Six month goal tracker

Hello -

Since I have been trying to eat better, go to the gym, and be an all around more healthy person, I decided to make a tracker to see how often I am following my goals. I find that visuals really help you to stay on track and see where your weak spots are (aka, the weekend).

This tracker has approximately enough circles for six months worth of tracking. There are 14 circles in each row (enough for two weeks), and 12 rows (six months worth). You can colour your circles in (green - yes, yellow - kinda, red - nope) or you can simply use the checks and Xs strategy - totally up to you! I printed two of them for myself because I want one for healthy eating/exercising habits and one for school work.

You could also try and use one sheet for two goals (ie. rotate the rows for your goals and fill in two circles each day). Although, that might get confusing.. Essentially, use this however you want, or don't use it at all - the choice is yours!

Download it here

Books to Inspire: My trip to the bookstore

I had forgotten how much I really loved books. Thankfully I was reminded last night when a friend of mine and I visited the local Chapters. There were so many books that I really wanted, however, being a poor student, could not afford. So instead, I took photos of the books I wanted as to remember them. I thought I would share those books with you here. They are all books that would inspire me in life and creatively. If anything, they would look great on my bookshelf!

If you have any other suggestions for books I should look into, please leave a comment!

1. To all the boys I've loved before :: a book about love. 

2. Creative Block :: a book to help you get out of a creative slump. (lots of pretty pictures)

3. The Selby is in your place :: a book of pretty images by a photographer for Vogue. 

4. Creative Confidence  :: a book about being confident in your creativeness. 

I realize I have been gone a while...

Hello everyone!

I realize I have been gone a while. I guess I just lots my motivation for blogging (sad face). However, I have been working on some things lately and so I feel like it is the perfect time to try this out again!

Below is a collage of photos that you can expect to see posts about in the next little bit. I am not sure that I will be blogging as much as I used to, but I will try!

Since I have lost touch with the blogging world a little bit, feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments section so I can check it out!

Ps. I have opened my etsy shop and started a Society6 shop! check them out :)

Why I haven't Been Blogging.. And Prob Won't Start for a While

Hello! It's been a while. But, honestly, its not you, its me. I thought I would share with you all of the reasons I haven't been blogging, and also why I prob won't start for another month. I really enjoy blogging, but when it gets to be a chore its really not as fun anymore. So I think I will be a more "sporadic spontaneous" blogger for a bit.

So here we go..

Firstly, my new found love of highrise cutoffs is really taking up a good portion of my time. I mean, you need to cut them and try them on, and then cut them again. Also, there is a the bleaching.. which takes a while. It really is a full time job making them and then wearing them.. but it's worth it in the end. Really.. it is.

Second of all.. probably one of the bog reasons I haven't been blogging.. is work. It takes up a lot of my time. It is pretty fun though. I enjoy the work and the people I work with which is nice. Also, I no longer work with tourists which is a plus for sure. If you are wondering what I am doing for the summer you can read all about it here. For those of you who want the quick and dirty version.. I study the impact of coastal erosion on communities and how it can be better implemented into policy planning within the local municipalities. A mouthful, I know. 

I have been trying to exercise a lot. I have some time when I get home from work (which I could be dedicating to blogging, but I'm not). So I do an ab workout which you can find here. I guess it is basically ab ripper X, it seems to do the trick so I am sticking to it. I also do some exercises with a medicine ball I have and I run and skip (not like the really happy kind) almost everyday. I don't have a scale where I live, so I don't know how much (if any) weight I've lost.. but my pants seem kind of baggy so I think its working. Also.. see me in working photo vs. me in photo above. I look a little less frumpy I think... although it could be the plaid.

And lastly, that's right.. I have been having fun. Although I live in the middle of the woods with no television, I still seem to find a way to have fun. I have been meeting people through a little thing I call mingling and its just fun. I like the town where I live and I like the people I am living with. So all is good there!

So those are some of the reasons I have not been blogging. But you never know.. I may get some inspiration tomorrow to try it out again, but I am not going to pressure myself. Its not a job.. its suppose to be fun. So that's how I am going to treat it.

Running: How I Keep Going

I have recently started to run (again I might add). I always seem to start and then stop for some reason. However, this time I have found some things that may keep me motivated to keep going. I thought I would share with you the four things that I find help me to keep up my stride (punny). 

