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10 Secrets to Lead a Healthy Diet & Lifestyle

April 25, 2018 by Kelly Nash 4 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure here.

I know I’m probably not alone when I say I’ve always struggled with my weight. Like many girls out there, I feel like I’ve been ‘dieting’ or watching what I eat ever since I was in middle school (yes, seriously). Growing up, because I felt heavier, I constantly found myself comparing my body to others – girls in the media, girls at school, and even my own friends. I had a habit of standing in front of the mirror, picking my body apart and dreaming of ways I could magically be skinny. I clearly struggled with my body image and the way I viewed myself. At one point or another, food ultimately became the enemy. Every time I sat down to eat, I’d wonder how the food I was putting into my body would translate into weight gain. After I would eat, I’d feel guilty. I hated I felt that way but there was no way to control it. Looking back now, it’s obvious how unhealthy my thinking was.

It really didn’t get any easier when I went to college, either. Those four years were definitely the most challenging when it came to my body image. I was living such an unhealthy lifestyle as a college student. I bought my own groceries and only grocery shopped every three weeks since I didn’t have a car on campus. Because of that, I had to be smart about how much I was spending and how much perishable food I got. This often led me to buying more packaged foods since they had a longer shelf life. At that time, I had no perspective to how bad processed foods are for your body. Couple that with binge drinking a few days a week and late night breadsticks at my favorite pizza place and it was quite a recipe for disaster.

It also didn’t really help that I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to work out and get my weight down. I was taking a full course load of classes, while working two part time jobs and an internship, along with having responsibilities with my professional groups and clubs on campus. Any extra free time I did have was spent on homework or sleeping. There were nights in college I actually avoided going out, not only because of pure exhaustion, but because I didn’t want to gain more weight from drinking empty calories. I was so envious of my friends that could go out and drink and eat as much as they wanted. They still stayed fit, despite not even going to the gym to workout. I knew I’d never be that girl, but I still dwelled in self-misery. I recognized that everyone’s body type and metabolism was different than mine, but still, I compared and felt terrible about myself.

After college, I truly disliked how much weight I was still carrying. I made a conscious effort to be healthier but it proved to be difficult. Working at an ad agency, there was constantly free food in and around the office. Due to being forced to work extremely long hours, my eating wasn’t the healthiest and my workouts were basically nonexistent. Over the next few years, I tried numerous diets and methods to lose weight, one of which included Herbalife meal replacement shakes. The shakes and corresponding recommended diet I did worked for me and I was finally able to shed that college weight (ten pounds, give or take) I so desperately wanted to lose. While I was thrilled with my results, I knew the diet wouldn’t be sustainable to keep the weight off.

After I got engaged to Adam, one of my immediate thoughts after the engagement glow wore off was how much weight I had to lose before the wedding. I knew I was going to need a method to not only help me lose weight, but also help me maintain it. I had to make some sort of lifestyle change and I vowed to myself in January 2016 that I would make that happen. Luckily, Adam was along for the ride and made that change with me! I introduced changes to the way we were eating and living, which ultimately led us to live healthier lives and helped me lose another ten to fifteen pounds for my September 2017 wedding. Not only did I look healthier, I also felt happier and more confident in myself.

These last two years have made me realize that yes, I’m always going to care about my weight, but the number on the scale does not define me. Women can be more confident, strong, and empowered by focusing more on how they feel, rather than the number they’re seeing on the scale. The few tried and true strategies I’ve put in place these last two years have really helped me achieve that mentality, as well as a healthier mind and body connection. I’m sharing my ten secrets below of what’s worked for me to have a healthy diet and lifestyle.

10 Secrets to a Healthy Diet & Lifestyle Pinterest Pin

Stop Buying Unhealthy Foods

The first step of beginning my healthy diet and lifestyle two years ago started with what Adam and I had in the house to eat and drink. We finished what we had (no food goes wasted in our home) and mutually agree to stop buying some of the things we were buying. We stopped buying sugary drinks like juice and lemonade. After awhile, I didn’t even miss them and still to this day don’t really ever drink anything other than water now (okay, and coffee and wine…). We also stopped buying desserts like ice cream and cookies, processed foods like chips, crackers and breakfast bars, and heavy carbs such as bread, cereal and pasta. By no longer having these drinks or types of food in our apartment, we don’t have any looming temptation. Out of sight, out of mind, am I right? This especially helped me when we first started because it forced us to look for healthier options to replace the other foods we previously had purchased.

Plan & Prepare Your Own Meals

Adam and I make a conscious effort to plan out our meals a week or so in advance. This way, we know what exactly we need to get at the grocery shop when we go so we stick to healthier recipes. Because we are super busy too and don’t always have the time to cook, we sometimes get pre-made, healthy meals sent directly to our door from Freshly. All we have to do is heat them up and they are done in as little as four minutes. We have had such an amazing experience with the company and love how convenient it is, especially when we can see all the ingredients that have been put into our meals. 

