Do it now, do it now, do it now!

I walked toward the escalator trailing behind a handful of giggly university-aged girls who were ready to change the world with a sun salutation and yoga pants.

An Asian man in his mid-to-late twenties fell into step beside me. “I’m the only guy,” he whispered. “This is so awkward.”

I looked at him sympathetically as the managers began to roll out yoga mats in a secluded area on the third floor of the mall. I surveyed the group of 10, all interviewing for one position as a full time seasonal educator at lululemon. Suddenly I felt self-conscious as I tugged at my crocheted royal blue sweater, pulling it further down over my dress pants and staring at my 3-inch heels.

“Clearly I didn’t get the memo,” I told my new friend. “I’m the only one not wearing lulu!”

The truth is, I had never owned a piece of clothing from the store. And until that day, I had never even set foot in a lululemon. And even though I spent all 3 months of my seasonal employment feeling like a less-than-graceful Zumba dancer who accidentally stumbled into an advanced yoga class (re: out of place), it appears as though my time with those chakra-loving hippies had a bigger impact on me than I realized.

****

“What’s your favourite lulu manifesto?” the Bubbly One asked.

“You do know what a manifesto is, right?” remarked the Forward One.

If by manifesto, the managers were referring to those sayings scribbled on the walls and the bags in the store, then lucky for me, I had just read a few while I was waiting for the group interview to begin. Must be karma!

I wracked my brain to think of one that stood out. And then it came to me. Three simple words, repeated over and over:

“Do it now, do it now, do it now!”

“This is how I want to live my life,” I said confidently, and then gave an explanation peppered with words like “goal setting,” “personal development,” and “balance.” (By that point in the interview I had started picking up on lulu culture). Truthfully, I don’t really remember what I said, but I’m pretty sure I garnered some head nods, deep breathing, and a “namaste” (joking about the last one). Not bad for a gal who didn’t know what an Astro pant was.

Though I can’t say that those are the words I live by, I can say that this manifesto is something I think about on a near daily basis as I seek to understand the importance of self-discipline.

As a creative person, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of, “I’ll create when I’m inspired.” But sometimes I feel inspired when I’m at work, or at church, or riding the bus, or drifting off to sleep. And then, when it comes time to sit down and do the work, I just don’t feel like it.

Between my day job and working at home, my hours are precious. And I don’t want to be wasting time with fleeting pleasures when I could be investing in something that I’m passionate about. I recently read an article called, “Don’t Follow Your Passion, Follow Your Time.”

Anyone can have a passion, but not everyone can be disciplined enough to use their time well. Not everyone can decide, “I’m going to do this now.”

Not after I check my emails.

Not after I go on Facebook.

Not after I make my third cup of coffee.

Not after I browse the desserts on Pinterest.

Not after I get the house in order.

Now.

Cuz as the lulu manifesto says…

The world moves at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will only leave you two steps behind. Do it now, do it now, do it now!

What do you need to do now?

The Balanced Life

My seasonal job at Lululemon Athletica comes with some perks: like free yoga classes. And while I’m busy shoving new information into my brain (even while I sleep, yikes), such as luon, circle mesh, luxstreme, and moisture wicking, I’m also remembering the reason why Lulu gifts their employees with free yoga.

Balance.

I’m sitting in my favourite chair in my parents’ house with the sun streaming through the window and some fresh snow sprinkled on the ground. This favourite chair is also my writing chair, and as I sit here I can hear all those voices from my friends asking why the heck I haven’t updated my blog in so long.

So here’s to more balance when it comes to writing (even if I’m not sure what I’m supposed to write about anymore).

It’s Getting Hot in Here

This is not a reference to Nelly’s Hot in Here, which was my dorm’s theme song in first year (ew, gross memories), but instead to hot yoga, which I experienced for the first time on Thursday night. (In hot yoga the temperature is set to between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

My friend Pip and I decided to begin our hot yoga experience with some French-Canadian cuisine called Poutine. For those non-Canadians out there, Poutine consists of fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Take a look:

Since we made it on our own, it looked a little bit different. We used sweet potato instead of regular potato, and grated cheddar instead of cheese curds. It’s all about balance.

We started walking to Rama Lotus with a bit of hesitation. Did we drink enough water? Will we faint in exhaustion? How hot is hot?

As the lights dimmed, the temperature soared, and we began a series of poses, the sweat began dripping from our faces and our arms, our pores emanating the sweet stench of onion and garlic mingled with beef stock. By the time the class was over and our muscles were fully relaxed, we looked in awe at the minimal amount of sweat across our stomachs and backs and exclaimed, “This fabric really is moisture wicking!” (We were wearing Lulu products, naturally).

We walked home from the studio, eager to engage in a post-hot yoga celebration of white wine and black forest cake.  Upon reaching Pip’s house, however, we chose to exchange the white wine for water and grabbed two forks to indulge in one piece of chocolate-cherry goodness.

Like I said – balance is key.