30 Second Blog is moving!!!

Its finally come!! The website is up and going! Check it out for more posts: 30secbalancedlife.com. Yay!! I'm so excited. Please check it out :)

As always, thank you so much for your love and support! It means the world to me :)

Angelina 

We're Moving!!!

Hello Readers!

I am taking this blog to a whole new level! This month I am going to rebuild it into something even more awesome :) Yay! So stay tuned! New website is on its way!!!

January 2014: Falling off the Hamster Wheel

I have a lot of fun making goals. Few of these goals ever seem to be accomplished, but still enjoy dreaming and making them. For many years I had a deep fear of being present, of being actively here in the now. Why?

Well, because, my “now” is radically uninspiring.

Not that I am complaining, it is just the simple truth. I am not at my dream job or even in a challenging or well paid one.  I am not in the best shape of my life. My present is well… just not where I want it to be right now. That is where the challenge lies in staying present. It is so much easier to wish and dream about the wonders of tomorrow instead of firmly planting my feet in the today and working on making those dreams come true for the real tomorrow.

I am sick of having the same goals over and over again. Time to hop off the hamster wheel and into my working shoes!

This is my 30 seconds.

My real 30 seconds of cold, hard, here and now.

How do I make this the best year of my life? By accepting the place I am holding in the here and now and letting the hurt and shame go. I forgive myself for the years of inaction. It is ok. It happens. I am blessed with the energy and the drive to make a real difference in my life today. You are my witness! I, Angelina, commit to taking action. Real action to move towards my dream every day. I promise to do what makes me come alive.  I, Angelina Spence, promise to make this the best, most inspiring and worthwhile year yet!

Happy New Year!

December One: “Blue Christmas”

Today I found myself staring in utter disbelief at the calender. I couldn't believe it was already December. What sick joke is this? Where did my year go?? What was my New Year's Resolution again?

I've been a little blue this holiday season. Bored. And Uninspired. I know in my heart that only I can make me un-bored or un-uninspired (mouthful!), but I just seem to do the same things over and over again anyways.

No thanks, Hot Lips. I got this.

Today I have decided to take my 30 seconds

to Commit myself to becoming an inspired person.

I will be a person who Does What makes her

Come alive

inside

I am Awake. I am Alive. I am Inspired, dang it!

I have gotten a bit lazy with the things that really matter in my life and let myself get bored. I sit down to write and then, magically, three episodes of Fringe later, it's time for bed. Then, I complain about not having time to do things that make me happy (though, admittedly that is a good show...). How does that math add up? I have been doing things that have been lulling myself into the doldrums. Well, no more, missy.

No need to wait for a magic kiss, I am snapping out of this waking slummer on my own, I do declare!

Stay tuned! Another post to come Dec 1st!!

Hello my lovely followers!!

Thank you for all your love and support! I am changing the posting schedule to once a month now, on the first of every month. Expect an exciting 30 second insight on the first of December! Love you all and thanks so much for reading!

Just hanging out with the minion pumpkin :) Hope your Halloween was a fun one!

Week Five: “Where Art Thou?”

It’s much like a magic trick, how quickly I can make money disappear. It’s impressive, really, and would be more so, if anyone could ever find a use for the skill. Ha. One might say I have a super power that no one wants.

This week, I took a closer look at what was slowing me down financially. I had recently paid off some debt (yay!!!), lowering my monthly expenses, but I still seemed to have just as little money at the end of the day. It was disconcerting to simple not know where my money was going.

Working over forty hours a week

Having little debt

And no money???

This was not a fun riddle for me!! What the heck? Playing Where’s Waldo with the green things that run so much of my life was quite an eye opener. I need change! (no pun intended) ;) Before I panicked, I took my 30 seconds to see what was the problem. Obviously, it was a compilation of seemingly [small] expenditures that were mobilizing to overthrow me. 

By disrespecting the small change in my pocket, I had inadvertently given over the power of my entire financial well being to these various mini-pleasures. What has Starbucks prevented me from doing year? Going on a trip?

Oh that's were I put it.

What was it that my dad always said?

Oh yeah.

Budget. (egh.)

Getting over my initial reaction to this uninspiring and tedious word, I start to look at it in a different light. A budget will

give the power Back to me.

It helps me to move from financial Reaction to financial Choice. This next year may still have just as many visits to the Cafes as the last, but taking ownership of my spending choices ahead of time makes all the difference.

Week Four: "Friend or Foe?"

Last weekend, I found myself speeding to work, trying to stuff my face with a last-minute meal. The broccoli, over-steamed, was stone cold, as were the carrots. Sitting conspicuously next to the veggies, was a formidable, previously frozen, cheesy, bacon sprinkled, chicken-like substance, waiting to be consumed. I shudder now, thinking about the meal, and even more, thinking about how I had felt halfway through my shift.

I teeter between viewing food as a reward system: I was good and worked out, so I can have some ice cream vs. viewing food as an enemy needing to be conquered as in "Damn, I ate some ice cream, now I need to work out." Now, I am beginning to wonder if my entire view on food is a bit corrupt…

Today’s 30 Seconds is used to take a closer look at the chemical compounds I call food…

This is not the first time that I have sought enlightenment on the subject. I have had many conversations with friends about it. The theme changes slightly from time to time, but it always comes down to this:

Is my food friend or FOE?

Bringing an emotional element into meal preparation is easy. A friend once recommended looking at food purely as a source of fuel. Many athletes view it the same way. They push aside worries of calories, carbs and gluclose, and focus on what will help perform optimally. If I constantly eat something that slows my system down, I am only working against myself. I am adding a stress to my body that it just doesn’t need. If I want my body to last, I will take time to look at how I am treating it.

This week: I will look at food with fresh eyes. I will give my body the energy it needs to perform its best for the day and help my body stay as young as it possibly can, for as long as it possibly can.