. 9. Nobody notices when you wear the same pants 3 days in a row --- it's all in our heads. Are you ready to get started and feel the amazing benefits completing this fun challenge? Want to see more details about my previous 10 x 10 challenges? Visit my wardrobe instastories on instagram at @the.clean.and.simple.life Please share your journey experience so we can inspire others to feel a little bit lighter in this chaotic world. Can't wait to hear and see your journey. You got this! Always craving health + happiness, Jillian |