Episode No. 5
Where to listen:
What Inspired this Episode:
I saw this trend going around on TikTok of people sharing their ins and outs. What I loved about this is the fact it encourages people to think about things that are personalized for their lives at the moment. I think this is also a good way to stay present and in touch with what you are enjoying in life and showcase you have a strong awareness ofver what you can have less of in your life that's within your control.
Questions I wanted to explore:
What are things I am enjoying this summer?
How has my taste changed?
What do I want more of in my life?
What are ways I can contribute things that bring me joy?
What has been contributing to my joy overall?
How can I embrace the summer season?
Episode Description:
In this episode of the podcast, we dive into the latest trend of "What's in and what's out" for July 2023, focusing on mindset, fitness, and entertainment. Starting with gratitude and a tarot card/oracle reading, we share our good and learning experiences of the week before exploring our personal ins and outs for the month. From limiting beliefs about fitness and toxic productivity to the joys of girl dinners and the benefits of decluttering, we discuss the trends we're embracing and those we're leaving behind. We also touch on the importance of self-care, personal growth, and learning experiences as we navigate the ups and downs of life. To wrap up, we provide various journal prompt ideas, activities, and challenges for listeners to try, including decluttering and organizing a space, trying a new fitness or wellness trend, and reflecting on personal growth and learning experiences. Join us for an insightful and inspiring conversation that will leave you feeling motivated and ready to tackle the month ahead.
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Music by Remil - Evening Tea - https://thmatc.co/?l=DFECB5D4
Section | Timestamp | Notes |
Introduction | 00:00 |
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What I'm grateful for | 00:58 |
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Card Pull | 03:58 |
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Good experience of the week vs Learning experience | 05:44 |
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What's In and What's Out | 11:17 |
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Journal | 35:47 | What are your personal ins and outs? What trends are you letting go of this season? |
BONUS CONTENT
Last night once I finished re-listening to this episode, I spent so much time thinking about what I wanted to include as a bonus. I wanted it to be summer-related since this post was so long ago and I didn’t want it to be repetitive or trendy. I kept researching summer-themed blog post inspiration and I was starting to feel all this pressure. As a creator, whenever I start to fixate on how to make my creations good enough it always leads to stagnancy.
Then it hit me: A lot of summer post focuses on doing the most fun, exciting things… to be happy and max out outdoor activities. Then memories came back to me about my summers. In my pre-college years- the focus of the summer was to make sure I returned in September glowed up and refreshed. In my college years, it was about proving my value through either getting internships or taking on some courses to feel like I am moving forward. Summer for me was never about being present. I felt like at least if I did those things, It might make up for the fact I didn’t socialize as much as I needed to, go anywhere new or exciting, and that there were moments I felt deeply not as happy as I felt I should be (The definition of summertime sadness).
Of all seasons, I feel like summer is one of the most distressing. Don’t get me wrong, I still claim it as my favorite along with fall but as an introvert, there is this added pressure to be more energetic and spontaneous. Being carefree is not something I am used to because my head is always somewhere in the future or replaying the past. I struggled to care about the present even though logically it’s the only point in time where you have the ability to do something. You may not be able to control the outcome, but there is so much power in choices. So to clarify, I’m not saying a person should stay home and keep themselves and don’t do anything. I just wanted to bring attention to the fact we allow expectations to ruin what we are meant to experience. We should not feel pressure to experience summer the way others do.
Defy your summer intention
I feel like sometimes with social media, we tend to hop on to trends and challenges instead of starting our own because we want to be a part of what is happening in the moment. Maybe that is just part of our evolution nature because to be up to date with the majority gives us the illusion of connection and a sense of security that we aren’t being left behind. I think people tend to forget since we all have different starting points and obstacles we face at different times, following the trends might not be the best thing.
