The Social Media Campers #smcampers (Rahiem, Charlotte, Alex, Aisha & I) went on a 'twamping twip' to West Virginia staying at the gorgeous Abram's Creek Campground. Instead of telling you how it went, see for yourself. As one camper said 'correctly': What stays in the woods, stays in the woods. ;)

Pictures from Alex's Professional Camera:

Pictures from Melanie's Canon Elph:

ENJOY!

I've recently discovered just how human I am.

This past week I helped organize a group we ended up calling #MetroCarols. Our intentions were pure, our excitement for the holiday was intense and we love to sing. Cheering up the curmudgeons of the DC area on their miserable commute home was our plan & singing Christmas/holiday carols was what we thought would be best. Plan: Organize a flashmob that just happened to break out in carols randomly in metro stations.

Once word went out, my cohort & I realized that we had a much bigger sphere of influence, especially together, than we had any idea. The press & bloggers caught on and we had 150 people sign up. Things got out of control, he did an interview with the Examiner & once the press started posting articles about our plans, metro riders commented with a vengeance. After hearing about stun-guns, their wanting to punch us or push us off platforms, we took our plans off the public Facebook invitation so that we didn't end up doing what they accused us of: ruining their commute. 

By Monday, we had done some behind-the-scenes practicing with the trustworthy NPR & WUSA around to listen in & passed around our plan for where we were going that evening. At 11:30am, TBD & WashFM posted our PRIVATE schedule on their websites for all to see. Tears flooded my eyes and I realized that things had gotten out of hand. Although I was publicly accused of being ridiculous, I was honestly only afraid that if anyone was hurt due to the angry Metro riders showing up just to spite us, I would be left responsible for the tragedy. My humanity hit hard.

I called my cohort with overwhelming amounts of worry and told him I wanted to go home and cry myself to sleep. He had no intentions of backing down and satiated my worry by telling me that I needed to just come enjoy it in the spirit that we had planned in the first place - to spread cheer to commuters.

In a final change of plans so as not to allow anyone to get hurt, we moved to Dupont Circle, press surrounding us, as a group of 30 carolers, and sang joyfully with smiles & chills. The cold air caused us to sing Let It Snow & snowflakes started falling in a beautiful coincidence. Our joy was passed on to those leaving work that chilly Monday evening & DC commuters smiled at us as we moved closer to the Dupont escalator to sing a few more songs without impeding their rush home.

My smile got brighter the more we sang, our group gained momentum and carolers and we ended up singing the 12 Days of DC up and down the escalator & other carols into the Dupont station. After boarding a train & heading to Union Station, we started singing again & stood in a group caroling while people walked past with smiles & joy clearly showing on their faces.

Final outcome: Although my humanity almost got the best of me, we accomplished our main intentions - spread holiday cheer & make people smile - except with full press coverage.

PRESS & VIDEOS:

Check out what they wrote & said about us along with hearing us sing:

GREAT piece by NPR's Nate Rott

WUSA (Channel 9, CBS) coverage with videos of our rehearsal and of the event

Washington Post edited video:



Washington Post video on YouTube:


Washington Post article

Washington Post "Dr. Gridlock" blog about Metro

WeLoveDC's article

Waxing Unlyrical's article by Shonali Burke

As of 5pm today I will be going social media free for the weekend (until 8am Monday morning).

To many of you this statement doesn't seem like a big deal... but to me, it's going to be hard. ! I will be forgoing Twitter, Facebook and Instant Messaging so I can accomplish the productivity levels I have set for myself along with catching up on sleep and relaxation.

Thinking in Tweets Must Stop

I have taken bits of time off from my phone, my computer, the internet, etc but have realized that even though my business profits from my social media usage, my weekends are suffering due to my 'thinking in tweets.' Whenever something pops into my mind, I feel the need to write it. I think in 140 characters, I obsess about how to say something... my marketing mind is always twisting and turning.

I have been obsequious (yes, I just used that word... totally came to mind randomly & COMPLETELY fits) to social media and IM instead of focusing on my life around me lately. I've been bringing my laptop into my kitchen while I cook so that I can IM with friends or keep up with tweets. It's almost sickening... even to me.

At 4:35pm today, I finish this post and get ready to shut down Tweetdeck, Facebook and my GoogleTalk for a quiet weekend of happiness and productivity. I appreciate all that is information-sharing but need a break for a bit. This may be something I do more frequently depending on how it goes. Check back for updates.

Happy Weekend!

UPDATE: Sun, Jan 30 at 10:52pm

I have just completed a social media & IM-free weekend. I was able to accomplish quite a bit between running with friends, getting to church earlier for practice, cooking without distraction, chatting with my parents on the phone without distraction, crossing off to-do list items, cleaning, laundry, brunch with girlfriends and so much more.

I was amazed at how often I would think of a tweet or FB post and realize a moment later that it wasn't riveting or helpful to anyone so there would be no point to posting it. Having the inability to post the information was restraining and a great exercise for censorship. Removing the 'thinking in tweets' mentality, not sharing every thought and allowing myself to really focus on the tasks at hand were quite favorable. I wanted the ease of IM'ing with friends but I realized that the information I wanted to share wasn't necessarily worth sending if I had to spend the time to call them about it.

Overall, this was a great exercise and allowed me to have quite a bit more clarity. I can see myself doing a lot more implementing of this in the future on the weekends and evenings. My work is done on social media, not all of my goings-on need to be shared with the world. Time to focus on what helps create connections, inspires ideas and allows for engaging conversation. 

The other day I found a Wonder Woman for President t-shirt. At the bottom it says ‘1000 years in the future.’ I bought it. My friend Claudia, a fellow business owner, swears I am Wonder Woman between my height and insatiable energy for life and business. As much as business owners were mostly male even just 20 years ago, the world is changing and women are needing to be everything to everyone. It’s definitely not a man’s world anymore but I’ve learned a lot of valuable superhero lessons recently.

Wonder Woman helped everyone.

Running a business that focuses on helping small businesses and non-profits has brought me clients of all shapes and sizes. We don’t discriminate unless someone doesn’t fit our business model or company values. Being a woman entrepreneur has brought me to the attention of other woman business owners and many of those clients have become great friends. Others have given lip service about being supportive of fellow women and proved otherwise when needed. Superhero lesson #1: Be supportive and mean it.

Wonder Woman never seemed to age.

Running a business has already started taking a toll on me physically. Although I feel like I’m still 22, the reality of being 30 with a 24/7 venture is setting in rapidly. Lack of sleep, trying to exercise, focusing on clients instead of myself, hiring & growing the team, making sure dogs get attention, and finding time to Skype with my long-distance boyfriend are enough to make me feel like I should be retired already. I find wrinkles and white hairs more rapidly than I did when I was working a cushy job for someone else. Wonder Woman wouldn’t let this get her down. She’d hit the gym, make time for her loved ones and find fantastic face cream. Superhero Lesson #2: No complaining, make it work.

Wonder Woman had superpowers.

Running a business, especially in the tech industry, has made me stand out more than many of my other female colleagues. Tech is still a man’s business. But not for long. I recently went to a tech conference where I was one of three women and the organizer asked me if I was “getting anything out of it as a designer.” Since he seemed to be putting me in my place, I took a step back and realized something. Wonder Woman would have just smirked and walked away knowing full well she could have hit him with her lasso. She would just keep at it and forget he ever said it. Superhero Lesson #3: Never fight back, just soar.

Wonder Woman was a powerhouse.

Running a business is just like running a race. You train by starting small and gradually going further. Beginning with the idea that you can do it, you set out on a journey to accomplish a goal. This goal is one that will never actually be completed. Every time you go for a run, it’s harder and longer and you get stronger. Every time you run a race you find you have to enter another to beat your time. The finish line is never the end, it’s just one more step to accomplishing more. Helping others along the way and encouraging others to do better will not only make you a stronger runner (and business owner), it’ll make you a better person.  Wonder Woman would never do anything to beat someone else, only to make herself better by helping them cross the finish line. Superhero Lesson #4: Work on your own goals but always lend a hand to others.

We’re in this together, ladies and we’re not alone. Ask for help, help others and be a woman of Wonder Woman’s stature. Don’t forget about the men… they can be the most supportive!

Written for City Girl's World.
Originally posted on May 5, 2011: Wonder Woman for President

"Why don't I have ____?"      

                                                                  "Why can't I get ____?"
            "I'd be so much happier if ____?"

Ever catch yourself asking these questions of yourself? I finally quit... and guess who is happier than ever before? Me.

So many people think that if they had more, they would be better off. The grass is always greener. If you are single, you wonder what it's like to be married. If you're married, you wonder why you made that decision. If you don't have kids, you yearn for them. If you do have kids, you're happy to give them up for a night off. If you're in an unhappy job, you know you'd be happier working for yourself. If you work for yourself, you wish for the days of a steady paycheck. Greener... but is it?

At the beginning of this year, I set a goal of intentionality. I didn't do a New Year's resolution. No "I'll eat less and run more". No "I'll walk the dogs more." No "I'll take more time off." Just a goal of being intentional with everything I do because no one else was going to live my life better than me. 7.5 months later, I see the fruits of my intentional intentionality... and every day it's clearer.

No more worrying. When I set this goal, it was to put full faith that God had given me the tools and the strength to be a success. I finally started leaning on Him and with that I had to stop worrying about everything. Money, relationships, work, family, everyday details... Once I stopped, I was able to focus on what He really wanted for me - my best life. A life that was in place to help others accomplish and live their own.

I love my life. My friends, my family, my job, my coworkers, my clients, my dogs, my home, my office, my body, my goals, my everything. Nothing is perfect but man, I really love where I am a month from 31. I am happy, I am healthy, I'm in the best shape of my life, I'm a successful entrepreneur, I travel, I am full of faith... it's all coming together.

Being intentional about who is in my life, what I do with my days, and how I find peaceful rest each night knowing I'm living my best life is how I am able to just be happy.

Are you happy? How are you intentional about your life?

Written for SimplyLeap.com's Hug Tour

Huggers are everywhere but DC is full of people who are from all over the world. Some need personal space and others hug just about anyone for any reason.

I love hugging my friends (see Amy Throndsen & I here) and will take any chance to do that.

Hugging strangers isn't weird to me so rockin' the Ambassador role for the Hug Tour sounded fantastic.

Donning a hug tour t-shirt makes you think that anyone will want to hug you. It tells others you're an ambassador, it tells people to hug like they mean it and it's such a positive reinforcement.

A hug tour doesn't just happen. You have to make it happen.

Having a few places to travel to on one of the hottest days of the summer, I put on my dark blue Hug Tour shirt with a white skirt & headed off to Dupont for some meetings.

I got some random looks regarding my t-shirt and although trying to catch eyes, Metro people seemed to be really awkward and uninviting so I didn't pursue it. Had high hopes for some hugging but with the ridiculous temperatures, personal space seemed to be in high regard.

I headed into a Starbucks right off Dupont Circle and was standing in line when the manager tried reading my shirt. She was so outgoing and obviously caffeinated.

Saying that it was such a great message, I asked if she wanted a hug. She was hesitant but was obviously up for it.

I turned around and showed her that I was a hug ambassador. Her joy at the prospect of a hug just filled me with happiness.

Running over to me from her post behind the counter, she squeezed me tight and couldn't contain herself. She told me (and everyone else) that she had been there for 10 hours already and was just having a rough day.

The hug was the highlight of her day and she told me that she'd be telling all of her morning customers about the hug tour.

I didn't get another hug from someone I didn't know that day but it was the perfect start to my own personal hug tour. I felt like everyone I saw needed a hug and that everyone would be happy to get one... but I had to start slow. This was only my first day. 

Maybe I can make it a Starbucks Hug Tour and hug all of their managers.

 Ready, set... hug! 

Written for CityGirlsWorld.com

While enjoying a weekend away in Western NY, I glanced at the paper to see that, not far away in Seneca Falls, there was a celebration of Susan B. Anthony and the women’s suffrage movement. The next day, my mother and I just happened to drive by the movie theatre and made a last minute decision to see The Help. Both of these struck a deep chord with me.