1. For the app lovers

Having an app that keeps track of my run really helps me stay motivated. I have stumbled across the app Run Keeper. I really like it because it talks to you (sounds creepy). You can set time intervals for when you want a voice to come through on your headphones and tell you how long you've been running, how far you've gone and whatever else you set it to tell you. Then when you are done your run it keeps a log of the runs you've done. This allows you to look back so you can try and do better the next time. 

2. Set goals

I find it very helpful to create long term and short term goals in order to stay motivated when running. Long term goals would be things like how far you want to go, how long you want to run, what your goal weight or size is, things of that nature. I set short term goals while I am running. This means that when I am feeling like I can't keep going I will pick an object (house, tree, driveway, mailbox, etc) and keep running until that point. Then make a goal for how long you will walk for until you start running again. If I don't make goals like this then I find that I will stop whenever and I don't get as good of a work out as I should.

3. Get your music up and running

This means that you should get all your music working and good headphones before you start running. There is nothing worse then having to stop in the middle of your run because you want to change a song or your headphones fell out. Things like these will just slow you down. Also, picking good music keeps you entertained motivated while running.

4. Compete with yourself

You are you're best competitor (super corny). I find it really important to keep trying to beat myself. The Run Keeper app really helps me to do that. I always try and run faster then the time before, but if I can't reach that goal I don't beat myself up. I just find it important to try and do better each time.

image source 

How to Stay Motivated

Hello! So I have been sucking slacking on my blogging lately and I am feeling guilty for that. So, when I got this guest post from Devin about being motivated I decided to get my butt in gear (for this week anyways). So I have a line up of posts around the things I am doing to be a little bit better with exercising, eating and creativity.


When you read the title "How to Stay Motivated" every one of you is instantly thinking about a time where you needed to be motivated, a time where you weren't, or a goal you haven't yet achieved. When motivation goes down the drain, little to nothing gets done.

What triggers your "lazyness"?

If you look back at times where you haven't completed a goal, you might be able to see a pattern. For me, if I let myself slack off and have a day where I do nothing it will start a streak of these kind of days. I can still have "lazy" days, but I just have to do one or two little things. Sometimes when you put too much on your plate you can feel overwhelmed and then not get anything done. Whatever this trigger is, look for it, and put an end to it.

A bad cycle

When you don't follow through with your goals or resolutions, you start a cycle of making goals that you won't complete. You may start to feel like there is no point to making any goals at all. You do not want to be in this sort of rut, but if you are a lot of effort can get you out again.

Talk about it

Share your goal with other people. Blog about it, chat about it, tell you family! Studies show that people who have told others about their goals are more likely to achieve them. Trying to lose a few pounds, tell everybody! Depending on the goal those people might just open up other doors for  you too. Want to keep on blogging everyday, create a series and promise updates on a certain day each week. There are some more blogging related tips here.

Planning is key

When it comes to any goal or obstacle planning is the way to go. If you break down big goals into smaller ones and then make a plan to achieve them, you'll be on top of them in no time. Break it down into easier steps or tasks when reaching for a really big goal. You can't have overnight success, but you can get a little bit closer.

If you want to you can check out my blog posts about my goals and what it took to achieve them here.

photo source: Le style tout un art

TV Series: Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy is my favorite show on television. I first heard of it through my boyfriend who kept telling me to watch this show on a motorcycle club - which sounded ridiculously stupid. I could not have been more wrong. This show is full of everything (including a really good looking Jax Teller). The only thing I dislike about the show is the wait for the next season.. It seems like you have to wait years in between seasons and it just tears a piece of your heart out. Fortunately, the show is going into it's sixth season, so if you have never seen an episode you are in luck - you have 5 full seasons to watch. Therefore, I am entirely jealous of you if you have never seen an episode before.

Sons of Anarchy follows the life of Jax Teller, a father and vice president of the motorcycle club Samcro. He grew up with the members of the club because his father was once president. However, as his family grows he questions the clubs intentions and how he feels about being a part of it. The show also follows the lives of the other members of the crew along with Jax's mother and his step father (current president). If this were a book I would call it a page turner.. but it isn't a book so I am not sure what the term for it is (superbly excellent maybe). Anyways, if that didn't convince you to watch it, maybe this will: