My 8 Positive Energy Boosters

I met a new friend for coffee this morning.  We agreed to meet at 9:00 and I figured we'd have a short introduction, finish our coffee and head out on our day within the hour.  Three hours later, coffee long gone, and I was still enjoying every moment with this lady. Our conversations ranged from athletic goals to parenthood to concepts of success and so much more.  My time with Corie (also new to Bend) was one of the most energizing experiences I've had since moving here two months ago.   I'd like to think of our three hour conversation as more of a motivational meeting than a "coffee date".  It was definitely worth the time. It was worth pushing other things off!   My to-do list will be longer tomorrow but I'm better off for it.  I can't wait for Corie to start up her new website and get going with some of the ideas she shared.  In the meantime, I'll keep enjoying her Instagram posts and be inspired by her life as a coach, Ironman athlete (soon to do Ironman Arizona), and mother to three.

Boosting Positive Energy
Life is feeling more settled now!   I'm not going to lie and say I feel super happy every single day or that I don't miss Asheville way more than I care to admit, but my roots are setting in!  Our new house is turning into a home, kids are making friends a little at a time, and I have much more mental energy to give to the things I love.  I'm quick to acknowledge the crappy  feelings and moods and then refocus.  And I've continued to remind myself that:

 Transplanting takes time!  

Meeting with my friend for coffee this morning is one of several things that help to boost positive energy flow in my life.  With these boosts, my MOJO is coming back one day at a time.

Here are some of my biggest positive energy boosters (in no particular order):

1. Creating space.  I finally found MY space...my office of sorts.  This is my place where I can have my coffee, write, be messy, create, journal, read, learn and really...do whatever I want.  It's space to find inspiration and be with my thoughts.  I love it!  I actually took over the corner of the bonus room for this.  Nobody was really using this beautiful space as much as I thought they would so I just shifted things around to where I have my corner and we still have play/family/guest space in here.  My favorite thing about this room is that there is an abundance of natural light that fills it! And right outside my window are Aspen and Juniper trees with plenty of blue sky as a backdrop.  

2. Trying new things.  Lots of new here!  Sometimes New New New can be Draining Draining Draining but sometimes it can also be quite helpful in shifting energy. Riding my bike downtown to visit my daughter's school and meet up with a friend was one activity that brought energy to my day.  It was about time I put my bike to good use!  I bought it years ago so I could train for a triathlon. The triathlon never happened so I think I'll stick to running for awhile until that bug hits me again. But using my bike to get around Bend was actually fun! I felt happy that I faced some of my fears of road biking and that I was able to enjoy this bike friendly city!!  It felt a little awkward at first when going down hill or traversing around a busy round-about but by the time I got downtown (only 3ish miles), I felt much more confident.  

3. Talking to good friends.  Yes yes yes!  How freeing it is to be able to share our lives with a good friend.  What an incredible gift it is to have those friends we can talk to about our crappy feelings as well as the parts of our life that we are most joyful about.  And to know we are loved by them no matter what comes out of our mouths or how full of flaws we are (and vice versa).  This weekend I'm feeling pretty excited about seeing two of these special friends in MN for the Twin Cities Marathon. I can't wait to see Jenn rock her marathon and spend the rest of the weekend celebrating and soaking up girl time!

I get to see these two beautiful women in just a matter of hours! Both super speedy too!  

4. Trail runs.  These speak for themselves..  Since moving to Bend, I've only run on the road a few times.  Almost all my runs are on the trails these days.  Gorgeous, life-giving, inspiring trails.  I'm beyond thankful.

Basically my backyard

5. Journaling.  It's no secret that writing in journals is something that adds to my life in positive ways.  I've written in a journal since I was eight years old.  In fact, I still have my third grade journal.  It's right there with the others...lining my book shelves.  Some of these journals should be burned...never to be read by anyone.  Some served as therapy over the years..a safe place to process.  And some are filled to the brim with inspiration, gratitude and love.  No matter what, writing for myself in a journal will probably be something I do forever.  My newest journal (below) is a gift from a friend.  I will be using it as my trail running/travel journal during this first year in a new place.  I expect to run many trails, discover new places, and be deeply inspired in the process.  Just holding and smelling this book's leather is a positive energy boost!

6. Intentional time with those I love.  This sounds so simple but when life gets busy, it is actually harder than I realize to push everything aside and be intentional about the time I'm giving to those I love the most.  This is why I think it's important to have a day of the week where my husband and I can connect without distraction. A day where we either have a date here at home, head out on a run, or go somewhere special.  Doing this with my kids is important too.  Lately, bedtime snuggles and read aloud has been a good time for them.  It usually takes some effort to slow down and make this intentional time happen but it's always worth it! It boosts positive energy for all of us!

Love that I can trail run and explore the world with him!

Love this man so much!!  He's home to me.

7. Unplugging.  Unplug. Unplug.  Note to self: Unplug!  Turn off the screens!  It's amazing how much life reveals itself when we don't always have our face pointed toward a screen.  Social media, texting, email...these are all great by themselves but isn't it the truth that they can also be what sucks so much of our life and energy if we don't find a balance?!

8.  Running with my dog Ashe.  I never really wanted a dog and I definitely didn't think I'd love a dog this much!  When we finally had to keep our promise to the kids about getting a dog, I was dragging my feet all the way.  But boy did we score big with Ashe!  Such a good good dog.  The best running companion we could ask for.  This dog is amazing!  He has incredible endurance, loves trails, is fantastic off or on a leash, enjoys swimming in the river and can catch a ball like nobody's business!  Oh, and he has excellent manners and patience with the kids.  Now that he is part of our family, I can't imagine life any other way.

What are some of your positive energy boosters?

Amanda

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