Growing up as the oldest of four children whose parents were only 20 years older than myself, I was raised in a time where girls were expected to go to college after high school. Being from the country, I found that most girls my age weren’t finishing more than a year or two before becoming wives and mothers and spending their days at home. Although my mother was one of those high school graduates turned wife and mother, she was the voice that told me it wasn’t necessary to find a man and have children. A career should be my focus, not someone else.

Looking back to the early 1900’s when women’s suffrage was at its height, we see women who turned against the grain and fought for our rights, careers, choices, and futures. These women were different from those of their time because they were single (gasp!) and didn’t do what was expected of them. Moving forward to the 1960’s era of housewives depicted in The Help, we see women who went to college to get their “Mrs.” degree. They chose men who could take care of them & hired maids to take care of their children, cooking and cleaning while they played Bridge and setup charity events. Their education became useless.

Now we see women taking on corporate executive positions and leading non-profits instead of being someone’s Gal Friday. Women are taking bigger entrepreneurial risks and leading the way for the younger generations to prove that we can do more with less. We’re getting seats at the table now, but asLeslie Bradshaw asks “is that really enough?” Studies are showing that many women leave work before they leave work. Most of the time it’s due to getting married and planning for children. They don’t ask for raises or promotions because they plan to leave the workforce to stay at home with their future little ones. And then women complain that we’re not getting paid or treated equally.

Finding myself looking at my 30’s with great excitement for what’s to come, I see a woman not unlike the main character, Skeeter, in The Help. A young woman wanting to change the world, wanting to find her space by helping others. This gumption-filled character who went outside the confines of ‘normal’ and proved herself by taking a stand for others. She is someone to look up to, to become more like, to be humbled by. She’s the woman I want my nieces and nephews to look up to and my parents to be proud of.

About 10 years ago my mom had a conversation with a friend of hers who was single, 35 and waiting. She hadn’t even bought towels because she thought you had to be married to get towels as a wedding gift. My mom told her she needed to go do things because she wanted to. So, she went to Honduras on a missions trip, bought a house, finally bought towels and became happy with her life. She’d always been waiting for someone to be happy with and realized her life was waiting for her instead.

As a woman who seems to have it all together, I wonder why this notion of ‘what’s next’ keeps me searching for a ’someone’. Why is the next step always marriage and/children? Why can’t a big career and amazing friends/family be enough? Why is there always the comment “Oh, you’re pretty. You’ll find someone.”?

 It may not be 1890 or 1960 but we still have the requirement of marriage surrounding us as women. We’re taught to be independent and to find ourselves but when will we stop being looked at like there’s something wrong with us if we choose to be alone. Our lives aren’t based on our careers, but the end game always seems to be settling down. I look at the lives of most married women and see them looking at my life with wonderment. I think I’ll just keep on keeping on and see where life takes me next instead of trying to fit a mold the women of the 20’s & 60’s tried to break for me.

I'm a social networker. My entire life is online and has been since I was 19 - what feels like since the beginning of time. Twitter & Facebook, my website, DailyMile, Gmail, GoogleTalk... everything. I am online all day every day. I enjoy a day off here and there to refocus but generally I am either on my phone or on my MacBook Pro getting work done or socializing. I've had my business since I was 20. I've watched it evolve and grow into a very social place. I love that social place.

First, I was on MySpace, then Friendster, then Facebook came out to more than just a few elite colleges & I jumped on. Facebook has helped me keep in touch with people who I lived near on both coasts, people who picked on me in high school, and people who I've wanted to cultivate close friendships with, along with all of my friends and colleagues that I wish happy birthday to once a year.

Today, I quit Facebook.

Everyone thinks about doing it from time to time but then they remember that their grandma keeps track of them that way and can't pull the trigger. I have thought about it many times but never could do it. I wanted to but felt compelled to keep in touch with the over 500 people I was 'friends' with. Until I went to TEDxMidAtlantic.

