What stage do you connect most with? Do you find yourself spending more time in one in particular? How can you find more ease within the areas of effort?

1. Streaking

Not the naked kind although I’m sure that could be fun too. This kind of streaking comes from the idea that we usually have a vision for what kind of person we want to become but often get lost in the busyness of day-to-day life. Studies show we tend to be too lofty with our goals and also lose motivation when we don’t feel that we’re consistently meeting them.

Streaks create a structure to bridge that gap.

Around this time of year the fervor and excitement around keeping a new goal start to wear off. This book got me to create one streak (mine is flossing at least once per day). Then another: doing at least one handstand per day.

There are only two rules.

State the streak as:

I will do ____ at least ____ times per day/week/month.

Then, have a system to keep track. There are tons of habit tracker apps. I just do mine on my phone or the last page of my journal (it’s very satisfying to cross off boxes each day).

Pro tip: Make it laughably simple and streak with someone in your household. The book goes into it with much more eloquence if you want to read more, it’s Streaking: The Simple Practice of Conscious, Consistent Actions That Create Life-Changing Results.

2. Watch: Euphoria

I’m generally more into books than I am into any shows or movies, BUT Sam had been raving about this show for so long that I decided to give it a try.

The show centers around a teenage recovering drug addict named Rue, but each episode lets you see more into a specific character’s life story. If you’re looking for something evocative, SUPER raw, and with storytelling that sucks you in and makes you feel a lot you might like Euphoria. Plus it has some of the most beautiful lighting and cinematography.

What I like most is it includes some very heavy topics (drug addiction, sexuality, gender, peer pressure) without flinching away from them. It’s rare that a show makes me feel so much even when I haven’t been in almost any of the situations the characters face..

****Huge massive disclaimer – this is a very very mature audience show and not something to take lightly. The first episode, in particular, upset me so much I sat and pondered and cried for half an hour after it ended. It does mellow out, but please really think if this is right for you.

3. Eat: Soul Hugging Shepards Pie

This recipe for Soul Hugging Shepards Pie was kindly provided by my friend Andrea aka EarthyAndy. She first stayed at my house years ago when my extent of cooking was making “fries” out of sauteed green beans. This is a nourishing and cozy recipe for Shepards Pie that is simple and great to share with friends.

Learn more about her book Plant Over Processed here.