10 Things: Katie from Running on Happiness

She is probably one of the most stunning bloggers out there with a positivity that will have you beaming all week.  There's no way you'll leave Katie's blog, Running on Happiness, without a huge smile on your face, an incredible desire to have her style you or a hankering to ask her for photography tips .  Her photos from her recent trip to Costa Rica with her husband will make you SWOON!

Katie's 10 Things...

Hi my name is Katie, and I write the blog Running on Happiness.   And I thank Maria for having me guest post for her!  We count the endless ways we love those we admire.  But rarely, do we ever take a moment to reflect on the things we love about ourselves.  To be honest, I kind of found this difficult to write, as I pondered the question, "What do I love about myself?"  It might be easier to list things that I don't.  But that's the natural critic in me.  So, without adieu, here are ten things that I do love:

1.  I love that I am the daughter to two amazing parents, and have a wonderful family and friends.  I am truly blessed when it comes to the people in my life.

2.  I love that I know God and that I have felt him in the deepest part of my heart.

3.  My self-confidence.  It took me a long time to figure it out, but eventually, I found it.  Now, I am able to feel comfortable in my own skin and be who I am without hesitation or fear of not being liked.

4.  My ability to take criticism and to learn from it.  I live with the knowledge that I want to be a better person, and in order to do that, I need help.

 

5.  My smile.  I think it's my favorite feature.

6.  My metabolism, which has allowed me to eat whatever I want, whenever I want.  Most people hate me for this. 

7.  I am naturally athletic, which has allowed me to excel in many things.

8.  My spontaneity.  I'm pretty easy going in the fact that I don't require plans.

9.  I think I have a good balance between being a girly-girl, yet not being afraid to get my hands dirty.

10.  I love my appreciation for life and the world around me.  Sometimes, I feel as though I see the world as a child - in awe of everything around me.  I try to not take all the beauty for granted.

So, there you have it!  What do you love about yourself?  Do you count the ways?

*****

Thank you so much for taking part Katie!

Follow Katie on Bloglovin and Twitter

10 Things: Monica of The Travel Hack

Planning a trip to anywhere in the world? Monica at The Travel Hack is your girl!  Travelling is one of my all time greatest passions and Monica's stories, tips and insights get me feeling the bug like nothing else.  I'm a bit of an adventurer at heart so I love her stories on diving with manta rays in Indonesia or watching turtles lay eggs in Borneo.

Whisk us away, Monica! Here are 10 things she loves about herself...

1.   I’m determined as hell and I will do absolutely everything I can to get what I want.

2.   I might be determined but I’m not overly competitive. If someone is better than me at something then that’s OK. I don’t mind loosing; it just makes me try harder next time.

3.   I’m a busy gal but I’ll always make time for my best friends and my family because they’re the most important people in the world.

4.   I can eat more chocolate than anyone else I know.

5.   I’m a total scardy cat but I always try to overcome my fears. I’m really scared of fish but I still gave fishing a go to try and get over it. I was really scared to go snowboarding but I went anyway and had the best time ever so it’s always worth pushing yourself to experience something new.

6.   I’m terrible at cooking but I make the best sandwiches ever. I worked in a sandwich deli while I was in college and I even got to create my own special sandwich every week. 

7.   I’m really good at saving money. Even as a kid I would save up my pocket money and keep it for something good. 

And then I got stuck and couldn’t think of anything else so I asked my friends and this is what they came up with:

8.    I’m a good listener.

9.    I have a good collection of shoes that they can borrow.

10.  I know a lot about travel so if they’re thinking about going on holiday I can give some good advice.

*****

Thanks so much for taking part Monica!

You can follow Monica on Bloglovin and Twitter 

10 Things: Megan of Charade

Her positivity is infectious and she is one of the few British bloggers I follow.  Charade is an awesome blog full of passion, style and the belief that life has no boundaries.  I took part in Megan's recent Make Your Life Amazing series in which she posted an uplifting, enlightening, inspirational post every single day of January.  I recommend it wholeheartedly -  you can even get in on the action today !

