Books like Eat Pray Love can have a profound effect and I thought I would take a moment to share five things that Eat Pray Love taught (or in some cases reminded) me about life, how my version of Eat Pray Love changed my life, and what my version of Eat Pray Love would look like.

[1] Life is about Pleasure.

(Chapter 21)

There is a saying that goes: work to live not live to work. I thought it was a French saying, but my husband doesn't think so. I know I heard it many times while working in Switzerland. My office was very international with people from all over Europe, so it is hard to say whom to attribute it to.

When I tried to do some research about it online, I ran into many posts about this saying being attributed to Generation Y. I wasn't exposed to the whole generational differences debate while living in Europe, so I still think that its source is European. The point is that this is something that the Eat Pray Love author, Elizabeth Gilbert, observed while she was in Rome.

French and Italians are very similar in their attitudes about life and where work fits in. Pleasure is of utmost importance and is considered a priority in life. I think too often this is overlooked by the simple act of living.

Life is full of stresses and we often miss out on taking pleasure in the small things. It is important to sit still and allow contentment.

As small as a beautiful apple, the sun on your face, or the smell of the paper on the pages of the book you are reading. Taking a moment to remind ourselves to do this is critical. Oddly enough it is a reminder that most French or Italians don't need it, it is ingrained in their DNA.

[2] It is never too late to find yourself or reinvent yourself.

(I can't find the specific chapter where this idea grabbed my attention, sorry!)
30, 40, 50. It does not matter. You are not stuck. “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

I am still baking, I am not done, and still have lots of time to be “complete.” In the meantime, I can change directions 10 more times before I die. There are no rules that say the person I am at 40 is who I have to be at 50. Don't corner yourself, continue to innovate!

[3] Food can replenish more than your stomach.

(Chapter 21)
I think food is life. It is more than what is merely on your plate. It is passion, it is sustenance for your body and your soul. I share about how food changed my life below and I honestly believe that it can restore you (when not used as compensation for something else) nourishment by eating is real!

I loved this part of the book. Elizabeth went to a farmer's market in Rome and carefully selected food items to make a simple lunch in her apartment. When she returned and prepared her meal she ate it on the floor drenched in sunlight. She wrote that it was one of the happiest moments of her life and I totally believe it.

The pleasure of nourishment was simple and absolute. Eating in Italy will do that to you!

[4] Happiness is all a state of mind.

(Chapter 87)
Elizabeth Gilbert called it Diligent Joy. Purposeful appreciation of the simple joys in life [see #1!]. She also quoted a friend who stated that “all the sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people.” (One of my favorite quotes from Eat Pray Love!) We are a body or emotions after all.

The only person who really has control over how you feel is yourself. You can be a slave to your thoughts or a slave to your emotions. But you can choose to be happy. Choosing happiness over suffering even when things are not going your way. Very Pollyanna, I know, but very powerful.

[5] You find love when you least expect it. And love is always complicated.

(Chapter 93)
Ain't that the truth! When you stop focusing on something and open yourself up to the possibilities of just being and controlling your own life you would be amazed who gets drawn into your path.

Once “found,” there are no fairy tale stories and all love must be tended to. And it is never easy, ever. But..it is so worth it!

How My Version of Eat Pray Love Changed My Life

Eat Pray Love details the journey (through Italy, India, and Indonesia) that Elizabeth Gilbert took to discover just exactly who she was. For as long as she could remember, her life had become melded with those of the men she shared her life with. Somewhere along the way she lost track of who she really was and decided to embark on a mission to reclaim her life.

Whereas I don't think I had quite lost myself to the depths that Elizabeth Gilbert had. The similarities to Eat Pray Love were there. When my first husband asked for a divorce I was thrown into a tailspin.

I had never had a long period of time without a boyfriend when a relationship ended, it was usually me who was doing it. To have been dumped in such a fashion was a huge wake-up call.

I was a miserable person and therefore made the people around me miserable. Suddenly I had to spend a lot of time with myself and it gave me pause to reflect on what my life had become.

At first, I can't say I was thrilled to have the time, but gradually I really relished the alone time as I discovered or re-discovered who I was, what I liked, and why I was so unhappy.

I began to travel. Alone. I was lucky enough to be working in a position that afforded me a lot of business trips. I started extending them and exploring Europe and Asia. And what I discovered was the passion that many cultures had for food.

Eating was not just a utility, an exercise to get you from Point A to Point B, but rather an experience. I brought the experiences home with me. Gone were the microwave dinners eaten in five minutes over the sink.

I started buying cheeses and wines and gourmet food products. I started setting myself a spot on the bar and enjoying either a meal I made or one that I had carefully selected. I stopped eating fast food and started thinking about my meals and enjoying the taste, texture, and pleasure.

I enjoyed life and I became happier. I decided that if I could change my life with food, I could change other parts of my life as well. I decided to be happier. Consciously making the decision to be happy opened me up to the Universe and let good things come to me. And I have not ever looked back.

If I ever found myself in the position of being alone again I would travel to where people embrace life and celebrate it. Through food, through wine, through everything in life I know that I would be okay.

When I read the book Eat Pray Love I was reminded of that, it was something I had not thought about in many years. I am thankful that Elizabeth Gilbert shared her experience in a way that teaches other women that they can rediscover themselves as well.

When I watch Eat Pray Love or rather Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love I am grateful her story was able to reach a broader audience and inspire more female travelers to get out and explore.

My Version of Eat Pray Love

I read Eat Pray Love late. It had already been out for quite a while when I read it. I liked the book but didn't care too much for the “pray” chapters. I read them, and they were okay, but the topic didn't interest me.

It made me contemplate what would my version of the book have been.

Don't get me wrong. Everything is peachy-keen with Mr. Misadventures, but if I HAD to put myself into Elizabeth Gilbert's shoes. My version would be Eat Love. See, I very nicely erased the “pray” from my version.

So the Misadventures with Andi version would look like this:

• Two months in Japan. One month in Tokyo eating every type of sushi, udon, teriyaki, and tempura items that I could get my hands on. Taking a million photos of all the incredible eye candy that is on the city streets by day and by night. The second month I would take the train through the countryside and visit Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, Nagasaki, etc. I would return to Tokyo for one last night of sushi before I headed off.
• Two weeks in Hong Kong gorging myself on dim sum and noodles. Visiting the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island and shopping in the night markets.
• Two weeks in Thailand. I would stay out of Bangkok, spending only a day or two there, and would spend the rest of the time exploring less touristy parts and eating my way through many of the wonderful regional delicacies that Thailand has to offer.
• Two weeks in Vietnam. A repeat of Thailand. I would spend only a few days in Hanoi and then eat my way through the countryside.
• Two weeks in South Korea. I could stay the entire time in Seoul and eat in the night markets every night! I would visit one of my favorite museums, the Leeum (Samsung) Museum of Art. Then I would shop. I found the best-fitting clothes while staying in Korea. I never have to worry about pants being too long!

That is four months in Asia and now I am ready to hit Europe!

• I would start out in Portugal and move my way west and north.
• One month in Portugal including a trip to the Azores. I would try to find very local restaurants so that I may have a chance to have some of the dishes that my grandparents used to cook. I would kayak through the wine country (at a very leisurely pace) and then eventually end up in the north of the country where I would pop over to Bilbao.
• One month in Spain. Starting in Bilbao where I would spend a week soaking in the amazing architecture and then moving to Barcelona where I would spend the remaining three weeks indulging in tapas and paella to my heart's content.

With my remaining six months I would spend three months in France and three months in Italy.

• Three months in Italy including one month in Rome, one month in Florence/Tuscany, two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and two weeks in Venice.
• Three months in France. I would end my trip here. The country that has my heart. I would spend one month touring the highlights of France (Toulouse, Normandy, etc.) and the last two months in Paris eating my way through every arrondissement. I would wander the street without a real plan just soaking everything that is the city I love most in the world.

