Love Yourself

The past few weeks I've had a lot of discussions with friends, family, and in my bible study about the importance of your relationship with yourself. One of the biggest life lessons I've learned is that YOU are the only person in life that you can always 110% rely on. Not only that but you spend more time with yourself than any body else, so accordingly, you hear your own voice more than any other voice in the world. Isn't that crazy?! I never thought about it that way.

With that said, most people's internal voice is very critical and negative. How many times a day do you think to yourself "why did I do that?" or "I should have done better on x, y, z"? If you can't give yourself a pep talk and believe in yourself, then no one else will! It's really hard to combat those critical internal voices but if you can wake up and look in the mirror and say "Hey! YOU are awesome! I believe in you! You can, and WILL succeed! You are doing your best and that IS enough!", how can you have a bad day? It sounds silly, but it really does work because eventually you will outnumber and overpower all those negative thoughts!

This may seem like a silly connection, but this Meghan Trainor song really strikes a cord with me, especially when she says "I can't help loving myself". You deserve it, so love yourself! Wherever you are in life, make a conscious effort to love YOU because you are amazing, perfect, and worthy of love! If you aren't going to love and believe in yourself, who will?

If you want more resources on the topic, I'd highly recommend the Relatable study by Louie Giglio! 

Thanks for reading!

July Favorites

I haven't done a monthly favorites in a hot minute and wanted to do one because this month I discovered a few awesome things!

1. Hobby Lobby - If you saw my post on Instagram, you know I recently discovered Hobby Lobby. It has everything related to home decor -- think Michael, Home Goods, and Pier 1 had a beautiful baby. It took a lot of self restraint to not buy everything in the store! Plus they have amazing coupons and sales!

2. Hamilton - I LOVE musicals. They are totally my jam: Kinky Boots, Hairspray, Lion King, Rent, Newsies, Legally Blonde the Musical, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Wicked, Avenue Q, Evita, Bye Bye Birdie (anybody else love musicals?! If so, you'll appreciate this). Fittingly, I've been enjoying the Hamilton soundtrack for a few months now. Every song is so fun and catchy! Last weekend I had a loooong day of driving and listened to the Hamilton soundtrack (you don't want to know how many times) and now I'm even more hooked. I've become one of these people.

3. The Pool - It's been such nice weather for going to the pool. Even if it's just for a few minutes in the evening, it's so nice to just relax outside by the water! Don't forget to stay protected in the sun!

4. Anthropologie Wild Honeysuckle Candle - I kept going into Anthro and smelling this candle but in my head saying "no, you don't NEED another candle". After a crazy day, I treated myself to buying this delicious-smelling candle and my nose was very thankful because it seriously smells amazing!! Not to mention, it's a very cute coffee table addition!

What are your July Favorites? Would love to read them in a comment!

Thanks for reading!

Amazing Pump-Up Playlist

I just discovered this new playlist on Spotify and it is AMAZE!! Every time it's playing I want to jump up and start dancing. Basically it's a great way to get in a good mood while you're working or while you're getting ready for the day. It's the perfect mix between older pop/hip hop songs and fun new songs. Hope you guys like it!

Thanks for reading!

Bloom Where You Are Planted

This has to be one of my favorite quotes. It really strikes a cord with me because sometimes you're placed in a really bad situation and it seems impossible for things to get better. However, if you only let in the positive and do everything in your power to bloom in that situation, you will do amazing things. This could range from changing career paths, to moving to a completely new place far from family and friends, to the loss of a loved one. Sometimes life doesn't go as planned and maybe that new city is a lot lonelier than you thought, or your new job isn't what you initially hoped for. In those tough times, you have to dig deep within yourself and try to find the positives. Journal if helps to keep track of the positive things, even something as small as seeing a child playing, sitting in the warm sun, or a delicious homemade sandwich for lunch. Keep pushing and growing because after a while things will fall into place: you will find good friends and activities you love in your new city, you will get the swing of things at work and find fulfillment in what you do, and over the course of months your broken heart will be filled with beautiful memories of your loved one and things will slowly start to get back to a new normal. Whatever you're going through, you CAN do this! Do everything you can to bloom where you're planted.

Sending you all the inspiration and good vibes,

 PS Check out more inspiration here!

