Day 240: A Second Spring!

We have had the absolute best weather for the last couple of days! It’s been around 20 degrees during the day since Saturday. I’m working most of the day but I love sitting outside for coffee and lunch to soak up some vitamin D. April is here for the week and Sean is back in the city with Emily. So nice to have some quality girl time! I’ve been pretty good with working out the last week and did 4km today before 8am. Last week I treated myself to new running pants for the first time in months as my old ones were falling down. I also ordered Bala wrist/ankle weights and I love them. I tagged them on IG today and they replied, ha! I really hope this warm weather lasts a while, I am NOT READY for winter snow or slippery surfaces. I love running outside so much, not sure what I’m gonna do this year without the gym or a treadmill. Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus Gonna soak up as much sun as I can and make the most if each warm-ish day while I can!

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Day 233: Saving Daylight

Most people usually dread the Monday after Daylight Saving Time. Not me though, I love waking up early and today marks one year since I started working out. Last year, I took that extra hour when I woke up early to start gong to the gym. I didn’t enjoy it at first but I learned to love it. I would spend 5-10 min on the treadmill and 10-15 min with weights. I wanted to establish the habit of going and knew that I didn’t need to work out for a long period each day for it to become a routine. After about a month I started to feel different, mostly my mental health, I had more energy and I was happier. After two months, I really started to notice a difference, my arms were getting toned and I saw a glimmer of an ab or two. By the time I went to Cuba in January, I was feeling really good. I lost about 30 Lbs since this time last year, improved my eating habits, and learned to love exercise. It was cold running outside today but the sun was shining through the trees and the air was fresh. Started a holiday wreath. It’s been ages since I made one. I picked a few branches from the woods between meetings and did a bit more after work. Today I felt that same creative energy I had back in the March/April quarantine. I’m happier when taking a bit of my day to make something creative, a craft, sewing, or try a new recipe. I’m committing to working out each day (M-F) like I did last year, I feel it was a BIG part of what kept my spirits up in the winter months. Creativity and exercise can change your mood. Do something…

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Day 183: You Don’t have to Monetize Every Hobby

I’ve loved sewing my whole life. I also have a new sewing machine that I’ve hardly used for about 8 years. I want to sew, but never had the time or made the time to do it. As a kid, I spent heaps of time sewing with mum. I even started my first business in grade 3 sewing gym bags for classmates. Early into quarantine, I took the time to make things for the pure enjoyment of making them. I did heaps of tie-dye, turmeric dye, made friendship bracelets, and practised line drawing on iPad. The art of creating gives me so much joy. It inspires creativity in other areas of my life. I loved sharing the things I made on social media and mailing some to friends. I was reminded you don’t have to monetize every hobby, it’s incredibly freeing to create for the sake of creating. This weekend, I started sewing again. I took a few items of clothing that were ripped or on their way to donations and made a few scrunchies. The big pink ones are a soft rayon fabric and flop when you doa top know. they used to be part of Joe Fresh shirt from years ago that had a mark on it. It was so fun to make them and patch together my old clothes to make new patterns. I spent most the day sewing, listening to music, watching Netflix, and letting my creative juices flow. After posting my creations, I had a few people saying they want to buy or ask where to order. I’m not there yet, I might never be! For now, the Quarantine 2.0 version of me is Casie Sew-Art. I’m back at my machine baby, who knows what I’ll create next!

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#IMakeALiving MicroConference w/ FreshBooks: June 24th, 11am!

Hi, I am doing a short talk at an online conference on Wednesday, at 11 am. I’m the opener and will be chatting creativity, content, & social media tips. I think it will be fun! ? It’s the shortest presentation I’ve ever done and it looks kinda zany as a visual! #imakealiving By FreshBooks presents 5-Minute Mentors Signup is free and there are 9 great speakers each talking about business for 5 mins + Q&A. Get To Know The Other Speakers: Jon Rettinger is a tech YouTuber w/ over 15M views/month Lisa Carmen Wang is a former USA National Champion and Hall of Fame gymnast turned Serial Entrepreneur Dr. Nicole Garner Scott is a highly sought after serial entrepreneur, finance expert and coach. Mark Asquith, ‘the British podcast guy‘ is a U.K. podcast expert and CEO & co-founder of Rebel Base Media, a podcast tech and strategy company. Dani Nagel is the owner and designer behind popular art apparel line Dazey LA (@dazey_la), a brand with a mission to empower people through conversation. Follow her! I am obsessed with her whole social media presence and style! Neal Schaffer wrote ‘The Age of Influence‘ and I am really looking forward to what he has to share. Corissa Saint Laurent is a serial entrepreneur, professional speaker, and trainer on entrepreneurial wellness, marketing, and branding. Elaine Pofeldt is an independent journalist who specializes in small business and entrepreneurship. She is author of The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business, a look at how solopreneurs are making bank. Meghan Telpner is a Toronto-based author, speaker, nutritionist, and founder of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. Forbes, and ranked her as one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in Canada! I’ve been following her for years! REGISTER HERE

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Day 18: Reach Out

Before isolation, I’d been going to the gym 5-7 days/week between 6-7 am from November to March. Over that time, I gained muscle, confidence, a new attitude, and lost 25Lbs. I wasn’t happy with who I was for a long time before I started working out. I was overwhelmed and burnt out. April 2020 marks 15 years of my blog and I’ve spent that whole time being online, sharing my life, and being social. I was tired and needed change. Part of that process was growing out my hair, it’s getting kinda wild. My new hair inspo is Debby Harry! Got a surprise call from Sergio and it was so nice! I love how technology is bringing us together during this weird time. I am here for calls from friends near and far, anytime, on any platform. I’m available, reach out. ? If you need or want to escape I will take you for a walk in the woods. Did some work on my garden and it’s coming along. The lettuce is enough ‘for a garnish‘ as Sean calls it. The celery making some moves too. I saw the news that said ‘Don’t Go To Your Cottage’ and I have anxiety that we’re gonna get cottage shamed. We’ve been here for three weeks, we are staying and isolated. Having things delivered, minimal trips to town. We come up here all year and there’s lots of work to be done. It’s the best place for us to be right now. Emily and I went for a nice walk in the woods about 4k. Today was a pretty good day. It’s been really nice watching winter melt away, things are starting to bloom, and there’s no ice on the road. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow.

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