And that is how my journey would go. But what about the Love you ask? Well, have you ever seen a Barcelonian man? A Roman god? And Paris is the City of Love (and Light). I am sure that my healthy lust for food would not fail to attract either a Spaniard, Italian, or Frenchman. That is the easy part…

More from Liz Gilbert

The author of Eat Pray Love has written a few other books you might want to look into. For non-fiction, there is Big Magic, The Last American Man, and Committed, And she has some wonderful novels as well: City of Girls, The Signature of All Things, Stern Men, and Pilgrims.

Did Eat Pray Love teach you something about life? Did you watch the movie Eat Pray Love or read the Eat Pray Love book? What would your version of Eat Pray Love be? What would your version of “Eat” be? Have any favorite Eat Pray Love quotes?

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So without further ado, here are 14 things that blogging for 14 years has taught me!

1. Consistently is important

In blogging and life showing up is essential. After 30 years in my corporate career in marketing, I am at a place where I am respected for my experience and the knowledge which I built and collected by being consistent. Showing up day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year is what matters.

It is the same for blogging. In 14 years, there have been very few weeks when I didn't publish a post. I started my monthly “Currently” post in 2014 and have only missed 5 months!

It takes time to build up a collection of articles, life experiences, and a community of readers. Blogging takes effort, patience, and consistency to grow. The same is true for other areas of my life. I've built up healthy habits, established routines, and created a life that I love. You have to show up day after day and do the work, and eventually, you will get there.

2. Define Your Own Success

I love the saying, “you do you” and I think more people need to understand they don't need permission from anyone else to do anything. (Legally, I mean!) Don’t try to compete with every other person (or blogger) out there. Create the version of your life, or your blog, that you want.

You can decide for yourself what success looks like and you don't need anyone's validation to achieve it. Growth is never about one thing.

For me, blogging success has always been defined by the impact I make on my readers' lives – whether that is helping them plan their travels, feel less alone in their struggles, or simply providing a laugh when they need it. It's not about page views, social media followers, or sponsorships. It's about the connections I make and the people I help.

Find your niche and serve your audience. You can make a full-time income from blogging, but it takes time, focus, and dedication to build up a large enough audience to sustain that level of income.

3. I can’t do everything and I don’t want to

It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to not do things. It’s okay to not be everything to everyone. You don't have to attend every event or take on every opportunity that comes your way.

In blogging and in life, you need to focus on what is important to you and what you want to achieve. If something doesn't fit into that, then it's okay to say no. Blogging has taught me to focus on what I want and to be more selective with my time.

Blogging has taught me to focus on the journey and enjoy the process. It's not about getting to some arbitrary finish line, it's about enjoying the ride. Every decision we make takes us down a different path (full of twists and turns) and there is no way to know where that path will lead to where you thought it would, so be thoughtful.

The blogging landscape has changed a lot in 14 years and there are a million different ways to “grow your blog.” You need to be strategic with your time and focus on the methods that will work best for you and your goals. There are only so many hours in the day and you need to use them wisely.

4. People build relationships with the blogs they read

Blogging is not just about writing articles, it's also about building relationships. Your readers will get to know you and your blogging style over time and they will either continue reading or they won't. You need to be authentic and true to yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. Be vulnerable. Share your struggles and your successes. Be relatable. Be real.

People are looking for connection and relatability more than ever before. If you can provide that, you will build a loyal following.

BUT, you can’t please everyone! No matter what you do, there will always be someone who doesn't like it. And that's okay! You're not going to be everyone's cup of tea and that's perfectly fine.

Blogging has taught me to focus on my audience and the people I want to reach. Not everyone is going to like what I have to say, but that's okay.

5. Done is better than perfect

I have heard this a lot from friends over the last couple of years. And it is something that I struggle with! I sit on blog posts until I perfect them. But sometimes you have to let your children (in this case, my article) fly.

With the current blogging landscape and the focus on SEO, it is less about the post you put out that day and more about perfecting it over time. Just get it out there and add to it if you like. Update it for sure, especially in the travel space and you want to serve your readers with accurate up-to-date information.

Now on the life side, it all depends on your work environment. Sometimes what you put out has to be perfect, other times, getting something out for people to respond to will work is more important. I will say I have observed decision paralysis (or analysis paralysis) and it ain't pretty!

6. Choose to be Positive (and Happy)

I have written extensively about choosing happiness and choosing to be positive goes hand-in-hand with that approach to life. It's not always easy and some days are definitely harder than others, but I have found that by making the choice to be positive, happy, and grateful, my life is so much better.

Life is too short to focus on the negativity. By always staying positive when I blog (and sharing my experiences with others), I hope I have been able to help others do the same.

It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to change your mind. And it's okay to be yourself.

7. Work-Life / Blog-Life Balance

Working harder is not the answer. Sometimes you just need to work smarter. Or take a look back at lesson #3, it is just not possible to do everything. I have been blogging for 14 years and I have seen a lot of changes in the blogging landscape, but one thing has remained constant: my blog is a part of my life, but it is not my whole life.

I have not always maintained a healthy work-life balance, which is why Mr. Misadventures and I pulled the plug and took an 18-month sabbatical. We left the rat race, sold everything and bought an RV, and traveled where the wind (and national parks) took us.

Since then (I returned back to my corporate career in 2017), I have always made sure to keep a healthy work-life balance and I think that has been one of the keys to my success. And it is something I maintain in all areas of my life.

When I am blogging, I am focused on blogging. But when I am not blogging, I am not thinking about blogging. I make sure to unplug and disconnect from the internet. I make sure to live my life and enjoy the moment. And that is something I would encourage everyone to do, whether you are a blogger or not.

8. Taking a vacation is important

Believe it or not, when you are a travel blogger, every trip turns into work. An opportunity for “content.” What that means is that you never “turn it off.” I purposely choose trips that are for me. For my enjoyment without the underlying purpose of documenting what I do.

Do I write about someplace I went on vacation? Sure. But it is something that I was inspired to write because I felt the need. And it is after the fact. While I am on vacation, I am “present” for my vacation.

I see colleagues where I work struggle with this. They answer emails or call into meetings while on vacation. They feel obligated to. But I know from 30 years of doing this, that the work will still be there when you return from vacation. If you give in, they will always ask for more!

So take that PTO, that me day, that vacation, and enjoy!

9. Have Passion

Do what you love and opportunities will come.

When I started blogging, I was bored with my job and needed a creative outlet. The blog was a way for me to document my travels. I had no idea that it would turn into what it has today. Along the way, opportunities have come because I am passionate about what I do. I have never been “big” but I have had plenty of opportunities because of my passion.

The same goes for life. Passion is also a great motivator. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning and why I love my job. If you don't have passion for what you do, it will be difficult to find the motivation to succeed.

10. Deliver on your promises

I have seen so many bloggers half-ass it. I have seen them miss deadlines and deliverables and it makes me cringe. When a brand or location gets burnt by a blogger who wasn't professional, it is not good for the rest of us! I have been lucky in my career in brand marketing to have an understanding of what a brand wants or needs and I do everything I can to deliver above and beyond.

11. Blogging is never-ending

Blogging is a business, for me, a small business, and that means a lot of work. If it were only hitting the publish button once you have your final article! There is photography, SEO, social media, etc.! Oh, and the fun doesn't end there! You have to deal with website hosting, technical issues, and more that have nothing to do with the writing!

12. Diversify

Continuing on this line of reason, these days it is better not to put all your eggs in one basket. Of course, that expression has existed for a very long time and historically had nothing to do with blogging! In the case of blogging, it means being nimble enough to take advantage of opportunities. Don't rely on one social media platform. Don't rely on one brand for collaborations. Don't stick to one style of posts, think about other ways readers might digest your content.

