I was asked this question a few weeks ago while sitting around a table with some pretty fascinating humans in NYC. I sat there for a second to think.

I’m proud of myself when…

…I’m able to balance travel and service with being a good daughter, sister, and friend. Yes. That’s when I’m proud of myself…but that can’t happen unless I’m fully engaged.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

I have to be in alignment physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally from anything truly productive to come out of my day. That means carving out time for a run or yoga practice. Being organized in my work environment as well as in my personal life. Falling in love with my own company. Surrounding myself with others who have dreams, desires and ambitions. If these practices aren’t in place, I’m no good to anybody.

Sometimes I look back on the past 31 years of my life and feel as though I’ve lived a lifetime. Between the travel adventures and the TV shows and the surgeries and yoga journey, my energy levels have shocked me – in a good way. Where oh WHERE does all of this energy come from?? I’ve always thrived on movement, and while my parents instilled that in me from a very young age, it wasn’t until very recently that I came to fully understand energy management. While I was in NYC last month, I learned about Johnson & Johnson’s energy tool called Human Performance Institute that helps individuals and companies actual deliver both professionally and personally by learning how to increase energy capacity (feel free to create your energy profile here).

It’s pretty simple once it’s all broken down. As our worlds grow more hectic and complex (read: work, relationships, family, social media, travel, hobbies, etc) we have to learn how to deal with increasing stress and demands. Hello, global human energy crisis! Johnson & Johnson created the Human Performance Institute that looks at the four dimensions of energy: the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual components. In other words, we have a body to nurture, a heart/emotions to nourish and mind that wanders and a human spirit that is our driving force. The key is managing the energy in each of these dimensions.

Where I Pull My Energy From

As I started studying all of this, I realized I’ve never been in such alignment with all of these dimensions than ever before, right now, in 2018. Unbeknownst to me until recently, I’ve been putting good energy practices into place, of which I’m going to share here in hopes it’ll help you today, tomorrow or at some point in the near future:

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Exercise – Like I said, I thrive on movement 🙂 When I don’t feel good physically, I fall apart mentally and emotionally. Even if I can’t dedicate a ton of time to exercise every day, even a quick 10 minute floor work out clears my mind.

Yoga – I’ve been practicing yoga for years, but it wasn’t until I began to truly study the practice that I realized yoga is far more than a fitness routine. At its foundation, yoga is the union of the mind, body and spirit. It’s an increased level of awareness and consciousness, and practicing the art has made me more humble, kind and mindful.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Diet – While the Parisian crepes and Tokyo ramen have me falling off the wagon from time to time, I do try to eat healthy every day. While I don’t have a kitchen to cook in (part of the travel blogging lifestyle!), I do stay away from fast food and junk food. 

Travel – Far more than just a career, travel has taught me so many valuable lessons in life. It’s allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. It’s made me patience and appreciative. Traveling has expanded my thinking. If we didn’t allow the grass to grow under our feet and got out more, the world just might be a better place. It’s simply a matter of not having a preconceived idea of what something or someone is, but rather going to see what something or someone is. No matter how jet lagged I may be, nothing gets me going quite like landing on foreign soil.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Self Love – When you love yourself, you glow from the inside. You attract people who love like you do. Everything starts with and how you feel about yourself. I feel worthy, valuable and deserving, and I fully believe that’s contagious. Be magnetic energy.

Love Life – Ahhhh the feeling of falling in love. The butterflies, the euphoria, the constant togetherness. Truth be told, I’ve been in both healthy and unhealthy relationships this year, and it’s important to note the warning signs of the latter. I started to become emotionally unstable towards the end, and the relationship was draining me of my energy. Thankfully, it was short lived and with every experience comes a lesson of how to do better next time. 

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Support Group – Whether you’re an athlete, a banker, a mom, or a cancer survivor, having an amazing support group in your life is huge. It’s important to receive and also to give that same gift to others. The cheerleaders and the caregivers in our lives lift us up and give us that push to believe that anything is possible. Have you ever noticed how you feel after laughing with good friends? Ahh, so good for the soul.

