Tag Archives: ventures

Aug 07

What is the best part of your day?

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Every day is different…it’s own venture.  Today, the best part of my day was a nice compliment from someone saying I looked “healthy & glowing”.  Oh the little things in life that put a smile on my face.

In general, the best part of my day boils down to…

talking with great people

I call my mom & dad regularly & make a point of chatting regularly with friends. it’s the people that care about me most that put the biggest smile on my face & create positive energy in my life (usually…though not always the case).

exercising my mind

On days when I solve big problems (or even smaller ones), conquering the problem is a major highlight.  It feels so satisfactory to figure out how to combat an obstacle.  Creating also exercises my mind & is something I enjoy about my day.  Whether it’s writing, drawing, cooking…it makes me happy!

exercising my body

I wouldn’t be able to get up at 5:30 am to go to the gym if I didn’t love it.  I love waking up before the sun to push my perceived physical limitations.  This morning I woke up at 5:30 am, went to a 6 am spinning class, followed by a 7:30 am crossfit workout where I dead lifted 85 pounds 60 times, did 60 burpee bar jumps, ran a 400, did 100 squats, & did 25 front squats with up to 65 pounds.  Challenging?!  Of course!  And also amazing & energizing!  It’s the best way to start my morning.

eating

Let’s face it…I love food.  I cook it, take pictures of it, eat it, write about it.  A great, healthy, delicious meal is a memorable part of any day!  Seriously, how can a dish like this not make my day?!

Paleo Chocolate Pancakes topped with shredded coconut & served with banana slices.

adventure

Trying something new.  Encountering a new idea, new place, new person, or other spontaneous explorations.  Coming across a bunch of young surfers in New Jersey last week, on my walk on the beach after a 3 mile run, was a fabulous encounter that made my day!  Sometimes it’s those little moments that really add color & excitement to a day.

What is the best part of your day?!

venture on,

mel, the venture gal

Jul 12

Ventures in Life

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Life is full of ventures. By definition, a venture is “an undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome, especially a risky or dangerous one”. Life is uncertain. Life is full of undertakings with uncertain outcomes.

So why not have some fun with it?

I approach life as a series of ventures. Trying new things. Being in the present. Ready to tackle what comes my way. It’s part of my improv philosophy to life. Some of my life’s ventures are spur of the moment, unexpected, & dynamic. Some are more calculated & more like “life experiments”. Monthly ventures. Daily ventures. Yearly ventures. and so forth.

What does that mean? To me, it’s about trying things out. Trying new things for a certain period of time. Making changes in my life to see what the impact is. For instance, for November last year I tested out “No News November”, for which I spent the entire month not reading any news. I got my news from other people sharing news with me. Result: I didn’t feel like I was living under a rock (though I did find out about the Italian cruise ship crash a couple days after it actually happened…oh darn). Have I avoided news since then? No, but I sure read a lot less of it. What I’ve learned is that if people put themselves in the opposite extreme of the behavior desired to change, people default to the mean…taking that behavior in a positive direction but not necessarily going 100% to the opposite side of the spectrum.

I’ll elaborate more as I share my ventures. Here’s a quick snapshot of my current life experiment ventures:

Monthly Venture: July
Write every day!

Weekly Ventures
Crossfit (2-3 times/week)
Create a recipe

Stay tuned for more to come about life ventures!

Venture on,

mel, the venture gal