Alignment

I experienced a very special moment yesterday. I don’t want to divulge too much, but there was a distinct moment of alignment that I had. A moment that renewed my faith in knowing that there is a space and purpose for us all.

I feel grateful for having experienced it and hope to share more on this moment soon.

Hitting a Wall

I’ve been hitting a bit of a wall with my daily thoughts lately. In all honesty, there’s not as much excitement in writing my thoughts now as there was in the beginning. Perhaps it’s because I have more projects to attend to. Or maybe it’s because I’m not sharing these posts on my social platforms.

Regardless, I know that this practice has been extremely valuable and important for me to fulfill each day. And it’s okay that there’s a bit of a lull. So I will continue to share because I know the value a daily ritual can bring into my life.  

Work Imitates Creativity

Starting this social media food journey has been exciting. It feels great to create content around food and not my personal life. Meaning the focal point isn’t about me, but the food that I’m cooking.

Yesterday, I decided to cook up some delicious vegan pancakes for breakfast. It was a recipe I found a year ago. The first time I tried to make this dish, the pancakes ended up being very gummy and elastic which isn’t what you want. I remember feeling so defeated so I avoided trying to make them for a while. 

Yesterday, however, was my second attempt and I have to say, I produced the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever made in my life. And I have my freelancing work to thank for this tremendous growth.

For the past few months, I’ve been writing articles for a food software company called Morsel. One of the topics that I’ve written about extensively is pancakes.

In this process, I’ve learned so many tips, tricks, and insights about pancakes, which have contributed to the delicious batch I made yesterday.

It’s a good sign when you’re inspired by your job.

Make Decisions in Peace

Yesterday I was experiencing a struggle of what to do with myself. I wanted my Saturday to be a day of rest, but I was also conflicted with wanting to work, do chores, and do nothing. It was a weird combination of all those things.

I wanted my mind to settle and be content with exactly what I was doing but I kept thinking about what’s next and what I need to do.

I’ve said this before, and I think it’s something to be said again. Whatever decision I make, I want to be present to it and stick with it.

Food For Thought

For a few years now I have been sharing videos and photos of the dishes and meals that I’ve been cooking. Yesterday, I decided to take it one small step forward and create a food Instagram called, @ItsAidasDiner.

The name, Aida’s Diner, was born out of the pandemic as I began to learn and cook favorite recipes for the family. There was so much gratification I’d get from learning the steps and creating my favorite dishes.

This hobby slowly began to grow as I started to challenge myself with specific, and at times difficult, recipes. The kitchen started to become known as “Aida’s Diner” by my family, every time I cooked. I wore that title with pride and honor.

Fast-forward to present day, I am excited to explore this creative passion in more depth. There are many avenues that I wish to explore through food, so it only felt right to create a specific place for this curiosity.  

Manifesting Patience

You truly never know what this world has in store for you. Yesterday, I spent nearly the whole afternoon working on a job application. I was reworking my resume and cover letter to cater to the specific position which I knew I’d be perfect for.

However, it was taking me longer than I anticipated which began to frustrate me. I was taking so long to complete just one application. Like maybe I was being too meticulous and indecisive about small details.

By around 6pm, I finished and submitted the application. I then took the added step of emailing the recruiter and notifying them of my submitted application. I was taking a chance and while the doubts were piling up in my head, I felt good knowing that I truly gave it my best shot.

The next morning, my alarm woke me up in a groggy haze. Just as I was planning to hit the snooze button, I saw an email at the top of my notifications list. It was from the recruiter I had emailed.

She wrote me back to say that it was great to “meet” me and that she’d love to set up a time to chat with me and one other recruiter. I couldn’t believe it. All the time and effort that I put in the night before, culminated into this now tangible opportunity.

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for worrying and stressing about spending so much time on just this one application. This was a lesson. Be patient with what you’re manifesting. It felt incredible that I received a response, but even if I hadn’t, I should still be proud of myself for being intentional and diligent with my time and effort.  

Breaking Habits

I’ve known for a long time that social media has, at times, been the biggest time drain for me. As of late, I’ve been setting a limit on certain apps, but I’ve also been bypassing them.

It’s been an exhausting cycle that I want to eventually find a solution for. I decided to try something new. I deleted my Instagram app on my phone for one day.

What resulted was interesting. I kept picking up and unlocking my phone out of habit to check my Instagram. When I remembered that I deleted it, I would simply close my phone and set it down. It made my hyperaware of how often I actually pick up my phone.

There is something truly liberating about letting go of social media and the urge to want to share my day. I can feel a social media cleanse lurking around the corner.

