in one of the goal coaching sessions i did with lululemon, i was asked to write a ten year vision for my life. (this is the just the first part. i may share the rest of it in a later post but it’s quite revealing!)

“it is a sunny but cool afternoon. i am under a low tree on my yoga mat barefoot scribbling in a notebook while our two children and our bulldog play in the garden nearby. from inside there’s the smell of spicy quinoa and the sound of rich jazz as matt prepares a delicious sunday lunch.

our friends will be arriving shortly with their own kiddos and dogs to eat from our garden around a huge farm table with low slung italian lights above our heads. the table will be covered with bottles of wine and plates to share and crayons for the kids who are doodling all over the butcher paper.

we have spent the morning at the farmers’ market with the kids on bikes and skateboards. we picked up all sorts of deliciousness and peonies for every room.” 

even when i read it now (i wrote it over a year ago) it lights me up. i wrote it before i was engaged to matt. before we had this amazing little house in venice (was such a nervous wreck while we were looking for it convinced we wouldn’t find anything. a complete psychopath.) before we’d had the most amazing wedding. before we’d worked really, really hard on our relationship to get this place of major respect and understanding.

so yesterday when i was sitting on my yoga mat at just about the time in the afternoon i had pictured, under a tree, with my notebook, getting kisses from my bulldog and watching my husband (still feels crazy to say!) work in the yard i thought, “i’m here.” right in the middle of that dream i’d written. not exactly how i’d described above (thank god, not ready!) but the time before the kiddos and perhaps another bulldog. everything else is in place – the enchanting backyard, the unbelievably rich friendships we’ve developed, our little home. i just wanted to stay right there on my yoga mat soaking in it all. with all of the chaos of the past year, i hadn’t even realized i am already here. 

MEET KATE.
writer & blogger; actress; world traveler; goal setter and list writer.

what’s the best part of your day?
climbing into bed at the end of the day with my fiancée brian. we cuddle and talk about our days…it almost always ends with laughter.

what inspires you?
great books
honest people
yoga
rain
travel
writing
trying new things
possibility
adventure
love
connectivity
kindness

your favorite trip.
a recent trip my fiancée and i took to nepal. we went on a 10-day trek in the himalayas and it was such an incredible journey of the mind, body and spirit. the nepali people are the kindest and most joyful people i have ever met. i yearn to be back there.

what’s your ideal sunday?
waking up without an alarm clock, drinking coffee in bed (especially if it’s brought to me!) while reading, a sweaty yoga class, brunch (i’m a sucker for a good brunch), writing, cooking dinner with friends, music and a glass of wine.

your favorite words of wisdom.
“be in love with your life every minute of it” – jack kerouac

when do you feel most “you?”
when i am sitting cross legged on my couch writing on my trusty laptop.

what fulfills you?
feeling connected to myself and those around me.

your favorite outfit.
skinny jeans, worn boots and a joe’s t-shirt. heaven.

what’s on your ipod?
beruit, the temper trap, old school madonna, bon iver, local natives, van morrison, edith piaf, al green, little joy, mgmt, lcd soundsystem

five things you love.
bri-guy (my future husband)
my family (they are a really good bunch)
books
sushi
buttery chardonnay

how you feel in one word today.
grateful.

this year my intentions are all around balance because no matter what happens this year it is bound to be pure, delicious chaos. with both of us taking trips for work, getting married in april, honeymooning in thailand, yoga retreating, building our home – yep, chaos.

i’m starting the year from a place of quiet. this month is dedicated to yoga, tea drinking and writing. taking time for solitude. walks without my cell phone. saying “no” when i need to.

my big one: karate chopping my expectations, and letting things just be. (by this i don’t mean lowering my standards or not having goals, but more allowing.)

{oh, and in other news, i just started the desire map from danielle laporte. she’s a flipping genius. what i love about this program she created is that it’s about figuring out how you want to feel and creating goals/choices/ideas based around that. rather than the other way around. mmm, so good. more on that as i progress of course.}

i am here. after a little over twenty-four hours of travel spent in a strange vortex of airports, shoddy headphones and wondering if i packed correctly (i didn’t.) i arrived wondering if i’d left that morning or two weeks ago.

the hills, the light and the people of portugal are gorgeous. the weather very cold (hence why i didn’t pack correctly. three swimsuits were definitely not necessary.) the buildings are dilapidated in a storybook sort of way. the coffee is very, very good.

then the reason i’m here – teaching yoga to an amazing group of professional female cyclists. so far i’ve met only one since the others haven’t arrived yet, but i’m surrounded by the most fun, inspiring lululemon crew. the next week and a half will be filled with so much growth. that i am sure of.

i have been rocking out to the 90’s hit by new radicals, ‘you get what you give’.

this verse keeps re-playing in my head, it goes:

you’ve got the music in you,

don’t let go,

you’ve got the music in you

so last night, i attended a seminar with some friends and the leader was speaking about michelangelo
and his masterpiece, david. he went way back and shared what it must have been like as michelangelo,
to see that big block of marble and know that david was in there.

somewhere.

and, he began.

the epic statue took him two years to complete. and, it is epic. i guarantee he had the music in him.
he didn’t let go.

what happens when we feel a bit stagnant? when we feel like a big block of marble? not sure of our
purpose or unclear of even where to start to chisel?

transitions can feel this way. life can feel this way. we shift. we start over. we get stuck.

and when we do, i shall sing to you, and you, and you:

you’ve got the music in you,

don’t let go,

you’ve got the music in you

and, you will find yourself, in the marble.

just begin.

about jacki:

jacki carr is a yogi, runner, goal coach, writer, ‘possibilitarian’, adventure-seeker and life lover. seen
vespa scootering through the streets of venice, she lives a full life by the pacific ocean. when
not playing on the lululemon athletica playground that is her #joblove, jacki is sharing adventures
on her blog about gnarly life lessons on and off the yoga mat, an awakened reality in the beauty of
vulnerability, and the real deal about gratitude. an ultimate goal is to inspire all beings to live a ‘rock-
your-wildest-dreams-light-it-up’ life. we really only have one, so why not make it an all out adventure?

follow her on twitter+instagram here: @jackicarr.

check out her blog: adventuresforlife.wordpress.com.

