Kendra's Favorite Things: 06.13

Lightbulb!

I read this quote below earlier today and it really resonated with me. I am not really certain that I ever believed in the term "soul mate" in its standard connotation, but this version seems to make more sense to me right now, and I think it might to a lot of people.

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. A soul mate's purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Power Song: If you dont' have one, get one!

If you were the keynote speaker at a large convention what would you want playing as you walk up to the podium? If you were a professional baseball player what would the crowd be singing along to as you stepped up to the plate? You may have a few... I know I do, but if I had to pick just one it would be Jessie J's "Domino." While this particular song or genre doesn't really reflect the type of music I listen to on a regular basis, it most certainly creates a knee jerk reaction in me to turn up the dial. I have some great memories listening to this song. When Lisa and I used to attend Barre regularly it would come on about 47 minutes into our hour long class, I used to bounce around my studio in Banker's Hill to it on replay just to make a certain someone laugh, it started a SERIOUS dance party at Kylie's Bachelorette Party in Sonoma last summer, and EVERY time I hear it, I mean EVERY time I can't help but sing along and feel just a little bit lighter. When I give my first keynote speech you bet your bottom dollar everyone in the crowd will be out of their seats bouncing around with me as I step on stage. What's your power song? I encourage you to find one, own it, and listen to it often. Turn it up, dance around and think of all the things you want to accomplish today while you sing along.

Morning Ritual Rehaul

"The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there."

~Monica Baldwin

Well isn't that the truth Ms. Baldwin, and I couldn't have said it better myself. Have you ever set foot into work and have someone immediately say "looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?" Yeah, me too. (Not very often, but it's certainly happened more lately than usual). It is so entirely true that what we do with our mornings really shapes the way the rest of our day will turn out. There's another quote (and you know I love my quotes) that says "your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn." So the question is, how do you want to shape your day?

Louise Hay is a brilliant teacher of self love and she's taught me a ritual that I think everyone should follow. I've added my own special touches to this to give it the "Kendra" touch. Try it for a week and I guarantee you'll be feeling better after just a few days. Do it for a month and you could transform the way you start your day forever. Give it a shot... after all, what do you have to lose? A few extra minutes of sleep? Trust me your alarm clock will get over it. Remember, how you start your day is how you start your life. Let me repeat. How you start your day is how you start your life. This is a daily 5 minute ritual that will be well spent no matter who you are or where you are in your life. Try it; you won't regret it.

Step 1: Thank your bed.

Thank your comfortable, warm, safe and wonderful bed for giving you the gift and nourishment of sleep. Many people in this world are not lucky enough to have a bed. Don't take it for granted. Thank your bed every single day. It may sound weird, but just try it tomorrow, wake up and literally say: "Thank you bed. I love you." Do it!

Step 2: Count your blessings.

List off all the things you are grateful for from big to small, just say whatever comes to mind, even if it's "a healthy pinky toe." There is nothing too small to show gratitude for. I really try to get down to the nitty gritty so I can find new things everyday since the big things usually don't change. Get creative. You have so much to be thankful for. Here's what I took inventory on this morning.

KLD's Attitude of Gratitude on 6/24/13: "I'm grateful that I have a beautiful roof over my head that protects me from the elements and keeps me safe and warm. I'm grateful that I have wonderful neighbors that are friendly and that we all look out for each other. I'm grateful that I have the MOST amazing family in the world, and even more grateful that I get to see them in 10 days! I'm grateful for ALL of my friends. They are amazing and supportive and I couldn't ask for better people to be surrounded by and learn from. Even more specifically today I'm very grateful for Allison, Allie, Alexandra, Melissa P., Natalie and Shannon. I'm grateful that I get to see so many of my friends at Melissa M.'s wedding this weekend. I'm grateful that I get to work in our LA office next Monday morning so I don't have to drive back down to San Diego and fight the traffic. I'm grateful that I got to see Sami on Friday morning because she always helps me feel like a million bucks. I'm grateful I don't have to wash my hair today (it takes a lot of work people). I'm grateful I get to spend the day at the Park Hyatt Aviara schmoozing clients, and I'm grateful for having a personality that allows me to feel comfortable doing that even during the toughest of times. I'm grateful for a conversation that I had with my boss last week. I'm grateful for being able to spend a wonderful afternoon at Stone Brewery with my friends and their family yesterday playing bocce ball and enjoying craft brews. I'm grateful that I have a wardrobe full of clothes that fit (finally) and that I'm so blessed to not have to stress out about what to wear today. I'm grateful to be alive."

See it's simple... once you get on a role you will just keep going and going, and you'll find even more things to be grateful for every single day. Trust me!

Step 3: Send Positivity into the Universe.

I call this Praying but if that's not the term that works for you than find anything else to call it, but just spend a few moments sending positive vibes, thoughts, and energy out into the world. I do this every day even when I barely have the energy to carry enough positivity for myself alone. The most important part of this ritual is to do this for the people who need it the most, which is usually the people you want to send positivity to the least. The guy who cut you off on the freeway yesterday, your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, your ex's new love interest, (that's the toughest one, trust me) your boss, the friend you're not in a good place with right now, these are the people that need love the most right now, so be the bigger person and send it their way... the positivity and love will come back to you in spades, just give it some time.