The same is true for life. Make time for several interests. Learn new skills. Mix it up from time to time so you don't get into a boring routine.

13. Find a tribe

Blogging has been a great way to connect with people. I have made some amazing friends from all over the world because of blogging. And that is something I am grateful for. When I get to meet them in real life, it is very special! Your tribe is likely a small group of similar-minded or similarly-focused people who you trust to bounce ideas off and help each other out.

My tribe has bloggers of different shapes in sizes at all levels of success as there isn't one right way to do this, but there are some best practices and experiences to learn from.

In life, it is important to find your people too. These are the people who understand you and support you. They make you feel good about yourself and help you reach your goals. You don't have to do everything alone.

14. Some people won’t understand you and what you do, and that’s ok

You will still have friends, family members, and colleagues who have no clue what you do as a blogger or how you make money. They will never understand how you can spend so much time on your blog or why you take so many photos. That's ok! You don't need to explain yourself to everyone. Just do you and the people who get it will get it!

15. Time flies

Why 15? I am an over-achiever and I wanted to over-deliver!

It feels like only yesterday that I wrote a blog post celebrating 10 years of blogging, and now it's been 14 years! The blogging world has changed a lot in that time and I have too. What hasn't changed is my passion for writing, for Mr. Misadventure's photography, and for connecting with people.

I am grateful.

When it comes to everyday life, take it one day at a time. Enjoy every moment for what it is. Time simply slips through our fingers and if we do not stop to cherish it, it is gone.

I wanted to take this moment to appreciate everything blogging has brought into my life. I could never have gotten this far in the journey without Mr. Misadventures by my side. His passion for travel and photography makes him the perfect partner for this endeavor and for life!

And of course, to you the reader who may have been here 14 years or maybe 14 days. Thank you for supporting me!

Did I miss anything? What blogging and life lessons have you learned? Let me know in the comments below!

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While a staycation might not always be your first choice of a vacation destination it doesn’t mean that you and your family can’t have an amazing time. There are lots of great activities that you can do while on your staycation!

If you are looking for some staycation things to do, check out my ideas for creating adventure without leaving home, or at least not going too far!

Camping

So you aren’t able to go far this year but what about a few days spent in the great outdoors? If there are some campgrounds within driving distance of your home they can be a great alternative to a hotel and they are fairly inexpensive as well.

Many campgrounds offer fun amenities for the whole family like swimming pools, tennis courts, miniature golf, and arcades in addition to opportunities for hiking, fishing, and exploring.

If you aren’t able to head to the campground, you can still camp out in the backyard or even in the living room if the weather isn’t cooperating. Just set up your tent in the backyard and make a fire in your fire pit, or charcoal grill if you don’t have one. Get some hot dogs, and all the makings for s’mores and have an amazing weekend.

This is one of my favorite things to do, even when we aren't staycationing! I have some lists of cool camping and beach camping gear that you might want to take a look at as well as a simple camping planner that might come in handy!

“Tour” Your Community

Have you ever taken the time to “visit” your hometown? No? Then now is your opportunity! Look on a travel website, find local bloggers (or hit type in your town in MY search bar!), check out hashtags for your town or city and Instagrammers on Instagram, and see what there is to do in your hometown!

Chances are, you will find museums, parks, activities, and restaurants that you didn’t even know were there. You don’t have to be from a big city to find interesting things to do close to home.

Stay at a Hotel or Airbnb for a Night

A change of scenery can do everyone some good, and even if you can’t go for a week-long vacation out of town it doesn’t mean that you can’t get out of the house for a night or two.

Try to pick a location with a pool or access to a lake or river so that it “feels” more like a vacation. If you can, book this stay during the middle of the week so that the nightly cost will be less than it would be during the weekends.

Visit a State Park or National Park

Is there a state or national park within driving distance of your home? If so, you might consider taking a day or even a couple of days trip to check it out. If you would like to stay for the night chances are they have some campgrounds available.

Even if you are only able to go for a day trip, state and national parks offer all kinds of fun things to do and see. You might be able to spend the day swimming, hiking, biking, boating, visiting a nature conservatory, seeing a museum or local historical landmark, and just learning more about a park near you.

If you are heading to a national park, make sure you get a pass and check out these national park-themed souvenirs including a trip planner and journals.

Geocaching

Do you and your family like scavenger hunts? If so, you might enjoy geocaching together on your staycation. Geocaching is where people all over the world hide treasures or caches and then leave the coordinates for them on the official geocaching app.

There are more than 300 million geocaches around the globe with more being added all of the time, and that means that there are probably some caches near you! All you need to do to participate in the search is the app, and your phone or another GPS-enabled device. Don’t just look for other treasures, make sure to leave some of your own too!

Find a New Playground

When it comes to visiting playgrounds for the kids we often stay close to home, but chances are there are some other awesome playgrounds in your town that are a little further from home. Look up your county website and see what other parks and playgrounds your community has to offer.

Pack up a picnic lunch or some snacks and let the kids enjoy a new playground and maybe even make some new friends!

Berry Picking

Looking for a fun way to spend a few hours? Head to a local farm and go berry picking. Generally, you are offered a discounted price on the fruit if you pick it yourself. The types of fruit available to pick will vary from season to season, but during the fall there are apples and pears that you can pick.

During the summer you can pick strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and peaches (like for us right now in North Carolina!). Once you get home with your freshly picked fruit you can wash it and freeze it for later use, share it with friends and neighbors, make jam or jelly, or use it to make baked goods.

Visit a Sunflower or Lavender Fields

July and August are the prime times for sunflower and lavender fields. Depending on the farm or field there could be mazes, education tours, you-pick harvesting, and food and beauty products for sale. It is a great location for a photoshoot too!

Make sure to bring your own gardening sheers (most places don't offer them). Make sure everyone has plenty of sunscreen as well!

Here is a list of sunflower fields in and around Raleigh and 5 unique lavender fields in the United States.

Have a Spa Day

Have a spa day and pamper yourselves all day long. You can go to a local spa and schedule a day of treatments or you can set up a spa at home. You can find recipes for face masks, body scrubs, and massage oils online if you don’t already have those items on hand, and you probably have everything you need for manicures and pedicures already!

Make sure that you pick up a few special snacks for the day and enjoy a day of relaxation at home.

Family Movie Night

You don’t have to head to the theater with their exorbitant ticket and snack prices to enjoy a family movie night. Look and see if your community offers a movie under the stars event, and if so go with your family. Many communities offer these types of events for free several times throughout the summer.

If there isn’t an upcoming movie under the stars type of event near you, just set up your own movie night at home. Pick a couple of movies the whole family will enjoy, grab some snacks from the store, or let the kids help you make a few special treats and you will be all set!

Game Night

Organize a family game night for one evening of your staycation. Pull out your family’s favorite board and card games for a night of family fun. Bored with your board games? Then create some of your own games like balloon table tennis with paper plate paddles, or bowling with a ball and empty two-liter bottles.

The possibilities and the laughs are endless! You could even let each family member pick and or create one game for the family to play together. Pick up some snacks the whole family will enjoy and spend the night at home with your family.

Backyard Splash Park

Get some water balloons, spray bottles, sprinklers, squirt guns, and spray bottles, and turn your backyard into a water park! You can pick up all of these items at your local big-box store, or dollar store fairly inexpensively and the whole family will have a blast!

Look online for water games that you can all play, have a squirt gun war, and a water balloon fight. The memories from an afternoon like this one, especially if mom and dad play too, will last a lifetime.

