I had a moment of clarity on Tuesday morning as I sat journaling on the fire escape of my apartment building (my secret little oasis in the sky. Or perhaps it’s no longer a secret on account of the fact that I have a penchant for snapping it every chance I get). I was listening to my favorite John Mayer song (it’s his live rendition of Free Fallin,’ by a long shot) while watching the sun wake up over the rooftops of the neighboring buildings, backdropped by none other than the cool waters of Lake Michigan – my absolute favorite.
In that moment, I reverted to Urban Dictionary’s definition of insanity, which beats out Merriam-Webster and Oxford in my book, and for good reason! It ever-so-eloquently reads, “The definition of insanity is doing the exact same fucking thing over and over again expecting shit to change. That. Is. Crazy.”
I’m sure you’re thinking, well, ya. Duh, Jess.
But guys, I’ve been doing just that. For months. And in just about every area of my life.
Looking back, I’m giving a strong side-eye to some of the “excuses” I’ve made to myself, and to others.
I mentioned in last week’s apartment update post that I’ve been in major planning mode, which is true! I’ve given a lot of thought as to what I want to share with you all moving forward and have been hard at work to make time to bring those ideas to fruition. Because that’s what it boils down to: making time for the things that are important to me and forgetting about/sacrificing the rest. A small price to pay now to set myself up to reach my goals. 
(Side note: my hair in this photo is a good depiction of how I’ve been feeling lately…slightlyyyy all over the place LOLZ).
Sometimes I find myself paralyzed by the ideas prancing around in my head, unable to move forward on even just one of them. So, I’m starting small by getting back to a more consistent posting schedule here and working to find a balance of saying yes to the things that will truly benefit me in the long run and no to the things that are “just for fun.”
When I put together my 101 in 1001 list, I included a few of the blog posts I’d love to finish (some of these have been in the works for-ev-errr) and have since added a handful more stemming from the questions I’ve been frequently getting on Instagram, Snapchat, and through your emails – which I love so, SO much! But what I would love even more is to have something tangible to share when one of you reaches out asking about my overall wellness routine, or my weekend guide to Chicago, or my favorite place for a massage/pedicure/facial/etc. (Really looking forward to continuing the research for this one 😉 ). 
All this to say, I’ve been busy streamlining anything and everything – meals, workouts, outfits, you name it, all to make room for my grand plans! My repeat offender tendencies come out in full force when things start to feel a little crazy in my world and I’ve practically been living in this ruffle sweater and jeans as of late. I can’t say that I mind though. I’m a big proponent of keeping it casual and comfortable in my day-to-day! I’m also lucky that the office I work in is super chill, so most mornings I slip into my white leather Converse and call it good, but should I happen to be venturing out after work, I’ve been throwing my favorite block heels (which I just found out now come in navy!) in my bag on the way out the door.
This felt…good. Like, really good. I hope you all are having the best week!
SHOP THE POST:
J. Crew Ruffle Sweater // Madewell Jeans (old, but similar linked) // Block Heels (40% off with code STEPTOIT) // Kate Spade Crossbody (old, but I love the shape of the one linked!) // Maya Brenner Initial Necklace (mine is a Z and I get so many questions about it!)
BEAUTY PRODUCTS:
Sunday Riley Good Genes (If you sign up for emails from Dermstore you can get 20% off your first order!) // Sunday Riley Brightening Cream // bareMinerals Concealer // bareMinerals Blush in That Peach Tho // bareMinerals Blush Brush // bareMinerals Mineral Veil // L’Oreal Mascara
Photos by Maya of Charmingly Styled
I can sooo relate to all of this. I’ve been feeling very all over the place lately as I work to try to manage my day to day and add in new fitness, a side gig, sell a house, move and plan a wedding..ok, just typing all that makes it very clear there’s no chance I won’t be feeling all over the place any time soon..frazzle city…but it’s all good stuff to get to where I want to go in so many areas…so planning, streamlining and focusing..and let’s be real, a bit of panicking and whining, ha! We can do this!
I need to apologize for the delayed response! Blog comments took to the back burner and then I completely forgot about them. BUT I’m so happy to hear my thoughts resonated with you! Being and adult is hard! I’m constantly in awe of my friends with kids. I truly don’t know how they do it. I can barely keep it together and it’s just me! Making sacrifices now will be worth it, I just know it. Yes, we do! 🙂
O h my gosh have you been inside my brain? I cannot focus for the LIFE of me! I am actually hoping for a little bit of a reset this month because I feel like my head has whiplash from all the back and forth that it’s been doing and being pulled in a million different directions. I kind of addressed it last week in my post about things i’m afraid to say, but I’ve totally been living in FOMO and that is just not long-term sustainable! I have to choose my moments.
Oh my gosh…just now making time to follow-up on these – so sorry! I hope you’re getting the rest and reset you need! Haha…the whiplash…too good. That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling, but I think I’ve FINALLY got it all under control. We’ve got this 🙂
I am so glad that I am not alone. I have been feeling this way just spinning my wheels hoping for something to change. Thank you so much for posting!
So glad it resonated with you! That makes me really happy to hear. Small changes add up – focus on those! You’ve got this 🙂
Just commented on Twitter too – but GIRL, YES! Makes me think of one of my Dad’s favorite sayings “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” It especially resonated with me when I moved to Chicago after feeling stuck in NY – but I still think about it all the time! And small changes should definitely not be discounted 🙂
xoxo,
Lauren | http://www.lakeshorelady.com/
Somehow responding to this slipped off my to-do list, but YES! I love that. The small changes make all the difference in the world and definitely add up. I’m focusing on the little things I can do so I don’t get overwhelmed by the more daunting tasks/goals. Hope you have a great Wednesday Lauren! 🙂