Step 4: Center yourself and love yourself.

After you've done steps 1-3 you're pretty much ready to begin your awesome day. But before you do so, just take one more moment to appreciate and love yourself. Love you for where you are in your life RIGHT NOW, how far you've come, and if you need to be compassionate with yourself and forgive yourself for any mistakes you feel that you've made since yesterday, do it now and move on. If you've been doing really well with eating healthfully but you slipped up at dinner last night, forgive yourself and move on. If you've been trying your best to move away from a situation, but you had a relapse of sorts, tell yourself that you love yourself anyways and just do your best to move on in order to make today a better foundation for success in your journey. Be happy with where you are; wherever that might be. It may not always be pretty, but the more you do this with yourself the better you will start to feel. 100% money back guarantee.

You're now ready to give yourself a big hug and start your day. It's going to be a great one.

Extra Special Father's Day

I love the years when I get to spend Father's Day WITH my Dad and this year it worked out perfectly since my parents happened to be in San Diego last weekend. We arranged for a Father's Day sail aboard Kelmara with Fran, Carol, Stacy & Jeff and their parents as well. We had a blast out on the bay and got to show our parents just what our sailing skills are made of. Even though my parents are no strangers to sailing even my dad said when we got off the boat "Boy, that's a lot of work." I think it just means we deserved our post sail cocktails even more!

My dad is the most generous person I've ever met in my life, hence why we call him "Papa Bear." I specifically remember a trip to San Diego as kids when my dad saw two women stopped on the side of the road with a broken down car, and being the gentleman that he is not only did he have to stop, but when he couldn't get their car fixed himself he felt compelled to give these gals a ride to wherever they needed to go. He's been doing these random acts of kindess for my family and strangers ever since. He's taken care of so many people for so long and it's just a shame to me that there's only one holiday a year dedicated to honoring him. If it were up to me; every day would be Father's Day. Love you Dad!!

Friday Quotes

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."
- John Ruskin

"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck."
- The Dalai Lama

"To get the most success out of life have no agenda other than to give whatever you can in the present moment. A smile, a laugh, a quarter, a helping hand, an introduction or just your listening ear is more powerful than you can imagine. Beneath every gift is the knowing that the Universe is abundant and that you lose nothing by giving away what you have. Others will feel comfortable in your presence and all good things will find you - WITHOUT seeking them."
- Jackson Kiddard

#buymesomepeanuts

The last JLSD event of the year is usually a night at the ballpark, and thanks to Erin being behind on her obligations I scored 4 tix to the Padres game, woo hoo!! Emily, Nicole, Lisa and I took full advantage of being in the "All you can eat hotdog" section. There's just something about a baseball game that makes eating a hotdog (or two) seem fully acceptable. We had an absolute blast at the game, and the Pads even won, which is nothing short of a miracle.

Emily, Nicole, Lisa, Yours Truly

The best part of the evening for me was the moment when I realized I was laughing about something that came up in regards to the breakup, or more specifically my over the top reaction to something that came up during the breakup a few months ago. This wasn't just an ordinary chuckle, this was a belly laugh that went on for several minutes with all the girls, and I myself was finding it hard to breathe because I was laughing so hard. It was at that moment that I had to remind myself to savor the feeling of happiness that came up since I was FINALLY laughing about this scenario.

That my friends is what I like to call progress!

The evening ended with a nightcap at Basic with an educational discussion on proper hashtag courtesy and protocol for Nicole, and the sharing of some rather interesting photographs leading to many more group belly laughs... I haven't laughed that hard in months, such a fun night out with the girls. The video below explains our silliness in further detail as we bounced around to celebrate the Padres big W.

Full of Grace

It's hard to believe that just about a year ago this screenshot was the first time we really knew that Grace would change our lives forever. It was not a coincidence that JD and Lindsay went to the doctor on July 4th to receive this wonderful news, especially since that is the day my Grandfather died over 30 years ago. I'll never forget the amazing outpour of joy and love that I felt for my brother and his wife when we got the news that Grace wasn't gonna let anything stop her from coming into this world.

Now our family can't imagine a life without our little angel. She's simply perfect and I can't wait to see her in just about 3 weeks!!!

Grace donning her "pool party" attire picked out by Dad (or so he says).

Just the sweetest face.

Bye Bye Frizz, Hello Confidence.

I have a love-hate relationship with my curly, thick and wild hair. If I don't do something with it I don't feel "pulled together", but "doing something with my hair" means spending a good 30+ minutes in the morning on it, which I usually don't want to commit to. For the last 4 or 5 summers I've been doing Brazilian Blowouts since it cuts my styling time into about half by eliminating the majority of the frizz (which usually tends to be worse in the summer anyways). I spent yesterday having this done to my hair with Randi at Style Lounge, and I couldn't be happier with the way my hair is looking, which in turns allows me to feel more confident- I find that it's hard to have a bad day when I'm having a good hair day, (if I am sounding shallow please remember all the community service projects I've spearheaded in my life). I think Iris Apfel said it best when she said: "If your hair is done properly and you have on good shoes, you can get away with just about anything." Amen sister!