Unfollowing Spree – In a world full of social apps, it’s so easy to mindlessly scroll highlight reels and feel as though we need more or deserve better or are somehow behind in life. For any photo that provokes the slightest bit of negatively charged reaction, think about unfollowing that person. We spend so much time here, so much energy here. Let the digital world be a source of creation, not destruction or a source of negativity in your life. Let go of things that no longer serve you.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Freedom to create – My career path (and my audience) have given me one of the best gifts of all – the freedom to create. I’m beyond grateful to write about the stories that inspire me in hopes that they’ll inspire others. I’m thankful that I can travel to faraway places and that my readers support me wherever I go – reading and engaging every step of the way. Free to create, free to explore. This is what brings me awake and brings me fully alive, allowing my energy to flow just as freely out of every pore of my body. Everyone possesses this creative entitlement. We are all allowed to have a voice and a vision, so practice your craft, say it out loud, and make it count. 

Lean into fear – When we’re fearful, we retreat. We close up. We run. That’s human nature. But what about, if instead, we leaned into it? Fear is a scary thing, but it’s also a driving factor as it propels us forward to do great things. Be friends with it. Make space for it. Once you overcome it, the empowering feeling on the other side is euphoric.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Saying yes more than no – Experiences are the stepping stones to my crazy, messy, beautiful life. They transform me over and over. With each knock, I try to answer, even if I don’t really want to. I typically find that on the other side of that experience was a good lesson or contact or memory. 

Knowing when to say NO – The Yes/No Theory is quite a balance. For all of my 20s, I said yes to almost everything that came my way. I knew that whatever event or dinner or trip it was, that it would be beneficial in one way, shape or form. In my 30s, I began to realize the importance of saying ‘no’ in order to harvest my energy. That’s not to say I’m tired, but it speaks more to what I hold important and impactful for myself. Protecting my energy is so important.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Where can I be of service? – I love this question, and I get more and more answers every day. That’s because my ears and eyes are wide open – but it hasn’t always been like that. Each and every point in my life has brought me where I am today to know that I want to help make this world a better place. Today I lift my gaze, look around and see where I can be of service. You get what you give and if you give off positive energy, the universe will throw it right back at ya.

Finding Purpose – My “best self” is an important place to start when defining my purpose. Stepping into this kind of clarity allows for greater performance. It helps me direct my energy towards who and what I care about most, creating a sense of meaning and fulfillment. For me, that’s in inspiring travel, in connecting with others, in spreading the joy of yoga and in educating and creating awareness for gene mutations, early detection and breast cancer.

Putting my Energy to Good Use

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

I’ve never felt more energized than right now, this year, in this season of my life. Once 2018 hit, I knew I was ready for the next chapter. I was well-traveled, I was a healed mastectomy patient, I was a certified yoga teacher and I had a passion to give back to a world that had given me so much. So I started something I’ve always wanted to do – I guided a group of complete strangers abroad.

My LimitLes travel series compiles purposeful driven trips that bring people together for exploration, connection, yoga, and giving back. My first LimitLes in Bali trip just wrapped where 14 strangers traveled halfway across the world to meet. Yes, we explored monkey forests and cooked Balinese cuisine and basked in hot springs and snorkeled with manta rays and walked rice fields and practiced yoga… but what transpired in Bali over the past 7 days wasn’t your average island adventure.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

The connection between us and between our selves propelled us forward every day, seeping out of every pore as we cheered each other up a volcano or shared battle stories from the O.R. We were a mix of cancer survivors and previvors and women who are now more aware than ever on the realities of breast cancer just by having meaningful conversations with one another. We participated in the Bali Pink Ribbon 5k and donated mastectomy bras this October, and it was so beautiful to be a part of. Cancer knows no age, no gender, no timing, no nationality. We traveled half way across the world to stare it in the face, to ask questions, to learn, to expose our fears…all with a smile on our faces. Not to act as a mask or to hide behind it. But because we couldn’t help it. Because we were living. We aren’t here for a long time, but we’re here for a good time…and Bali bliss was had.

Journal Challenge

Together with Johnson & Johnson, I want help take people from being present to being engaged, to walking in a world where we’re fully awake. It takes all of us to change the trajectory of human health – and that can be anything from being vulnerable and sharing your own health story to donating your time and money to a cause. I love working with brands that strive to embody this same message, and Johnson & Johnson is making a difference across the globe. They showcase this in so many ways including their Human Performance Institute. With a blend of heart, science and technology, we can eradicate anything holding us down – together.

To help kick start such a mindset, I want to challenge you to a little journal session. Take a few moments to write down a few answers to these questions. This exercise is intended to help create clarity and help direct where to put your energy on what’s important in your life.

What do you truly value in life?

How often are you showing up as who you want to be or are you always tired and overwhelmed by all the balls you’re juggling?

What drives you? Why?

How do you define success in your life?

What impact do you want to have on others?

How would you want other people to describe you?

What makes life really worth living?