One of the speakers, Rebecca Renard, is a librarian in DC and gave a talk on teens and their need to give love. She started talking about how she would post an update on Facebook and instead of waiting until the next day to see if anyone liked it, she'd jump on 2 minutes later in hopes of positive feedback. While everyone laughed, I realized that I am the same way. I don't even realize it. After tweeting that, one of my fellow attendees tweeted that he quit Facebook 3 years ago and has never looked back. This stopped me in my tracks.

Backing up a little, Sisarina has implemented an almost weekly No Talking Tuesday policy. We shut down all forms of communication except email and get a LOT of work done. We all look forward to this day. I didn't realize how often I open my Safari to find my preloaded Facebook wall to see what people said about my post and then get sucked into everyone's pictures and updates until we started No Talking Tuesday. I know I have to be social during the work day but I realized that I spend a LOT of time getting sucked into it. I click that Safari window that holds Facebook and my personal Gmail about 100x a day. How? Because I have social ADD.

Being an entrepreneur, I don't have a lot of time to waste. Another TEDxMidAtlantic talk gave a lot of insight into how much time we have and how much we have to budget in that time. He explained how each of us has a suitcase that equals our budget. This can be money or time. If we have a small suitcase, we have to remove things from it so we can fit in other things. Since we already have only the things required, we have to make sure the sacrifice is a good one to replace it. If we have a large suitcase, we just throw stuff in it & leave some room for other things but we don't think about that.

Facebook is what I removed. I have a very small suitcase of time. I have a LOT of things crammed into a very small amount of time. Between running a very busy business and a very busy life, Facebook is not something that're required. I have incredible friends that I chat with on IM or text or even the ancient email everyone thinks is disappearing. My friends will always remain my friends, my colleagues will continue to be great colleagues. I'll see my friends as normal but I'll say "so, what's going on in life?" and really not know the answer.

I'm not saying here that everyone should jump the Facebook ship. I'm also not saying I want you to come to my website all the time and find out what's up in my life. All I'm saying is that I am too easily absorbed by Facebook and hope that you'll text me to say hi instead.

Happy Facebooking!

*photo credit: Teresa Thomas (thanks for documenting my last moment on Facebook)

Every morning I wake up with the question "What's the most important thing I have to complete today?"

My life is a running priority list. At any given point, I can give you a huge list of things I've accomplished and what I intend to accomplish. Yesterday, I woke up with my priority list already running through my head. I knew I had about a week's worth of things I needed to complete by the end of that day but I had to find a way to fit it all in. This is a pretty typical Saturday layout. I accomplished a TON but felt like I didn't.

MY SATURDAY:
6:30am - wake up & lay in bed
7:15am - get dressed for run
7:30am - clean up bedroom
7:40am - walk the dogs & talk to boyfriend
7:55am - put load of laundry in washer
8:00am - run
8:40am - put load of laundry in dryer & eat Larabar
8:50am - give dogs baths
9:15am - bathe self & get ready for day
9:45am - head to office
10:00am - make coffee
10:15am - do devotions with boyfriend
10:45am - walk to brunch with a girlfriend
11:00am - brunch with girlfriend
12:10pm - walk to Lululemon to buy my Christmas gift (for myself)
12:30pm - walk to office
12:45pm - walk dogs & talk to boyfriend
1:15pm - organize projects and setup Trello boards
2:30pm - write proposal & send to client (realize there are 8 more to do)
3:00pm - organize to-do list
3:30pm - help boyfriend with resume
4:00pm - re-string office lighting (moved office furniture around Friday)
4:45pm - sweep up mess made by re-stringing lights
5:00pm - walk dogs & talk to boyfriend
5:20pm - drive home
5:35pm - put load of laundry in washer & fold clean laundry
5:45pm - make food
6:00pm - clear out emails
6:50pm - figure out what to wear to housewarming party
7:15pm - walk dogs
7:30pm - drive to housewarming party
8:00pm - hang at housewarming party
9:05pm - head to bar for friend get-together
9:45pm - hang at bar with friends
11:15pm - head home & talk to boyfriend
12:00pm - sleep

Looking at that, I realize just how exhausted I make myself and start wondering what I would do with a weekend of quiet peace. I have 5 books sitting on my nightstand. I have fabric on my table waiting to be made into a quilt. I've also tried to make sure to spend time with my guy & puppies. With all of the things I end up accomplishing, how much of it is required of me. I know it needs to be done but I keep wondering what things can be cut out and how I can reorganize my life. Being an entrepreneur, my business eats up a significant amount of time. Being a connector, I have a large network of people I want to spend time with & build relationships with.

