A Little Tough Love: 4 Kick-In-The-Butt Messages To Inspire you Today

Hey, hey, friend! Another Tuesday & another new post! (AKA my fav day of the week)

However, this #TFBTuesday blog post is a little different.

To be honest, I had a fulllllll other post & topic already written, programmed, and ready to GO for this week, but…. As I sat down to press “publish”, I felt the desire to post something a litttttle different.

….Because, I don’t know about you, the last year(ish) has been A LOT. to put it lightly. *nervous laugh*

and sometimes in the midst of the chaos or draining days, we ALL juuuust need a little reminder:

• A reminder that you CAN take your power back

• A reminder that you CAN shift your current situation.

• A reminder that you CAN do hard things

And, to be clear, these 4 general life reminders are statements are juuuust my personal opinions. :) Of course, there are nuances & outside considerations & unique circumstances for ALL of these statements where they maybe don’t 100% apply— but, in general, these rules apply in my personal life— so I thought I’d share! Maybe they resonate with your situation, maybe they don’t. But I am hopeful that at least one really lands & resonates deeply today— and reminds you of how strong & truly CAPABLE you are. (Personally, #3 is really relevant in my life right now! Working on it!)

So, my friend, pull your seat up to a little honesty hour, kick-in-the-butt, simple (yet impactful) pep talk. I hope these 4 reminders uplift your spirit today. Let’s go!

REMINDER #1: be accountable for your own energy

Alright, hereeee we go. Something that is SO important, but that often gets overlooked in our culture, is being really, really honest…. with ourselves.

My friend, it’s time to be 👏🏼 accountable 👏🏼 for the energy YOU bring into a room. So often we get trapped in a loop of helplessly complaining about our situation, our boss, our jobs, our family, our instructors, our friends, our landlord, our WHOEVER…. that we get so wrapped up in dissecting what “they” are doing and looking OUTWARDS, that we forget to check INWARD. 😬

It’s difficult (yet really, really important) to take a step back and R E A L L Y look at how *we* miiiiiiight be contributing to the situation.

• ➖How am I showing up in this moment?

• ➖How am I contributing to the dynamic at hand?

• ➖Could my communication improve? My response? My emotions?

• ➖Am I REALLY giving them a chance?

• ➖Is there any action I can take to improve the situation?

• ➖...am I PROUD of how I handled myself?

Ask yourself these questions & really consider them. Dig deep. And while you may come up with some hard truths, it’s important to not judge yourself for the answers to these questions. Just be honest, notice, truuuly acknowledge, and course-correct how you can.🙌🏼 Small improvements, small tweaks, small actions— little steps to showing up as your best self.

So, as you go about your day, ask yourself— how DO I want to show up today? How DO I want to respond? How DO I want to move forward?

While there’s no doubt, MANY things in life *are* out of our control… There are also maaaany things that ARE. and it’s important to take ownership over that.👊🏼 Because, really, being accountable for *yourself* and *your* actions and *your* energy is one of THEE quickest ways to take YOUR power back. 💃🏻

REMINDER #2: something is always better than nothing:

Okay, reminder 1 is done. You ready for #2?! Because this is one of the MAIN lessons I’ve learned in the last few busy years. Ya ready? Drum roll…….

If you approach life with an "all or nothing" mindset, you'll often be left with nothing.

oooof. read that again^^ and again. a hard truth, but it's REAL.✌🏼

In the last 3 years, working as an RN, getting my doctorate, & starting a side biz challenged my time management like never before. I verrrrry quickly realize I may not have time for my typical hour-long workout. and, also, WOW prioritizing self-care got way harder. and whoooa it was also v v v difficult to find the time for self hobbies, rest, friends, grocery shopping, keeping up with the house, etc.

And while, most days, there simply was NOT enough time for all the things I *wanted* to do... there WAS enough time for the things I *could* do.

LET ME EXPLAIN...🤔

• ➖15 minutes of yoga in the living room even if I didn't have time for a "real" 1-hour workout? still better than no workout at all.

• ➖writing a couple of paragraphs even if I didn't have the energy to sit down and write the whole paper? still better than not writing at all.

• ➖doing 90 sec. of deep breathing because I didn't have time for a "real" meditation? still better than no meditation at all.

• ➖doing 1 load of laundry even though I didn’t have time for the full 2-3 loads I had? still better than not getting a head start at all.

• ➖only posting 1 blog post per month instead of my ideal 2-3? still better than no blog post at all.

• ➖texting a friend even when I don't have time for a full phone call? still better than not reaching out at all.

