10 days de-clutter challenge follow up!

On Sept 4th, I started a 10 days de-clutter challenge that I wrote about here....
Essentially, I wanted to try a few things.... challenge myself in aspect in my life that are stagnant and wish to see moving...
I was surprise at the short lenght of time that was propose by Courtney for this challenge... Usually, it is suggested that if you want to make or break an habit, you have to work on it for 21 days!  It's like the magic number... so 10 days to me would not do anything...  initial thought of course... Well I must say that it is not entirely right.... in 10 days, I came to realize quite a few things about myself and my initial commitment...

Here are my initial goals and today's update after the 10 days which actually ended Saturday...

My shape up resolutions were:

1) No chips - didn't have any... as simple as that.... and quite frankly, did not even think of it... and possibly this was the end of that... I will not eat chips again....  except for tortillas....  but nothing from Ruffles or Lays or the like....

2) Nothing to eat after 7pm...  work out just great.... except on 2 occasion when we ended supper at 7h20pm.. and on Friday night I had blue corn chips!  11 of them to be exact!!! Otherwise, I had water, tea, and apples after 7pm and it worked just fine!!!  That too is a change that will become permanent in my life... it will be a general rule, but I understand that life being what it is, I may finish supper on occasion a little after 7pm... but I rarely do it...  and if so, I will have a light one!

3) Meditate/deep breathing 10-15 min before sleep - only worked out for a few days... then I stopped... for no other reasons than I didn't feel like doing it...

My pare down resolutions were:

1) No email/Internet/social media before 8am and after 8pm.  I completely followed that...  even thus at times it was inconvenient.... still it made me think about how easily I check my email, facebook and other stuff on a regular basis... I will keep some of that but will change the hours of restrictions...
No email/Internet/Social media before 7 am...  by then I am on the bus and like to catch up during that time...  Also no email/Internet/Social media during supper time which is usually between 5h30 pm and 7pm... Will add to that no phone call answered! And no email/Internet/Social media after 9pm.

2) No email/Internet/Social media between 11 am Saturday and 4pm Sunday... this is a little long.. because then I feel like I have too much of a catch up to do... even thus I did it...  it was crazy...  So my new rules from now on will be between 11 am Saturday and 11 am Sunday!  24h technology break every week end!!!!

3) Work on my conference a minimum of 30 min per day.... realized that I am constantly working on it...  so this is not even a challenge... At first I thought that I needed to sit down in front of my computer to be consider done... but realize this is not how my brain works... it reads, listen, analyze and comes up with stuff in my head that I then put on paper...  the work is done constantly.... and I also realize that some "work" is not computer related... it's logistic... visualization.... stuff like that!

My tune in resolutions were:

1) Read something related to yoga/nutrition at a minimum 30 minutes per day : Easy done....  this is what my life is all about anyway.. yoga and meditation.... it doesn't even need to be a challenge....  but it was good that it was because I came to realize how dedicated I am to this!

2) Give a compliment to at least one person per day ...  hummmm....  well perhaps I am not the type to give compliment...  unless it is to a close one...  or a very well earned one... I can't force a compliment...  is that really an issue? maybe.... maybe not... still have to figure this one out!

Well... this is it!  My challenge is over... did the 10 days.... brought me to realize a few things about myself....  that I did like (I am dedicated to health and yoga)  or not (I am a little addicted to all the social media, email etc stuff)... also helped my move forward in life... At hte time of becoming an author/public speaker and coach I need to set some boundaries... if not I'll end up working 24/7!!!

It has also help me change stuff in my life... improve my quality of life... not I am curious to see if all of that will stay over time...  probably it will because I felt more peaceful in a way...  I'll let you guys know for sure in a month or so about what has stayed or not....

what about you?  did you try it?  what worked out?  what didn't?  did you figure out why???

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
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Not buying anything for 60 days!

I think I may be needing another challenge...  about my shopping... 

When I first started this blog in January 2011, I was starting to write about my experience of not buying anything non-essential for 1 year...  I went from a crazy shopaholic to not buying anything overnight....  it worked... for 6 months.... then I gave in... 

