life

The Universe Is Testing Me, & I Am Grateful For It

January 19, 2015 By lyndsinreallife 5 Comments

The Universe has been testing me this past week.

It’s testing my strength, my patience, my courage and my ability to handle an emotional situation. It’s checking to see if I will remain positive, or if I will crumble into a negative, jaded state-of-mind.

Last Monday, I hit my arm pretty hard on a table. So hard that it swelled up in two places similar to the size of large marbles. I couldn’t move it. It bruised badly. It was extremely painful. I thought it was broken. It was almost impossible to pick up the little babe I babysit, let alone hold his hand.

This is a poorly edited photo, but I feel it shows the bruise/swelling pretty well.

It was my first full week back to work since before the holidays, and it was tough. Figuring out our schedules and making sure Archie (my pup) had enough attention. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it added on to the stress.

Then on Friday, on my way to work, I was rear-ended getting on the I-10. I just got my car in November. Nooooooo!

And I am incredibly grateful for all these things/events.

This is my affirmation stone from soulcandy.co – I carry it around with me and look at it often. <3

Sure, I hurt my arm pretty badly. But it wasn’t broken or fractured. I was able to take off a day of work so I could ice it and let it heal. I have an amazing boyfriend who wrapped it for me every day and did the things I couldn’t do with a hurt arm.

Going back to work every single day was a big change from not working for almost 3 weeks, but I am so grateful not only have a job, but to have a job that I LOVE! I often get asked, “What do you want to do for your career?” after telling them I am a nanny/babysitter. And it’s funny, because this IS what I want to do. I get to hang out with super cool kids. I get to teach them, and they get to teach me. It’s flexible and the parents are awesome. I am so so thankful I get to spend my days doing what I love!

As for the car accident, I could have totally lost it. I could have yelled at the guy who hit me, I could have cried. But I didn’t. Because where would that get anyone? Things happen, especially in traffic in LA. The guy who hit me was really cool, and his first question was, “Are you okay?!” I am grateful no one was hurt. I am grateful the cars weren’t even scratched! It could have been so much worse, but it wasn’t.

I truly believe if you have a positive attitude, you’ll live a positive life. You attract what you talk/think about (thank you Dad for teaching me this). There’s no reason to get upset about things you cannot control. And I learned a few things from these incidents, especially that I am a strong person. This past week may have been challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Smile! Life is beautiful. 🙂

Have you ever had something unpleasant happen that you were later grateful for?
Do you feel that you’re a generally positive person?

Thank you for stopping by & reading my blog!

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XO

Lyndsay

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Personal

Life Update; August Edition

August 24, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 7 Comments

We are nearing the end of summer, and I wanted to give a “life update” for those who are curious about what I’ve been up to. It’s been a busy summer, and a really good one!

Last summer was my first one in California, and it was surprisingly not the best. I was in a depression after making such a big move (from CLE to LA), so I didn’t get to enjoy my time too much. But this summer, I did a lot of awesome stuff! Here are a few:

Worked a booth at the PLUSH Expo with Delta Labs
Completed my first 5k
Attended & covered the San Diego International Boat Show as a blogger (my first event specifically as a blogger)
Completed a virtual 5k with my little brother on Kelleys Island (Lake Erie, OH)
Visited Ohio for 2.5 weeks
Visited Chicago for the first time
Completed the Chaarg Booty Camp + became a virtual Chaarg member!
Made the decision to move back to Ohio (still debating this one..)
Got two new babysitting jobs
Attended my very first blog conference: BlogFest at IDEAworld (it was AMAZING!)
Signed up to become an FXP Fitness instructor

When I look at that list, it doesn’t seem like much. But considering all I did last summer was finish 14 seasons of Law and Order: SVU, I feel pretty good about it! I’m excited for autumn – crisp, cool air, job stability, fall clothes, traveling (hoping to take a trip up the PCH), holidays, and so on.

I’m in this weird limbo. I’m not really sure what to do about moving back to Ohio. I want to be with my family, but part of me feels that I’ve changed too much to go back. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Nelson Mandela:

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

It’s nothing against Ohio (or the people there) at all. For me, moving across the country with no one but my boyfriend was obviously life-changing. I’ve been in LA a year and a half, and I have grown & changed so much. I had a dream last night that I was back in Ohio, going back to a job that I once had, seeing friends who were on different pages than myself. It was comforting, but I felt completely out of place. I want to settle down in San Diego, so part of me is wondering if I should even leave SoCal in the first place. Can I handle making such a big move three times in five years (or whatever it ends up being)? Clearly I have some things to think about.

I’m also trying to figure out what I want to do with my life career-wise. I am a health coach (for the past two years), blogger (obviously), and nanny/babysitter. I have a bachelor’s degree in speech therapy and audiology, but totally love the flexibility of babysitting. I’m so untraditional- 9-5 has never really been my thing. But I am 26-years-old, and should probably make a career decision, right?

Anyway, these are all things I need to figure out myself. But writing is therapy for me, so there it is!

Have you been in a position where you weren’t sure what to do with your career/life? What did you end up doing?
How was your summer?! What was your favorite moment?

As always, thanks for reading 🙂

XO, Lyndsay

Let’s connect! Twitter + Instagram are my faves 😉

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Bipolar Disorder Personal SoCal

The Importance of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone; How Moving to Los Angeles Changed My Life

February 12, 2014 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

It has been exactly one year since I moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, OH. February 12. The journey I have been on since last Feb. 12 has been the most emotional, yet most rewarding journey I’ve experienced thus far.

When visiting LA that previous November, I found a career opportunity doing something I love (nutrition and fitness), and also fell in love with my best friend of 19 years (crazy how these things happen, right?). Three months later, I was on a plane, leaving the comfort of the home I grew up in for 25 years, to move to Los Angeles to pursue the life I’ve always dreamed of.

I cried literally the ENTIRE day I was moving. Before leaving my house, in the line at security, in the line to board my plane, on the plane, and so on. It was so emotional, leaving my friends and family, but I was also very excited to see my boyfriend Tim whom I hadn’t seen for 6 weeks. It was the most surreal feeling. I had no idea how California was going to be. Would I fit in? Would I feel at home? Would Tim and I get along living with each other? Would I ever make friends?

Fast forward one year. Everyone always told me to give it a year no matter what. That if I didn’t like it in LA after one year, then I could leave. But until then, I had to stick it out. I was crazy homesick until about the end of September. My parents, my brothers, and my nephews are my world. It was very hard for me, especially with having bipolar disorder. I went through a depressive episode for about 5 months in the summer, and being away from my family only made it worse. Luckily, I spent my year in LA building a support system through the people I met at Active Nutrition (some of us then opened our own wellness center two weeks ago, The Fit Lab). I’m really glad I gave it a year. I was almost ready to move back to Ohio in June and then again in September, but now that it has been a full year, I couldn’t be happier!

Getting out of your comfort zone is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Yeah, your comfort zone feels nice, but outside of it is where growth happens. One of the quotes that actually helped me to make my decision to move to LA was, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” And it is incredibly true. I met people I would not have otherwise met. I went places I would not have otherwise went. I never even thought the “city life” was for me, but it is! After one year, I truly feel like I belong here. my purpose is to change the nutritional habits of the world and help as many people as possible get healthy. I spend every single day making myself better and doing what I love. I have the sun, the ocean, the mountains, the desert- the life I’ve always dreamed of but never thought I would have.

I grew so much this past year and became the person I truly want to be. And I know that as the next few years go by, I will grow more and more into the person I want to be. Moving to LA changed my life, and although it was hard at first, I am incredibly grateful I had this opportunity and took it, because I love the life I live now.