Learning Lately: June 2017

I'm joining Emily P. Freeman and Anne Bogel in sharing with you what I've learned this month. I think it's a beneficial practice to keep track of what I've been learning, as it makes me focus on what little lessons I'm picking up as I go through life. Without it, I'm prone to rush through things and not learn much at all. So, without further ado, here's the June list!

Ask for help.

I usually like to do things myself, and I have a hard time paying for things I think I can do well enough on my own. I don't get manicures because I can paint my nails myself. I have been learning, though, that sometimes it pays to invest in programs and instructions from others who have gone before me and learned how to do things I'm not yet good at. For instance, I have enrolled in a few courses lately to improve my social media presence, build my business, and write my book. They have been well worth the money because they provide incredibly valuable information, and they save me time because I don't have to learn everything the hard way.

Podcasts make for fantastic running companions.

I had always listened to music while running, but I'm not the kind of person who keeps up with new music, let alone one who buys it and downloads it to listen away from WiFi. So, needless to say, I was getting burned out on five-year-old tunes. My coworker mentioned listening to an audiobook on her run, and I took that inspiration and started listening to podcasts, and it's been wonderful! I thought it might be dull, listening to people talk in my ear while I run, but it actually gives me a good distraction. Some of my favorites are Sorta Awesome, The Simple Show, What Should I Read Next, and the Shauna Niequist Podcast (I also just started That Sounds Fun today, and I'm loving it so far!).

Slower really is better.

I have a penchant for creating long to-do lists and trying to get more done on any given weekend than I can realistically accomplish. But especially now that summer's here, I'm learning to (force myself to) slow down and embrace the slower rhythms of summer life-- evenings spent around a picnic table with friends, farmer's market outings with a good friend, literally taking the time to smell the flowers (and the basil!). It doesn't come naturally to me, and I'm still sometimes fighting my inner desire to be hyper-productive, but there have been too many sweet moments for me to continue to ignore the gentle pull to live a little slower. And I'm increasingly learning to listen.

Paying attention to my inner self-talk and limiting beliefs is crucial and eye-opening.

I started a program called Momentum, and the first couple modules focused on dreaming about what life will look like when my business gets off the ground, which was incredibly exciting! But the modules also included a lot of space and prompts for introspection, focusing on the kinds of things I believe and the things I tell myself (often without really knowing it, just the little scripts running in the background). Putting those thoughts and beliefs under a microscope was a meaningful learning experience, and I keep going back to it as I seek to replace negative or self-sabotaging thoughts (like I don't know if I can do this with realistically optimistic thoughts like I can do this!) It's already making a big difference!

Family is family, but friends can be family, too.

I had a really good conversation with a couple of my friends just last night about how friends can be family (or in some cases, be replacements for emotionally or geographically distant family). I have a great family, but I also have some phenomenal friends who are like family to me, and the more time I spend with them, the more grateful I am for them and their friendship. They're like family you choose, and I'm honored that they chose me. I just discovered that there's a word for friends like these: framily. And I love that idea!

What did you learn in June? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!