With the exception of Freshly, Adam and I prepare our meals way more than we did in the past. While we have never been the couple that always eats out at restaurants, we do it even less now than we used to. Dining at restaurants is great (especially in the city of Chicago), but it is so much harder to control what you’re eating because you don’t always 100% know what’s being added to your dishes or how your food is being prepared. Majority of the time, Adam and I want to make sure we’re eating the most healthy foods possible and the only way to guarantee this is by preparing our meals ourselves. The bonus? We’ve actually saved a LOT of money this way! Restaurants are expensive! It’s also made us appreciate all the amazing food we have in this city when we do get to go out together or with friends. 

Drink Plenty of Water

As I mentioned already, water is basically the only beverage I drink. The minute I wake up in the morning, I grab for my water bottle and drink a full cup. It’s a great way to start the day. The bonus to drinking water too is you flush out your body’s toxins, you hydrate yourself, and your skin ends up becoming clearer too. If I could sponsor water in some way, I would – it’s SO good for you! Ditch the sodas, the juices, the sugary smoothies and pick up a glass of water instead. If you’re like my mom and don’t really like the taste of water on its own, you can always add lemon or cucumber to give it some extra flavor.

Make Breakfast a Priority

Breakfast is so important because it really helps set you up for the day on the right foot. I typically always have a bowl of old fashioned oats (no pre-packaged oatmeal!) with a spoonful of natural peanut butter (Smucker’s is my fave) and a cut up banana or strawberries. During the summer, I will instead make natural smoothies with my Nutribullet filled with spinach, kale, chia seeds, banana, strawberries, peanut butter, and a scoop of protein powder. Both of these breakfasts keep me full all the way up to lunchtime and I couldn’t recommend them more. On days where I have a little bit more time, I’ll opt for an omelet with spinach and a bit of cheese with some turkey sausage and avocado on the side! Making healthier choices for breakfast helps me stay on track for the rest of the day and definitely was one of the biggest reasons I lost weight and have been able to maintain it.

Strawberries in a bowl of oatmeal on a table.

Add Fruits & Veggies Whenever Possible

Every time I go for my physical with my doctor each year, she asks me how many servings of fruits and veggies I have in an average day. I’m always so proud when I answer her because I consciously make an effort to include them in my every day diet. My breakfast smoothie has four alone! I usually have a snack between breakfast and lunch and tend to turn towards baby carrots or cut up cucumber. Lately, I’ve been on a kick of making my own ranch dip with the Hidden Valley ranch packet and light sour cream. Obviously not the best thing I could be eating, but it makes me want to eat more veggies, so that’s a win in my eyes!

Most days for lunch, Adam and I are making salads to bring to work. I joke how sad my salads are because they only really consist of lettuce, avocado and tomatoes. I need to do a better job of adding more to my salads to get even more veggies in them and so I enjoy them a little more! For dinner, we’re typically having a protein with some sort of veggie on the side, such as fresh sauteed spinach, grilled zucchini and squash, or even frozen veggies like green beans or broccoli. Gotta get those power foods mixed in with your healthy diet!

Avoid Bread When Possible

The only bread Adam and I typically ever buy is garlic bread and it’s rarity that we eat it for dinner. I made a choice to stop buying bread and making sandwiches back in 2016 and I honestly haven’t looked back since. I really don’t miss bread at all (except when I’m at Italian restaurants – I’ll definitely splurge then). I’ve noticed when I do eat more bread, I tend to be more bloated and feel more heavy. I think by limiting it from my diet, I’ve been able to maintain my weight a lot easier these last two years.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, Kelly, are you serious right now? I get it, I love my wine just as much as the next girl. However, when looking back on my time in college where I was drinking the most I ever have in my life, I’ve seen a correlation to that and my weight gain. Because of that, I have really tried to limit my alcohol intake over the last few years. I love, love, love my beer but I’ve really phased it out of my life except for special occasions like perfect summertime Chi days. If I’m going to have any hard liquor, I tend to opt solely for vodka water limes so I’m at least getting some water thrown in there. It’s all about balance, ladies!

My drink of choice is and always will be red wine though. And I mean, duh – it has health benefits and one glass is equal to an hour at the gym (or so I’ve read). You may think I’m a grandma, but I really try to not drink more than once a week nowadays and usually no more than two glasses of wine. It’s helped me keep my weight down and I’m still able to enjoy myself and have fun without alcohol. It’s not to say I’ve totallllly given up my binge drinking ways (my friends can unfortunately attest to this), but they just happen far less nowadays and I’m better for it.