Art Day

Do you or your kids love getting creative and making things? If so, your staycation offers the perfect opportunity to have an art day. Pull out your arts and crafts supplies, pick up a few extras or something new, and spend the day as a family getting creative.

I also love the kits where you get everything you need to create a project in a single box. One of my favorites is Craft-Ease, which offers Paint by Numbers and Diamond painting kits.

Once your art day is complete you will have new art pieces that you can place around your home to remember your staycation!

Puzzle Party

Puzzles are not just fun to do, they're good for your brain! Puzzles can help kids learn new skills and improve their intelligence. For adults, puzzles are a fun way to exercise your brain. They improve short-term memory and problem-solving skills, visual-spacial reasoning, increase IQ, delay dementia and Alzheimer’s, lower stress levels and improve your mood! That's a lot for a little box of pieces!

There are so many types of puzzles, everyone can get their own and enjoy or team up and do it together. I love Paris-themed puzzles and am currently working on several!

My current favorites come from Jiggy (some of them are HARD!), Anthropologie, and C'est La Tee.

Put Your Crime-Solving Skills to the Test

Are you a true-crime fan? Love a good murder mystery film or book? Deputize yourself as a detective and well, Be The Detective! If you get the monthly subscription, each month a package of evidence is mailed to your door from a detective on the case. It is up to you to spot the liars, unravel the riddles and crack the case.

If you just want to buy a single month, you can do that as well! The boxes are perfect for date nights, family game nights, and you guessed it, a staycation!

Family Meal

Oftentimes, a big part of vacation is the meals that you get to share. A staycation doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on great food at all, in fact, quite the opposite.

Let each family member pick out a favorite dish and work together in the kitchen to prepare them all. Or, attend a virtual cooking class and learn to make a dish or meal from a cuisine you've always wanted to try.

Once everything is prepared, sit down at the table as a family and share an amazing meal together.

Order Takeout

No one should have to cook for every meal of their staycation, so treat the family one night and order take out or pick up an order from your family’s favorite restaurant. Find a movie or TV show the family will enjoy and watch it while you enjoy a delicious meal that you didn’t have to cook or clean up from!

Dessert Bar

Who says you have to leave home for some amazing desserts? Set up a dessert bar for the family to enjoy. You can make ice cream sundaes, or have everyone decorate their own cupcakes or cookies, or you can make all of them…you ARE on vacation after all!

A few flavors of ice cream and frosting, flavored syrups, chocolate chips, sprinkles, candies, and some whipped cream and you are all set. If your kids are younger, you may want to do this in the afternoon and have some physical activities planned for afterward to help avoid a grumpy sugar crash.

Do Nothing Day

Every vacation should include a do-nothing day, but especially a staycation. So what do you do on a do-nothing day? You guessed it, nothing! Stay in your pj’s and lounge around the house doing whatever it is that you like best.

Read books, play video games, take a nap, watch tv…whatever you like, but no leaving the house and no cleaning or chores. Pick something easy to make for dinner or use your do-nothing day as a perfect opportunity to have dinner delivered and enjoy your day of doing nothing.

Volunteer

Consider taking some of your time together to volunteer in your local community. There are lots of ways for you and your family to help your community out. You can volunteer at the animal shelter by playing with animals, participating in a stream or park clean-up, helping to cook at a local shelter, or sorting through donations at the local food pantry.

If you look around there are lots of ways to give back to your community with a little bit of your and your family’s time.

Staying close to home in no way means that there will be less fun, laughter, or memories on your vacation. In fact, by staying close to home you may find things to do that your family will enjoy going to or participating in regularly.

How about you? What are some of your favorite family staycation ideas? Do share!

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This is known as living an eco-friendly, eco-conscious, or environmentally friendly lifestyle. Sure, nobody is going to be perfect, but any small change can have a huge impact. There are countless places to start out, but here are a few suggestions that can help you to get the ball rolling if this is something you’re looking to achieve.

Recycle

Recycling is perhaps one of the easiest changes you can make to your day-to-day routine. All you have to do is separate your waste and place it in the right recycling bins rather than placing everything in a bin that is heading to a landfill. Most cities or towns will collect waste and recycle it on your behalf. Common categories tend to include paper, metal, glass, and food waste.

If you don't have recycling trucks that come to you, there are recycling places that you can go to. Recycling centers will take what recycling trucks won't. It is just a matter of getting organized, sorting your products, and making a trip on a regular basis.

Make sure you are e-cycling all your electronics and devices as well! Last year when I was helping my Mom get her house organized after my father passed away, we did several trips to different recycling centers and I always felt good driving away knowing that we took the time to get the items to the right place!

Eco-Friendly Home Design

There are a number of changes you can make to your home that will make it more eco-friendly. Looking into sustainable interior design can give you all sorts of ideas that will help to create a more eco-friendly space to live in.

Getting in touch with nature via your home reinforces the harmony and balance that exists within our natural world. Being one with the world has so many different meanings, but how and what you choose to surround yourself with in your own home matters.

You can opt for furniture and accessories crafted from sustainable materials that are reducing issues such as deforestation. You can visit thrift stores and flea markets and “adopt” gently used materials. Use ordinary everyday items for decoration. I bought color-coordinated used books for the top of my fireplace!

Switch Energy Providers

We all need energy to survive. But have you considered where your energy comes from? Most of us choose rates based on sticking with the provider that we’ve always been with or looking for the lowest cost option on the market. Instead, start looking into green energy providers who will provide you with renewable energy.

You may think you only have one choice, but if you dig around you will see that this isn't always the case!

Solar Panels

If you live somewhere with exposure to the sun, you could even try generating your own energy. Solar panels can easily be fitted to your roof or land where the sun hits. This will allow you to generate your own green energy, which is much more sustainable than many traditional options people choose. If you generate too much, you can even sell your excess energy back to the national grid for profit!

We had solar in our old house in Berkeley and we investigated adding solar to our RV when we were on the road and when we were living in Phoenix. Sometimes it isn't feasible based on your exposure. It also requires an initial investment, but the payoff can be great!

Reduce Plastic Usage

Plastics are destroying the planet and its wildlife. Reducing plastic usage is extremely important, as many plastics can’t be recycled and are simply building up, filling our environment and atmosphere with waste and microplastics.

There are often many alternatives to plastic use, such as choosing products with more eco-friendly packaging and using reusable tote bags rather than single-use plastic bags. Here are some of my favorites.

• I have several and love these ones from Rock Flower Paper.
• I like these colorful 24-7 reusable bags from Earth Easy.
• I have shared products from NC-based Feminist Goods on the Madewell site before. Lauren Harbury has some adorable market bags, my favorite is the Strawberry Market Tote Bag. The June's market bag from Madewell is good as well.

You can even opt for things like bamboo toothbrushes as opposed to plastic toothbrushes. I have shared my love for Stasher bags or SmellyProof to replace Ziploc as well. Small changes make a big difference and can significantly reduce your waste! And I have a whole post about eco-friendly beauty products.

These are just a few ideas to get your journey to a more eco-friendly lifestyle started out in the right direction. Hopefully, some will be easy to implement into your day-to-day routine.

How about you? Do you have other ideas to help get someone started with an eco-friendly lifestyle? Do share!

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Here are 10 ways that you can grow as a person. This isn’t the end all be all though, there’s always plenty more opportunities for learning!

Travel More

Travel is one part of life that should be encouraged. Exploring the world, meeting new people, and discovering new cultures is something that gives you more life experience and an opportunity to reflect on your own upbringing and the environment that you live in and allow you to compare it to others.

When it comes to traveling, the world is your oyster, and there’s so much to see and do out there. So it’s certainly recommended to travel as much as possible throughout your life and use as many opportunities as possible to get yourself somewhere new.

You may have friends or family that have moved abroad, so drop them a message and invite yourself to stay. Find ways to save money so that you can make a few trips away each year. They don’t need to be week-long holidays, long weekends will work just as well for city breaks, and then for the more long-haul destinations, try finding last-minute deals and save your PTO from working up as much as you can.

It’s never too late to go traveling. Although there may be times when travel will become limited due to other life events, that shouldn’t stop you from getting around to it eventually.

Get Comfortable With Your Own Company

It’s easier said than done when it comes to being confident and comfortable with yourself. For some people, the thought of spending time alone with their own thoughts and feelings can be difficult. It’s tough to admit, but the sooner you’re able to do this, the better. The saying “You can’t love someone else if you don’t love yourself” is certainly true.

If you can’t appreciate your own company, then it’s going to be difficult to do the same for others. Understanding that you’re good enough on your own without having to rely on others is something that will certainly help you grow as an individual.

Ways that you can get comfortable with your own company is to spend some time alone in a coffee shop, take yourself out for a meal, or have a night in to pamper yourself on your own. These are all great examples of how to experience some alone time!

Never Stop Learning

Many of us will have gotten some form of education from a young age. Others will have gone on to get college degrees, and a few may seek to study further education with a master's or even a Ph.D. Thanks to technology and the online world, higher education has become a lot easier and more accessible for many people wishing to gain more qualifications but may not always be able to attend a university or college to do so.

Degrees such as masters of school counseling are now available online, a career that could bring new opportunities to help others and help you grow as a person.

It’s important that even after the typical high school education we receive, and whatever qualifications we earn afterward, we still try to educate ourselves. There’s always an opportunity to learn from life and as you age, it’s important to keep challenging your brain so that you can stay healthy and live a long life too.

Forgive Those Who’s Hurt You

Forgiveness is certainly hard to do sometimes. Whether it’s yourself that’s caused pain, or whether someone has hurt you, it’s definitely going to do you good to forgive and forget. If you don’t allow that forgiveness then you are holding yourself back from moving forward.

When someone has done something to intentionally hurt you, it’s even more difficult to forgive. Look for the times in life when you’ve not forgiven yourself or people who have hurt you in the past and find a way to forgive them. It doesn’t mean you have to re-connect but it’s just something you need to tell yourself that you’ve accepted that fault of others and that you can move on.

Learn From Others By Listening

As well as focusing on yourself and giving your own opinions, it’s beneficial to learn from others by listening to their opinions on life and various topics. We can learn through books, and what we see and read online but having social connections where you listen and interact with people in person is something that will always be needed in order to grow as individuals.

Set Yourself Life And Work Goals

Goal setting is great to do for both your life and work. Without goals, it can often feel like life isn’t moving forward, and it can often feel a little stale. So whether it’s something in your life that you want to achieve or something for work, set a goal. When it comes to working, it might be wanting to get promoted, earn a raise, or do a number of projects throughout the year.

For life, it could be saving a certain amount of money, going abroad a specific number of times, or planning for your first property or family. We all have aspirations in life, and by completing these goals, you’ll feel like you’ve gained and achieved more in the year than you would if you didn’t keep track of all the things you did.

Put Your Happiness First

Your happiness should always come first. We tend to put others before ourselves, and sometimes that can be necessary. However, when it’s at the expense of your own happiness, that’s when it’s not right. Life is too short to be unhappy, and there are already a lot of things in life that can come along that can contribute to a lack of happiness. So it’s important that you make your happiness a priority, and that you do things that make you happy each day.

Work On Something You’re Bad At

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It’s imperative that you lean on your strengths where necessary, but without building on your weaknesses, there may come several points in your life that you can’t overcome because you haven’t worked on them.

Write down your weaknesses and look at which ones are maybe holding you back from things in both your work life and general life. Find one to focus on and work on it until you’ve improved it. There’s something very rewarding in being successful in something that you once struggled with.

Make New Friends

As we get older, we go through the process of losing friends and making new ones. But making new friends can be a lot more difficult, even though we’ve probably figured out who we are ourselves more over the years. Making new friends though is certainly something that helps you grow as an individual because each person that comes into your life is someone who can help contribute to your experiences in life.

That might be a colleague at work who helps you with a project idea or a friend you meet who ends up becoming someone you share new adventures with.

Get yourself out and about with your current friends, and it’s likely that those friends are going to share the same personalities with their other friendship groups. This is the easiest way of meeting other people, but there are also other opportunities to meet people. It could be your local fitness group or drinks at work with colleagues.

Be Open To Change

One thing that we all come to realize in life is that things change. And it’s really important to be open to that change in order to stop living in the past. Change will always happen, whether you want it to or not. It might be a good change, but it also might be bad. When we’re open to change, we allow ourselves the ability to open our eyes to something we may have not experienced before. It gives you the self-confidence you need in life and also the ability to function, whatever happens.

Growing is certainly encouraged because you’ll need it in order to move forward with your life and to ensure it’s the way you want it to be. So get comfortable with your own company and forgive those who’ve hurt you in the past. Don’t be afraid of change and always be willing to make new friends to build on your life experience.

How about you? What else do you think contributes to personal growth?

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It doesn’t matter if you are a full-time or part-time blogger, it’s critically important to have a LinkedIn profile. As the industry continues to mature, blogging (and being an influencer) has become a recognized profession.

By having a presence on LinkedIn, you are treating your blog and your brand as a business. And you will have greater visibility and more opportunities. I’ve worked in social media professionally for close to a decade. I’ve trained over 1200 employees at companies that I have worked to effectively use LinkedIn.

I recently realized that there are quite a few bloggers out there who are either not on the platform at all or haven’t optimized their profile and my mission is to educate as many bloggers as I can on what they are missing out on!

Before I get into the tips and tricks for setting up a proper LinkedIn presence, I wanted to share some reasons why you should have a profile in the first place.

The Top 5 Reasons for Having a LinkedIn Profile

Visibility

Sure recruiters and employers are on LinkedIn, but do you know who else is? Brands. Specifically the PR folks from those brands and/or their agencies. They are always looking for bloggers to work with. The people hiring bloggers are on LinkedIn. You should be too.

Trust

There is a legitimacy that comes from having a LinkedIn profile. It’s validation that you are on the top of your game and know how to act professionally.

Google Loves LinkedIn

If someone Googles your name and you have a LinkedIn profile, it is generally going to show up in the first 5 search results. (That’s really great for pushing down results that you may not necessarily want others to see!)

Also, it feeds into that trust thing, having a LinkedIn search result makes you more credible.

Expertise

Having a LinkedIn profile that communicates the work you do shows your expertise. It demonstrates your proficiency and subject matter savviness. When we get to advanced techniques, I’ll share how you can show your prowess even more. All this is part of building your personal brand.

Networking

Holy heck are bloggers good at networking! Social media is in the blood and LinkedIn is just another social media platform. (Although there are some characteristics of the platform that you will want to be wary of, and I’ll explain them.) Take those same mingling skills and build a network of people to tap into.

What to do Before you Start Editing your LinkedIn Profile

Now that I’ve shared a few reasons why you should have a LinkedIn profile, I’m going to tell you how to create a killer profile page. The first thing you should be aware of BEFORE making any profile edits is that you should turn off Broadcasting. You don’t want to fool around with your profile with your Broadcasting turned on.

Otherwise, your network will be spammed with messages like: “Andi Fisher changed her headline.” “Andi Fisher updated her employment.” “Andi Fisher uploaded a photo.” “Andi Fisher no longer has a network because everyone got tired of her broadcast spam.” Right?!

To turn off broadcasting, please do the following:

1. In the top navigation bar, click on the “Me.” A drop-down menu will appear.
2. Under “ACCOUNT”, click on “Settings & Privacy.”
3. Once you get to that page, click on “Visibility” 3rd down in the menu on the left.
4. Find “Visibility of your LinkedIn activity”
5. Click on the arrow next to “Share profile updates with your network”
6. Make sure it is set to “Off” while you are making updates.

