Style & Life

Category: kindness

  • 2018 End of Year Reflections

    2018 End of Year Reflections

     

    Style & Life Blog: 2018 End of Year Reflections

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    2018 End of Year Reflections 

    I have procrastinated writing this post because I am in a bit of denial that the year is over. I constantly feel that time is going too quickly and that I can’t catch up…being a planner and someone who likes to accomplish things, it frustrates me a bit because I did not accomplish everything I wanted.

    While this year was amazing, it went differently than expected. There were some amazing things that happened and there are still a lot of things that I am continuing to work on in 2019. 

    Early in January 

    I started 2018 planning to keep my corporate job for one more year. I wanted to stay there and continue growing Style & Life. The second week of January, the company told me I needed to spend significantly more time in New York and I could no longer work remote two days per week.  Both were deal breakers.  Time is too precious to spend being away from my family that much. 

     Initially, I was devastated. I had a great income with benefits and did not feel I had the energy to find something new. I wanted to maintain “status quo” so I could spend my spare time on Style & Life, not finding a new job. However, after an evening of venting and complaining, I woke up and went to work out. While I was on the treadmill, I remembered what I have heard Tony Robbins say. He asks “If life is always happening for you, then what does that mean?” It instantly changed my perspective. At that moment, I regained my power and decided to move on. The cost was too great and I would not sacrifice my core values. 

    I will not say it has been easy…taking a pay cut, working in a new role, but I am living consistently with what I believe is right. I am consulting for an amazing company who treats their employees well and has a growing business. And I have more time for my family and Style & Life. 

    So that was how 2018 started! It was surprising but I am grateful for the way everything transpired.

    Style & Life 

    We had some Style & Life milestones for which I am so grateful. To start, my brand ambassadorship with Soveral skincare. My goal is to bring my readers products I truly believe in. I am a huge advocate for skincare and have used Soveral products for many years. I feel so honoured to work with them.  We also did our first videos…there is so much to learn about creating videos and many more ideas but we started.  I also had the opportunity to participate in an amazing charity event, did my first personal appearance and a collection of other amazing sponsorships. I love my Style & Life work and am happy to see it resonate with you and companies. 

    I did not…

    However, I want more. We always will. I launched a well campaign…the effort and results have been dismal. I wanted to take better care of myself…in reality, I probably did less for myself than last year. Nor did I get consistent with my workouts or lose the weight. 

    For 2019, I am working on…

    While I have a set of business goals that I want to achieve, I am approaching my personal goals from a different perspective. I have a clear vision of who I want to be, how I want to feel and what I want to accomplish. Instead of having this huge push of effort, I am working on being peaceful and consistent. Staying in a place of feeling grateful, healthy and happy.  I want to approach making changes from the inside so that all of the changes are lasting. 

     

    I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! 

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    Bisous,

    Rebecca

     

  • End of Year Reflections

    End of Year Reflections

    Style & Life Blog: End of Year Reflections

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    End of Year Reflections

    It feels so cliché to say “this year flew by” but it did…more than any other!  Between having a toddler, working full time and investing in Style & Life, the days, weeks and month flew by. 

    When I look back at this year, I am proud and determined to improving at the same time. I relaunched Style & Life at the end of 2016…my goal was to post original content consistently and I have done that.  Having Style & Life as a creative outlet gives me a sense of satisfaction that I was missing and I am proud that I said I was going to do it and that I did.

    That being said, there are other areas that need some attention.  Like learning to manage stress effectively. Focusing on my health and physical body. Taking time to connect spiritually. I like to look back to review the accomplishments and challenges so that I can focus on where I want to go as we kick off the new year. 

    If I thought this year was busy, I have a feeling next year will be even busier and I am excited to see what it will bring! In addition to growing Style & Life…these are the other areas I am focusing for 2018. 

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    SELF CARE 

    I fly often and am still fascinated during the safety demonstration when they say you “should put your own mask on first before helping others”. However, I think I get it. If you don’t take care of yourself, then you can’t help anyone else. I have fallen short in this area and while I am living a beautiful life, if I am so run down and stressed out that I cannot enjoy it, then what is the point? And what example does that set for my daughter? So, as selfish as it sounds, I am putting self care (consistent workouts, nutritious meals, daily inspirational reading, weekly spa nights) at the top of my list so that I can improve my level of spiritual, emotional and physical balance.

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    RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

    To start. Putting down the phone. There are times when I let work emails take precedent over conversations with loved ones. I am also scheduling more frequent date nights with my husband and outings with girlfriends so that we can make memories and have quality conversation. 

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    GIVING BACK

    If you have been following me for any length of time, you may already know that my parents founded Crisis Aid International so philanthropy is literally in my blood. The times I have felt the most fulfilled in my life is when I am consistently giving back to others…so, stay tuned, I am launching a well building campaign early next year! 

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    HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

    Most days I work, spend time with my daughter and husband and then work more.  When I am done working, I tend to watch 30-60 minutes of TV to wind down.  This has been a habit I have developed the last couple of years and while I may still use TV to wind occasionally, I am going to incorporate other things I enjoy more….like practicing French and reading books.

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    DREAMING BIGGER

    Picasso once said “Everything you can imagine is real”. So, why not? I am going to pursue all of my hopes and dreams with passion. 

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    I wish you health, happiness and fulfillment in 2018. 

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    Bisous,

    Rebecca

  • One Good Thing

    One Good Thing

    Style & Life: the elegant edit on fashion, beauty, food & drink, home and kindness

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    One Good Thing

    It has been AWHILE since I have written a kindness post. Primarily because I am working on an exciting initiative that I will be announcing in the next couple of months. In the interim, I do not want to lose sight that small kindnesses can make a huge impact.