Hooray for Megan and the 10 things she loves about herself...

I have found that it is very easy to love yourself when somebody else loves you; it is when we are set down and rejected by such a person that our ability to be on our own side takes a knock. That’s a dark space – a hard, cold space – but it is also beautiful. Because it is in that space that we meet ourselves again. The self without the other person. The self that is still gasping for support – yet we find that we are the only ones there to give it. And that is a priceless introduction. 

After a year of being single beyond a four year relationship I have come to know self-support and self-lovin’ in a profound and powerful way. And, what I now realise, is that it would have been the far more heartbreaking thing never to have found that source of love in myself than it was to lose a romantic love. 

So here are ten things I don’t need anybody else to say to me, to believe them. Ten things that are vividly, reverberatingly true for me. Ten things that came to sustain me in that dark space I mentioned above. Ten things I love about myself: 

1. I love that, sometimes, my heart momentarily swells with appreciation and pure joy at being here at all. 

2. I love that I can smile at every person I meet, all day long, most days. 

3. I love that I can go easy on myself when it matters. 

4. I love that I can give myself a kick in the arse when it matters. 

5. I love that I am open to having my mind changed, always. 

6. I love that I take risks and book plane tickets. 

7. I love that I can write poetry, and never have to show it to anyone, and be healed by it. 

8. I love that I have learnt to be alone, not lonely. 

9. I love that I am the eternal advocate for relentless optimism. 

10. I love that I have a platform through which I can encourage other young women to feel as excited about their lives as I do, and that sometimes it actually works. 

***** 

Thanks so much for taking part Megan!

Follow Megan on Bloglovin and Twitter 

10 Things: Julie of Olivine's Charm School

Pleasure creation. Lush celebration. Self adoration.  You get what it says on the tin by the bucket load at Olivine's Charm School.   Julie is a truly admirable lady: business woman, mother and a complete style inspiration.  She's constantly blogging about new business ventures and even runs her own e-course on how to create your own small business.  Her blog is super-stylish with constant nuggets of inspiration on fashion, interior design and photography.

Here are Julie's charming 10 thing she loves about herself....

I love my freckles ♥ I love that I had a baby at home after 31 hours of labor with no drugs ♥

I love my husband, and I am so proud of myself every day for finding him ♥ I love that I created the perfect businesses where I get to stay home with my family every day and work on my terms ♥ I love my circle of supportive family and friends.  They have all been with me for a long, long time! ♥ I love and appreciate my body every day: for being healthy, for being strong, for being alive ♥ I love that I am wicked good at pampering myself.  Not a day goes by that I don't at least take a nice, long, hot bath ♥ I love my sense of humor ♥ I love my ability to talk to anyone, anytime about anything ♥ I love my eyes!

***** 

Thanks so much for taking part Julie!

You can follow Julie on Bloglovin and Twitter 

10 Things: Janis of My Suitcase Heart

I first fell in love with My Suitcase Heart when I came across Janis and Mike's breathtaking photos from their Hawaiian honeymoon. It took everything in me to keep from booking our own Hawaiian honeymoon then and there.  Her photos will make you swoon!  And pictures of her regular gatherings with friends will make you wish you were her real life friend too.  I also have to mention that this couple had one of the most stunning weddings I've ever seen.

Prepare to fall in love...

Hi, I'm Janis from My Suitcase Heart. My husband Mike and I love taking photos and I love telling stories about them, so that's what my little blog is all about.

Other tidbits: I'm from Canada. I'm very close to becoming a certified teacher (this spring!). I love pizza, roasted vegetables, greek lemon yogurt, garlic, and slurpees.  (Also: I don't think I've ever shown anyone that picture of me, but Maria said she wanted a goofy shot!)

It's was a bit tough to come up with things I love about myself, since we are always told to be humble - but here goes!