Once you are done editing your profile, consider changing this privacy setting back to “On”. That way, when you have a new update or milestone, your network will be notified about it!

Create a Killer LinkedIn Profile

Main Intro Box

The first thing we are going to focus on is the most important part of your profile page, the intro box. It contains your image, your headline, a background image, and your contact information.

Your Image

Upload a good picture of yourself, maybe something that you use on other social media networks. It should be somewhat professional, meaning not a shot from a wedding or group night out that you got dressed up for, but rather a nice sharp headshot.

You can take one with your cell phone. Try to find natural light, simple background, and make sure you smile.

Your Headline

By default, LinkedIn will populate the headline with the title from your most recent job. People who leave the default title are missing out on search exposure. Your headline is what shows up in LinkedIn search results. Using keywords in your headline will communicate so much more than a title.

Do some brainstorming as well as searches on LinkedIn to find keywords that describe you. Here is mine: Customer Advocacy | Influencer Marketing | Program Manager | Content Creator. I change them often depending on what I think other people might be searching for.

Background Image

Just like Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to customize your header or background image. This is your opportunity to include your branding or something about your blog. In my header, I have a photo of me working on my laptop on my blog.

I created the image for free in Canva and uploaded into to LinkedIn. If I had magical PhotoShop skills I would update the photo of my blog on the laptop screen because the design of my blog has changed, but not enough that I don't like the photo!

A couple of things to note: it should be simple, if it is too busy it will distract the visitor from the important information on the page and most of the image will be blocked by your actual profile.

So if you have something important that you really want to communicate, you need to ensure it is in the space either to the right or left of the background image. Adding a background image isn’t totally necessary; the default image from LinkedIn is a nice blue. It’s just a nice-to-have.

Contact Information

The intro box is also where you add the information on how people can best get ahold of you. You can add your Twitter handle, email address, and blog URL (If you have multiple sites or another online presence like an About.me page, then take a moment to add them.).

This is a great opportunity to put your blog information in front of a PR person or interested party before they've even requested any additional information like a media kit. Remember, make contacting you easy and convenient.

About

This is your elevator pitch. Your 30-second window to tell people at a high level why they should be interested in you. If you can do that in 2-3 sentences, great – that’s what people will first see when they land on your profile. If you have more to say, that’s good too, but try to capture their attention in the first couple of sentences.

Experience Box

Now onto your professional experience, listed in the Experience Box. If you have a full-time job that is not blogging you are likely to already have listings here. If you don’t, add them! This is the area where you should add your blog.

Add a new entry and include your title (Blogger or whatever title you use), your blog name, a brief description of your blog, and how long it’s been in existence. If you have a media kit or link to a portfolio, add it here as well.

There is a lot of additional information that you can add to your LinkedIn profile (education, clubs, certifications, etc.) and you should populate your profile as completely as possible, but the sections that I have described above are the absolute minimum.

How to Create Your Custom LinkedIn URL

When you create a LinkedIn profile, you’re assigned a profile number that shows up in your profile URL. It isn’t pretty. To fix it, from your Profile page, look on the right-hand side for a link that says “Edit public profile & URL.” Once you are on the Public Profile page, look to the far right where it says “Edit your custom URL.”

If your name is common you may have to play around with adding your middle initial or dashes, but you should get to something that looks a lot cleaner than https://www.linkedin.com/in/name-name-59433312b/. Do not put your blog name, you need to be a person on LinkedIn.

Making Connections

Viola! You should feel really good about having a solid LinkedIn profile. But there are a couple of more things you can do to make it really killer. These are a little more advanced, but not difficult to do. Before I give you the final three things you can do to put your profile over the top, I want to say one word about connecting.

If a PR person reaches out to you to work on a project via your blog, another social media channel, or email and you end up working with them, you should connect with them on LinkedIn. You will start building an incredible network of PR people who have personal experience with you.

Other PR professionals will see that you are connected with their peers and colleagues and it is a great bump for you if someone is considering working with you even though they have no experience with you. They see that you are connected with others in the industry and you look like a pro!

3 Advanced Techniques for Increasing Your Visibility and Credibility

All 3 of these techniques will create social proof and make your profile stand out.

1. Endorsements

Endorsements are a list of skills you master that people have endorsed you for. People can suggest a skill and give you an endorsement for that skill, or you can add a skill yourself and people can endorse you for it. It’s basically a +1 or a Like in agreement that you master that discipline.

The list allows potential employers, recruiters, and PR professionals to see what your expertise areas with the added value that other people have agreed as well.

2. Testimonials

These take more effort on the part of people. Testimonials are written statements about how great you are. If you work with a brand on a project and it is an overwhelming success, consider reaching out to the brand once the project is over and asking for a testimonial.

If you work as a VA, ask a few of your clients to offer a testimonial on your work. Same if you do graphical design for bloggers, etc.

3. Newsfeed

Share content that you curate or write to your newsfeed. Part status updates part social media post when you share content you are top of mind. Word of caution: this is a professional network, so you should really only share content in that realm. Blogging how-to’s, networking tips, small business experiences, and other publishers’ content about these topics are all good things to share.

With these three techniques, plus a killer profile, you will go a LONG way to creating a professional, branded LinkedIn presence that will help you to connect with others. It will bring you greater visibility for influencer projects and freelance work and you will build a working network of individuals who can give you a leg up when needed.

You can see all these things in my own LinkedIn profile, I welcome you to check it out and connect! I also help bloggers out with their own LinkedIn profiles.

How about you? Any LinkedIn questions I can answer for you?

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The character of Scarlett O’Hara within the Gone With the Wind book and movie is a product of a time that depicts ethnic and racial prejudices that were wrong then and are wrong today, I decided to keep this post up without noting this denouncement would be irresponsible. If we are to create an antiracist future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history, including personas like Scarlett O’Hara.

Many women, particularly feminists, would question my admiration for Scarlett O'Hara. She was selfish, manipulative and petty among other things, but she was also a rebel, determined and loyal (at least to those things she felt deserved her loyalty). She did not accept the conformities of society and did what she damn well pleased. She was direct and not afraid to express her opinion even though it would probably get her in trouble. She was passionate about what was important to her without ever experiencing physical passion until she met her match, Rhett Butler. There is a lot to be said of Scarlett and there were definitely life lessons that Scarlett O'Hara imparted on me:

Your dream guy may not be the right guy.

Scarlett never really loved Ashley (something she eventually admitted to herself), yet she pursued him relentlessly at the expense of experiencing real love with a guy who “got” her. How many years did Scarlett and Rhett lose with her mindless pursuit of the wrong guy? The guy (or gal) that you think you are meant to be with may, in fact, be the worst possible partner for you in the grand scheme of things. When it comes to love, many people are so busy listening to their hearts, they forget to listen to their gut. Your gut, your intuition, that little nagging voice inside, is your best friend in the whole world, and if you learn to listen to it you will be far happier and spared from a lot of bad relationships and worse situations.

Don't screw your friends.

Scarlett did not have many friends, probably for good reason, but the one friend she did have was Melanie. It was actually Melanie who was the bigger friend for putting up with all of Scarlett's antics, including trying to steal her husband. Scarlett's behavior definitely taught me how uncool it is to screw your friends, something I can say with confidence I have yet to do. And although I don't have a huge collection of friends, I prefer quality over quantity, I know that I can count on each and every one of them in good times and bad. An important asset in life. One that you should not risk.

Even deeply flawed women deserve happiness.

