This morning as I was sitting outside in my rocking chair, with coffee in hand, watching Abby chase her ball… it hit me… we’re going to Catalina this Sunday and this is no longer a “far off vacation” but it has arrived. Thank you Jesus!

Once a year, each summer, Marco and I join his family for a vacation in Catalina. It’s my favorite vacation of all time.

Each day starts with the sun waking us up (no alarms), coffee, a walk, and lathering ourselves in sunscreen. We eat breakfast, pack our bags, and head down to Descanso Beach where we drink minty-cocktails (well, I do… Coors Light only for Marco) and relax in the sun. 

I always bring a good book (this year I’m bringing one called “Soul Keeping”) and let my mind drift away. It’s true island life at it’s finest. When we’re there, I feel almost as if the rest of the world has disappeared.

This is a photo from our last trip to Catalina. 

Trips like this remind me of what I value:

• rest
• family
• a good book
• sun
• being outside
• connection
• love
• slowing down
• enjoying life

Before we leave on Sunday, I’m putting together a workshop all about creating values-based routine.

You see, today my at-home routine is lightyears from where it used to be. Rather than the ‘ol drudgery routine of “wake, exercise, eat egg whites, go to work, be productive, and go to sleep” (my old routine full of shoulds), today’s routine is filled to the brim with what brings me joy.

It’s a combination of: time with Jesus, coffee, walks with my dog, work, time with Marco and friends, a little time to pay bills and do house keeping, and loads of free-time to say yes to spontaneous joys like a random dinner or hike, a last minute comedy show, or a game of pickle-ball.

Once I accepted that I value flexibility and time with other people (also time with myself) I let go of the should-focused routine building that felt like a daily “gotta get through this” list. A daily “checking-off.”

I realized that old routine wasn’t making me happy and it wasn’t something I wanted to stick to for long, ever. So why was I putting so much pressure on myself to do it? (Not to mention the time it took to create these boring ‘ol routines.) Why do any of us do this?

To be honest, it’s kind of like anything else… dieting, budgeting, saving… we do a whole lot of things just because we think we “should” and we don’t pay attention to the fact that we’re literally using up the moments of our life doing these things.

I find it SO fascinating that the way we diet is the way we spend money, and the way we create budgets is often the way we build our routines. 

Think about it: What if we were to infuse our values into all of it? The way we eat, the way we spend money, and the way we use our time. Do you know how much more we would enjoy life? How much more meaningful ALL of it would feel?

What you will get in this routine workshop will have you incorporating MORE joys and less SHOULDS into your daily life. You will be able to create a routine that BUILDS self-trust, not destroy it. Boring routines that take 10 hours (and 100 colors of sharpie) to create and 1 hour to burn-out-on destroy trust.

Wanna jump in on this workshop? It’s available for all Aligned Coaching Members this coming Monday. All you have to do is join here. 

If you’re already a member (HEYYY!) I love you and I can’t wait to share this workshop with you. It’s gonna be GREAT!

I’m off to enjoy a week in Catalina. I wish I could take you with me! I’ll have a minty-cocktail and soak up lots of sun for you 😉