Happy Birthday To Me...

If you had sat me down last year on my birthday and told me what my life would look like exactly one year later, I never would have believed you.

Not. In A Million. Years.

But here I am...on my 31st birthday...reflecting back on my year. And all I can say is WOW.

It has been a year of intense sadness, shock, anger, tears, confusion and depression. My husband left me, I was trying to keep my brand new small business afloat, I had no money, moved in with my sister and basically felt like I was drowning in my own life.

But it has also been a year of intense love, growth, friendship, light and new beginnings. People I never would have expected have rallied around me, I have made new wonderful friends, my relationship with my family is stronger than ever, I realized that I am stronger than I ever thought possible and my business is kicking ass.

It was a terrible year and a wonderful year all at once. And I wouldn't trade it for anything...

It really is amazing what a difference a year can make. I have learned so much about myself and I am really proud of the woman I have become this year because I fought really hard to become her. I am stronger, braver, happier and more awake than I have ever been.

So my advice to all of you on this day is to KEEP GOING. Sometimes life sucks and it hurts and it seems like nothing is going to ever get better. But when you reach the other side of that darkness, it really is magical. Life opens up and you're able to look back and realize how far you've come, and that is pretty damn empowering.

Things happen for a reason. Let them happen. Life gets better. I promise.

xoxox

Anna

100 Days of Happiness

100 Days of Happiness...

Do you think it can be done? I'm sure as hell going to try!

My mom told me about this website she had found that was challenging people around the world to post a picture a day, for 100 days, of something that makes them happy. I signed up immediately.

I am a firm believer in the power of gratitude. The last few weeks have been stressful and I am feeling burnt out. Taxes, money stress, divorce papers...not fun. Life can begin to feel like it's piling up on you.

So I have started a new practice of going through what I call my "Grateful List". I go through it in my head every morning when I wake up, at night before I fall asleep and any time during the day that I am feeling stressed. It just takes 30 seconds and I begin to feel better almost immediately.

Here is my current "Grateful List" ::

- My health and strength and ability to work out daily
- A safe home that I get to relax in every day
- My ultra supportive family
- Clean running water
- Fresh food
- My car that gets me where I need to go
- My business that I love and get to go to every day

Your list doesn't need to be very long, it just needs to be genuine. Think of things that really and truly make you happy and make you physically FEEL grateful. Like you can feel it in your stomach when you repeat your list back to you...that feeling of happiness and contentment.

If you do this often, things will begin to shift. I have already noticed a difference in just a week of practicing this.

And that is why this challenge resonated with me...it's another daily reminder of all the good and beautiful things we have in our lives.

If you'd like to join me you can sign up here :: www.100HappyDays.com

Let's change the world one grateful thought at a time, shall we?!

Live Beautifully,

I Remember When The World Broke In...

You know when you go through something so terrible that you just feel...broken? You feel like you will never pick up the pieces again. Like life will never be the same.

I went through something like this recently. And I felt broken. No...more like shattered.

Getting through the initial pain of that was the hardest thing I have ever done. And I will never be the same because of it. But in a good way. In a great way actually.

People ask me how this is possible. "How can you be great when you went through something so awful?"

What I realized is that everyone is broken. We all have something that has taken a piece of us.
It is how we grow, it is how we learn, it is how we become who we are.

It's how we relate to other people and learn how to live a beautiful life.

It's how life becomes bigger and better.

Being broken means you have lived and loved and felt something so strongly that it changed you forever. And that is never a bad thing.

This poem perfectly puts into words what I'm talking about <3

Erin Hanson is only 19 but writes like she is worlds older. She's Australian, which just makes her that much cooler, and has her first published book out called "The Poetic Underground." Total #GirlBoss

Live Beautifully,

Looking Back...

A look back at 2014...

I think it is so important to reflect on the past year and all of your accomplishments before moving into the new year. It feels really good to realize how far you have come in a single year and how much farther you can go in the future...so here is my year at a glance. 

My Top 10:

1. Having my highest sales day ever at the shop - What a sense of accomplishment!

2. Spent my sister's birthday on Catalina Island with our dad - The best Daddy/Daughter day.

3. Being a bridesmaid in my "little sister's" wedding - So happy to see HER so happy.

4. Raised $5200 for Walk MS - So much love and generosity from so many wonderful people. 

5. I Turned 30 - My life looks different than I thought it would at 30...but I'm ok with that.

6. The Lavender Festival - The last great day I had with someone I no longer have in my life.

7. Had the 1 year anniversary for the store - Still can't believe I get to do this job everyday.

8. Summer pier concerts in Santa Monica with friends - Some of my favorite nights.

9. Best friend's birthday weekend in Santa Barbara - Wine tasting, friends, good food...the best!

10. Learning just how strong I really am...

Places Visited:

1. Monterey, CA

2. Wine Tasting in Solvang, CA

3. Arizona for my "little sister's" wedding

4. Palm Springs with friends

5. Coronado Island, San Diego for 4th of July

6. Las Vegas for my best friend's birthday

7. Santa Barbara for my other bestie's 30th

8. Lakeport, CA for a holiday family reunion

Looking Forward To In 2015:

- My very first business trip to Washington D.C. 

- Focusing on getting more fit and healthy

- Growing my business

- Reading more books

- Hiking more

- Meeting new people

- Traveling more

- New beginnings...

Here's to a fabulous new year filled with laughter, friends, family, 

travel, success, love & light!!