Scarlett never made excuses for who she was. She ignored social norms, manipulated everything that crossed her path, hurt a lot of people, but she is just a woman in search of love and a roof over her head. Everyone deserves love and affection. There is always some good you can find in people. Sometimes it is just a matter of not having met the right partner in life, the one that looks you in the eye and tells you, you are ok.

Things are not always what they seem.

Gorgeous green velvet dress? Or the living room curtains? Don't judge by appearances. Don't judge period. The other lesson from those curtains: use what you got, be creative, be innovative. Be bold.

Fiddle-dee-dee.

Or as I translate the mantra, “it is what it is.” When faced with a situation or conversation she was not particularly happy with, Scarlett would dismiss it with a “fiddle-dee-dee” as if to say: “I hear you, and since we can't do anything to change that, let's not dwell and let's move on.” There is something in life that you cannot change, so you can bang your head up against the wall until you bleed or you can find a door to walk through and get on with life. Some would say that used that as a tool in order to not deal with difficult situations, I say she was just smart enough to recognize what can and cannot be changed.

Never give up, you can survive anything.

But when faced with obstacles that can be changed, but seemed unachievable, there was no one more determined than Scarlett O'Hara. Through war, bad marriages, near-rape, and starvation, Scarlett always found a way to survive. She had an end goal, Tara, and she never let anyone or anything push her off her path towards securing her Tara. She did what she had to do, she sacrificed, lied, cheated, stole, and whereas, that probably wouldn't fly today, and I am not 100% on board for the whole “end justifies the means” I do admire and appreciate her drive and yes, her positive attitude. If she had withered up in a ball and cried, if she had given up faith, she would have never got what she wanted.

Tomorrow is another day.

And lastly, this. No matter what happens to you, or doesn't happen to you. Tomorrow is another day. Start fresh. Live as if that day is your last. Be nice to people. Be generous. Profit from every action you take, every decision you make. Don't dwell on the past, or too much on the future. Live for the moment and know that each day is a gift.

Well if you got through all that and are left wondering what the hell is she talking about? Read the book, see the movie and soak it in.

Run along now and bring me a mint julep!

Oh wait, before you go, do you have any life lessons learned from a movie?

If you've never read any of the Margaret Mitchell authorized continuations of the story, I highly recommend them! There's Scarlett, the sequel from Alexandra Ripley, Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig which parallels Gone With The Wind, and Ruth's Journey, also from Donald McCaig, which is a prequel. All great reads!

I blogged about the lessons I learned from Star Trek, Julie & Julia, Sex and the City and now Scarlett O'Hara, how about you?

Special thanks to Gulya for allowing me to use her beautiful image of the Scarlett O'Hara doll. An actual picture of Scarlett O'Hara costs $500!

Illustrations commissioned from Linden Eller.

For a visual summary of this post, check out my Scarlett O'Hara web story!

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I am a little too young to have enjoyed the original Star Trek on TV. I have seen all the movies and enjoyed them immensely. So for me, I am definitely more of a Next Generation (TNG) fan; I watched the TV series religiously.

After TNG ended, life changed and I moved on to other things. Some things about the show, and Star Trek in general, stuck with me. And as I think back on it, I wanted to share 5 things that Star Trek taught me about myself (and about life).

I like older men, particularly if they have a French name. Riker-schmiker, Jean-Luc was the man! From the moment I started watching TNG I was charmed by Captain Picard. Of French origin, but somehow with a British accent (huh?), Jean-Luc was worldly and sophisticated, calm and cool, subtle and smooth. I had always been a sucker for older men, but this confirmed that my preference was European as well.

Co-workers can be like your family from time to time and like family, they can sometimes drive you crazy. When I started my professional career, I dove in completely. I had no work-life balance. My co-workers at work were also my friends and it was impossible to separate the two. There are a lot of positives that come with having that kind of relationship, but there are also many negatives.

You sometimes forget your boss is the boss and not a friend. Love affairs that go wrong can make future work interactions tricky. Sometimes you need an escape from your “crew.” As I moved along in my career, I realized that the separation of work and the rest of your life is important, and I learned to maintain different relationships with co-workers that were healthier and more productive. I never forget who the captain is and I always have an escape pod!

There is always a way. The Star Trek crew, no matter original, TNG, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, or Voyager never gave up or gave in. They sometimes came close, but in the end, they always found a way to not get blown up. So when you think the situation is impossible and there are no outs, think twice. There is always an alternative.

Call your Geordi when you need an engineering mine, your Data when you need an impartial opinion, or your Warf if you need someone to kick some ass, but more likely than not, there is someone in your crew who can help you get out of any tough situations.

Being open-minded about other cultures is critical to the success of our galaxy. Having grown up a military brat, I pretty much followed this edict religiously. I believe we must embrace our differences and make room for everyone on this planet. Sure there are times when the Romulans or Klingons might need a smackdown or warning, but ultimately open communication and acceptance will get you a lot farther than war, violence, or brute force.

I may not always agree with everyone I encounter, but I certainly respect their freedom to think and be different from me. That is what makes this universe interesting.

My favorite: Resistance is futile. More than 20 years later I STILL use this phrase! Basically, life is short and full of unexpected occurrences. Don't fret over it, don't resist. Go with the flow; make every day count for what it is, and nothing more. You can fight it, or you can use that energy to live life more fully. You decide.

Bonus: Get out there and explore! The world is vast and there is so much to discover. Near or far, I little exploring never hurt anyone!

Live long and prosper.

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To say that my year on the #ExperienceBuick project flew by would be an understatement, that ‘time flies when you're having fun saying exists for a reason! When I decided to join the initiative, I really didn't know what to expect, but what I experienced was a gift.

First and foremost, I met an amazing group of bloggers who I know I will continue to be friends with for many years to come.

Then, the Buick marketing team who made the year happen and led us on our journey, were fantastic to work with and treated us exceptionally well. They were another extension of the Buick brand, one that knows that people's lives are a mosaic of interests, that there isn't just one dimension of pleasure that completes us (although somehow food comes close!).

Therefore our year was not just about Buick the car, but rather the intersection of Buick with its customers and prospects lives.

We may have bookended our year with car shows starting with the announcement of the new Cascada luxury convertible (which I can't wait to test drive in early 2016) and Avenir concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

And finishing with the LA Auto Show with the unveiling of the all-new LaCrosse which introduces the Avenir's design language into the flagship LaCrosse. Plus the return of the tri-color insignia.

But the year was not just about cars.

It was much more than that. Most memorable was my introduction to Detroit, a city I had no interest in or plans to ever visit. Now I am trying to figure out when I can get there again! Detroit is going through an amazing Renaissance just like the Buick brand.

It's not just #ThatsABuick it's also #YesDetroit!

Then there was food! Despite the #Experience Buick bloggers being from a variety of niches and geographical locations, food was a common bond that united us all. And the cuisine is an essential pillar of Buick's brand which was demonstrated by their sponsorship of the New York City Wine and Food Festival.

Their own designers are inspired by cuisine with colors like toasted coconut!

Another area where Buick expressed their commitment to excellence and where they demonstrate their understanding of their audience is in their efforts to support NCAA sports and I still pinch myself when I think about my weekend in Indy for the NCAA basketball finals.

I found friends, fine food, and very unexpectedly a reminder of my own pursuit of happiness. The 24-hour of Happiness event to announce Buick's new 24-hour test drive program was the impetus to recommit to happiness and the ultimate ability for Mr. Misadventures and I too very quickly decide we wanted some freedom and a little more adventure.

I want to thank Buick for inviting me to #ExperienceBuick.

Because I certainly did.

Buick is a brand founded on its sedans. There are three bars in its emblem which represent the three sedans that were available when Buick launched its brand.

Of course, now they have added two great crossovers to the line-up the Encore (which I test drove in July) and the Enclave which I rode in many times for our Buick events. But at its core are really great sedans.