Overtime, I came to realize as I said before that sharp cut offs do not work with me...  I need to ease into things...

So over the remaining of 2011 (after my crazy shopping spree of July), 2012 and 2013 I have been working on my spending habits...  I am getting better but honestly I do make "mistakes" or "fall off the wagon" once in a while...

However, in the spirit of Ahimsa (non-violence), I cannot punish myself for those... but I acknowledge and move on.... learning a lesson from it... every time... I have refined my understanding of what makes me shop and I am trying to stay away from it! 

I think I am ready for another shopping break altogether...  so as of today, I am not going to buy anything not-essential for 60 days!  So basically until November 13th!!!

Of course groceries are allowed.... food is an essential....
But every time I say that, I come across the famous question:  "what about your Starbucks?" "what about your vegan restaurants?"
Well to that I must say that they are staying...  because honestly I go to restaurants less and less and Starbucks too... plus they are a hobby for me... like someone else would go to the movie, museum... and whenever I eat out, I spend less on groceries...  seriously... so all in all, it doesn't really increase my spending!

But besides food, I would say that anything else is non-essential except for 2 items that I need...  One rain coat and one pair of laced-up mid ankle boots.  However, both will have to be a great deal and a lasting item...  No impulse buy....  I will have to shop... try on.. think... look for a better deal and THEN I can get it!

Aside from that, I should not be buying anything... I really do not need anything!!! 
Unless something breaks....  Which I seriously do not think so because I take really good care of my stuff!

I am also committing to writing the cost and taking a picture of every item I buy if I do... and will report to you guys...

Who's on board?
Who's following me?

you can let me know here or on Facebook... 

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
www.thissavvylife.blogspot.com
http://www.nathaliebrisebois.com/
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What did I learn from 9/11?

Mosaiculture internationales 2013 - Jardin Botanique de Montreal

At the time of writing those lines, I realize that when you will see them, it will be 9/11...

So pretty much anything I write about will seem irrelevant compare to such a tragedy...

What ever changes I made to my life.... what ever changes you're making to yours...  It is relevant to me and you... but in all comparison so small to what happen 12 years ago...  So I guess I was "speechless" for a while...

Then I thought about writing about that day... but this has been overdone over the years.... what else could I say...

I also realized that everywhere we will see things relating to this horrible day...  telling us not to forget...  reminding us that people loss their lives in this tragedy... 

I will not forget....  how could I???  How could anyone???

Never mind where it happened... such a tragedy is unforgettable... just like many others in the world... that happened before 9/11.... and after.... and will in the future...  because I do not think that as a community we learned anything from that... maybe individually you did... but as a group not really... nothing really changed after that day...  they cleaned up, reconstructed the city and moved on... and so did the rest of the world... just like it happens in many part of this planet on many occasions...  and this is the sad part... that WE did not learn anything from THAT!

As human, we have this wonderful capacity to adapt and move on... and this is what has kept us going for thousands of years...  and this what has kept any living species going for so long.... 

We can't attach ourselves to the past...  we NEED to move on.... not forget...  these are 2 different things...  Moving on means that despite the fact that we do not forget we can still carry on with our lives...

I am not trying to minimize what happen... it was horrible.... so many innocent people were killed...  directly or indirectly because of that tragedy...  I do not wish to name all of them as I would be afraid to miss any...  and so many more were affected because they lost a loved one...  forever...

What I am trying to say is that,that event should have teach you something... as an individual...

I know what it taught me... and it was at a very precise point in my life (my son had just turned 1) so it had a real impact... one that you cannot forget... It taught me that life is short... sometimes to short... and the end sometimes unexpected... unpredictable... and sometimes you don't get to say good bye.... or make up...

So from this day, I have really tried to live this day like it might be the last one...  I know it sounds "cliché" but I am...  it is not always possible or easy... but I really do try...
I never go to bed upset at my son or my husband... we always kiss and make up before...
I never leave the house or let them leave the house upset at one another or at me...  because if something was to happen the one remaining would feel awful...

I am trying to be conscious... and grateful for small life pleasures...  a butterfly flying by... a bird singing... a smile... a rain fall...  because all that can go away quickly in case of a tragedy...

So this was my lesson from this tragic event... why this one?  Because it was at the right time of my life... and it was really close (physically) to me...  so it perhaps made me think even more than all the other tragedies happening on this planet daily... 

Did you learn anything from 9/11 or any tragedy that happened close to where you live?

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
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My son

My son Cédric with my best friend's chihuahua Rosie

September 8th is always a difficult day for me... 

It's the date my son was born 13 years ago.... 
It's the date both of us were soooo close to not make it!!!!
It's the day my life was turned upside down for ever.... for so many reasons!!!

My son was actually "safe" way before me....  a few hours after he was born he was stabilised and good to go!

However, it was not the same for me....  I am not going to go into details about what happens because you can read it in "Life Happens" ...  But it took a few days before my platelets were back to normal and I was no longer at risk of bleeding to death.... 

It also took days before I could see my son and hold him... It was the most horrible time for my life....

I was alone in the dark for many days.... not allowed visitors... or not able to do anything...

I remember hanging on only because I felt my son needed a mom!  It was my only reason to hang on to life...  I had to make it!  For Him!!!

I finally did... and...

the day I went back home, all I can remember is that I may never have seen this road again... or this tree... or the sun....and the sky... or got into a car... eat apples... or hold my son.... and miss all his life.... and I cried most of the way home...

It took a while before I got over this.... physically I was really weak....  for weeks...  (mentally it took years!)

But I physically made it.... and life went on... and the light struck one day when I was at the park with my son waiting for his dad to get back home.... late as usual...
And I remember vividly as if it was yesterday thinking that I did not wanted my life to be like that...  like it was at the time...  stressful.. yet boring...  and I felt like I was missing on so many things...  love, happiness, excitement, Life...

I remembered I was really close to die a few months past and I told myself that this did not make sense.... aside from my son nothing made sense in my life...  I was in a job I did not like... in a relationship that was not going anywhere... in a stupid crazy new house... with no free time for myself doing things I love.... and I actually didn't even knew what I loved doing but I knew it was not waiting for someone or something to happen....

From this day, I told myself that I had to be happy... I had to have the life I wanted...  for me and for Cédric... 

I started looking...thinking... trying things....  I started trying to find myself.... but having a young boy... a stressful job and a disease that I did not knew I had at the time, it took roughly 6 years before I found the answers to all those questions... They were the most difficult years of my life... but also the most rewarding in the end!

Today, I still have mixed emotions on this day....  it feels like a second chance was given to me.... like I was born again... but this time I was conscious of it...  And on this day, years after years, I get reminded of it.... and I can't let go of that...  it's a reminder that life is short!  That I have to make the most of it (in a good sense)... that I have to be happy... that I have to live MY LIFE!!!

And I also realise that I was blessed to have such a lovely boy come into my life... I have the most wonderful relationship with him... it was the hardest time of my life but the most rewarding...  everything has it's price...

Having my son almost cost me my life... but it gave me an even better life than I had before!!!

thank you Cédric....

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
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You can't control everything!

signing copies of Life Happens for a bookstore to display on shelves

Years ago I had my life programmed till my retirement.... and beyond...  I was young... and innocent enough to think that a life well plan would be the best one!!!

I was soooooooo wrong....  Over the years, I learned that you can plan... but you have no control... so it rarely does turn out the way you wanted too!!!  I also learned that life has it's own surprise for you... and that we change constantly.... so what I wanted at 24 is not what I want now at 40!  So it's impossible to have every minor details of you life planned by the time you graduate from University and find you first job!!!

In 1996.... here's where I were... I had just graduated from University and got a very decent job in the pharma industry with all that it implies... I was temp...

In 1996... here's how I saw my life:

Get permanent position in the company.
Move up the ladder to a director position...  in the same company...
To keep my benefit and increase the salary and vacation time.
Buy a house in a nice area
Have 3 kids
Pay off the house in 16 years
Vacations 2-3 times a year
Retire at 55
Travel the world with my partner, the father of my 3 kids.

