Favorite Friday Finds 30.0
Happy Friday my dears!
Is anyone else looking forward to the start of Autumn and the end of this humid heat?
I cannot WAIT for the fall breeze, foliage, and cozying up in sweaters. It's unequivocally my favorite season, and I'm really looking forward to the change of weather and vibes.
What do you guys love most about fall?
I mean, come on. Who is not excited about this gorgeousness?!
Also, I realized yesterday that it was my TWO YEAR blog anniversary!
Or, in blogger world, "blogiversary." It's hard to believe that it's already been two years, but on the flip side of the coin, it feels like this blog has been a part of my life as far as I can remember.
So today's edition of Favorite Friday Finds will also include my top posts of year 2 of Living Minnaly! Thank you all so much for following along so far. It means so much, and I always want to hear what you guys want to see more of, what inspires you, and what resonates with you here!
Top 10 of Year 2:
1. 13 Downtown NYC Healthy Foodie Restaurants
2. Matcha Oat Crepes
3. Embrace the Now
4. Grain Guide
5. The Ugly Side of Fitspo
6. Power Green Smoothie + Smoothie Bowl Tips
7. 5 Healthy Hacks for a Better Morning Routine
8. 8 Must See's and Must Do's of Montréal
9. A Weekend Guide to Seattle
10. My WHY Behind Fitness and Working Out
Now, let's get to my Favorite Friday Finds this week!
Here are 8 things that I was inspired by, learned from, and laughed/smiled at:
INSPIRED BY
1. You're Not Meant to Do What You Love.
You're Meant to Do What You're Good At
I know, it sounds like a rather bleak headline to kick of the "inspired by" section, but it's a truly insightful read. There's almost this strangely overwhelming pressure to find your passion and make it your living- to love your work so much that you "never work a day in your life!"
I resent this because it doesn't feel honest to me. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy what I do and I feel very grateful for that; but I'm not going to tell you there aren't those days where I'm dreaming of jetting off to a remote island with no technology and some alone time for an entire week.
We are all blessed with different gifts and skills in life. I think it's possibly even more rewarding to figure out what those are, and use them to catapult a career to make a difference, rather than to chase a hobby and try to make it into a career because you feel the pressure to make your passion your work.
2. 36 Hours in Portland, Maine
I've been suffering from a severe case of wanderlust lately. While I'd love to jet off to Europe or Asia or Australia for a month-long jaunt, that is not realistic in the near future. But what I tend to forget is how much awesome, unexplored territory there is right in America. I'm dying to go explore more national parks, major cities, roadtrip across new states, but New England in particular lately has intrigued me. This 36-hour itinerary in Maine sounds pretty darn awesome.
3. 5 Ways for Gracefully Accepting Constructive Criticism
In my post on Monday, I talk about how we all inevitably fail. In the face of failure and criticism, some people tend to crumble, and some people tend to get defensive and deflective. I found this to be a nice article on how to gracefully take criticism and how to utilize it to better yourself.
LEARNED FROM
4. What to Say When Asked to Coffee to "Pick Your Brain"
Man. I'm glad this article exists because I learned this lesson the tough way when starting out as a trainer, and I gave away WAY too much of my time for free.
People tend to overlook the fact that our craft is our work. Bloggers, social media managers, or any type of creative or consultive entrepreneur get taken advantage of FAR too often. I don't think it's always the fault of the person asking, after all they may be a bit naive and think that they're asking some easy, innocent questions- so it's our job as freelancers and entrepreneurs to stand up for our work and our time. Love the comparison used with the dentist and the lawyer- you wouldn't ask them to give their services or time for free, so why should you treat any other type of service or consulting differently?
5. 6 New Medical Technologies Worth Watching
I love hearing about new medical and technological advancements. The smoking cessation devices and the new cancer screenings especially have me feeling hopeful that we can use these to help people get healthier and stay healthier.
6. Wal-Mart to Sell Ugly Fruit
There are few things that drive me as nuts as wasted food. We all know that "ugly" fruit and produce contribute heavily to the food waste in the country happening every day, and I'm happy to hear that such a large retailer like Wal-Mart is doing its part to help. Especially since there is nothing wrong with the "ugly" fruit, and in fact, it usually is even more nutritious than conventionally "pretty" produce, since it usually went through harsher growing conditions (resulting in not picture perfect shape), yet thrived.
LAUGHED AND SMILED AT
7. Dindin the Penguin = The Real Star of the Rio Olympics
Yes, I have a penguin obsession and my client sent me this. I first saw this video about Dindin months ago, and the story of how he comes back to visit his friend every year, but I find it so cute that he's getting more and more attention from the locals.
Just watch the video. It's impossible to not walk away with your heart feeling lighter after watching!
8. 14 Things All Freelancers Will Understand
All my bloggers and entrepreneurs will love this. I've been feeling a lot of the struggles that come with working for yourself lately, and this Buzzfeed roundup gave me a good laugh. SO TRUE.