MEET JACKI.
life coach, lululemon recruiter, future denver-ite, blogger.

what’s the best part of your day?
i am the first to admit that i am not an (early) morning person.  #alarmclockhater

with that being said, i most definitely am a mid-morning person. i just adore oversized coffee mugs and sweet creamer, bacon baked in the oven and my blue-eyed boyfriend to start every great day.

what inspires you?
people living their lives in their utmost highest, light-your-life-on-fire potential and creating a radical reality.
the great outdoors.
the unreal, grounding and gravitational pull of great, heart-opening and vulnerable love.
my beautiful family.

your favorite trip.
absolutely anywhere with my tribe, being my amazing, make-me-laugh-until-tears-flowFAMILY!

be it the heartland that is indiana or the exotic beaches of greece, it is always an epic experience with delicious food, a tattoo here or there and lots of love.

i am truly grateful.

what’s your ideal sunday?
wake up.  dog walk with my boyfriend. big coffee cup in hand.
bike ride down to the santa monica farmer’s market on main street.
grab the vespa and head over to the mountains and get a morning hike in.
hit the beach for the afternoon sunshine, sand between my toes and smell of the salt air.
bike back to the love shack that is home. sweet little nap.
write a blog post. read a couple chapters in a great book.
then, off to a chill bar with friends for delicious glasses of red vino.
love shack.
falls asleep in the arms of a man I love with a sweet puppy at the bottom of the bed.
bliss.

your favorite words of wisdom.
“don’t ask what the world needs. ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

when do you feel most “you?”
when I am standing on a stage in front of a group of people.
perhaps with a microphone or megaphone. either works. or neither, i am rather loud.
sharing the power of goal setting.
sharing the power of choice.
sharing the truth that there is power within each and every one of us to live life as an incredible, fun and radical adventure.
in that moment, i am vibrating on a different level.  i am playing on a different playing field.
i am so insanely alive.

what fulfills you?
possibility.
people living in radical choice and creating a life they truly, truly love.
every day.
period.

your favorite outfit.
lululemon RUN: speed shorts
lululemon cool racer back tank top
osprey waterpak backpack
vibram five finger shoes in lite blue
yellow108 bamboo sunglasses
and my dog, bear!
note:  outfit featured here.

what’s on your ipod?
man in the mirror, michael jackson
you’ve got the love, florence & the machine
lovely day, bill withers
i wanna dance with somebody, whitney houston
we built this city, starship
hurts so good, john mellencamp
don’t stop believin’, journey
got to give it up, marvin gaye
i want to know what love is, foreigner

five things you love.
1.  hiking in the mountains with friends.
2.  a dirty chai tea latte
3.  i just really, really, really love and adore my boyfriend, chris hynes.
4.  ny rescue dog, bear.
5.  baby blue colored toenails.

how you feel in one word today.
alive.

naps.

slowly cutting my schedule a bit to make more time for what i love – writing, planning my classes, my lil’ family.

ben howard. SO looking forward to his show in june.

margaritas and goal setting. (thank you jacki!)

my engagement ring. obviously. but you should check out the adorable shop, kamofie and company, on abbot kinney, especially if you’re looking for something really unique.

chocolate and candy pecan covered frozen bananas from sweet rose creamery. holy mother.

yesterday as i arrived in vancouver for the lululemon ambassador summit, i felt a bit like a nine-year-old who just got dropped off at summer camp. everything about it was new – the city (even the country for that matter), the people, the weather. every single thing. and as awesome and exciting as that is, it’s a bit jarring at first. a little awkward. i can pretend to have it all together but you know, sometimes i feel like a dorky nine-year-old.

fast forward to this morning after a full night of rest and a 6:30 am yoga class, and man, i am in it. not only is this retreat full of amazing beings who are rocking their businesses and their lives, lululemon has sent us susanne conrad (of of my most favorite communication/life coaches), christine day (the ceo of the company) and erik peterson (the head of community work for the company). and these people are not here to just promote their company, but instead here to help us learn as many skills as possible in three days to enrich our careers and our lives big time. i am very impressed, and very grateful.

i’ve been looking forward to this time for self-reflection and growth so much. my daily life moves so fast, even when it doesn’t, that there’s little time to sit down and go, “okay life, what next? how we doing here??” (this will, however, become a part of my daily life when i get home.) to have this time to look at what’s before me with gratitude and a sense of adventure is a true gift. it’s exciting to be truthful with myself about what i want, not about what my brain tells me to do next or what other people think i should do. it’s about what makes me come ALIVE.

a few breakthroughs so far -
we ALL have insecurities, and i would even go as far as to say, mostly the same ones.
we have the power to shift our reality always, all ways, and communication is one of the main tools to do that.
life happens but goals tell the universe what we want.
the TRUTH (whether we are living it, speaking it, all of the above) is our protection and our compass.
strong, beautiful women (and men!) can empower one another without “playing small.”

after we wrapped up today, my new friend jill and i headed to explore whistler armed with mugs of tea in hand, our cameras and a bit of chocolate. then i treated myself to a lavender-scented massage and a half hour in the steam room. now it’s posting in my uggs, soaking in the bath, and then heading to another group.

bliss… and with more to come. always.