When it comes to summer a huge part is identifying your focus and this is what I’ve seen so far:
Hot Girl Summer (a classic)
Healthy girl summer
Healing girls summer
Soft girl summer
SHHH girl summer ( This is an abbreviation for Smart, hot, healthy, happy- Out of all I’ve seen so far I appreciate the creativity with this one)
You get the idea and a lot of these ideas are great, but sometimes by just following what’s already out there it feels more like keeping up with people than doing something you feel fully passionate about. You can take inspiration from people but still try to make it your own.
Leading up to summer, on May 20th, I started my Life 360 challenge. It inspired me to think about what type of summer I want to have and I landed on “SnapBack Summer“.
SnapBack As a word has multiple definitions but the definition I am focused on is:
a sudden rebound or recovery
to make a quick or vigorous recovery
I know I just spoke about pressure so this seems contradicting but from November 2023 up until now has been very slow living for me. If your life is extremely fast-paced on the regular, slowing down to prevent burnout might be the right way to go about summer. For me, I feel like I need a season to put myself out there again because I’ve been focused on my inner world for so long it’s getting to a point of it’s not healthy. With personal development, it’s so easy to get absorbed in how you want life to look that you forget to truly experience the world. Right now I’m craving to experience people and challenges because I see it as a test of how strong I made myself internally and even if I don’t get the outcomes I want that I can contribute, I can still get key takeaway out of it.
Besides the definition and the energy around it (quick), I also wanted to have words around it to describe the vibe I want to create - similar to SHHH; making an abbreviation to support does make it feel more empowering.
S = Structure & Spontaneous activities: so as an introvert and someone who is a bit type A, being spontaneous is not easy for me. I want to welcome more spontaneous activities by creating structure. If I were to do something spontaneous, if I didn’t do the important things I would like to complete, I won’t be in the moment. Also, I don’t think being spontaneous should necessarily include not having a time frame especially when adjusting to adulthood. I think spontaneity comes in different forms and at this point, I want it to be within the activities instead of the timing. For instance, people make jokes about how on random unemployed friend decides to fly to a different country with only $50 in their bank account and ends up on some random person's boat. I do not want to be spontaneous that way ( although the example was more of reckless spontaneous behavior besides the point). I want to be the type of spontaneous where I learn a sport because all my life I have never been that athletic, I pick up a new hobby because it just looks interesting, and I go somewhere alone instead of waiting for someone to go with me. I want to be spontaneous, but smart. I want to still have structure so when I do things on a whim I won’t feel guilty about it or think about if it’s a waste of time.
N = Neat and being in nature: These are more about my environment. Neat about my internal home environment and nature, of course, is about taking the time and appreciating the things around me and my home.
A= Active: I strive to really focus on my physical health, specifically fitness
P= Persistent: I am striving to be continuously trying and taking action no matter what comes my way
B = Balanced: This is about my approach. I am making sure I don’t go too extreme in my pursuits so it causes me to spiral or burn out.
A = Adaptable: It’s not possible to predict what will come out of our choices, so it’s a strength to be able to adapt quickly enough. This doesn’t mean just accept things as they come but having the ability to adjust and move accordingly without allowing the change to throw you off.
C = Create: Creating is a huge part of my purpose. It’s the one thing I have unshakable passion for and this summer I want to explore how to keep at it.
K = Knowledgeable and kindness: Both of these are about my character. I am becoming more knowledgeable through experimenting (and reading). I am working to connect with more people to make sure that kindness and patience toward other people keep happening.
I felt compelled to share these thoughts as I observed how our society continually influences each other. Trends now operate in shorter cycles compared to the pre-digital era. While the digital age offers numerous benefits, I'm concerned that our ability to self-identify may be diminishing. Maybe it’s because of the way we compare, we don’t know all the details and yet still put so much value on another person’s way of being. Allow inspiration to guide you, but avoid adopting someone else's way of life outright because it signals to your brain subconsciously there is a lack of self-trust. Instead, focus on developing your self-concept, which demonstrates trust in your instincts and ability to navigate, even when uncertain.
So for your assignment think of your summer challenge. Remove the pressure and allow yourself to be how you need to be in that moment.
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