• ➖adding a handful of greens to a GF mac 'n' cheese on a busy dinner night? better than no greens at all.

was it ideal? no.
was it easy? no.
was it "perfect"? absoluuutely not.
but was it DOABLE? yes.

if you are waiting for the "perfect" time to squeeze in your workout in or to incorporate self-care into your day or to prioritize your health or reach out to a friend or to start your side business or to do ANYTHING, you'll likely be waiting foreverrrrr. because— hard truth— there will NEVER be a perfect time.

Really, it's about the small choices- doing WHAT you can, HOW you can, WHERE you can.

So, my friend, i hope this reminds you to FIND THE TIME to upgrade your experience & chase the things you want— stop waiting for the stars to align and just take the next *mini* step forward— even if it's small. even if it's cut short. even it's not "perfect". because step-by-step, little by little, it's in these small moments that life is lived & TRUE progress is made.

REMINDER #3: ya know that thing on your list? do it.

Alright, let me cut to the chase— it's time to start DOING the tasks on your list, instead of THINKING about them. Boom, baby.

Because, real talk, there are SO times in our life where we often ruminate and procrastinate and *think* about a task at hand instead of just gettin’. it. done. and the reality is 99% of the time the task you've been avoiding is really quite simple.

for example, scheduling an appointment... hahahahha, I don’t know if it’s just me, but the thought of scheduling appointments *feels* so draining for some reason.... but in reality, it’s typically 100% painless and takes less than 10 minutes 😂✌🏼 SO, how are you gonna approach it? You could *thiiiink* about scheduling that appointment, procrastinating it for days...weeks... OR you could just pick up your phone right now, call your clinic, schedule that dang appointment, and be DONE with it. In turn, freeing up the mental and energetic weight you would’ve spent *thinking* about it. Win-win.

Soooo whether that's scheduling an appointment, calling your insurance company, writing a paper for school, getting your work out class in, putting away the laundry, etc., You have 2 options:

• 1) you can procrastinate and stall and draaaag your feet and subconsciously be stressed that "that thing" still hasn't been accomplished off your to-do list

  ORRRRR

• 2) you could just *do it* and be done with it. full stop. end sentence. there can be SO much freedom in checking off tasks. why overthink it? why overcomplicate it? just complete it and be free from it!

(and let me be clear— this is NOT about being a workaholic and obsessively checking off to-do lists 24/7. nope. instead, it is about doing the things that *need* to be done so that you can free up the time and space to do the things you *want* to do🙏🏼✨)

Sooooo, friend, stop letting things take longer than they need to. stop letting worry keep you from taking forward action. stop over-complicating small tasks. stop wasting your precious mental energy. ✋🏼Instead? just focus in, set a goal, eliminate distractions, set a timer, and juuuuust get 'er done, sis! ✨✌🏼 You've got this!

REMINDER #4: those “things” don’t really matter…

In this internet, fast-paced, consumeristic world of ours, it can be SO easy to get caught up in comparison and the constant need to “keep up” with those dang Joneses! Buuuuut, friend, NONE of that really matters. Really. (and who actually knows a family with the last name Jonses anyway 😂✌🏼)

But, really.

Think of it like this— when ya boil it down, NO ONE is going to stand up at your funeral and say “she had a really great Instagram and her house was decorated perfectly and she had an amazing wardrobe and drove a super nice car”

Like, literally, those are some of the least important things in a happy, vibrant, peaceful life. It’s SO much more about how you make people feel (including yourself), it’s about the conversations, ideas, and presence you bring into a room. It’s about how YOU feel in your heart, it’s about your health, your work ethic, your attitude… it’s about the PERSON that you are.

so don’t make your life about stuff. or money. or accolades. it’s time to drop the “more, more, more” mindset. it’s time to stop the “when i finally get _____, i’ll be satisfied” narrative.

and instead, it’s time to relax. live gently. be kind. work hard. love freely. invest wisely. take deep breaths. PLAY! seek peace. be curious. connect. and show up bravely & authentically as *yourself*.

— because that’s where allllllllll the magic unfolds. 🙏🏼✨

closing thoughts…

Alright, my friend, 4 simple (yet impactful) reminders that I hope resonated & inspired you today. For me, self-growth (and self-accountability) are a HUGE motivator and passion in my life. I always wanna be just a smiiiidge better, more happy, more healthy, more joyful than the day before.

However, sometimes, despite our best intentions life just feels a lil BLAH. Sometimes we feel stuck. Sometimes we lose sight of how CAPABLE we are.

And that’s where a little tough love can come in :) I sincerely hope these 4 little guidelines reminded you that you CAN take your power back today. and every day.

Because, while it’s great to read lists like this & have them resonate mentally— I really encourage you to implement these 4 reminders actively. (because, yes, knowledge is power, but applied knowledge is where the REAL magic happens.)

Alright, my friend, that’s all for today! I am sending love to you today and I truly hope these 4 reminders uplifted you today!

Talk to you next Tuesday,

XX,
Kate

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