Rachel MacDonald

Feeling super happy and inspired this week, so let’s get right into it — here’s what’s ‘Making Me Happy!’

1. Ksubi sunglasses

 

Finally! A new pair of sunnies… and just in time, because it seriously feels like summer on the Gold Coast at the moment, despite the fact we have another month of winter left. Picked these ones up on a random shopping mission on the weekend and I’m a little bit in love with them. Classic shape with an unusual tortoise-shell print on the frames. Win.

2. Where I live

 

As I mentioned above, I’m feeling the summery vibes at the moment – it’s hard not to when we’re constantly blessed with days like this! On Monday morning I got up at 5:30am and skipped my exercise (naughty) to finish a blog post before work. 6:45am rolled around rather quickly and I thought “Actually, I really need a bit of outside time before work, even if it is only for ten minutes” so Ramai and I grabbed the camera and headed across the road to the beach. Thank god we did! Everyone was out and about walking their dogs, chatting, taking photos of surfers and stand-up paddleboarders (something I really want to try) and the vibe was amazing. Isn’t it incredible how centreing a little bit of sunshine and fresh air can be before getting into your working week? A big injection of vitamin D from nature had me on a high all day!

As soon as the mornings get a little lighter as we head into spring, I’m going to try and get to bed a little earlier so I can wake up at 5am and have two whole hours to exercise and energise before succumbing to the daily grind. My perfect morning entails a run and an ocean swim, stretching and a 10 minute meditation on the beach, topped off with a few chapters of a good book as I lie on a big, comfy towel. Bliss.

3. Words of wisdom

 

I was looking through my organiser this morning and found a note I’d written on 21 January 2011, in big black letters and highlighted in pink:

Dear Universe, throw me a rope and I will climb it.

I love stumbling on old thoughts; think I’ll use this as my motto for the remainder of the year. I also love that climbing a rope is the perfect visual – symbolising rising up and ending up higher than your starting point. Awesome.

4. Weddings

 

I love, love, love weddings (which is lucky, considering my own is coming up in 10 months time!) and have been hanging all week for our friends’ wedding that’s happening this weekend. All the little details, the dress, the food, the joy, the people, the laughs and of course, the love. Weddings truly are magical affairs and I’m thrilled we get to be part of it. Does anyone not love weddings?

5. New exercise plans + an exercise partner!

 

Ask and you shall receive. I said to Ramai last week that I wanted an exercise buddy – you know, an actual person I could make a commitment to that wouldn’t try and tell me how warm the bed is or that my legs were still sore from my last exercise session or that I didn’t get much sleep last night so I probably shouldn’t push it or that, hey, doesn’t that blog article need finishing?

Yes, for some reason, despite being a pretty motivated little exercise bunny, lately I’ve needed a push. A big one. Insert: my lovely friend Sarah from work. She started coming along to the group training sesh I go to on Friday mornings and we’ve decided to commit to another two mornings a week, doing our own circuit. The mission: lots o’ hill sprints, lunges, butt-burning squats and whatever else we feel like. The result: ripped bodies. Ha! Here’s hoping! I’m excited… in an I-love-exercise-because-it-makes-me-hyper kinda way.

6. Mid-year review

 

Well, I know it’s a bit past the middle of the year, but let’s not worry about technicalities when there are bigger things to discuss here: namely, where are you at with 2011? How are you feeling? Think back to the lofty goals you set in January and the determination you had to make this your best year yet. How are you tracking?

As we all seem to say these days, the days/ weeks/ years are flying by so this week I’m making a conscious effort to assess where I’m at, discover what else needs to be done before the year is out, and to really define where I want to head next. I started by updating my vision board and my affirmations board yesterday, and have plans to write a personal manifesto to really hone in on the things that fill me with happiness at this point in my life. Can’t wait!

I also keep coming across “30 things to do before I’m 30” type lists online. I think anything that propels us forward to access the life of our dreams is a winner, so I’m going to have a good think about what I want to achieve before November 2012 when I turn 30 (eek!) and get a list of my own happening. The thing for me is finding a balance between what is achievable and what will really challenge me – without loading myself up with so many to-do’s that they become a stress. I wage a fairly constant battle between two sides of my personality and find that the driven, impatient, big dreamer side is often at loggerheads with the gentler side that understands that the only way to create a meaningful life is to slow down, fully engage and actually live. So yeah. It’s a process.

Finally, I “declared” on Twitter yesterday that I would love a mentor or a life coach. Ideally, I’m looking for a super positive, go-getter who I click with that will push me both in my personal life and in the realms of my career/ blog. As I may have mentioned, my day job is in Digital Comms, so I’d love to build an inspiring relationship with someone who has knowledge of the online world (which would benefit me both at work and with In Spaces Between) but most importantly, someone who is an amazing person that I could learn a lot from. The intention (or “request”) has been put out there now… so I’m trusting that I’ll cross paths with the right person soon. Exciting!

+ Do you have a mentor? Ever had a life/ business coach? Thoughts?
+ What’s on your happy list this week? Spill the love beans!

 

 Images: 1. Max Wanger 2. Pinterest 3. Cross Fit Zone 4. Homegrown Hospitality

Posted on: 3 August, 2011 | Filed under Making Me Happy | 12 Comments | ADD YOURS
Tags: happiness, making me happy