Thankful

Science says focusing on what you are grateful for (and perhaps those to whom you are grateful) makes you splurge less. I've been feeling thankful all month (November is special for me) but I've also bought a new ring and two sweaters, and gone out for dinner a few times, and ordered takeout a few other times. None of these were 'necessary' so they all count as 'splurges'. Which is kind of a gross word.

Anyway here's why I'm grateful these days (whether or not it keeps me from spending my hard earned paychecks any time soon is another matter):

My current home is the one I've lived in longest (>2 years) since moving out of my family's house a little over 10 years ago. I share this home with my husband and we are coming up on our 1-year anniversary. We both have good jobs, good health, and get to live in California. We have good friends both here and scattered around the world. Our families are further away, but we get to talk to them and face time with the littlest/cutest relatives. We may not have the money to buy everything we've ever wanted right this minute, but we don't have to worry about feeding or clothing ourselves, paying bills, or going on some kind of vacation. We had an awesome vacation this year to Hawaii (first time for either of us) and a weekend getaway to Yosemite (also our first visit).

more reading:
Gratitude/Willpower
The Billfold

Succulent Holidays

May your days be merry and filled with succulents. 

Love, California 

Photos from Banana Republic's gorgeous flagship store in San Francisco

Oh Beautiful

My husband and I had never been to Yosemite before so I was very excited to take a weekend getaway to the park. I love driving around California - the scenery almost makes this city girl enjoy driving. Although it was getting chilly and we only hiked around a little, the autumn colors and the park's geography had me in awe.

The photo above is from Tunnel View, the vista off the Southside Road (right outside one of the tunnels) on the way south to Wawona. The ones below are at Mirror Lake (standing on the dry lake bed) and from behind The Ahwahnee Hotel (which I want to stay in, next time).

 

A fun follow: https://twitter.com/Interior

Womanly Wisdom from Own It SF 2014

Last week I went to an alumni panel solely based on seeing one name from the tech industry (Kara Swisher) listed as a panelist, but came away completely inspired to own my success and my career. I know this probably sounds cliche, but every once in a while I just need some inspiration, and that came from seeing these successful women sharing their experiences and observations. These are the gems I am putting down here so I can reference them as I keep building on my career:

• Even 'benign' has implications - there may not be outright bias against women in the workplace but it does still exist, in more subtle ways. It is still important to bring awareness to women's issues. Awareness begets fairness.
• Play a healthy mind game with yourself - if you're hesitating to go after something, ask, "What would my guy friends do?" [Guys usually apply to a position even if they meet only 6 out of 10 criteria.] Get used to taking risks...
• #1 trait of successful woman (people?) is: Resilience. 
• You can do good in ANY sector. [The panelists had experience in academia, government, non-profits and the private sector.]
• Self-interest trumps everything: Yes, companies should promote diversity because it's the right thing to do, but lots of times you need to frame it precisely in terms of how it helps the company and/or the board and/or those executives whose support you need. So go ahead, pull that card; there is a gracious way to do so.

Also check out:
https://twitter.com/justownit
http://www.ownitsummit.com/

Reading List

I spent the first half of the year studying, but come summer I was really happy to read for pleasure again. These have been my favorites: