Tag: life

Mental Health, Mindset

Cultivating a Growth Mindset: How Small Thought Shifts Lead to Mental Flourishing

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Have you ever noticed how some people seem to bounce back from setbacks while others struggle to move forward?

The difference often lies in their mindset—the lens through which they view challenges and opportunities.

Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset

A fixed mindset believes that fundamental abilities like intelligence and talent are innate and unchangeable.

A growth mindset believes that abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence.

In other words, a fixed mindset sees failure as a reflection of permanent traits, whereas a growth mindset sees failure as an opportunity to learn. 

The Power of “Yet”

One tiny word can transform your mental landscape: “yet”

When you catch yourself thinking “I can’t do this” try adding “yet” to the end: “I can’t do this yet.”

This simple addition acknowledges where you are while planting a seed of possibility for growth.

Three Seeds to Plant Today

1. Replace “failures” with “lessons”

When something doesn’t go as planned, ask yourself: “What can I learn from this?” This simple reframing turns setbacks into stepping stones.

2. Challenge your inner critic

When you notice negative self-talk, pause and ask: “Would I speak this way to someone I love?” If not, rephrase your thoughts with the same compassion you’d offer a friend.

3. Celebrate small wins

Each night, write down three small victories from your day. These might be as simple as taking a deep breath during a stressful moment or choosing a nutritious lunch.

Acknowledging progress, however small, waters the seeds of positive change.

The Science Behind It

Research from Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck shows that people with a growth mindset experience less stress and depression while showing greater resilience when facing challenges. Check out her book Mindset, it’s a goodie!

Your Turn

This week, notice one recurring negative thought. How might you reframe it to reflect a growth mindset? Share your experience in the comments below.

Remember: Just as a garden doesn’t transform overnight, your mindset won’t change in a day…

But with consistent attention to how you’re thinking about your challenges…

You’re planting seeds that will eventually grow into greater resilience, creativity, and well-being.

Next week: Nourishing Your Mind How omega-3 rich foods, fermented foods, and dark leafy greens literally feed your mood.

Movement, Seasonal - Spring

Outdoor Fitness: Taking Your Workouts Outside After Winter

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After months of indoor workouts, spring finally invites us back outside!

Transitioning your fitness routine from the controlled gym environment to the great outdoors requires some adjustments, but the benefits:

  • Fresh air
  • Vitamin D
  • Changing scenery

…make it well worth the effort.

Why Take Your Workout Outside?

Outdoor exercise offers unique advantages over indoor workouts:

  • Natural vitamin D exposure improves mood and immune function
  • Varied terrain challenges different muscle groups
  • Changing scenery reduces exercise boredom
  • Research shows outdoor exercise can feel less strenuous while burning more calories

Smart Transition Tips

1. Start gradually: Begin with 20-30 minute sessions as your body adapts to different temperatures and terrain.

2. Layer appropriately: Spring weather can be unpredictable. Wear moisture-wicking base layers and bring a light jacket you can remove as you warm up.

3. Modify your routine: Convert gym exercises to outdoor versions. Swap treadmill runs for trail jogs, or stationary bikes for cycling paths.

4. Fuel yourself: Stay hydrated, and consider adding LMNT or Tailwind to your water bottle for longer cardio sessions.

5. Embrace the elements: Use nature as your equipment—park benches for step-ups, hills for resistance training, or trees for balance exercises.

Simple Outdoor Workout Ideas

  • Park circuit: Alternate between walking, jogging, and bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups against benches.
  • Stair workouts: Find local stadiums or public stairways for powerful cardio and lower-body training.
  • Nature walks: Start with brisk walking before gradually incorporating light jogging intervals.
  • City date days: Put on your favorite running shoes and explore new areas of your local city or town.

Remember, consistency matters more than intensity. The joy of moving outdoors after a long winter can reinvigorate your fitness journey and help you build sustainable healthy habits.

Are you looking forward to more outdoor workouts!? What’s your favorite way to get active outside? Leave a comment to share with the group and inspire others!

Movement

Move It or Lose It: Movement Hacks for Busy People

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Your body craves movement, but who has time for hours at the gym? These micro-movement strategies transform everyday moments into opportunities for health and vitality.

Morning Rituals

While brushing your teeth, practice single-leg balance. Alternate legs midway through. This simple hack engages your core and improves stability before your day even begins.

Kitchen Moments

Waiting for water to boil or tea to steep? Drop into a deep squat. Hold it as long as you can. This transforms dead time into a leg-strengthening, mobility-improving mini-workout.

Work and Desk Life

Set an hourly alarm for movement breaks:

  • Stand up and do 10 body rolls
  • Perform shoulder shrugs
  • Stretch your spine
  • Walk around for 2-3 minutes

Commute and Travel

Skip the elevator. Take stairs with a little extra bounce. If you’re walking, practice mindful movement by feeling each step and breathing deliberately.

Outside and Nature

Dog walks aren’t just for pets. Use this time for:

  • Grounding exercises
  • Walking meditation
  • Intentional breathing
  • Gentle stretching between work sessions

Quick Action Checklist

  • Balance on one foot while brushing teeth
  • Do a deep squat while waiting in the kitchen
  • Take stairs instead of elevators
  • Set hourly movement alarms
  • Practice mindful walking during dog breaks
  • Stretch between work sessions
  • Add small movements to daily routines

Movement doesn’t require massive time commitments. It’s about integrating small, intentional actions throughout your day.

Newsletter

✨ February 2025 Newsletter ✨

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Hey Friend!

February was a blast. We got knee deep into life partnership: What we can do (individually and as a couple) to improve our life situation, build our dream life, and stress less financially.

This month, I’m excited to share some simple tools to help you identify areas of improvement in your own life partnership. These tools are great for personal and relationship growth.