New Year, Old Myths

3 Myths That You Need To Stop Believing in 2015

1. The myth that there is only one definition of success. 

It involves the big house, brand new car, high powered career, Victoria's Secret body and 2 kids. 

Everyone's definition of success is different. What makes someone else happier isn't necessarily going to make you happy.  So ditch the need to fit the status quo. True success is measured by how happy you are. So do more of what makes you happy this year. 

2. The myth that we need to be more realistic and less of a dreamer. 

For the most part we are taught to trust our mind and not our gut. That's bullshit. Be a dreamer, and don't let anyone tell you differently. When I decided to open my boutique I had a lot of people telling me how crappy the economy was or how I couldn't compete with big box stores. Of course those are realistic ways to look at the situation but I knew in my gut that I could do it and prove them wrong. So I did. 

3. The myth that life is supposed to be hard. 

We grow up learning that hard work is what will get us to where we need to be. This is true...most of the time. However, we have now taken this idea to the extreme with endless meetings, all nighters, more work and less play. We dread Mondays and push through to the weekend just to do it all again next week. We think that the harder life is, the more we are accomplishing. 

But when you start to really live your life, it begins to become easy and sometimes, even effortless. And you know what?? It's ok for life to be easy. It doesn't mean you're a slacker, it means you are in tune to what really makes you happy. 

Moral of the story: Ditch the haters. Believe in yourself. Take care of yourself. Be happy. 

I'm counting on this new year to be bigger, brighter and happier. I am setting goals but I am also going to try and go with the flow. I'm setting my intention to be gentler, to myself and to the people around me. 

Happy New Year ~ Live Beautifully,

Live More, With Less

You know that sweater you bought a year ago that you never wore, still has the tag on it and sits in your closet judging you every time you look it? "Why did you spend so much on me?"
Why don't you ever wear me?" Judgy bitch. 

Or all of those DVD's and CD's you have accumulated over the years that are spilling out of your entertainment center?

Or the trunk of your car that is constantly filled with useless shit that you don't want to look at?

Yep. We all suffer from this. It's called CLUTTER.

The thing about clutter is that not only does it take up physical space in your life but it actually takes up emotional and mental space in your brain.

Every time you open your closet and stare at that sweater/dress/scarf/hat that you bought and have never worn, it sucks a little bit of energy out of you. You feel guilty for having bought it and never worn it. You think that you should wear it but don't really want to. You feel wasteful if you take it to Goodwill never having worn it.

That is A LOT of energy and head space being take up by just one sweater! 

Let's not even talk about the trunk of your car...

So here is my challenge for you today...pick ONE area of your life and DECLUTTER it. Throw old stuff away, donate a box to charity, get rid of old sentimental crap that you never look at anymore.

I can already hear the excuses..."But my Dad bought me that hideous picture frame that I never use!"
Get. Rid. of. It.

It is hard to do at first but then it gets easier. Trust me, once it's gone, you won't think of it again and the guilt will be gone. It will clear up your life physically and emotionally. Start the new year with less stuff and more clarity.

Here are some suggestions to help you get started...

:: Closets :: 

- Throw out any clothes that you haven't worn in 6 months (even the ones that still have tags on them)

- Get rid of any shoes that you haven't worn in the last 6 months or any that make you feel gross

- Throw out old undies, socks with out matching pairs and old stretched out bras

:: Car :: 

- Clean out your trunk!

- Throw away any trash, old wrappers, soda cans, etc.

- Clean out your glove box. Get rid of those 10,000 Starbucks napkins you have stuffed in there.

- Get a car wash

:: Computer ::

- Clean out your email inbox

- Unsubscribe from emails you no longer want to get

- Organize your desktop in to folders

- Clean your keyboard. Gross. 

:: Kitchen ::

- Throw away old food in the pantry

- Clean out your junk drawer

- Organize your cabinet under the sink...I know, scary.

:: Personal :: 

- Donate or sell old jewelry

- Throw away those old love letters. Just do it.

- Get rid of that box under your bed that holds your graduation tassel and old notes from high school

- Donate books you have already read

- Donate old CD's & DVD's you will never listen to or watch again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start small. Focus on one area at a time. Be brutal. If you haven't looked at in 6 months, it goes. Get out two bags, one for trash and one for donations.

The funny thing is that if you start doing this, I will bet money that other things will start to declutter themselves as well. That relationship or friendship that isn't going well will figure itself out. Work will get less complicated. Things that you really want or need will start appearing in your life as you get rid of the old stuff.

Trust me on this one...it feels GOOD.

Live Beautifully,

The Space In Between

Liminal Space.

Defined as the place of transition or not knowing. Derived from the Latin word limens, literally meaning "threshold."

Richard Rohr writes that "it is when you have left the tried and true, but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else. It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer."

We have all been there. When you're unemployed, just coming out of a breakup, have moved to a new place, etc. You have that feeling of being unsure and you find yourself asking, "What's next?"

I am there now, in this space of not knowing. Asking my self what I am supposed to do next.

But what I have come to realize is that there is no one clear answer. There is no particular destination that I am going to reach and then have all of the answers. Not knowing is part of the journey. And it can be a pretty great thing if you learn to just live in that space of unknowing. It can be very liberating to just let yourself be content with not having all of the answers.

I think the first step is to embrace each day as a new opportunity...a new beginning.

There is something magical about beginnings, don't you think?

As hard or as sad as it may be to have to leave that last chapter of your life behind, looking forward to a new beginning can be exciting...and it can be anything you want it to be.

Live Beautifully,