I was 24 at the time...
I am now about to turn 41...

and let me tell you that nothing much happen to that plan.... 

I got permanent...  bought a house.... got one kid (a boy)...
Separated, sold the house.....  bought another one..... was diagnosed with MS...  got married to another guy (not my son's father)...lost job..... bought a small business... sold the house... loss the business...  moved into an apartment... went bankrupt... found a temp less paying job.... changed job.... for a slightly more paying one with permanency and benefits... lost job....  found another contract position less paid...  but... that I enjoy!!!  and that is rewarding in many more ways than $$$...

In between all that, I discovered yoga!!!  And it was life changing...  I learned to let go (OK, I can't do it completely yet but I am getting there)! Learned to live in the present moment.... to do stuff because I like it rather than because I have a diploma and a house to pay...  to chose my next move according to stuff I love to do... not based on income... 

Yoga brought me to write and publish a book....  that you can purchase here on Amazon! A book that is making it's way in libraries... slowly but surely... this book is bringing me to start offering conferences on nutrition and stress management...  and it has made me meet a bunch of extraordinary people!

It is miles away from my initial "I am 24 years old and I know everything" plan....

I do not have a house or a car...  I live in a small apartment with very few possession...
I will probably not retire at 55... not only because I can't afford it... but because what I do is so rewarding I do not want to stop doing it! It makes me happy.... it brings me joy....

I am getting to know amazing people and changing their life... and this is much more rewarding than anything else I could have done in that big pharma cie...

And between you and me... I have no clue what is up next...  I am just enjoying the ride.. without knowing what the destination is.... because the destination really is not important if the ride sucks!

I also know that there will always be a solution to everything....  you just have to wait and see...

Everything is perfect as it is now... Everything is exactly what you need now... Everything just is...

You may wonder why?  but it is what it is....

Just enjoy the ride.... the destination is a bonus!


I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
www.thissavvylife.blogspot.com
http://www.nathaliebrisebois.com/
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Declutter your world in 10 days - New challenge for you!

my new bedtime favorite tea!

Hello!

my friend Courtney is a minimalist and we have lots in common....  She's the one who initiated Project 333 and made me minimalise my wardrobe...  She just launched a new project... a mini challenge...  for only 10 days... she's inviting us to declutter our world! She's inviting us to Shape up! Pare down! and Tune in!  You can read her post here as I wish not to repeat all of it...

But essentially, she's inviting us to look at different aspect of our lives.... choose where we want to improve and commit to do it for 10 days!  10 days is not much...  I am sure you can do it to....

As guidelines, in the "Shape up" section, you can give up one food, change eating habit, go vegan 100% for 10 days...  give up alcohol...or coffee....  or sugar... maybe increase your fruits and veggies intake by 2-3 portions... the list is endless....  what do YOU want to improve in your way of eating???  Now is the time to try it!  Another component of "Shape up" is sleep...  do you wish to sleep more?  or less? or better?  change bedtime or time you wake up at?  you could also change your "sleep time routine"...

Here are my "Shape up" resolutions...

Food: 1) No chips
           2) Nothing to eat after 7pm...  but water/tea...  and maybe an apple if I am really hungry!

Sleep: 1) Meditate/Deep breathing 10-15 minutes before sleep

In the "Pare down" section, you can minimize your home...  declutter it... or your wardrobe...  or your work schedule...  or your social life... are you always stuck in too much of something?  be it objects, clothes, activities, social events, meetings???  Now is the time to let go...  at least for 10 days!

Here are my "Pare down" resolutions...

Work: 1) No email/internet/social media before 8 am and after 8pm
            2) No email/internet/social media between Saturday 11 am and Sunday 4pm - Shutting down!
            3) Work on my conference every day for a minimum of 30 min

Home:  Nothing to take care of there.... ;-)

In the "Tune in" section you need to take care of your brain.... and your hearth...  maybe read something - not on the internet, declutter your thoughts, keep a journal, meditate...  and for your hearth, why now write letters to people, phone the ones you love or give a compliment? Maybe keep a gratitude journal?

Here are my "Tune in" resolutions...