Let’s dive in!

✨ NEW ON THE BLOG ✨

✨ TEMPLATE OF THE MONTH ✨

Life Map: A Goal Setting System: Writing down our goals and breaking them down into small, doable tasks is how we get extraordinary results.

✨ WHAT I’M LOVING ✨

Hot girl walks with the pup, 5k runs, plant care, garden prep, spring cleaning, decluttering, romanticizing life with amber lights and dried herbs, burning sage, at-home dinner dates

✨ QUICK FIT TIP ✨

Made my first ever char-fruit-erie board this month! Super fun, quick to make, and a great pick-at-snack. Apple, banana, dates, clementine. High energy for hours and soo good!

char-fruit-erie board | Core by Corie

✨ KEEP ON STEPPING ✨

Another month in the books, so grateful for that! Wishing you all a March full of mindfulness, love, and joy. You got this. Whatever the goal, take it one day at a time. Takin it easy and breathin deeply.

General, Relationships

Reevaluate Life Prompts for Personal Growth: Couples Edition

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Ever feel like you and your partner are running on autopilot? When life gets busy, it’s easy to lose sight of your growth as a couple.

Joe and I set aside time once a year for a life check-in using thoughtful prompts. These prompts are meant to help us discover blind spots, celebrate progress, and realign our priorities together.

Thoughtful prompts aren’t just questions, they’re conversation starters. Try some out during your next quiet evening together and see what insights emerge.

Reevaluate Life Prompts

Below are some example questions:

  1. Looking at our current path: our jobs, our living situation, and how we spend our time – what parts feel really aligned with who we are and what we want? What parts might need tweaking to better match our values or goals?

  2. When we feel most content and ‘in flow’ together in our daily life, what exactly are we doing? Are we creating enough space for those moments, or should we reorganize some things to have more of what makes us thrive?

  3. What’s one thing we each feel a little nervous or uncertain about in our current plans? It could be something small or big – and then let’s brainstorm how we could address that uncertainty together.

These prompts aren’t meant to be answered once and forgotten. Keep responses in a shared google doc and revisit them every few months to see how you’ve grown. Jot down notes, write out any needed fixes, assign action items, keep on growing.

What’s beautiful about this practice is that there are no wrong answers. There’s only opportunities to understand each other more deeply and create a more intentional future together.

Remember, the goal isn’t to have perfect responses but to create space for honest conversation about what matters most.

Quick Tips for Success

  • Set aside distractions

  • Approach each prompt with curiosity rather than judgment

  • Be open to what you discover about yourselves as individuals and as partners

✨ Getting 1% better, together ✨

Books, Think & Grow Rich

Take Inventory of Yourself: 28 Questions You Should Answer

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> download your copy here <

The amount of money we make, the relationships we have, the progress we make… can be directly related to the effectiveness and quality of our actions.

At a warehouse for example, if the machine is effective, we’re pushing out quality products. The labels line up perfectly.

We’re like machines in that way. If we’re off in some way, the results we get will be slightly (or majorly) different from what we’d want.

Below are 28 questions that allow us to take a personal inventory. They come from one of my top books: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Ideally we find faults in our actions and work to improve them. Overtime we should find ourselves doing better, at a larger amount, with a good positive attitude. The theme of these questions is performance, at work and in life.

Self-Analysis Questionnaire for Personal Inventory

  1. Have I attained the goal which I established as my objective for this year? (You should work with a definite yearly objective to be attained as a part of your major life objective.)

  2. Have I delivered service of the best possible quality of which I was capable, or could I have improved any part of this service?

  3. Have I delivered service in the greatest possible quantity of which I was capable?

  4. Has the spirit of my conduct been harmonious and cooperative at all times?

  5. Have I permitted the habit of procrastination to decrease my efficiency and if so, to what extent?

  6. Have I improved my personality, and if so, in what ways?

  7. Have I been persistent in following my plans through to completion?

  8. Have I reached decisions promptly and definitely on all occasions?

  9. Have I permitted any one or more of the six basic fears [poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love of someone, old age, death] to decrease my efficiency?

  10. Have I been either “over-cautious,” or “under-cautious”?

  11. Has my relationship with my associates in work been pleasant, or unpleasant? If it has been unpleasant, has the fault been partly, or wholly mine?

  12. Have I dissipated any of my energy through lack of concentration of effort?

  13. Have I been open-minded and tolerant in connection with all subjects?

  14. In what way have I improved my ability to render service?

  15. Have I been intemperate in any of my habits?

  16. Have I expressed, either openly or secretly, any form of egotism?

  17. Has my conduct toward my associates been such that it has induced them to respect me?

  18. Have my opinions and decisions been based upon guesswork, or accuracy of analysis and thought?

  19. Have I followed the habit of budgeting my time, my expenses, and my income, and have I been conservative in these budgets?

  20. How much time have I devoted to unprofitable effort which I might have used to better advantage?

  21. How may I re-budget my time, and change my habits so I will be more efficient during the coming year?

  22. Have I been guilty of any conduct which was not approved by my conscience?

  23. In what ways have I rendered more service and better service than I was paid to render?

  24. Have I been unfair to anyone, and if so, in what way?

  25. If I had been the purchaser of my own services for the year, would I be satisfied with my purchase?

  26. Has the purchaser of my services been satisfied with the service I have rendered, and if not, why not?

  27. Am I in the right vocation, and if not, why not?

  28. What is my present rating on the fundamental principles of success? (Make this rating fairly, and frankly, and have it checked by someone who is courageous enough to do it accurately.)”

This is the exact self-analysis questionnaire we use at our house! It’s the first thing we do to close out the year and plan for the new year. And you most certainly can go through this at any point throughout the year.