Avoid Eating Late

I’ve personally made a rule to not eat anything after 8pm, especially on weeknights. This time will vary depending on when you go to sleep. I figure that I usually go to bed at around 11pm on most nights (although lately I’ve really been stretching that) and I don’t want to be eating anything less than three hours before I go to sleep. Otherwise, it doesn’t have enough time to properly digest. It’s not going to make you feel good and it can be a culprit for weight gain. If I do end up getting a little hungry after 8pm, I instead turn to my trusty water bottle and take some swigs to help fill my stomach. Sometimes hunger pains can actually be because you’re thirsty, believe it or not. If that still doesn’t work and I’m desperate, I’ll reach for something that is still healthy and not super heavy, like an apple and some peanut butter. Either way, my late nights of eating breadsticks are long gone 🙂

Make Time to Exercise 

While what you eat is 80% of having a healthy diet and lifestyle, you can’t forget about that other 20%! Not only is exercise going to help you reach your fitness goals, it’s going to help with your overall lifestyle too. As I mentioned in my post about ways to find happiness, I actually found different forms of exercise I’ve come to love over the last few years. I stopped doing a lot of cardio because I have pretty bad knees and also because I wasn’t really enjoying myself. I dreaded my workouts and hated my life when I was at my cardio classes. Instead, I’ve turned to barre and pilates which has not only done wonders to making my body more strong and lean, it’s also helped with my overall confidence in how I feel. Find a gym or studio that works best for you that you can get excited about. Once you have that, you’ll be more inclined to stick to your routine, and in turn will have more endorphins, which will make you an overall happier person!

Kelly Nash walks down a running path with snow on the ground.

Have Cheat Days

Part of my lifestyle change was to not heavily diet because I didn’t want to be miserable and deprive myself of things I enjoy eating. There’s balance in eating healthy and exercising and having cheat days. Typically what Adam and I do is eat super healthy during the week and we’ll then splurge in our own ways on the weekends. This helps keep us balanced and happy. Know that it’s perfectly okay to eat that donut or that big bowl of pasta every once in awhile. Enjoy it and savor it because you earned it, girl!

Pink lipstick stain

Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink
Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Filed Under: mind body & soul, wellness Tagged With: wellness

About Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Comments

  1. Jenny says

    April 25, 2018 at 9:12 am

    Good reminders for every day life! I’m with you on the beer thing, though, that’s a tough one especially on Friday nights:)

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      May 7, 2018 at 4:02 pm

      Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  2. Mom says

    April 27, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    Thanks to you I have been going to the gym more. It is hard getting ready to go but once there, I am fine. Really enjoy the classes more than exercising alone. My weakness as you know is sweets. Who does not enjoy a good piece of chocolate or a brownie or cookie with some coffee! Really need to pick healthier options though. You are right about the water. Not my favorite unless it is flavored. Going to seriously take everything you said into consideration so I can have a longer, healthier life. Want to be around for those grandchildren.

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      May 7, 2018 at 4:04 pm

      Glad you enjoyed the article and that I’ve helped you get more healthy over the years! It’s been great seeing you look forward to the gym, something you really used to dread a few years ago. I hear ya on those sweets though – which is why I can’t have them in our house!