Inspiration Station: A Note on Resilience

In the last year I've learned a lot about resilience. I've learned that life is not about what happens but how you react to the situation. Two people can be put in the exact same demolarizing situation but one will succumb and the other will surmount. The person who succumbs will feel like a failure and that they're not good enough. These doubting emotions take over and paralyze you from following your dreams or doing what you need to do. On the other hand, the person who surmounts will recognize this as a challenge and will do everything in their power to overcome the obstacle because they know they are worthy, intelligent, and hard working. These two people can have the EXACT SAME IQ AND WORK ETHIC but negative thoughts poison the person who succumbed. 

Moral of the story: 

"You must always have faith in yourself." - Elle Woods

"If you can't change your fate, change your attitude." -Amy Tan

No matter what situation you are in, be it a terrible family dynamic, a difficult financial situation, a debilitating illness, a career where your self confidence is continuously tested (read: the military and health care -- mad respect for people in both of those professions), your attitude can change what happens. It DOES NOT matter how smart you are, or how hard you work. Those are both important factor but you absolutely need to have faith in yourself and believe that you will succeed to do so. 

That's nice and all but how exactly do you "have faith in yourself"? 

1. Close your eyes and imagine yourself reaching your goals and how happy you will be. How excited and proud and thankful will you feel? Take that feeling and put it in your pocket and remind yourself of it whenever you are feeling sad or lacking self confidence. 

2. Put words of affirmation everywhere-- on your mirror, all over your desk, on your agenda, as your phone and computer wallpaper-- use these to continuously remind yourself that you can do it! 

3. Watch motivational videos or Ted Talks (there are 382 Ted Talks under the "inspirational" category!!)

4. Make a list of all of your previous accomplishments. You have achieving tons of goals in your life and certainly have touched many people's lives. Make a list of those to help you remember that you're a boss lady (or boss man!) and read the list whenever you're feeling discouraged.  

5. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and who will always remind you how much you can and will succeed.

Whatever you do, always have faith in yourself!

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Quote in the picture is from this article, which is a super interesting read about resilience!

The Power of Gratitude: Five Minute Journal

In continuation with my previous post on being intentional about happiness, I wanted to expand on what I've been doing, in hopes that it might help someone reading this! Gratitude and taking time to meditate are two really powerful and easy ways to increase your overall happiness. My friend just sent me a package (read more about my package obsession here) and included this journal. There is a page for each day of the year and each page has 5 subheading. In the morning there's "I am grateful for", "What would make today great?",  and "Daily affirmation, I am...". In the evening there's "3 amazing things that happened today", and "How could I have made today better?". I love this idea! It's so stinking simple but it makes total sense! It incorporates gratitude with goals and reflections in an easy but tangible way.

You don't need to go out and buy this journal to do this, you can definitely use your own pretty journal and answer the same questions! For me, writing it down is the important part because it makes sure I stop and reflect, even for a few minutes. In the morning I think about what I'm grateful for and how to make the day extra great. It's also a really nice way to end the day and focus on the good, instead of being upset about something silly (speaking for myself here!) that was bothering you. They also have an super on point Instagram account with gorgeous pictures, and you can follow their weekly email of happiness tips (click here and a bar will pop up on the top to subscribe)!

Do you guys journal or meditate? Have you ever used the Five Minute Journal? I'd love to hear more in a comment below!

Thanks for reading!

Inspirational and Feel-Good Music

When I'm feeling upset or just not as positive and happy as usual, I immediately pump up the tunes! It's a super easy way to step back and feel better because I'm bobbing my head to some inspirational or just happy music. The past few weeks I've been especially loving this song.

For more feel good music check out this amazing playlist on Spotify! If you're not sure about adding Spotify, I would highly recommend it! It's a lot like Pandora in that you have free music (with some ads sadly) but I like it better than Pandora because you can chose what song you want to listen to. Spotify and users make tons of playlists that you can listen to, or you can make your own playlists, or modify existing ones so the possibilities are endless! Just like Pandora, if you don't like the ads, you can get Spotify Premium -- it's $10/month for no ads, plus you can download it on extra devices like phones and tablets. If you're a student it's only $5/month! Also you can "download" playlists so they are saved on your computer/phone and you don't need an internet connection to listen to them. If you're weirded out by having to use Facebook to log in, you can definitely add it without linking it to your Facebook page (also a good option if you don't have a Facebook!). I didn't mean to write a whole paragraph about Spotify, I just wanted to share this awesome song, but thought I should include some more info on Spotify since I didn't really understand how to use it before downloading and now I use it so much!

