The connection between sleep and gut healing is so important that I wanted to share some findings with you.
Master List of Digestive Health Coaches and Nutritionists
I put together a Master List of Digestive Health Coaches and Nutritionists because that ship has sailed for me, but I don’t want to leave Y’all stranded.
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Beginner’s Guide to Digestive Health Testing
Before giving to you my beginner’s guide to digestive health testing, I have to apologize.
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Three Months Until the New Year
From today, October 1, it is exactly three months until the new year.
I listened to two incredible podcasts this past weekend. One podcast said that you should make a 5 and 10-year goal plan. The other said she used to make a 5 and 10-year goal plan, but now she only makes super short, bite-sized (and achievable) goals.
Which is the right answer?
There isn’t one because both Rachel Hollis (podcast #1 I listened to) and Amy Jo Martin (podcast #2 I listened to) are highly successful and motivated women I respect.
Three Months Until the New Year
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I recently stumbled upon THIS image. I love it so hard, and she is lovely to follow.
6 months is a good amount of time, but lately, I feel like I fall more into the super short, bite-sized goals. Today, tomorrow, and next week seem more manageable to me than anything else.
So I’m spinning off from hers with my own because today is three months until the new year.
I believe that some goals are best when spoken aloud, shared with someone else (accountability).
But I’m in a season currently where 95% of my goals are tucked away, deep within. And the reason I love this idea of a silent goal so much is because it feels more like a goal meant for me than an accolade to present to someone else.
Sometimes I think when we feel the need to share our goals online (especially on social media) or offline it’s less about accountability, and more about “look at what I am doing.” Don’t worry, I’ve done it plenty, too.
I have set 5 very intentional silent goals to focus on from now through December 31. And when I say intentional it’s because they all address the things I’m looking to improve on in my personal life in 2019.
My silent goals do not include anything food or fitness related, probably for the first time in my life. But yours might, and that is just fine because again, these are your own silent goals.
So how do you know what silent goals to set? I believe you know deep down, if you just sit for a few minutes and listen to what your gut is saying. I’ve felt them for a long time; I’d guess you have, too.
If not, ask yourself some of these questions:
- Am I happy in my career?
- Do I enjoy my chosen field or is there something else that excites me; would that something else require additional schooling?
- What outstanding health issues hold me down daily? Do I even know what they are? If not, how can I figure it out?
- Are my days filled with joy? If not, why?
- How is my marriage / relationship?
- Do my daily activities match up to my true priorities?
- Is there something I think about daily, but have yet to act upon?
- What / where is my missing link?
- Will I be okay with the fact that nothing has changed on December 31? And if the answer is “no,” why? What must change?
Once you know what your goal(s) is/are, make them SMART(ER) goals to set yourself up for real success. You already know what #5 is – December 31.
Three months is kind of an odd timeframe. It’s not 21 days. It’s not a year, or 5 years, or 10 years.
Dedicate the next three months to your goals….no announcements, nothing fancy. Just do the work.
Xox,
SKH
How I Make Money Blogging
I’m taking a small break today from anything serious (because the next two posts coming down the pipeline are serious) to share with you how I make money blogging.
Can vs Meant To
I am doing an exercise in can vs meant to, and I wanted to share it with you today in case it might inspire even one more person to take it on, too.
5 Miles
I’ll start here.
I had planned to go to the gym at 5 am Thursday morning. Either Ryan or I go at that time daily, but not both – obv.
Wednesday night I told Ryan, “Actually, don’t worry about it. You can go to the gym tomorrow morning. I want to do a little experiment.”
Yesterday morning, bright and early, he went to the gym, and I stayed back. I opened my Studio Run App, and set it for an “Advanced 45-minute run.” Even with the warm up, cool down, and all in between “rest” intervals, I ran over 5 miles. So yes, it was a hard workout.
But that was my goal. I wanted to do a 5-mile hard run because I wanted to monitor and measure the rest of the day.
Like usual, my stomach was off for most the day, I felt famished all day long, and by 7 pm I could barely keep myself in an upright position.
And this is the typical way I feel whenever I run 5 or more hard miles at any given time.
I can run 5 miles or more. I can run them hard. I can exert a lot on my body for longer periods.
But my body is always telling me, “You’re not meant to.”
