lifestyle posts

Hey Friends! Long time no talk!

There’s no use trying to go into some long something about why I’ve been ignoring my little corner of the internet here except for well... 2020 was weird and 2021 is still kinda weird. It’s all left me feeling incredibly uninspired and lacking creativity. Honestly, I still am but it’s starting to slowly turn around. Woohoo!

A little reminder today to keep on going.

Tis the season. No, I don’t mean the Halloween season or the start of the holiday season. What I mean is tis the season that everyone starts to realize the year is almost over. With a few short months left in the year people are starting to try and finish out goals set for themselves, trying to reflect on the year so far and start closing out this year. I’m very much included in that “everyone” bracket, so here are a few of my thoughts on this whirlwind of a year so far.

“Look at how beautiful the sky looks!” she mused….

Today, October 1st, marks one year of being a vegetarian! I’ve noticed in many conversations recently that although within my direct circle of people being a vegetarian is fairly normal and well understood that isn’t the case for everyone. I figured why not share a little bit about why I chose to stop eating meat and address some questions that are commonly asked when the topic of vegetarianism comes up!

I’m really soaking in every ounce of late summer sunshine that I can lately! My days are overall fairly quiet and laid back, but I figured I’d share a few things that are currently sprinkled into most days.

Decided to draw inspiration from my own life and create my first mood board made entirely of my own photos and creations!

I stumbled upon an Instagram post asking who you are when you take away your job, your possessions, your accomplishments, where you live, etc. I thought it was a great journal prompt and I really enjoyed my answer so I figured why not give it a share!

As elements of “normal” start to be reincorporated in our lives, I’m sharing what that looks like for me and how I am incorporating the old normal with the new normal!

Today’s Rad Read is Some Like It Cold by William Povletich! Some Like It Cold is a story of 2 Great Lakes surfers who became major influences in not only their own community but also the surf community as a whole!

Earlier this year I made the decision to start going to therapy. After going for a few months, I feel like I finally have a bit of an opinion of therapy and decided to share why I made the choice to go and how it’s going!

I’ve been complacent and comfortable lately which has led to me not paying enough attention to what and how I am consuming. Sometimes I need a reminder to walk the walk instead of just talk the talk about positively impacting the planet. Here’s what I’m doing right now!

I’m not good at having emotional conversations verbally (I’m working on it), but I like to think that I’m pretty good at having them through writing. So with that said, this is for my sister. This is for her and her senior class and every other member of the class of 2020 who has felt like their world is shattering with the abrupt ending to their senior year.

When quarantine came around I figured it was a good time to sit down with a book or two or a few. Reading turned out to be a nice escape from the world when it started to feel heavy. Today’s list is the 7 books I’ve worked my way through over the last couple of months! The majority are fiction with a couple of adventure based memoir style books thrown into the mix!

I peeked at my 2020 vision board taped to the inside cover of my journal one night and I remembered the words that I assigned to the year. I realized that while the original thoughts and plans that motivated these words seem quite far from what they mean to me now, these words have materialized into my life in ways that go pleasantly beyond their initial meanings.

I picked up Get Out Of Your Own Way by Dave Hollis the day it was released and started it right then and there. It’s actually the first book I finished this year! Now that I've got one under my belt it’s been feeling easier to keep the reading going.

Earth Day is always a day that makes me take a moment to remind myself of why I care so passionately for this planet of ours and it serves as an opportunity to remind myself to take action daily to live in a way that is becoming increasingly better for Mother Earth. I sat this morning and jotted down some Earth Day thoughts- here they are!

Music is such a huge influence on mood. It truly sets the vibe for the room. So in search for happiness and joy, I decided to compile a collection of songs from days that make me smile!

I found myself feeling a lack of purpose over the last week, not surprising since my schedule is almost completely empty, but just because I’m confined to home doesn’t mean I can’t have something to strive for! I’ve decided I’m going to work at making a schedule for myself, even if it’s just filled with hobbies and small things, and set some goals for the month.

I went to the lake because I needed a minute. I needed a little bit of calm among the chaos that seems to be filling our world and social media feeds recently. I ended up walking away with a little bit of luck, a little bit of kindness, and a refreshed sense of clarity.

In honor of my own 24th birthday, I figured why not share 24 lessons I’ve learned. These 24 things are all ideas that I are incredibly prominent and important in my life, and I hope can be the same for you.

Here’s to 24!

You read any self help book, listen to any podcast, or watch any interview with someone who you admire or look up to and I am willing to bet they mention their sacred morning routine. Trust me, I get it. I see the value in taking the time each morning to start your day in a calm, collected, present and self serving way. So you may be thinking, “Mads, what’s your morning routine look like?” Well friends, I don’t quite have one. Not yet at least.

The #JustStaySustainable Challenge is over and after one week of consuming consciously it’s time to check out just how much I consumed and reflect on some thoughts, some fails, and some insights from the week!

Feel overwhelmed by all of your things? Feeling like you aren't living as intentionally, consciously and sustainably as you want to be? Feeling like making a change? Me too, which is where the #JustStaySustainable Challenge comes in, a 1 week challenge in consuming consciously!

It took me a little while to put together and reflect on 2019. It didn't quite feel like 2019 was super significant in my life- no major trips, no ground breaking break throughs, no super major life/lifestyle changes. So what do I share with you all about 2019? I think I figured it out.

I do not like the word “can’t.” It can be a tricky one to remove from your vocabulary, it’s still a work in progress for myself, but it can make a world of difference!

A fairly common goal on people’s list of resolutions for a new year is to read more. It was one of my 2019 goals- 2 books a month. Yes, that’s 24 books total. I didn’t quite make that goal, but I made a pretty good dent! I figured I’d share the books that I read throughout 2019 as a way help you craft your list of what to read in the new year!

Here’s to a new year, a new decade. Here’s to creating new goals. And continuing to build off old ones. While I still will focus on some goals, after all they are a great tool to use in the process of progressing forward in all areas of life, I plan to focus a little more on intention. A little less focus on the actions and a lot more focus on the feelings and motivations behind them.

This holiday gift guide is filled with companies that are doing good in some way be it in the sustainable way their products are created or in the ways that your purchase helps to give back!