Do you have any go-to music for when you're feeling down? I'd love some recommendations in a comment below!

Thanks for reading!

How to Make Friends at Work

Having friends at work has been shown to improve job satisfaction. It may not be revolutionary, but it's definitely true! Whether it's a new job or a job you've had for years, making friends is important for your sanity and so that you enjoy going to work every day. Today I'm sharing 5 easy way to make friends on the job!

1. Don't eat at your desk - It may be tempting to eat at your desk so you can get more work done, but lets be real: we've all been there and you're probably not being that productive while you're trying to balance your sandwich so it doesn't splatter everywhere, while typing an email (anyone else have this issue?!). Instead, eat with your coworkers! If you're super busy it can be as short as a 10-15 minute lunch break but you'll finish lunch feeling refreshed and happier. Eating with someone you don't usually eat with may seem a little daunting, but just ask a coworker when they are eating and ask if you can eat with them. If a group is going out to lunch, go out with them, or ask them to bring the food back so everyone can eat together in the conference room.

2. Ask about their weekend - Again, this may seem like a no-brainer, but asking what someone is doing over the weekend really tells you more about their personal life. Do they have a new grandchild you didn't know about, or are they dating someone new? Asking questions about their weekend will shed some light on what they really enjoy, and it will give you something to follow up about on Monday or later, to show that you really care and are invested in your friendship.

3. Give someone a compliment - Tell someone if you genuinely like their new hairdo, outfit, make-up, manicure, shoes, purse, coffee mug, you name it. Everyone (including me!) loves getting compliments, and it's a sweet gesture that will brighten their day!

4. Random Act of (Sugary) Kindness - Everyone likes sweets. Bring sweets to work to celebrate your team reaching an important goal, for a holiday or birthday, or to celebrate Friday. Baking gets you extra brownie points (see what I did there), but buying donuts or bagels at the store are just as thoughtful and delicious!

5. Say "yes" to outings - Whether it's a quick walk to Starbucks to recharge in the afternoon, or getting manicures or drinks after work, say "yes"! You don't have to buy the fanciest frappuccino, or even drink, but being present will show that you are interested in forming friendships with your coworkers.

Do you have any tips on making friends at work? I'd love to hear them in a comment below! 

Thanks for reading!

The Power of Positivity

After reading the Zen and Art of Happiness, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to be happy. That may sound silly but it's so easy to get upset and frustrated when things go wrong. Instead of looking at events as either "good events" or "bad/unlucky events", I'm trying to look at events as neutral events. Whether or not I am happy or have a good day is based on how I react to these neutral events. Even really seemingly-unlucky events can be positive.

Prime example happened the other day! I was planning to go on a run on an outdoor trail. I mapped the trail and the distance of my run and was super excited about exercising. When I got to the trail, I found out it was completely flooded! And let me tell you by "completely flooded" I mean 2 feet of water (picture above for your personal enjoyment!). Instead of being frustrated or going home angry, I decided to make the best of the situation. The park had an open area leading up to the trailhead that wasn't flooded. I decided to run around the open area for the same amount of time that I had planned to run. I'm sure that I looked ridiculous running around this field, but I was super happy. After warming up, I really enjoyed my run. The fact that the trail was flooded seemed like the outcome was decided for me: I was going home and not working out. BUT! I made the best of the situation and had a really good work out! It's really hard to not sweat the small stuff, but it really will lead to an overall happier life. I challenge you to make an effort to be more consciousness about choosing happiness and letting go of the rest.

Thanks for reading!

Inspiration Station: Super Woman

I just read this awesome interview on The Every Girl about Dr. Valencia Walker, a neonatologist and clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine. It was super inspirational and talked about how Dr. Walker got to where she is today. Her passion really shines through in the article and it reminded me about how tough yet rewarding medicine can be! Definitely a must-read for anyone in the health professions field!

Thanks for reading!

