I’ve passed this wall a hundred times, driving passed this instaconic backdrop littered with bloggers and other millenial babes dressed up to capture the perfect “LA” moment. I’ve never thought I’d take a picture in front of this wall, I guess I thought it was silly and not quite “on brand” for me. It wasn’t until earlier this week when I was helping my very talented photographer friend shoot at this iconic wall that I took a moment to reflect on how significant the symbolism of the “Made in LA” wall is to me. My blog was made in LA, my career goal trajectory was made in LA, my creative confidence was made in LA, my most cherished relationship was made in LA, the list could go on forever. I’ve also learned a lot in LA, a lot about self care and mental wellness. I’m sharing the lessons I’ve learned below, if you have any wellness lessons ‘d love it if you shared it in a comment!
Gratitude:
I’ve had this blog for three years, it has truly been my biggest passion project to date. It’s a place to foster my creativity, explore my love for green beauty, skincare, and wellness, and to engage with likeminded individuals. Each mini milestone in this process of becoming a blogger has been soul sparking. Each link in the chain as lead me to a deeper appreciation for this connecting platform: from my first post, to my first reader comment, to my first influencer event invite where I had the opportunity to meet some of my insta peers in person some of who I’m very close friends with today. I’ve always loved sharing my wellness tips and tricks with friends and family, extending my reach has been Immensely rewarding. I am so grateful for having this platform to connect with others interested in gut health, food, fitness, and anything else my new agey west coast brain might congure up. Not only am I grateful for this inspiring platform, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to live in such a creative city brimming with opportunity and buzzing with hope. It’s so important to show gratitude in this life, gratitude for personal growth often goes overlooked and it’s beyond important to overall happiness. Reflecting on our journeys and showing gratitude for the mini milestones is essential is being content. I feel like contentment is a goal worth striving to achieve. I personally get bogged down with timelines and comparing myself to others, even though I know focusing inward from a place of gratitude would be a way better use of my mental space. I’m making an effort to write down one thing I’m grateful for everyday in order to open the gratitude floodgates in my life.
Goals:
You know the old saying you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take? Well it’s still true.lol When I graduated collage over six years ago I got a holiday job working retail at Lululemon. I was in it for the stretchy pant discount and much to my surprise I got a full education in goal setting. I learned the importance of setting goals that are measurable and attainable. Another important factor in goal setting is creating a calendar, the experts who developed the Lululemon training suggested creating one month, one year, and five year goals. Setting goals and visualizing them coming to fruition is a super effective way of manifesting. I love to set mini goals throughout the week and writing them in my planner, crossing them off once you accomplish them is the best feeling in the world. Setting out some time to goal set for yourself and get ready to reap the rewards.
Getting there happily:
I truly believe that happiness is based on your reaction to the events of life and the coping mechanisms you enlist to help you along the way. There will always be struggles, there will always be kinks in the plan, but if you can stop to take a breath, it can make a world of difference. I definitely struggle with some anxious tendencies, I can overthink and over stress about almost anything. I’ve been using fitness as a way to combat anxiety far before I knew it was an anxiety relieving technique. As I’ve gotten older I’ve included other coping mechanism to help with stress and live in the moment. One important coping mechanism is fostering relationships with grounded people who lift you up. Spending quality time with positive people and supporting one another can be one of the most fulfilling things in life. Another coping mechanism/happiness technique is meditation. Being a type A high strung individual the thought of starting a meditation practice was always daunting. I’ve tried different types of meditation, guided meditation, meditation apps, kundalini meditation, and none of it has ever worked for me in the long term. I’ve finally found what works for me and it’s a very easy and palatable intro into the world of meditation. I do a five to fifteen minute mindfulness meditation and man does it put me in a relaxed happy state.
Here’s a step by step
Yours truly,
Celeste
Photos by Ashley Streff @ashleystreff