What would my Saturdays be like if I didn't have Sisarina? Would I sit on my couch and read a book? How can I fit that into my current schedule? I just found a little time to write this post... was that a priority though? It's been on my mind... what could I have had on my mind instead?

Are you good at prioritizing your life? How do you shut off the things that end up taking priority when a little selfishness is a good thing?

Intentionality was the goal for 2011.

First, I applied this to Sisarina. At work, I stopped worrying about where money was coming, I blogged more, I focused on networking and bringing in more business, I hired better. My staff even supported this intentionality. Our intentionality became habit and we'll be taking it into our next year. (2012 is about leadership!)

Halfway through the year, I wondered why I wasn't feeling more intentional about my personal life. My work life was fantastic and everything was moving along perfectly but there was such discord outside of that. I started looking at being more intentional with the rest of my life and was impressed to find out that when you are intentional about everything, you get so much more joy out of life.

A month ago, I set a goal to pray more, exercise more and be more diligent about my quiet time.

MY GOALS:
4-WEEK NEW HABITS CHALLENGE:
MIND:
- commit to praying every morning & every evening
- commit to 15-min of quiet time for just reflection every day
- commit to being in bed by 11pm & waking up by 6am every day
- commit to tracking thoughts on paper daily
BODY:
- commit to 30-60min of exercise every day
- commit to eating & drinking only healthy
- commit to stretching every morning
- commit to tracking exercise on DailyMile.com daily

MIND:
PRAYER: Joshua, the incredible man I'm dating, has helped me keep this one for the month. We've been praying every morning and every evening over the phone, on Skype or in person as we can. Some days we aren't able to and I send up a little prayer but most days we pray together. It's such a blessing to have a man in my life who will pray with me and help me keep this up. It's now hard to start the day or end it without prayer. With this, Teresa and I have taken more time to sit and pray about Sisarina.

QUIET TIME: I definitely have not done this. My runs tend to be my quiet time if I don't have a running buddy. Being quiet is not easy for me but I plan to continue to focus on it. Since I haven't done this, I also haven't had the quiet time to track thoughts on paper. I hope to learn how to get my thoughts out and really listen to what God is saying through writing and quiet time in the new year.

BEDTIME: This is something I've learned to be very clear about. With all the running, I've definitely been up by 6am every day and because I've worn myself out with exercise and work, I'm typically in bed between 10-11pm. It's been so incredible getting solid nights of sleep.

BODY:
EXERCISE: As you'll see from my DailyMile.com profile, I've been very intentional about my 30-min per day. In 4 weeks, I only missed 4 days whereas I was only doing about exercise about 4 days a week. Being more intentional with a goal allowed me to begin a habit that I now plan to continue into 2012. My new goal with exercise is to run 1200 miles. That translates into about 25 miles per week. Excited to make that happen!

INTAKE: The eating & drinking only healthy didn't end up as healthy as I'd like. Because of this, I've also included being careful of what I drink in 2012. My plan is to drink only water so that I can keep my body hydrated for all the running I'll be doing. Drinking rum to combat stress has become a bit of a habit I'd like to break. Joshua & I are starting off the year with the same 4-week detox (minus wheat) that I did a few months ago. 

STRETCHING: Over the course of the month, I became more intentional about my stretching. It became habit after a run to stretch but stretching every morning? Nope. I've recently had a girlfriend convince me to start doing Bikram Yoga and another tell me she'd meet me at my office to do yoga with me. I think this will be something I need a buddy to help me with.

