Hello friend!
1. I hope this newsletter finds you looking for joy in the little things! I’m writing this from my office, with a window open and an orange cat in my lap. I don’t know about you but I felt the shift on March 1 – I’m so ready for spring!
We’re keeping today’s newsletter fun with a little ‘in and out’ list for the month of March! Let me know if any of these resonate with you or whats on your list!
(psst, I have a favor to ask at the end of this newsletter!)
2. IN: Reading! I am a lifelong learner so reading will always be ‘in’ for me. I just finished a couple of books that I loved:
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins – This book was so gripping and beautifully written, I couldn’t stop listening! I borrowed the audiobook from Libby and especially loved the narration by Yareli Arizmendi.
- On Digital Advocacy: Saving The Planet While Preserving Our Humanity by Katie Boué – I keep returning to this book because it feels like a breath of fresh air while discussing the realities of (digital) advocacy in the outdoors. Katie lays out how to make a positive impact, while reminding readers to make space for joy and not to take ourselves too seriously.
- Earth Is Hiring by Peta Kelly – I intuitively picked this book out at the library, and it caused me to have several mindset shifts in how I move through life. In talking about how we can help our planet, the book suggested that what Mother Nature really wants is for us to raise our collective vibration. We can do that by moving through life with love and gratitude. Yes, we can take actionable steps towards helping our planet, but they mean very little if fueled by guilt, fear, or resentment. What if caring for the earth wasn’t just about doing more but being more? More present, more joyful, more grateful!
I’m still sitting with these thoughts but I loved this book so much, it went on my thrift wishlist!
3. OUT: Taking myself too seriously! I’m literally doing my best! I believe we all are! So when I cut myself some slack for being imperfect (aka human), I’m also cutting you some slack. (Let’s say this together…) we are all doing our best! 🙂↕️
4. IN: Spring Equinox Resolutions – I’ve been talking to y’all about how I’m waiting until the Spring Equinox (March 20) to plan my year and I’m so excited it’s almost here! I’ve spent the last two months thinking about the year I want to have and working on a little Pinterest mood board – here’s a peek!
5. OUT: Threads! It’s Instagram’s version of Twitter and I believe it is just as toxic! I don’t know why that app seems to bring out the worst in people… or maybe it was just the posts I was seeing. Either way, Threads will always be on my ‘out’ list… I just don’t need another app of people screaming how wrong I am (not me personally, that’s just the aura of Threads).
6. IN: Remembering what’s in MY control.
7. OUT: Following people who make me feel bad. Back to the point above on control… I’ve been hyperaware of content that is designed to control or police my personal actions. I’m unfollowing creators who say what others ‘should do’. Because the thing about me is I hate being told what to do so much, I’ll do the opposite out of spite. 🤪 So yeah, to gain back some of my control, I’m unfollow people that make me feel ‘less than’.
8. IN: Critical thinking! I know everyone reading this knows how to critical think! I do! But man, when I’m deeeeep in a TikTok scroll and have lost all sense of time, somehow everything starts to sound true.
So this is really a reminder to myself to fact check, scroll with skepticism, and to not get lost in the ‘doom and gloom sauce’.
9. OUT: Negative self-talk. I’ve been on a journey to correct my mean brain for several years now. And with all the shit happening around us, it’s easy to slip back into self-deprecation (see the point about unfollowing people who make us feel bad).
So, this month, we’re DONE with saying mean things about ourselves! 👏🏼 You know what? I’m going to be really intentional about not talking bad about others (except a few 🤡). Because how we treat others reflects how we treat ourselves…
10. IN: Supporting my favorite creators! Whenever I see a content creator post a sponsored post, especially my mutuals, I give their paid ads extra love because I know I don’t pay their bills, the brands/corporations they partner with do. After consuming all of their content for free, the least I can do is support their small business by liking, commenting on, saving and/or sharing their sponsored posts!
With that being said, this is my fifth year being an REI Partner, and my first sponsored post is live! Please support my work and let me know – what’s something you wish you knew when you first started hiking? 🙏🏼
Sending love! Jacey
(and Kelso + Toasty 🐱)
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