Brain: 1) Read something related to yoga or nutrition a minimum of 30 min per day

Hearth: 1) Give a compliment to at least one person per day

So this is it... this is my Declutter your world in 10 days challenge!!!

Who's joining me?  You can reply here... or on any of my other contact places...
I will be waiting for you...

I am starting today.... but you can start anytime! 
On the 16th of sept, I will update you on how it went...

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
www.thissavvylife.blogspot.com
http://www.nathaliebrisebois.com/
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Hello!!! I am back!!!!

Picture taken at "Jardin Botannique de Montreal"

Hello lovely readers and friends.... 

I am back....  after 5 short weeks....   yes 5 weeks is long.... but it can also be so short when you enjoy yourself!!!

Taking this 5 weeks unpaid leave of absence from my day job was the best decision I ever made...  For a few reasons...  Yes I am broke....  cash wise....  but I have gain so much more...

I had time to spend with my son.... one-on-one...  I had time to get to know him... the almost teenager him... he's turning 13 in 5 days!!!  It was amazing!  We did lovely things the 2 of us... and more lovely things, him, my husband and myself!!!

I had time to spend alone with my husband....  it has been almost 2 years since we had 2 weeks off at the same time!  It felt good to be with him 24/7 for a that long... 

Of course for more details about my vacation, I will talk about this in later post....  but today I wanted to address something that was very important to me.... 

The most important thing about those 5 weeks of is that I had time for myself...  Because I had program all the blog post ahead of time I didn't have to write them...  I had also program some Facebook post... and the others were spare of the moment....  I spend less time on my computer... on the Internet... social media and the like... more time with myself and my loved ones...

It has allow me to come to some very important conclusion and make other life changes that I want to share with you... 

I have really truly realise that what matters most to me are my husband and son...  That I really do not care for fancy vacations or restaurants...  or fancy anything...  I am very truly simple... and this is rooted really deep down... I just have to let it out...  I have always been like that...  more than I first realise... but I got caught up... in life... in society.... in "what will people say? or think..."

Those 5 weeks have allowed my to tune in with my true self... more than ever before... to assume that simplicity and reflect it in my environment...  I have donated more possessions... and clothes....  but I also bought more clothes... to really reflect who I am... I no longer want to hide into a given way of dressing for my age and that stuff...  I want my clothes to reflect who I am...  I want my house to reflect who I am... and I took care of that...    I also want my activities to reflect who I am...  so I took care of that to....  I like to read.... I like to go to the SPA on some occasions...  I like to go walk downtown and on the Plateau.... I enjoy bicycle rides in the city...  I like to have a bite in a vegan restaurant and a chai at Starbucks... I like to go to a movie every now and then... I like to cook healthy vegan meal for my loved ones...

I also discovered that I love to write and talk... and this brought me to make more life decisions....  I will start working on my second book very soon....  it's starting to form in my head (everything start in my head!)...  This one will have much more pages... and kind of a follow up to "Life Happens" ...  It will take time to write...  but I can't wait to get started...  I also will continue with this blog...  I was debating whether or not I should but I really missed it during those 5 weeks so I will keep writing it 2-3 times a week...  But there will be no more French post...  I lost my translator and I cannot afford timewise to do it myself...

I am also starting to work on a set of conferences on nutrition that will be offered in French and English comes end of September...  details will follow for that...

And last but not least, I will start my coaching business...  officially!!!  So if you want to give it a try, just let me know...  It's life coaching....  English or French... By phone, email, in person.... across the ocean or not! You choose...  if you want to turn your life around completely or just improve some part of it let me know...  Pricing and details to come on that later too....  Just doing some fine tuning... 

So this is it for now... those 5 weeks have allowed me to find myself... and move forward...  I have a bunch of new projects...  some that I just announced here...

I am looking forward to your feedback on all my new exiting project and no worries I will share all the details with you soon!!!

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love and peace,
nath
xox
www.thissavvylife.blogspot.com
http://www.nathaliebrisebois.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=734016786
http://www.facebook.com/FanofLifeHappens
https://twitter.com/NathalieBriseb1