off the mat Archives

It’s a well-known fact that pregnant women are hormonal hot messes and will either snap at you or cry if things do not go their way. OK, well if you have never encountered a pregnant woman, you might not know this… yet! But you’ve been warned!

So it should come as little surprise that my over-sensitized reaction to our car break-in was hyped up that much more by hormones. Well, a couple of days after the incident — just as I was coming to terms with lost possesions and the like — I realized that in addition to my wallet and purse, I had put my Jawbone UP24 in my purse just that morning.

See, I had been emailing back and forth with their customer service regarding my band not taking/holding a charge. We’d been through a week of troubleshooting and the next (and final) step was to call in and make arrangements to have a warranty replacement done. So I shoved it in my purse and figured I’d give them a call while Ari was playing at the café.

I was SO bummed when I realize that it, too, had been stolen. I have religiously worn that band (both it and the original band), for 2+ years. I have always felt like it helped me to hold myself accountable for being active throughout the day. A couple of days passed and I ended up getting a follow up email from customer service, requesting that I let them know if the issue had been resolved or to call in if I still needed further assistance. I emailed back a friendly, but sad, “Thanks, but it turns out our car was broken into and my purse, wallet, and UP band were all taken. So I suppose there’s not much that can be done now! :)” and figured that was that. Chalk it up to “YOU WIN, THEIF!”

But no. Just a few minutes later, I received a call from Jawbone customer service. The agent told me that he was so sorry that it was stolen along with my other belongings, and that he still wanted to help me. I just sent him my proof of purchase to show that the band was still under factory warranty, and that since we had been working to resolve the issue already, he could have a replacement band sent to me! Whaaaat?? Oh! But they didn’t have my size band… so instead they were going to send me a newer model.

WHAAAAT??!!

I really felt like they went above and beyond. Seriously. They didn’t have to do that. They didn’t have to do any of it! They blew me away with their customer service! Seriously. Even though for the last 2.5 years I’ve been fairly happy with my Jawbone UP bands, there have been moments where I considered getting a FibtBit instead. But nope. Never will I ever leave Jawbone! Not after this experience! 🙂

My faith in humanity is restored. Sure, I may not have my Tory Burch wallet back or my purse… but I have my faith in people doing nice things for other people. ♥ ♥

So if you can afford to pay it forward, whether it be for free coffee for the person behind you in the drive thru, or just with a simple smile, DO IT! ♥ I’m certainly going to! You never know how it can impact a persons day!

2013 was a great year, but if I’m being honest, I was not my authentic self this year. I wasn’t fake; I just wasn’t the ME I want to be.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve done some serious soul-searching and looking inward (unrelated to the pending new year). And I’ve had some time to reflect on what I need to do to make myself a better person and to live an authentic life.

It’s not a ‘resolution’; it’s a must-do list, of sorts. I’ll explain more later. I need more time to take it all in.

My mantra for this year is this:

But for now, here’s my ‘must-do’ list for 2014 to get myself back on track and back to being healthy (mentally, emotionally and physically):

2014 is a no-spend year. After years of frivolous spending, I’m cutting myself off. Completely. I know it may seem extreme, but I know that it’s necessary and completely doable. The only thing I am going to allow myself to do is to get a haircut every 6-8 weeks.
Meditate regularly. I’m not talking about those fleeting moments before drifting to sleep; I mean making a regular habit — in the morning — of getting out of bed 10 minutes earlier to really meditate and ground myself for the day.
Practice daily gratitude. In a way to live a more authentic life, I need to focus on how much I have to be grateful for. I’ll occasionally share these moments of gratitude, but otherwise I’ll be keeping a gratitude journal for the next 365 days.
Act with enthusiasm, integrity, and without expectations. Enough said.
Use exercise and healthy eating as ways of cultivating happiness and keeping away depression. Anything that is proven to naturally increase my mood and reduce fatigue is worth my time and dedication.

I have every intention of spending 2014 doing things that serve the happiness of those people I love most.

How will you serve what is important in your life this year?