    Lately, life seems to be taking a toll…the daily grind…the juggling of roles…being a mom, wife, executive and entrepreneur sometimes leaves me feeling exhausted and uninspired. I love everything I am doing but sometimes the sum of it all is A LOT. That being said, I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am. When I go down the list, the amount of things for which I have to be grateful is endless…living in a free country, my facilities, amazing family, incredible career…the list goes on and on. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and I never want to lose sight of that. Keeping that in the forefront of my mind is a skill that I am working to master. Deep down, I know it, but there are days when I just don’t feel it.

    I was particularly cranky one Sunday evening when flying to New York which made me annoyed with myself so I decided to try something to break the cycle. I challenged myself to think of one good thing about everyone I saw or came my way. I ended up having a blast passing out mental compliments to people …“great shoes!”, “that was so kind of you”…you get the idea. By the time, I got on the plane, I was in a fantastic mood. So, I have been doing this more recently. It has helped challenging work relationships and made me more empathetic to others that otherwise may have annoyed me. I will not lie. It is not always easy but I keep my goals small…just one thing. The great part is that I am so busy looking for small things to celebrate, it distracts me from thinking negative thoughts or getting frustrated over minor things. 

    It occurred to me that if we all looked for just one good good in each other, we would find more in common with each other than we may ever realize. And if the world has more love, harmony and kindness…well, I see no harm in that.

    Spread the love, friends, and look for one good thing!

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    Bisous,

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    Rebecca

  • Giving Back through Amazon Smile

    Giving Back through Amazon Smile

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    Giving Back through Amazon Smile

    Unsure if everyone uses Amazon to the degree that I do…when I need household items, to send a gift, order supplies for my daughter or make purchases on Shopbop (wink wink)…often, the first place I go is Amazon.

    My husband has titled me the CJO of our family…Chief Juggling Officer. I suspect many of you are also juggling family, friends, career and hobbies. Which is why Amazon is a godsend. Spending time in stores purchasing paper towels, diapers or going to the post office is not how I want to spend my free time. I want my weekends to be spent with the people I enjoy…at the park with my daughter, at lunch with friends or on a date with my husband. I try to not place more than one order a day but I have been guilty (primarily during those newborn days) of placing 3-4 orders in a day.

    One program I have been participating in for a few years is Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic way to support your favorite charitable organization at no cost or effort to you. I support International Crisis Aid Inc, the non-profit organization that my parents started (www.crisisaid.org). You simply have to visit Amazon Smile and select the charity you wish to support and 0.5% of the purchase price on eligible items will be donated to your charity.

    Another convenience courtesy of Amazon. Visit www.smile.amazon.com to select your charity today and add a positive benefit to your shopping habits.

    Bisous,

    Rebecca

     

  • A Reflection on the Meaning of Kindness

    A Reflection on the Meaning of Kindness

    A Reflection on the Meaning of Kindness

    Most I know are familiar with the work of Crisis Aid International (see Africa Trip Anniversary post). Many are less familiar with the work of my mother, who runs Love and Care Youth Center in Saint Louis. Love and Care Youth Center was founded in 1983, by a French woman, Mina Paille. Mina immigrated to Saint Louis and started Love and Care Youth Center to feed and assist low income families. My mother volunteered with Mina for eighteen years and when Mina passed several years back, she asked my mother to continue her work under the umbrella of Crisis Aid International.

    “The Center” as we affectionately call Love and Care, hosts a church service and food distribution every Friday afternoon. They run an after school tutoring program on Thursday evenings for children in the neighborhood. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, they feed over 200 families and provide gifts for the children. Most of the people “The Center” serves come from broken familes and have experienced abuse, struggle with addiction or have physical and mental handicaps.

     My mother is my best friend and we speak every day. Rare, if ever, is the day she has been shopping and lunching with friends. Usually, it’s her account of taking a homeless friend to help file social security, going with a woman who needs teeth to the dentist or meeting with a young woman who needs marital advice. She is intimately involved with the details of the people’s lives she helps.

    Fortunate to have an example like this, I am reminded to slow down and consider ways that I can extend kindness and care to others.

    Bisous,

    Rebecca

  • Africa Trip Anniversary with Crisis Aid International

    Africa Trip Anniversary with Crisis Aid International

     

    Never The Same

    This month marks the two-year anniversary of our trip to Africa. We spent two weeks exploring the work of my parents, Pat and Sue Bradley, founders of Crisis Aid International. Having heard about their work for many years, I believed I knew what to expect during our stay. While I was not surprised at our experiences…the sights, smells and sounds created an entirely different experience than photos ever will.

    We met many people on our trip. Amazing volunteers who dedicate their lives to helping people…young orphaned girls who lost their parents to AIDS…families on the brink of death from malnutrition…children who had been healed from disease and disfigurement after being treated at a Crisis Aid medical clinic…women who have rehabilitated their lives after being held in forced prostitution. Each moment left a different emotion…a broken heart for the hungry…anger at the injustice of life…despair by the complexity of the issues these people face…joy for those who have been helped, and, at the end, pride in my parents that made my heart explode.

    The trip will stand out as one of the most important experience in our lives. After returning home, I started looking at life differently. Fortunate, blessed, lucky…these words do not come close to describing our lives in the US and civilized nations. It has inspired me to take the opportunities in front of me for the women who do not have them. To try and live with gratitude, because we have so much. To consider the legacy I will leave the world and to send money, as much and as often as I can. because, in truth, that may be what they need the most. While photos will never convey the magnitude of the experience, I hope they give you an idea of how they impacted our lives.

    Bisous,

    Rebecca