1. I'm a good friend, daughter, sister, auntie & wife.
I love spending quality time with my friends, family and Mike. People are the most important thing in my life. I love carving out time in a day to go out for coffee, make a meal together, snuggle up on the couch to watch some Modern Family, do crafts, go for walks etc.

2. I love to travel.
I've managed to squeeze in quite a bit in my 24 years of life and I think I'm a more well-rounded, open-minded person because of it. It's so interesting to encounter new cultures, foods, and ways of life. I have also surrounded myself with people who share this love.

3. I have fun in kitchen.
I love scouring the internet for new recipes, and spending time making things from scratch. I am not a gourmet chef by any means, and there are many types of cuisines I have yet to explore, but I feel good spending time making good food.

4. I can be quite the goofball.
I don't think I display this side to me on my blog very often, but Mike and I can be so silly sometimes. I've been known to dance around the kitchen, wrestle, play dead, speak in accents, make gross (yet sort of funny?) facial expressions. I am definitely goofier with Mike than anyone else.

5. I work hard & am motivated.
I work my butt off in school! If I want something, I will chase after it.

6. I'm organized.
If you saw our bedroom sometimes, you may be inclined to disagree. However, my organizational skills were put to the test when planning our wedding and everything went flawlessly. Lists lists lists!

7. I'm independent.
While I can be a bit shy in new situations, I don't let that hold me back from trying new things. I moved to Québec for a year to learn French. I took an adult ballet class. I worked a day camp in Turkey one summer.

8. I love to read.
When I was younger, I was a voracious reader. I lapsed a bit during university since there are so many required texts to read. However, I have recently got back on the bandwagon had have ploughed through numerous books since Christmas.

9. I'm creative.
My dad was a visual artist, and I was always jealous that I didn't recieve any of his drawing talents. However, Mike has made me realize that I'm creative in tons of other ways - be that with wedding crafts, photography, or food presentation.

10. I'm friendly.
If we ran into each other, I think we'd have a good chat!

Thanks so much for having me, Maria!

***** 

Thanks so much for taking part Janis!

 

You can follow Janis on Bloglovin and Twitter

10 Things: Hope of Hope in High Heels

Moving from Melbourne to New York City is one big move! Hope in High Heels is almost like a love letter to New York.  Gorgeous and with impeccable style, Hope writes about the move to big city and all the wonderful things she's discovered along the way.  She's just returned to NYC after a short spell back in Australia where it appears she never left home without her camera.  Her photos are absolutely breathtaking and they'll make you wish for the summertime again.

Let's hear it for Hope!

 I could rattle off a list of 10 things I want to change about myself in a matter of seconds. But a list of the 10 things I love about myself… well, that took days. I thought about calling in reinforcements - my mum and husband perhaps? But I quickly discarded that notion as it may would have gone against the spirit of this wonderful exercise that the lovely Maria has set for us. So I started thinking… and thinking… and thinking some more, and here's what I came up with:

A ready smile that lights up my face ♥ An insatiable curiosity about the world around me ♥ Deep loyalty to the people I love ♥ Find happiness in the small things in life ♥ Cool under pressure ♥ Eager to try new things ♥ Believe the best in people ♥ Enthusiastically and whole-heartedly throw myself into whatever I'm doing ♥ Never sweat the small stuff ♥ I make my own fun

Thank you gorgeous Maria for the opportunity to write on your lovely blog! Now payback time… what does your list look like?!

From New York, with love xox 

*****

Thanks so much for taking part Hope!

You can follow Hope on Bloglovin and Twitter

10 Things: Sarah of Yes and Yes

As soon as you lay eyes on the Yes and Yes blog, you know exactly what you're getting.  Sarah is a 100% grab-the-bull-by-the-horns kinda gal and there's no stopping her positive attitude rubbing off on you the more you read.  She's got one killer bucket list to get through before her next birthday and her self-designed re-purposeable calendar will get you planning a list of your very own.  In fact, today is 'Buy a Ridiculous Pair of Slippers' Day.  I'm off to get mine now.

Get ready to start saying Yes...

