8 Ways to Have a Better Day
A yoga teacher once shared a quote with me and it changed my life:
“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” [Alfred D. Souza]
Up until that point, I had looked at my life in terms of milestones... Once I finish college, I’ll really be an adult. Once I get promoted, my real career will begin. Once I pay off my loans, then I can start doing the things I love.
Then I realized that it’s all real life and it’s all worthy of being loved.
Having long term goals is an important way to keep life in perspective and to make sure you’re on track to achieving your dreams. But having small daily goals is just as important to keep you motivated and moving forward. By achieving small goals on a daily basis, you instill in yourself sense of accomplishment that makes it easier to take on the big stuff.
Here a some easy ways to love your life every day:
- Have a morning ritual. Whether it’s a cup of warm water with lemon or a little yoga stretch while still in bed, find something to calmly wake your mind and body from slumber before the day’s excitement begins.
- Be kind. It can be easy to anger when dealing with others we can’t understand. It’s important to remember that we all have bad days and you can’t understand what someone else is going through. So better to err on the side of kindness. It will keep you calm and feeling positive.
- Go outside. Fresh air and vitamin D will ignite your brain. There is no less expensive gym in the world than the one right outside your door. Don’t make excuses for this. Everyone can find 20 minutes in their day for a jog or brisk walk.
- Make a to-do list. Take a few minutes at the beginning of your work day to make a list of 5 things that you want to achieve that day. Be realistic. Breakdown large projects into parts that can be crossed off the list to help you see your progress towards a greater goal.
- Keep a “Worry” journal. Keep track of all the things that are stressing you out, no matter how small. Look back on it from time to time and reflect on what is still stressing you out, and what isn’t. It will surprise you to see what worrisome things have passed without much effort.
- Keep a tidy home. Get rid of things you don’t love or need. You shouldn’t own anything that you don’t know about. Every item should have a designated place. The process of simplifying your belongings into things you only love or need will organize your mind as well as your home. The same goes for your work place.
- Be thankful. Be thankful for health, loved ones, and all of the opportunities you’ve had... Reach out to a friend or family member that you haven’t heard from in a while and let them know you’re thinking about them.
- Nourish your mind & body. It’s up to us to keep the temple that is our body alive and well. Think about your computer. If you don’t keep it running properly, it will crash. And you can’t buy yourself a new body… Be cognisant of what you put in your body and how it makes you feel, physically and mentally. Make a commitment to improving your spirit via the foods you consume!
Gearing Up for RENEWAL in 2015 with Homemade SHRUBS & SCRUBS!!!
To Make: Combine all ingredients except apple cider vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once a simmer is reached, lower heat and continue to simmer for an additional 10 mins. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour mixture into a quart-sized glass jar and add 1 C of cider vinegar. Shake and let sit at room temperature for 2 days. To use, simply strain the mixture and enjoy!
Our favorite lunch right now
Over in the NYSM Vineyard Haven kitchen space, we have a lot going on. There is production happening most days, all day, orders being shipped out, customers coming through the door for drinks and treats, phones ringing and meetings happening all at the same time. We are busy little bees back there. But we always like to slow it down to eat some lunch together. Pictured here is our go-to favorite and super easy meal. Each time we make it, it is always more beautiful than the last time. There are different ways that you can vary the recipe, using different beans, different greens or whatever calls to you. We thought we would share this with you for a little lunch inspiration if you are tired of your same old sandwich.
You will need:
1 head of kale
Fermented cabbage (optional...buy at your grocery store)
Organic chickpeas
Organic Tempeh
Hummus (optional)
Hemp seeds (optional)
Nutritional Yeast
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
To make:
Steam the kale for 5-10 minutes.
Rinse and drain chickpeas
Saute tempeh in some coconut oil for about 5-10 mins or until light brown on each side
Combine all ingredients and serve with a dollop of hummus, drizzle olive oil and balsamic and sprinkle with sea salt and nutritional yeast (and hemp seeds if desired). Enjoy this amazing and nutritious meal!
Are you Ballsy enough?