Can vs Meant To
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Start here, and answer the question(s) (in a real, raw, and honest way):
What CAN I do? But what am I MEANT TO do?
I got out my working inspiration notebook, and I made two columns: Can and Meant To. I started listing out all the things I can do on the left side, and all the things my gut is telling me I’m meant to do on the right.
(Note: You can do this exercise for a certain part of your life – personal or professional – or all of it. I’m currently in the thick of doing it all.)
It’s easy to think can and meant to are the same things, but they aren’t necessarily. One is not dependent on the other. However, all the items on the Meant To side are also on the Can side; but not vice-versa.
The Can side is far longer than the Meant To side. That’s the point, but here’s the catch. Once the list is done, you have to dig deep and ask yourself,
Should that really be on the Meant To side?
In the very beginning of this exercise (I’ve already been at it a week, thinking about it before I started writing it out), I was listening almost entirely to my head vs. what my gut was saying. The mind will play tricks because of course you can do it all, but dig deeper — you’re just not meant to.
Flower Life Cycle
It’s been almost two years since I realized I can’t “raise” two sets of babies at once.
I still can’t do the whole planter boxes and babies, and while I’m clearly far from having a green thumb, I do understand the major stages of a flower life cycle.
- Seed Stage. This is where the plant life cycle starts.
- Germination. The time when the seed begins to develop; it happens after a period of dormancy. I love this part on germination, “It is important that the seed is planted in the right place at the right time in order for it to germinate.”
- Growth. By producing their own food, plants begin to grow. “Some plants flower within days while it takes others months or even years.”
- Reproduction. Inside the bud, a tiny but complete flower forms. This is the part where reproduction happens.
- Pollination. This is the part of the cycle where the transfer of pollen to a stigma, ovule, flower, or plant to allow fertilization happens. Without pollinators, there would be no seeds or new plants in these plant species.
- Spreading seeds. “Seed spreading, or dispersal, is the final stage of the flower life cycle. Seeds are spread in many ways. Some, like dandelion seeds, are scattered by the wind. Others rely on animals-an example of this is the cockleburs that get stuck in the fur of animals and hitchhike to new locations. Water lilies depend on water to spread their seeds. Humans spread many seeds intentionally by planting gardens. Once the seeds fall to the ground, the plant life cycle starts all over again.”
Not only do I understand the life cycle, but I think it’s a beautiful metaphor for this whole Can vs. Meant To exercise.
I keep on thinking and believing (and even willing it to be) that my life is constantly in the #3 stage: Growth.
My will and drive to make that happen has seen it happen. But not without paying a price.
It is not possible for a flower to only grow.
In fact, “Some plants flower within days while it takes others months or even years.”
For me personally, it took years, and I think that’s why I have tried so hard to stay here in growth mode vs. reaping the benefits of all the other stages. We never want to leave our favorite moments, days, and stages of life.
In growth mode I’ve realized all the “can’s.” I didn’t want to let go here, not now, not yet.
But as I began to look at the Meant To column, the ah-ha moments started happening.
All the things in my Meant To column (also) make up every single other stage: Seed, Germination, Reproduction, Pollination, and Spreading Seeds.
Those stages might not seem as exciting because they come with a delay, but they are the bulk of the flower life cycle.
Meant To
I won’t just let all the can’s go overnight. I’m not built like that. I am built for deep reflection, and for me, that’s probably the Seed Stage. If I have to sit here for a bit to really dig deep on the Can vs Meant To exercise in order to Germinate, then that’s what I’ll do.
I am getting into other personal reflection and calm zones in order to allow these things to float up and float into my life. I’d love to share some of the strategies with you soon.
A life filled with Can’s might pay the bills or prove something to someone, somewhere along the way. But what’s the point of living like that?
Proving and pushing are unforgiving.
Our Meant To’s are the sweet spot of life.
I reached out to my friend Brian on this yesterday (by the way, during this personal reflection period, his 30-day course for inspiration and encouragement – “30 Days to a Simpler Life” is on my must-do list).
He mentioned these words from his friend Ally’s book, Packing Light:
Where your passion meets their need, that is your calling.
It’s simply called Purpose.
Purpose and Meant To are far shorter lists than what I’ve been prioritizing on the Can.
Xox,
SKH