      Reply

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ʟɪᴘꜱᴛɪᴄᴋ - 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 💄⠀
There is power in wearing lipstick. A woman wearing lipstick embodies self-confidence and empowerment. She’s the woman who looks at herself in the mirror and thinks, I am powerful. She’s the woman who stands out in a crowd. She’s the woman who knows she can do anything she sets her mind to. With just a few swipes of her favorite color, she feels invigorated and ready to own her power and take on the world.
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ɪɴᴋ - 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 🖊⠀
There is power in a woman’s words and how she puts them to action. Thinking about what she wants out of life and putting it pen to paper creates vision and clarity. By writing in ink, she commits to making what she wants a reality. For a woman in pursuit of her goals and dreams is determined to make her mark.
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𝗟𝗶𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 & 𝗜𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀💋
"𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄'𝙢 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜." "𝙈𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛." "𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚." "𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙗 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙮."
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These are some of the reasons women hold back in promoting themselves in the workplace. 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻. Going from a small company to Salesforce seven years ago changed that all for me though. I was a small fish in a VERY big pond (and that's when we were under 20,000 employees - now we've surpassed over 50,000!).
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I quickly realized that 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. I had to share my wins. I had to manage up to manager and send the positive feedback I received from my clients and other employees. I had to showcase the value I brought to my clients, to my team, and to the company. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
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Here's the tea, friends. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴. It's showcasing your 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. It's delivering facts. It's sharing your learnings so you can help others. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆. In today’s corporate world, going to work, doing your job and hoping you get the recognition you deserve isn’t going to cut it anymore. If you want to advance in your career, get promoted and nab raises, you need to speak up and share your wins.
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If you're not promoting yourself, ask yourself why. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠?💋
Do you 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬? I recently joined a webinar by @insideoutincubator about the 𝟭𝟬 "𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀" 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘀 & 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆:
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☞ Rule 1: 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 - You doubt what you know & assume others know more than you.⠀
☞ Rule 2: 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 - You think you don't deserve to be in the spotlight or don't want others to think you're bragging.⠀
☞ Rule 3: 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐨 𝐗 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 - You fear being "found out" or don't contribute until you feel you have ALL the answers.⠀
☞ Rule 4: 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐭 - Even after you've been hired or promoted, you feel you have to go above and beyond, saying yes to everything, afraid to say no.⠀
☞ Rule 5: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 - Reaching out to specific people (i.e. leaders) will make you seem self-serving so you connect only with people you feel safe with.⠀
☞ Rule 6: 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐨-𝐃𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲 - You get stuck in reactive mode and don't give yourself time to work on more of the forward-looking strategic projects.⠀
☞ Rule 7: 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - You don't want to rub anyone the wrong way and constantly worry about other's feelings.⠀
☞ Rule 8: 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲 - You make yourself small and defer to others to dictate your path.⠀
☞ Rule 9: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫 - You believe you have to be productive 100% of the time and beat yourself up when you're not feeling your best.⠀
☞ Rule 10: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 - You take on everything and think you have to solve everyone's problems & say sorry way too often.
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Which resonate with you? Some of these I've overcome the last few years, but it’s a kick in the butt reminder that there are a few (3, 4, 6, 10) I still struggle with & want to break! Which do you want to break?💋
[𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙶 𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚃] 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥. While certainly an overused term, it’s definitely not overrated. Personal branding is more important than ever as it helps you to 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧, 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧. Regardless if you work in the corporate world or consider yourself an entrepreneur (or both!), knowing and cultivating your personal brand is essential.
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Because here’s the thing – you already have a personal brand, whether you realize it or not. 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱. However, understanding the power of your brand can be difficult and requires self-awareness, intention, and action.
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If you’re unsure or curious about how to get started with building and boosting your brand, I've developed a 5 step formula to do just that! You can read more about these 5 steps and your best path forward in L&I's newest blog post, found via the link in my bio!💋
3 years ago today, I pressed “Publish” on Lips 3 years ago today, I pressed “Publish” on Lipstick & Ink. Even though it was only a blog at the time, I was terrified to put myself out there. I worried about what people would think about me, wondered if my site was good enough, and questioned if what I was writing would even resonate or help others.
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At the same time, it was exhilarating and freeing. I was finally writing again, something that had been a passion of mine since I was a kid. I was in my purpose, sharing my knowledge of how I had grown my career and guiding women on how they could do the same. And most of all, I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone, facing fears I had avoided for years.
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Since February 22, 2018, I have grown more than I thought possible. From my blog to expanding to events to speaking to advising clients to writing my first book, I continue to find ways to grow L&I and make an impact. And I can feel in my bones this is only the beginning.

Through these last 3 years, if I could share one piece of advice as to what I’ve learned , it’s this: OWN YOUR POWER. Own the power of yours that’s generated from within, not outside of yourself. Your authentic power. Don’t give your power away. Don’t allow the thoughts of others to get in your way. Don’t compare yourself to others and wonder how you will measure up. Don’t hold back on what you want to do because you are concerned about how others are going to feel about it.
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There is always a choice to make in terms of whether you decide to own your power or give it away. And these days, I choose my power. I choose me. My hope is that you too honor who you are and choose yourself. Because when you choose yourself, you set yourself free💋
We live in a world of 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 We live in a world of 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 - and let's be honest, we have gotten reaaal accustomed to it. So much so, that we may be easily disappointed when something doesn't immediately go our way - including when it comes to our careers. Whether it's seeking a promotion or landing a job at your dream company, we need to remember that it may take longer than we like or anticipate.
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Most of the time, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚. This is why it's critical to ᴘʟᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴇᴅ early on to begin preparing to reach your next career goal. For example:⠀
🌱 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Start making an effort to connect with your manager periodically to discuss your career growth. Voice that you are aiming for a promotion. Show to him/her that you take your professional development seriously by discussing your goals and ways you can start taking on additional responsibilities. Try and start taking on the work of the role above yours. Keep a track record of your accomplishments and feedback (L&I has a free template FYI under Resources in my bio!).⠀
🌱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆: Research the company and learn about their mission, corporate values, and their offerings. Take their available certifications if available to put on your resume. Reach out and build relationships over time with people that currently work there to understand the culture and to let them know you are interested in working for their company. Get your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile professionally reviewed. Tailor your resume and yes, even your cover letter for the job you ultimately apply for.
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Both of these scenarios 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. But don't let that discourage you. What's something you're looking to accomplish in your career in the next 6 months? Don't delay - it's never too early to start preparing. Plant the seed now and watch yourself grow these next few months. Soon enough, after some hard work and patience, those 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 will come🌷💋
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