Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I know some of you are still waiting on yarn, not to worry if you start a little later or go at a slower pace, I'll be around until everyone is happy and finished with their projects. I am chugging along on all 3 of the designs but am a little ahead of schedule because I have my India trip right around the corner, about 10 days away!

Today I would love to talk a little bit about the importance of making time for ourselves and following our intuition. About 2 years ago now, when my first son was one and I was pregnant with my second, I started to wake up early. I had read a book called the Miracle Morning, that gave me the idea. That book doesn't resonate with me too much anymore but the habit stuck and it has changed everything. I now make a point to get myself to bed by 9:30/10 so that waking up at 5 is no problem. When I wake up, I get my coffee and write for 25 minutes on all the things I appreciate and am grateful for in my life. I know it's a little cheesy but this puts me into the best mood. It is things like the fact that my husband makes the coffee the night before so that it's always ready for me when I come downstairs, as well as bigger things like my boys and work. After that I meditate for 20 minutes, which sounds crazy long, but after doing this fairly consistently for about 9 months, I can say that I am addicted. It was hard at first to make it at habit but now I crave it.  It helps me quiet my mind and observe what's going on in there. I often times feel overwhelmed by everything on my to do list and like I never have enough time. Meditation has made me more aware of those thoughts so that I can try to change them - I now tell myself when I'm feeling this way, that I always have exactly the time I need to get it all done. I can't say it always works, but I'm trying! I use the Headspace app and really like it. I'm not suggesting that you wake up at 5, but is there a way to find a little time just for yourself in your day? Maybe a walk, maybe time to journal, maybe it's knitting, maybe winding down alone in the evening. As a mom of 2, I often feel like I have no time for myself but waking up and having that hour or so first thing in the morning feels like such a luxury and it's so relaxing. I just love starting the day that way! I'd love to hear about how you make time for yourself - even if it's tiny increments and what your practices are. I definitely count creative work here too - my nights knitting are some of the best form of relaxation/meditation around!

There's one interview that had a big impact on the way I see this as well - Elizabeth Gilbert's interview with Glennon Doyle for her Magic Lessons Podcast. Listen here.  It's super funny and rings so true. Glennon talks about having an hour of her own - that's all she needed to launch her blog which became hugely popular. I love the idea of an hour of your own - we may not have a room but we can all find an hour I think. 

In this interview Glennon also gives some advice along these lines - I learned to just listen to myself and that's it. My feeling is that she's talking about our intuition (or call it whatever you like!) here. It's that feeling in our gut or our hearts where we just know or feel and inclination towards something that we can't totally explain. I've started to tune into my own intuition more and use this gut feeling to make more decisions in my life. I don't ask others for as much business or parenting advice. I've let go of what other people think I should do and I am trying my best to just listen to me. It ties into that authenticity idea I brought up through that Brene quote last week too. I've found that I have the best answers for myself. If I fail, it's still a win because I learn and grow. 

I first came across this idea on the Jess Lively podcast (which is a little woo woo for some people - of course I love it!) Here is a link to a blog/podcast she made about how she writes to her intuition. It's beautiful. I also like to do this when I'm unsure about a big decision or am feeling badly. I'm still not great at it but it helps. Part of it is just slowing down to listen and not rushing so much. I watched a great documentary about this too called Innsaei - check it out for more. 

OK so what I would love to know is, what's your relationship with your own intuition like? Do you listen to it or do others play a bigger role in how you make decisions for yourself? Is this idea totally crazy and out there for you?! It was for me about 6 months ago, so I get it!  Let me know what you think in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading guys! 

Hugs ~ Amy