It's been quite an incredible month of intentionality completing my year of intentionality. Huge thanks to running & exercise buddies, David Heyman, Sam Young, and Jessica Menk. Huge love to Joshua Rennie & Teresa Thomas for praying with me. Thank you to all who encouraged me this month. Excited about more growth in 2012.
 

I'm not a big resolutions girl.

In 2006, my mom said "Instead of trying to work out or eat healthier this year, let's get our passports. That will be our goal for the year." Two months later, I found tickets to London & a hotel near Hyde Park for 10 days for $800/pp. My mom thought we were just getting our passports that year but I thought bigger. We booked it and got our passports. That September, we had an incredible vacation together.

Being a new year, it's always a time for people to say "I'm going to be a better person by_____." It's a nice thought but most people end up forgetting their resolutions after a few weeks (or days). Many have no idea why they decided to do it in the first place. Most of these resolutions are about eating healthier, taking care of our bodies, exercising more, doing things on a daily basis... but those should be things we make habits, not resolutions.

With 2011 being my year of intentionality (at Sisarina AND in my personal life), I've made 2012 a year of leadership for Sisarina and a year of habit-forming for my personal life. Throughout December, I started making new habits of exercising at least 30-minutes a day, spending more time praying and giving myself some quiet time. This showed me that determination will get me everywhere and what I succeeded most at was the exercising (I know, shocker). So, it's time for me to create more new habits and to pound in the ones I've recently created.

GOALS FOR 2012:
BODY:
    - Run 1200 miles
    - Run 150 of those miles completely barefoot
    - Bike 300 miles outdoors
NUTRITION:
    - detox Jan 1-28 (no sugar, dairy, alcohol, coffee)
    - give self one cheat day a week Feb 1-Dec 31
    - eat only whole foods (nothing processed)
VACATION:
    - take two out-of-town vacations
    - no computer, no phone, no TV
OFFLINE:
     - spend 24 straight hours per week offline
     - no computer, no phone, no TV

This seems feasible and attainable albeit a little hardcore. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be Melanie. I'm ready to take 2012 one step at a time.

Instead of resolutions, what have you decided to make your new habits?
 

Have you ever given a compliment to a friend and they humbly declined it? Do you ever get one and shake your head at it? Have you ever turned red when someone tells you you're beautiful? What about when someone tells you how great a job you did on something?

Many of us have a hard time accepting compliments. It's not socially acceptable to think you're something special, even after our mothers have drilled it into our heads. If we work out too much, post too many pictures of ourselves, or take compliments with a smile, we're automatically put into 'that' category. The one where people believe we're vain. It's not a category anyone wants to be in.

When did loving yourself become vain?

This Sunday, PostSecret.com added Valentines they got from all over the world. The one that stuck out the most is posted to the right.

We're told our whole lives we'll never find someone until we love ourselves but we're also told we shouldn't think too highly of ourselves.

It's time we all stood up and finally believed in ourselves.

It's time we tell ourselves we're beautiful and make sure others know we know this just by how we hold our heads up high.

It's time we know the difference between vanity and confidence.

It's time to show the world how incredible we can be once we allow ourselves.

The key to all of this: we have to allow ourselves to be our best and share it with others. If we can't love ourselves, we can't truly love others. Embrace yourself, take yourself on a date, and find out just how fun you are and PLEASE share it with everyone else. We are a community because we need each other and our incredible qualities.

Then follow #takecaretuesday, post what you'll do for yourself today. Reward yourself for being so amazing and knowing it.

This past Sunday, I decided I was over the brown in my hair. I got a haircut on Friday and realized I felt really manly with short brown hair. 

I also got inspired by Mika Brzezinski and her platinum hair. So... I thought I'd do it myself. I took a picture of the 'before' view not thinking there would more than one 'after'. Then there was. 

BROWN: Goodbye feeling-like-a-boy.

STRAWBERRY: hrm... not what I was going for.

YELLOW: yeah, there is some orange in there.

SUPERHERO YELLOW: I may take over the world.
Thought it was ok til I got to work. Bad. Very bad.

PLATINUM: Spent $90 at a salon & got it fixed. Phew! 

Lesson: never try to take over the world on your own. You might almost lose your hair.