Each Monday, I post a curated list of blogs, podcasts, recipes, books, and activities that will get me motivated for the week ahead.
Click – This post from Bridget at Money after Graduation is such an excellent reminder to keep an eye on your pennies – not just your earnings, but your spendings and savings, too. I wrote a little bit about the time-money balance last week when I fell back into couponing, but her take about how we’re never too short on time to keep track of our money is powerful reminder that everyone should heed.
Listen – Hi, my name is Penny and I’m a Serial addict. Since Serial still isn’t back yet (I know, I know, Thursday commutes haven’t been the same), I’ve been getting my storytelling fix from Lore. Aaron Mahnke weaves these compelling investigative narratives that explore the creepiest parts of folklore from around the world – vampires, witches, mass murderers, you name it – in perfect thirty-minute morsels.
Cook – Okay, I know this isn’t technically cooking. It’s blending. But, whatevs. I’ve been a smoothie-making machine all summer, but I never thought to use apples.
Read – The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli is one of the most inspirational and logical reads I’ve stumbled across in a long time. The book is divided into small chapters that are all dedicated to the decisions we make throughout different facets of day-to-day life–from stocks and eBay to relationships and luck. This quotation is one of my favorites: “It’s OK to be envious – but only of the person you aspire to become.”
Do – Yoga is hard. Running is hard. Pilates, weight training, kickboxing. All hard. However, the most challenging wellness practice I’ve ever tried to incorporate into my routine is meditation. My brain doesn’t shut up. However, Calm has been such a helpful way to pick up the practice in manageable increments.
So Tell Me…What’s got you motivated this Monday? Do you have a favorite podcast? Have you been putting apples in your smoothies?
(Note: I’m not affiliated with any of these links in any way. Just spreading the goodness.)
I haven’t been putting apples in my smoothies! I’m just about to go make one. Too bad I don’t have any apples. I normally put in:
baby carrots
kale
almond butter
spinach
bananas (2 or 3)
almond milk
lime juice
Tell me more about using lime juice! I’m so intrigued. Fresh squeezed? Sounds zingy! And yes to spinach and kale. The overflow from our garden this year with greens was the impetus behind the smoothie making.
Thanks for these awesome motivating reads on this Monday morning! Looking forward to diving in and reading while I eat lunch later 🙂 Cheers to a great start to the week!
Christina, So glad you popped by. Hope it’s a fabulous week for you at Embracing Simple.
I’ve been using Calm to meditate as well. I, like just about every single meditation newbie out there, suck at meditating. But…I, come hell or high water, make sure I sit there and practice for 10 minutes each morning until eventually, hopefully it becomes a habit and I get better at it. While I’m not, and may not ever be “enlightened,” it has helped me remain calmer in stressful situations, and I’m acting instead of REacting, so hey, progress! I love motivating podcasts and my favorites are: The School of Greatness, Warrior Mind podcast, The Simple Sophisticate, Smart and Simple Matters, and I just discovered The Accidental Creative. Good stuff. And it’s a frugal activity as well.
I will have to look into Warrior Mind. You’re right! Podcasts are a great frugal activity. In terms of meditation, for a while I actually didn’t think it was possible for me to make any progress. Then I stumbled onto Tara Brach’s work thanks to Tim Ferris, and it made me realize that being patient with myself is part of the learning process.
No smoothies here, I’m only willing to clean one food processor at a time so that currently goes to the kiddo. Meditation is good stuff if you can manage it! Takes a lot of practice to NOT think, doesn’t it?
I’ve been laid up since the weekend so I’m glad that I started a small money things hashtag. It’ll let me get manageable things done every day without feeling guilty for not moving mountains!
You’re right on about the clean up when it comes to smoothies. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
I made a smoothie with an apple in it one time, and it was so awful. The taste was great, but the apple itself gave the smoothie a very lumpy texture, probably because it’s such a solid fruit. (I use a Ninja blender, and I’ve had no trouble blending all other manner of fruits, fresh or frozen.)