Inspiration Station: Superstars and Superchics

I love a good pep talk or inspirational quote (as seen here, here, and here). So it's no surprise that I love TED Talks! If you've never heard of TED, it's an organization that has conferences (which are recorded!) with interesting and intelligent speakers who share their empowering ideas in 18 minutes or less. I recently watched this TED Talk and it really struck a cord in me. It's definitely worth the 15 minutes to watch it, so if you're interested I've written a quick synopsis below!

Margaret Heffernan talks about the importance of social capital aka social interactions/friends at work! For companies and organizations to be successful, people need to talk to each other because one or two superstars or "superchics" can't dominate an organization. Everyone is important and everyone has something they can contribute. One person can come up with an idea and during lunch or a coffee break, can share the idea and people can build on it to make a life-changing innovation. I love that message. In health care we are always taught that we are a team and that everyone on that that team is extremely valuable because each person knows something important that you don't know. As one of my friends always says, "you can learn something from everyone". Utilizing this in your job or in daily interactions can help us take the competitive culture of the world and make it an inclusive, friendlier, and much more successful place.

I hope you're as inspired as I was after watching this TED Talk! Do you have a favorite TED Talk? Comment below, I'd love to watch it!

Thanks for reading!

Scarves and Sweets

How to Eat Healthy When You're Busy

Hia! Sorry for not posting in a little while, things have been pretty crazy. Since I've been so busy, I thought it would be fitting to do a post about how to eat healthy when you're busy (aka most days for me and I'm sure for you too!). It's super easy to be healthy when you have lots of time to prep healthy meals but when I'm busy, all my healthy habits go out the window. I've started to find my rhythm and I wanted to share some of my tips with you! For me, eating healthy has to be the easy and simplest option, otherwise I'll go for the super easy take-out or vending machine snack.

1. Water - I always carry around a bottle of water (I especially love these because I am more likely to drink it if there is minimal effort on my part aka I don't need to even unscrew the cap because there is a straw, plus they don't leak which is super nice!!). Drinking water keeps me hydrated when I'm drinking a lot of coffee and tea (caffeine dehydryates you!) and helps me have better work outs. Drinking water also makes sure I'm not overeating because a lot of times when you think you're hungry, you're actually thirsty/dehydrated! *Ideally* you should drink 2 liters a day.

2. Salads - Salads are SO easy to make. They are perfect for if I need to make dinner very quickly. I'll buy salad ingredients (mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded carrot) on the weekend and they last all week for daily salads. I like to mix it up with protein so 1 day of the week I'll make lots of chicken or salmon and then cut it up and put it in a container in the fridge. When I'm making the salad the morning of, I'll just mix the fixings (mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded carrots, protein, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, fruit) into 1 tupperware. It's seriously that easy! I like to put vinaigrette in a separate container just so my salad doesn't get soggy. It only takes a few minutes in the morning, it's super healthy, and because of the protein I'm actually full afterwards! I also like to have bread with my salad (hello fellow carb lovers!), so I'll either get sandwich bread or baguette and toast it when I'm about to eat dinner. This is definitely minimal effort (only a few minutes for a super healthy dinner vs 30 minutes to 1 hour of cooking a hot meal). Plus, if I have the salad already made it's much easier to eat the salad than to decide on and go get take out.

3. Smoothies - Smoothies are a game-changer for me. They're a perfect snack either in the afternoon or after dinner. They also only take a few minutes to make and are packed with fruits, yogurt, chia seeds, and oatmeal, so you'll stay full for longer than just if you just ate some fruit! I'm only slightly obsessed with smoothies. Again super minimal effort for a fancy, delicious, and extra healthy snack!

4. Healthy snacks & cutting your fruit - In addition to my smoothies I need to snack throughout the day. In the morning,  granola bars and mixed nuts are my go-to. For lunch I'll have a sandwich and then have a cut-up apple or strawberries as my post-lunch "dessert". Again with the minimal effort idea, I'm super weird and if you put an apple in front of me, I probably won't eat it. BUT, if you cut up an apple and put it in front of me it will be gone in 5 seconds. I'm weird like that but maybe cutting up fruit might work for you too!

Do you have any healthy go-to's for when you're busy? Comment below :)

Thanks for reading!  

Scarves and Sweets

PS The Contigo water bottles are 10% off today at Target with code "FURNITURE". 

