job love

Early in January, while redoing my goals for 2012 (and beyond), I started to think about my career as not just one siloed part of my life but rather as a microcosm of it.

If I'm not happy with (hypothetically) either my place of employment or the work that I do day in and day out, how can I be happy in all aspects of my life?

So I decided to conduct an informal study. After that fateful day in January I spent the next two months asking friends, family members, coworkers of past, present, and future what their favourite part of their job was. Forty people later, I had a bunch of data: some of which was obvious while a few other tidbits blew my mind.

Please keep in mind that this data was collected in a completely unscientific manner. It was never meant to be written down, but rather I thought it would be an interesting question to ask people - as I was asking myself this very question day after day.

If nothing else, this has been a much needed reminder to never become complacent in my career. Love needs to be very much a part of my work day as it is a part of the rest of my life. This is my biggest goal of all.


Update: The day after I posted this, Fast Company also posted about the same topic (although I'm certain their data is far more scientific). It is definitely work the read. 

My favourite places to think.

My mind is, most days, a vault of chatter. Thoughts run a mile a minute and echoes bounce off the walls to create even more noise; and there's little I can do to calm them in the height of my every day.

But there are a few activities that ease my chatter; that give me enough focus to clear out the clutter and concentrate on working through just one idea at one time.

The first is my daily commute. I have the unfortunate circumstance of living outside of the city (blame it on paying off debt and trying to save a small little nest egg) so I commute in and out daily. My commute is about 2 hours in total (per day - gasp!) and I spend much of that time in my own head clearing the clutter. The monotony of the route and the cars coddling me on either side have turned my drives into somewhat comforting moments of clarity. Mind you, I'd happily rid myself of the commute in a heart beat, but for the time being, I'm making the best of it.

The second is the shower. I really enjoy my showers. I have always had a loving relationship with water; I enjoy feeling the running water on my skin and I enjoy how said running water tunes out everything else in the real world. This is actually my favourite place to really feel. To focus on one, perhaps normally overwhelming, thought and really let myself feel it. I sometimes have my most explosive a-ha moments while conditioning my hair.

Lastly is the yoga studio. And perhaps this is more a practice of clearing all thoughts and focusing on one intention (more than easing the chatter). But it's a practice that has, over time, given me strength and clarity. And it's this reason alone that brings me back to my mat when I've strayed. Yoga is one of those rare gifts that has been even better for my emotional and mental health than it has for my physical. I wouldn't trade my ability to practice for the world.

It's far easier for me to write this post than actually engage in calming the chatter, but it's something I think we all should do daily; if even for a few minutes. I'm often guilty of brushing it off. So, I've added this to my 2012 goals: Take a few minutes every day to clear the mental clutter. 

5 Things: Recently Pinned

Pinterest has become my favourite internet cataloguing tool. I'm a visual person, by nature, and the organizational possibilities mixed with it's ease of use have me absolutely hooked.

Are you Pinning yet; find me here!

Collar'd Tips

If you've read this post, you're familiar with my love of collars. I sincerely, vehemently love them. And similarly, I also adore accessories. So when I saw these rose gold collar tips on Asos, I knew I had to have them.

I've tried not to wear them every day (I love them so much I probably could), but alas, here are three outfittings over the past few weeks.

fanciful interiors: oh christmas tree revisited

One of my favourite things in this world are Christmas trees. My parents were never big on holiday decor, so as a kid I had to fight with all my might to get a big tree in our home. Years later I still feel that sense of joy and calm when I spot a tree that sparkles.

Some of my favourite versions as of late are made with some imagination. So, alas, here are a few of my favourites to add on to my list from last year.

This adorable little paper tree found on Chatelaine!

Isn't she adorable? I'm infatuated with this pint-sized tree found on the Holiday 2011 issue of Sweet Paul Magazine.

Sometimes a tree doesn't need to look exactly like a tree. This little ladder-esque version is pretty perfect. Found on christmaswow.com

I adore bare branches. The one above is from Apartment Therapy and the one below was found on Charcoal Interiors.

Sorta vintage, sorta charming, and all around awesome. It's the gallery wall of Christmas trees found on Home Design Find.

And last but not least, my absolute favourite. Made completely of jewels (both heirloom and found); I'm so freaking smitten. Made by Sadie Olive.

Collar'd

I'm a hippie at heart. A hippie that adores menswear. Three out of 5 work days you'll find me wearing some sort of collar. Weather it's something as casual as a denim shirt layered overtop a dress, to a Theory shirt buttoned up all the way to the top. It's become a bit of a staple in my wardrobe.

Here are a few of my most recent collars.

fanciful interiors: mismatched dining chairs

I love the idea of a dining room with character. Where each (or every other) chair around the table is as unique and beautiful as the person sitting in it.

A few of my favourites that I've been bookmarking lately...

Side Note: I was bad and completely forgot to save the sources for these images. :( My apologies...