One of my favorite features on other blogs is virtual coffee date posts. Basically – what I would tell you if we were having a coffee/tea date today. It’s always fun to see behind the curtain a little bit and to hear what’s going on in people’s lives outside of the day to day madness. So, grab a drink and cozy up – let’s chat. Except that actually, if we were having coffee/tea today, we’d be outside walking with our drinks. It’s too nice out to stay indoors. 🙂
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I can’t wait for the holidays. We’re spending Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh with Matt’s family, and my parents and brother are joining us as well. Matt’s parents do Thanksgiving right – it’s always a festive and delicious occasion and a nice little vacation away. Christmas should be equally awesome – we’re not traveling, spending the holiday with my family here in the area. My brother will be coming in as well, and a lot of my high school friends are always back in town for the occasion, which makes my heart happy.
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that my Girls on the Run group has their practice 5k coming up on Monday. I’ve been disappointed in the organization of my local chapter (I still haven’t been getting any of the coaches emails, which is maddening), but the girls at our school are super sweet and enthusiastic and I can’t wait to watch them run their hearts out on Monday. The big real 5k race they’ve been training for is next weekend! I can’t believe how quickly the season flew by. I’ve always wanted to coach for GOTR and I’m so glad I finally squeezed it into my schedule. I don’t think I’ll be able to continue for spring because I’m so busy with work in the new year timeframe, but I’m happy I was able to make it work this fall.
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’ve been working to embrace stillness a bit more recently. Working for myself is amazing, and I love it. I love blogging, I love working with clients through my AnneTheRD private practice, I love being my own boss. But lately I’ve felt a bit like I’m in quicksand and can never get to the bottom of the to do list, especially with relation to email and blog-related work. The second I send out an email, 5 more come in. The moment I finish a blog post, there’s another one to write. If I finish a few blog posts, there’s old blog pages to update, and always social media – more places to share, more places to engage, more I should be doing that I’m not. Over the past year or so I’ve been really trying to take things off my plate – decreasing client volume so I have more time to dedicate to the clients I do have, saying no to extra partnerships, work, and trips that I don’t think will serve me well. You guys know I like being busy – I thrive on it – but it’s hard to find the right balance between productivity and restorative time so that I’m energized and engaged but not totally worn out. I think the hardest thing for me is not feeling guilty when I’m relaxing instead of being productive. I’m good at checking out/relaxing when I’m with friends or out and about or traveling or hanging out with Matt, but I have always had a hard time just sitting still. This constant need to feel like I’m doing something is probably what makes me a good entrepreneur, to be honest – but when you work for yourself and there’s always more to do, it’s hard to force yourself to take a deep breath and chill out. One thing I always remind my clients is that they are enough – they are doing the best they can, and there’s no reason to feel guilty for not being productive every second of every day. But it’s always hard to take our own advice, huh? I think a new goal for me is going to be to start meditating – I think it will help with the feeling of constantly having to be DOING.
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you about one work-related thing that I have decided to add to my plate recently that I am really excited about. I’m in the beginning stages of developing a 6 week intuitive/mindful eating group program with fellow dietitians Rachael and Alex. It’s everything I’ve been wanting to create for a long time now but didn’t have the motivation/time to tackle on my own. We’re hoping to run the first 6 week program in spring, and I’m so happy to be collaborating with women who are as passionate about improving people’s relationships with food and their bodies as I am. 🙂
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you about another thing that has helped me to feel more whole/energized in my business life: starting an additional mastermind group. Working for yourself, while awesome, can also can be really isolating, and it always helps a ton to have “coworkers” (even virtual ones) to collaborate/work things through with. So I now have a new mastermind group with 3 fellow dietitians (Kylie, Rachael, and Robyn) that do similar work in their private practices (intuitive/emotional eating and disordered eating/eating disorders), and we’re meeting every other week via video chat to discuss counseling-related situations, provide advice to each other, etc. For now, we’re assigning one person each week to present a case study of a current/former client (without identifying personal information, obviously), and then all sharing tips/collaborating on next steps, how to break through challenging situations, etc. We’ve only had 2 sessions so far but it has already been really helpful – not only for advice/idea sharing, but also to find that others struggle with similar things that I do in my work. Always nice to know you’re not alone. 🙂
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I had a really fun dinner last night with my mom. A few times now on nights when Matt is going straight to soccer after work, I’ve invited my mom over to make a Blue Apron dinner with me. It’s such a fun way to catch up and I feel so lucky that she lives close to us and we’re able to get together often. Last night, we made Crispy Cod & Spiced Couscous with Acorn Squash & Rainbow Chard. Delicious.
If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend here in DC. I think some hiking might be in order – don’t you?
Now it’s your turn – if we were having coffee today, what would you tell me?