Last week we met for a final time in Los Angeles for the LA Auto show and with our press passes, I was able to see the new La Crosse (plus the gorgeous Cascada again) before the show was open to the public. I am really excited because when I get back to Phoenix I'm going to drive one for a few days.

It may not be the new one, but it won't matter as the LaCrosse is the premier sedan in the Buicks line-up so I know it's going to be luxurious (it will be a nice break from the Jeep I have been driving around in as the hubby and I prep for our trip!).

The trip to LA would not be complete without copious amounts of food including an encore trip to Sugarfish, where I once again enjoyed some of the best sushi I've had in my life, and a little trip to Blu Jam on Melrose for brunch where I might have ordered two breakfasts…

Buick has definitely changed my opinion about their brand, their cars, and their city and I encourage you to explore their line the next time you are considering a vehicle purchase.

Thank you Buick for inviting me to the LA Auto Show and for sponsoring my trip to Los Angeles. Despite the compensation, all opinions – as always, are my own.

How about you? Has my journey to #ExperienceBuick put this American car manufacturer on your radar?

The post A Year to #ExperienceBuick appeared first on Misadventures with Andi.

In the November/December issue (page 22) I am the AFAR Featured Ambassador! I love seeing the name Misadventures with Andi in print!

What gives you a thrill?Save

The post AFAR Featured Ambassador appeared first on Misadventures with Andi.

I can't think of anyone better to start with than Kasia, who exactly one year ago today launched her business in Paris! Happy Anniversary Kasia!

Kasia and I have been blogging friends for quite a while and I was so lucky to meet her in Paris in October of 2010. She has been regularly featured in many Saturday Sixes as well as guest posts here and there. I gave away one of her bags last year during the holidays and knew I wanted to repeat the same and continue to support her business.

Oddly enough I had never interviewed Kasia about her business and I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight Kasia, her business, and her products. She graciously agreed to answer some of my questions:

[MWA]: I know this is your second time around for your bag business, what inspired you the first time around, and how about the second?

[Kasia]: I started designing bags, (beginning with hand-painted collections inspired by my mom's 1970's designs) several years ago while working in advertising, to fulfill myself creatively. It was a side project that kept me inspired and in very little time the bags were selling in NY and LA boutiques as well as in Tokyo, where they were in high demand. (I was even interviewed by the Japanese press!)

All of this, of course, inspired me to continue pursuing my designing but my career became more demanding and I had to put my designing dreams on hold. Until Paris. I was immensely inspired by this fashion capital and finally had the time to devote to my business.

I set to work and through getting to know the city and its people while learning the language and culture, I designed new collections, including the hand-printed Paris Collection. Et voila! I re-launched my business.

[MWA]:  Your collections have two personalities, one that celebrates Paris and one that focuses on nature – what is your thought process there?

[Kasia]: I've always been drawn to minimalism in art and design, and where better to discover this than in nature. Some of the most simple and beautiful design comes from nature's elements, thus my desire was to create bags that represent this purity of beauty.

My Paris collection too is minimalist in design yet appeals to those who love Paris. These bags can equally speak to an individual's personality, stating where they live or which part of Paris they prefer. In addition, the reversibility element creates a playfulness mixed with sophistication.

[MWA]: Paris is no doubt one of THE fashion capitals of the world, did you feel any pressure bringing your business there?

[Kasia]: Staying in line with my design aesthetic and knowing that Parisiens are trendy yet timeless, I knew to keep my bags simple, unique, and elegant.

As for finding success in this fashion capital, it certainly takes time to establish yourself in a city like Paris, but little by little I'm making my way, as I navigate locally with a global view. And always, I try to stay positive.

[MWA]: What do you love most about the creative process?

[Kasia]: When designing new collections, I have an emotional reaction to certain colors and fabrics. I allow this instinctual feeling to dictate. As for my hand-painted bags, it's quite a lengthy process with lots of ideas circling a specific theme.

What I love most is creating the final designs, with ink on canvas, and watching my ideas come to life. Without a doubt a creative high!

[MWA]: How are your bags distributed?

[Kasia}: In addition to selling my handbags via my online shop, they are sold in several multi-brand online shops featuring independent designers, including Swelle Boutique and Not On The High Street in the UK and Parisien Salon and Laure Nell in the US.

I am also selling locally in select Paris boutiques and most recently at my favorite (and most exclusive) Paris department store Le Bon Marché which is a great honor!

Wow! That is fabulous news, congrats Kasia!

Blogging bud, Lindsey of Lost in Cheeseland also did a lovely little write-up on Kasia in her Franco File Friday as well as a Bitch Buzz post, check it out to learn more about this fashion maven! You can also learn more about Kasia from her own blog, Love in the City of Lights.

The post Holiday Highlight: Kasia Dietz Bags appeared first on Misadventures with Andi.

I was quickly hooked. I watched all the seasons multiple times. I think the show is very intelligent, the acting well done, but more than anything I love the historical references and cultural aspect of it. It is a unique peek back into a very interesting time in America.

The show leaves me contemplative and I like that. It is not always a pretty show with pretty people (well there are a lot of pretty people), the people aren't all good and I like that. I was thinking about the show this past weekend and decided to write this post to share the 5 things that Mad Men has taught me about life (thus far).

[1] Always remember to be thankful to the previous generations of women.

It's the struggles of women like Peggy (and many others) that paved the way for me to have the fulfilling corporate career that I have today. I know that. But I didn't realize it really until I started watching this show. The way women were viewed, treated, and pigeon-holed is incredible to watch.

Both at the office AND at home. Every time I watch the show I am grateful, so grateful for everything they went through that has allowed me to be where I am. I know that this is not the case for every woman in the world. A fact I became acutely aware of during a recent meal in which I was completely invisible, it was a sobering experience.

[2] Don't be afraid to be good.

Don Draper is damn good at what he does and is not afraid of that fact. He uses it. He is confident and not shy about his talent. So often we think we have to downplay our capabilities when we should be proud of them as well as use them to our advantage (except to exploit others). I believe this is harder for women to do, another reason why I love Peggy, as the show progresses she becomes more and more unapologetic about her skills.

I think about how many times I have received a compliment on an item of clothing and my immediate reaction is to say, “This old thing, it's nothing.” It seems impossible to just say, “thank you.” Extrapolate that to work and it's even worse, it's very hard to just say, “thanks” when complimented on my work.

[3]  Glamour is always in style.

I know everyone loves the show's style. Who wouldn't? But you don't have to go around dressed like the Mad Men crew to have a sense of style, although that would be fun! Just take pride and care in the way you dress.

Follow a few of the French style secrets including buying classic clothes and mixing them up with a modern piece here and there. Buy good basics and they will last you a lifetime. The women's clothing on the show is sublime, but all those undergarments…we've come a long way baby!

[4] Further to that, you don't have to be a size 2 to be hot.

There aren't too many sticks on the show. There are plenty of normal size women and Joan…well, she is smoking. Sure there are episodes where the team is trying to come up with slogans, etc. for products that make women think they will be thinner or more beautiful, praying on the insecurities of women, but there are copiousness amount of regular gals getting plenty of attention on that show, most of them not a size 2.

[5]  Agency life hasn't changed much in fifty years.

Granted I have never worked at an agency, but in my work, I have worked with plenty of them and have many friends who have worked in one. It is a great place to cut your teeth and get broad experience in a number of industries quickly. But it is competitive, there is a ton of churn, expenses, and what you can charge the client rule.

Agency folks aren't sitting around smoking cigs, sipping cocktails, and taking naps, but a lot of the other dynamics that go on at Sterling Cooper (and Sterling Cooper Draper Price) still continue today.

How about you? Are there lessons you have learned from Mad Men?

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