The greatest gift that France has ever given me is an appreciation for joy, or as they call it, joie de vivre. I don’t think that enough people allow themselves to experience joy. Joy is not often discussed in daily conversation, and I don’t often use the adjective joyful to describe someone. In fact, it
DROPS LIKE STARS
Life is all about perspective. What you see if not always what you get. You must select your perspective carefully and wisely if you wish to live a life filled with happiness, healthiness, and joy. Select your thoughts in the same way you select your clothes…do it each and every morning and make sure they
BODY WEIGHT IDENTITY
The number on the scale can be a haunting thing. Irrationally, it can woo you down a path of misplaced identity, inexplicable insecurities, and self-berating. I battled this body-weight / body-image identity struggle for much of my life, and my experience is exactly what compelled me to make the Fitness Industry my career. I only hope that
DO WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU DO
My peppermint iced-coffee addiction serves well for some daily inspirations. This morning, while walking into Starbucks, I was taken aback by the beauty of painted sunrise sky. It was such a brilliant color of pink that it literally took my breath away. Thinking about the beauty of nature made me want to share my favorite skyline photograph.
SOLID MOMENTS OF SOLITUDE
Most people do not spend enough time alone. I was recently talking with a friend about the importance of solitude — an element of living that is incredibly difficult to incorporate into our media saturated American lifestyles. It has been said that the great omission in American life is solitude…that zone of time and space, free
THE GREAT HOLIDAY PARADOX
It’s everyone’s favorite time of year; a time of celebration, love, family, sharing, and giving. This special week of Christmas and New Years is possibly one of the most remembered of childhood memories, most cherished in family histories, and most looked forward to, yet there seems to be a consistent paradox that haunts the season.
RAINBOW PERSPECTIVES
Life is fully determined by perspective. Some people engage in the argument of nature versus nurture, but I don’t believe that either of those are nearly as defining as personal perspective. The beautiful thing about perspective is that we have full power and control to determine our own. We aren’t born with a specific perspective,
FEDEX FIELD WITH A PINK SPLASH
Live sporting events are like nothing else: they invigorate the most basic human desire for competition and camaraderie, which is why I am particularly excited to be at FedEx Field watching the Redskins play in the rain today. My brother can be the first to attest that I’m not the type of fan that will
IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE
Guilt is so “American”. If you have ever watched the movie Eat, Pray, Love, you will know what I mean in reference to the Italian phrase dolce far niente, or the “sweetness of doing nothing.” In the movie, an Italian explains to Liz (played by Julia Roberts) that the difference between Americans and Europeans is
PETIT PLAISIRS IN AN AMERICAN WORLD
In France, petits plaisirs, or small pleasures, are what make life so very worth living. Petits plaisirs are exactly why the French do not know the meaning over over-indulgence, for they understand that by allowing yourself the petits plaisirs you desire (in moderation that is), your life will be more balanced and complete. Keeping with