What are yours?
If any of the themes below resonate with you, I’d love to hear from you.
with love ✨, CATHERINE
Observations on moving, breathing and being. These are mine.
I’ve been writing them down since 2020.
I took a long pause. I’m back now.
On perfectionism
I’ve struggled over the years with playfulness. I believe we are all innately playful, yet somehow I’ve allowed that natural tendency to be suppressed, year after year, due to my greater struggle—perfectionism.
I used to think perfectionism was a badge of honour. Oh, how I was wrong! Rather, it’s been one of my greatest sources of weakness over the years.
A reflection on uncertainty
I have a super power. We all do.
Mine? It's my strong work ethic. It always has been. I'm a believer in discipline and hard work, and I enjoy the focus, persistence and motivation that my work ethic both requires and nurtures. It’s no wonder, then, that a strong yoga practice is the foundation of my self-care and well-being rituals, as yoga itself is a disciplined, driven approach towards transformation.
However...my relationship with my super power hasn't always been the healthiest. I’ve oftentimes over-prioritized it at the expense of its opposite—that being rest, relaxation, “down time”. This has sometimes (read: often) resulted in overwhelm, disappointment, frustration.
More times than not, I've directed my work ethic towards externally, productivity-driven “expectations"…
A reflection on being our own CEO
“It’s tough being the CEO of your own life,” said yours truly to her sister earlier today.
And while it is—tough, that is, playing this all-crucial role of CEO—it’s also not a role that I’d want to outsource to anyone else. I and I alone can hold this position for Me, Myself & I Incorporated.
There are days when I would give myself CEO of the Year Honours. (These are few and far between, mind you.) And there are days when I would fire myself if I could. (Thankfully, these are also few and far between.) Most days, I’m an average CEO. I get the job done. I can do better in some areas, I could probably do worse in others.
How do the best of us manage?…
A reflection on badassery
bad·ass·e·ry | \ ˈbad-¦a-sə-rē \
1. The state or condition of being a badass: badass quality or character
2. The actions or behaviour characteristic of a badass
bad·ass | \ ˈbad-ˌas \
2. Of formidable strength or skill
One of my best friends stopped through town this past weekend. In addition to sharing delicious food and drink and overall inspiring conversation, specifically we discussed the notion of “badassery”—what it is (IMO, overall impressiveness) and how to both recognize and celebrate this state of mind, in others and in ourselves.
It’s this last part…badassery in ourselves…that kept me up at night: why is it so much easier to acknowledge it in anyone other than in ourselves?
A reflection on a hurry-up culture
Recently, someone very special to me shared with me the above quote. Since, I’ve ruminated on it night after night, recognizing it to be what it is—the perfect lesson for this perfect moment.
Life has slowed down—for most of us, myself included, not necessarily by choice but rather by necessity. Being recently single and newly unemployed, I find myself with time on my hands unlike any other period of my adult life. And, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, this time has seemingly multiplied.
A reflection on “The Law of Detachment”
Freedom. [ free·dom | \ ˈfrē-dəm ]
1 — The quality or state of being free, such as (a-h): the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action; liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another; the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous; unrestricted use; ease, facility; the quality of being frank, open or outspoken; improper familiarity; boldness of conception or execution (Merriam-Webster)