When It Rains, It Pours

Tuesday morning, I opened a new email in my inbox. The first line of the email read, “when it rains it pours.” The person who emailed me this was a new client. She sent this to me in reference to a second project that I was being offered.

I took a second and stared at that line before I let the gratitude flood in. Wow.

Before I received this email, I was literally in the middle of planning a vacation. This was probably the first proper vacation I have ever really planned. I was experiencing the thrilling excitement of buying tickets and making plans. I recognized how rare and beautiful of a moment this was. Feeling extremely grateful to have the means and flexibility to create new experiences for myself.

This mood was then interrupted by even more incredible news of securing yet another project.

I couldn’t believe everything that was happening. All I can say is that I’m grateful. I will continue to show my gratitude for the universe in reciprocating the energy that I exude.

Avoidance

There is a lesson about avoidance that I am keenly learning. When there is something that you’re trying to avoid, your attention shifts to that thing. Whether you become aware of it or not, what you’re trying to escape becomes all you can think of. 

Out of sight is not always out of mind. There is power in dealing with whatever it is you’re avoiding. Confronting it and taking ownership.

Because when you confront what you’ve been trying to avoid, you begin to let go and make way from something new. You release energy that was weighing you down. You begin to feel lighter.  

Synchronicity

Yesterday was the first long run I had done in a while. As you may, or may not, have read I began a 4-week “Get Started” run plan through the Nike Running app.

A long run, which is pretty self-explanatory, is a long-distance run. For this run, I was expected to run for 35 minutes.

As I began my run I was reminded, by the guiding voice of Coach Bennett, to start slow and focus on a comfortable stride. I didn’t have high expectations for this run, but I was pleasantly surprised with a level of comfort I found halfway through.

It was a moment that I knew all too well but hadn’t experienced in quite some time. I reached a point were I was in control of my breath, stride, and pace.

I recognized this feeling as a sign that my body was beginning to build up a level of endurance. Where you can feel yourself transform into a better version of yourself. It’s incredibly gratifying. While there were a few unexpected hills on my trail, I still pushed through and ended the run on an incredible high.

Later that evening, I was cooking dinner. I decided to record one of the meals I cooked, to edit and post later this week. To my surprise, there was a level of ease in my cooking flow. With these dishes, I had finally reached a level of comfort where I’ve learned how to be more efficient and organized in my prep and cooking.

I couldn’t help but connect this same gratifying feeling to the one I had experienced earlier on my run. I could only explain it as a true moment of synchronicity.  

There are days where so many things in your life can seem off or out of whack. And then there are moments where you feel completely aligned. I’m grateful to know and experience both.

Natural Course

While I have truly loved writing and sharing my daily thoughts, I think part of it must come to an end. 

It’s been almost four months since I’ve started this journey. I truly owe so much to this process because it has honestly opened a world of insight for me.

I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s unreal how just the simple task of writing each day can unleash your untapped thoughts and ideas.

It’s boosted my sense of self, allowed me to confidently claim the opportunities around me, and to boldly assert my worth.

I couldn’t be more grateful, or humbled, by this process.

I will continue to write and post my daily thoughts here and that’s all.

Social media can feel performative at times, which is what I’ve been feeling as of late. I may be inspired to share my thoughts on social again, but for now, I’d like to keep it here for me and whoever chooses to stop by.

And thank you so much to all of you who have shared and connected with my daily thoughts. You have no idea how magical it is for someone to share in your vulnerability.

A New Season

A new month. I said I would write down some goals. I haven’t yet and that’s okay. I do, however, feel the shift in energy. Spring is flourishing and blossoming, and I can’t help but desire to mirror the same.

I see how I’ve remained committed to the creative practices that bring me joy such as writing and cooking. There are many other joys, but I’ll wait patiently until it is their season. 

For this month, I wish to remain focused on what I have started. I wish to dive deeper and push myself further in a gentle way. I wish to fully convince myself of everything that I can be.

May we all have a beautiful start to this new season.

Promising Performance

Staying on task and motivated can be hard sometimes. While building a routine can be extremely beneficial, you begin to demand the same level of performance every day. 

It’s something that I’m slowly learning to accept but in truth, I cannot promise that I’ll give the same performance each day. I can only promise myself that I will do the best that I can.

Wins Pt. 2

About a month ago, I wrote a post about the importance of writing down your wins. Funny enough, that was the last time I wrote my wins even though I said I’d start writing them every day. Such is life.

I’m trying to bring this practice back, and I thought I’d share some wins that I had yesterday and that I’m proud of. So here they are:

Wins 3/30/22

1.     Meditated in the morning

2.     Wrote for four hours

3.     Had two articles published

4.     Ran my first interval run

5.     Made vegan pesto from scratch  

I’m realizing that if I don’t stop and celebrate my wins, I’ll never be satisfied.

Too Much?

There needs to be more hours in the day. I’m becoming very aware of how long it takes me to do a task. Timing myself to better gauge how many things I can be able to accomplish in a day. But it just doesn’t seem like there’s enough time to do it all.  

Although, I’m wondering if the issue isn’t that there aren’t enough hours in the day. But rather, am I asking too much of myself? I feel as though this will be a question I’ll be wrestling with for the rest of my life.

30 Mins Installments

I’ve started to develop an interesting approach to my workload. Lately I’m finding myself working on multiple projects with deadlines that seem to overlap. Which means I am usually stuck to my desk, writing for hours at a time.

As a way to break the monotony of working on a single task for too long, I’ve started breaking up my work into 30 min installments. I’m learning that change is the antidote to monotony.

I’ll start with the most pressing projects, and slowly rotate my time to incrementally work on each one thereafter. Not only is this a great way to make progress on each project, but I am finding myself more refreshed when I switch tasks.

So far, it’s been working. I’ll continue to share updates if what I’ve stumbled upon continues to be a successful working method.

A Bridgerton Fan

Yesterday was a beautiful day of reset, which is what I like to call my self-care days. I cleaned, relaxed, bathed, and cooked. I even caught myself wanting to clean every part of my home in one day but refrained from doing so, because I knew I’d fully exhaust myself. While that may not seem like much, I know that’s a sign of growth for me. (Side note: Yesterday, I became very aware of how much I’m beginning to resemble the fictious Friends character, Monica Geller, when I caught myself eating a cookie over the sink so as not to ruin the freshly vacuumed floor with crumbs…I know!)

And to my absolute surprise, I began binge-watching the very last series I thought I’d watch, Bridgerton. I don’t really care for British Period dramas; however, I was curious to understand the hype. And while I wouldn’t declare myself a huge fan, I began to appreciate something I didn’t anticipate.

While the show obviously displays incredibly archaic societal standards for men and women, there is something so pure and special about the innocence of falling in love. In courting and promenading and just spending time with someone. Each tiny moment getting to know someone is cherished and celebrated. And I truly love that. So, consider me, a Bridgerton fan.

Yours truly,

Lady Aida

Running Smarter

I had my official day 2 run of the Nike Run Club 4-week training plan. Once again, my guided run was graced with the voice of Nike Global Head Coach, Chris Bennett. It was a cold Saturday morning, and while my throat was begrudgingly getting acclimated to the weather, I felt reassured knowing this was going to be yet another easy run.  

It was quite a busy morning on the trail; I was dodging speedy bikers, families walking in wide horizontal lines, and rowdy dogs barking as I passed them.

Throughout the run, I kept wanting to check my time and see my average pace or push myself to run faster. But time and time again, I was reminded by Coach Bennett to run my pace with ease. And while I shouldn’t run hard, I felt that I could pick up my pace at any moment.

This practice is counterintuitive to what I’ve learned about running thus far; run faster and harder. However, I truly feel grateful to learn the foundational practice of running smarter and not just faster.

Preparation

I’ve been catching myself thinking about all the goals and projects that I wish to accomplish. At times I’m exhausted just thinking about them all. However, there is something I believe that can remedy some of the overwhelm I’m experiencing. And that, my friends, is preparation.

In the last few months, I’ve been taking on more contract writing jobs. As the workload began to increase, my writing strategy began to change. What worked once before, does not guarantee it will work again. I had to push myself outside of my comfort zone and start again from the basics. Outlining and drafting, which meant starting my process earlier than I’m used to.  

This is how I began to value the lesson of preparation. Acting now, in any way that I can, to better prepare myself to handle and take on more.

While we cannot prepare for every moment in life, we can take the steps now to get us closer to where we want to be.

Moment of Growth

For no particular reason yesterday, I thought about the adult that I am becoming. There was a subtle sense of pride in how I’ve been carrying myself lately.

I also thought back to how I had envisioned myself at this age when I was younger. It’s drastically different to say the least, but wonderfully surprising.

Of course, there is still a tremendous amount of growth that lays ahead. But it was nice to acknowledge the growth that I’ve seen within myself thus far. 

If you needed a reminder to acknowledge the growth you’ve seen within yourself, here it is.