After burning out on her jobs in marketing, advertising and event planning, Sarah Von Bargen sold her worldly belongs and moved to Taiwan to teach English.  And then she moved to New Zealand.  And then she traveled for ten months by herself.  Somewhere along the way she earned an M.A. and started a blog that's now read by 10,000+ people every day and supports her and her traveling ways.  And yes, she's just as amazed by the whole thing as you are.

10 things I love about myself
Though I certainly have many a personal flaw (bad eyesight! impatient! epic powers of procrastination!) there are lots of awesome things about me as well.  Here are ten things I love about myself.

1.  My ability to choose awesome friends and maintain friendships across time and space
I met my closest friend in fifth grade and we've maintained our ridiculously close friendship for twenty years, across time zones and international date lines.  Half of my closest friends don't even live in the same country as me - but we keep up to date via email, Facebook and Skype.  I know that I can land in Vancouver/Sydney/Belfast and pick right up with my ladies where we left off a few years ago.

2.  My thick strawberry blond hair
At least once a month, someone asks me if it's real.  And it is!  Thanks, DNA!  Thanks, Grandpa Von Bargen!

3.  My ability to make things happen
My drive and tenacity are verging on robot-like and sometimes I wish I could turn them off.  What self-employed person gets up at 6:00 am without an alarm clock to start working?!  I can't change it, so I might as well embrace it.  And that work ethic has gotten me through 28 countries, a Master's Degree and self-employment, so I guess it's working out alright.

4. My neat, tiny hands 

They're oddly androgynous and really, really tiny.  But they look capable and sweet and they totally get things done.

5.  My gift-giving abilities
I will give you the thing you didn't know you wanted.  Or that you mentioned once, in passing, two years ago.  Or that pertains to our awesome inside joke.  Watch out, birthday.  It's gonna be great.

6. My memory It's a steel trap, almost awkwardly so.  I'll meet you once, have a five-minute conversation with you and then remember all of that information when I see you again, three months later.  You, on the other hand, probably won't recognize me when I'm all "Karen!  How's the personal training business going?  And how was your trip to Seattle?"  But even if it makes me seem like an over-interested weirdo, I'm glad that I can remember just about anything.

7. My lips
They're big and they're real.

8. My intuition
99% of the time it's right.  If I get the feeling you're lying to me, I'm probably right.  If I think you're into me, I'm probably right.  If I think there is, in fact, a left over slice of pizza in the fridge, I'm probably right.

9. My butt
It's big and round enough to be cute, but not so big and round that it's hard to find pants.  It's just right!

10.  My dancing skills
I have an extensive repertoire of moves and I will use them right here, right now, dead sober, in the middle of this living room if you turn on some DJ Yankee.  I.will.bring.it. 

*****

Thanks so much for taking part Sarah!

You can follow Sarah on Bloglovin and Twitter

10 Things: Anne of Modern Mrs Darcy

To start off the series of '10 Things I Love About Myself', I got in touch with Anne of Modern Mrs. Darcy to share her lovely list.   I first came across her blog because I am in love with all things Austen.  Anne writes beautifully and intelligently about good books, family life and what it means to be an accomplished woman today.

Take it away Anne!

Listing the things I love about myself isn't easy to do...because most of those things have a corresponding "thing I'd rather avoid" side to go with them! But after 30-something years of living in my skin, I've truly grown fond of some of the deep (and shallow) parts of myself, the things that make me truly "me." Like...

♥ my interest in absolutely everything ♥ bare fingernails that get mistaken for a french manicure ♥ deep wells of empathy ♥ super-long arms to reach the very top shelf ♥ well-honed coffee-making skills ♥ eagerness to give people the benefit of the doubt ♥ geeky reference book love ♥ the color of my eyes when I wear blue ♥ that I'm getting funnier every year ♥ boundless, goofy enthusiasm about my big ideas (and yours) ♥

*****

Thanks so much for taking part Anne! 
 

 You can follow Anne on Bloglovin and Twitter