Inspiration Station: Comparison Is the Thief of Joy

Theodore Roosevelt is known to have said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." I love this quote because it is a daily reminder that comparing yourself to others will never make you feel better or happier. It is human nature to compare yourself to others and it is so easy to do so in terms of your job, grades, clothes, car, happiness, vacations, significant other, salary, the list could go on forever. But guess what? You can't compare yourself to others for two big reasons.

1. Comparisons are inaccurate because you never know the whole story. Someone could have a high-paid, respectable job but have horrible hours and never spend any time with their family. They could post amazing pictures of a vacation, but the trip was actually horrible and they lost their luggage and got mugged and ended up in the hospital for dysentery. Someone could seem really happy and put-together but inside they are dealing with mental illness or anxiety problems. Don't compare yourself because your comparison isn't accurate, the grass seems way greener on the other side.

2. It doesn't matter!!!! Even if you do want to compare, it's useless because life isn't about your salary during one time of your life, or about your grades in one class, or the awesome sports car you once bought. Life is a marathon and you need to focus on running yours well, and not about people running faster or slower than you. If your goal is to be a good physician, one exam in orgo isn't going to define you, neither is your MCAT score, or your class rank in medical school. All those things are important to some extent but what will get you through life and make you successful is how well you deal with adversity, because if you can continue to motivate yourself and keep running when times are tough, you will be the real winner. Keep your eye on your own goals and remember to focus on your journey, not anyone else's. There isn't one correct journey in life. (Example: in my med school class there are people from ages 20-45 who have had so many different experiences, jobs, education, etc and we are all going to be successful because we each have our own talents and skills). Everyone is on their own path so worry about yourself and being the best YOU and don't worry about anyone else. Comparison is the thief of joy. Focus on yourself: hard work and perseverance will enable you to succeed.

Thanks for reading!

Scarves and Sweets

PS Get this fabulous print at Pen and Paint's Etsy shop! I have the 8x10 version hanging in my kitchen as a daily reminder :)

PPS Get more inspiration here!

Inspiration Station: Navy Seals

I wanted to share one of my favorite inspirational videos of all times, featuring the UT Austin 2014 graduation speaker, Admiral William H. McRaven. In the video, the Admiral tells the graduates the top 10 lessons he learned from Navy Seal training 36 years ago, and how they connect with success in life. His lessons really hit home for me and whenever I need some inspiration, I watch this video. I've summarized the lessons below!

 

1. Make your bed every day -- it will give satisfaction of starting each day with a completed task.

2. Find someone to help you paddle -- find mentors and friends to help you through life.

3. Measure a person by the size of their heart, not by the size of their flippers -- respect everyone.

4. Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward -- life is not fair and there will be disappointments but keep working and don't let them get you down.

5. Don't be afraid of the circuses -- you will fail often, but don't be afraid of more practice and training to make you better and stronger.

6. Slide down the obstacles head first -- don't be afraid to take risks and trying things in a new way.

7. Don't back down from the sharks -- face down the bullies and don't back down.

8. Be your very best even during your darkest hours -- step up when times are the toughest.

9. Start singing when you are up to your neck in mud -- lift up the downtrodden because hope will get you through the hard times.

10. Don't ever, ever ring the bell -- never ever, EVER give up!

What do you think?! Comment below :)

Thanks for reading!

Scarves and Sweets

The Skimm!

One of my favorite morning routines is to wake up and check the news by reading the Skimm at breakfast and then listening to NPR in the car. The Skimm is a witty daily email with summaries of the biggest news around the world over the last 24 hours. It is always extremely on point with explaining the biggest news of the day, so I'm ready for discussions at work or at the dinner table. The best part is that it is always makes me laugh because it is filled with jokes and silly headlines. You can see how awesome it is for yourself by signing up to get the daily email too! Also, their website has lots of additional resources to stay in the know through their Skimm Guides online, which include outlines from March Madness 2015 to Fracking to Net Neutrality. I seriously love the Skimm and talk about it so much that a bunch of my friends and family read the Skimm now, and they agree!

Do you Skimm? What do you think? Are there any other news sources I should be reading? Leave a comment below :)

Thanks for reading!

Scarves and Sweets

PS The breakfast pictured above is a bowl of cut up strawberries, Greek yogurt, and granola sprinkled on top.