Last week during a brainstorming session on the beach, Ky and I were trying to think of ways we can spread the word more about our amazing products in a fun and authentic way. It is a requirement for us to have fun in the process of spreading the word about NYSM otherwise we feel like we are missing the whole point. So much of our business is really based around lifestyle design and we want to get more people involved. So we came up with the idea to do these mini “challenges.” For example, starting today we are taking our “Be Ballsy” product and we are going to post pictures of ourselves doing something that we consider to be ballsy each day for 2 weeks. This could simply just be a picture of how/when we like to enjoy eating our balls (hehe), or doing something out of our comfort zone that makes us FEEL ballsy. Whatever your interpretation. We will do this “ballsy” challenge for 2 weeks, then we will move on to one of our other products, like “Be Kookie” and so on and so forth. We will be blogging about our experience and posting fun videos as well so stay tuned. Please join the challenge by posting on Instagram and/or Facebook using hashtag: #beballsychallenge. At the end of the 2 weeks we will choose the best "Ballsy" pic and send you a FREE CARE PACKAGE, just cause we want to and we think you're awesome. We look forward to connecting with more of you and getting people to be more/eat more BALLSY!
Smell the roses much? Why not now?
Can anyone else believe that it is Mid July? It’s so cliché but isn’t it crazy how quickly time flies? A summer on Martha’s Vineyard feels like the blink of an eye. It feels like time moves much faster when we let stress get the best of us and when we get so caught up in our day-to-day work that we forget to make time to stop and appreciate the moment. The past few summers I’ve spent here I have “forgotten” to do just that. Really, I just wasn’t making the choice to slow down amidst the chaos. Summers would have me bogged down and overwhelmed. These days I still have a long to do list but if I go about my to do list with a more relaxed, “vacation” mentality, time seems to slow down and I have more fun in the process. Our perception creates our reality. Ky and I receive comments all the time now such as “you guys must be running around like crazy.” Yes, there is a lot of “running” around or as I like to call it “bopping” around because bopping around is more fun than running around. Running around seems chaotic and stressful. We’re making a stand this year to fully enjoy ourselves and soak up the beauty that Martha’s Vineyard summers provide. It feels good to make time to stop and smell the roses and just breathe throughout the day. Here’s to a fun summer, we’ve got so much left to go!
Are you willing to experiment?
By Bennett
You know what I think is really cool? When you throw all of your beliefs about food out the window and start over. It’s a pretty refreshing feeling. To lift all of the sometimes limiting beliefs I have about what I like, what I don’t like, what makes me feel good and what makes me feel bad, and start over. I know for me, my body is affected differently from season to season by what I consume. This time of year I can tolerate gluten much easier and I am not as affected by alcohol either. It’s always refreshing when things change like that because I begin to question my food again and go back into the experimental zone. It’s a reassuring reminder to me that everything is connected and that we are all connected to the seasonal, ever-changing cycle of nature. This past week I have been paying close attention to my sometimes restricted and conditioned thoughts. I notice how it makes my body feel tense and try to let the thought go and relax in my body again. I’ve been carrying this same practice into my thoughts around food. I’m letting myself experiment more and changing thought patterns about what I tend to think is “good” or “bad” for me. Because in my opinion, nothing is really “bad” unless you really think that it is. If you are eating with guilt, you will ingest that emotion. I find that the more relaxed I am around food and the choices I make, the easier it is for me to digest and metabolize my meal or snack. It can be a little unsettling at first but do you find yourself in this same experimental place from time to time? Share your thoughts below!
Cacao as a mineral supplement?
Ahoy fellow humans! In pondering over today’s newsletter topic, I thought to myself, “Have I ever dedicated an entire blog to just cacao??” No I have not. And if I have please send me the link and remind me. Why not learn even more about the food and inspiration behind starting Not Your Sugar Mamas? In my eyes, cacao is the king of all superfoods. It is such a complex and beautiful food. I remember the first time I ate raw cacao, my whole world changed. I felt jazzed in a way that only raw cacao can make you feel. I couldn’t believe that I had been consuming chocolate that was processed my whole life. To process cacao is just plain offensive if you ask me. Taking away the beauty and the nutritious offerings that it has to offer is just blasphemy! My favorite cacao advocate is a man named David Wolfe. His enthusiasm and knowledge of cacao is contagious, so I thought I would share with you a video from David talking about cacao. The man really knows how to do the food justice in a way that no one else can. So please enjoy the following video and share your thoughts/experiences of eating raw cacao below! Have the best week ever.
Click here to watch the video and learn more about cacao and it's amazing-ness!
Bennett
