“Work, sleep, family, fitness, or friends. Pick three.”

Work life balance. It’s a thing. An illusive concept we all attempt to master. When I read Randi Zuckerberg’s (former Facebook director of market development) two cents on the steep upward climb that is entrepreneurship, I felt an overwhelming sense of contentment. Peace. I felt so much less…lonely.

“In order to kick ass and do big things, I think you have to be imbalanced.”

THANK YOU. Sure, I’d like to believe that it’s not true. I wish I could pretend that I’m killing it at Alchemy, growing my blog, writing the best nutrition articles My Fitness Pal has ever seen, being a rockstar friend/sister/daughter/girlfriend, eating kale salads, and sleeping seven hours a night. But guess what? I’m not. I haven’t in years, and I don’t plan on that changing anytime soon. I knew that starting a business meant sacrifices and I’m living proof.

I’ve learned some things along the way. If you try to do it all and do it all 100%, you will set yourself up for disappointment. There simply are not enough hours in the day. And that’s okay.

I could say “screw it” on the weekends when everyone is off and go brunching with my boyfriend and to the bar with my girlfriends; but I know very well that everything, EVERYTHING, comes with an opportunity cost. I am incapable of indulging in my social life without thinking about how that time could be spent on Alchemy or Hummusapien. I try really, really hard to make time for the little things, but it’s not easy. I don’t sleep like I used to. I wish I would wax my eye brows more often. I wish I prepared more food on the weekends. But when staff calls in sick and there’s three blog posts and two freelance articles I haven’t written, Sunday isn’t just an open book. There’s no such thing as disconnecting. This life is glamour and anxiety and publicity and panic and health and sickness and fear and joy all rolled up into one.

I love the ups, and I’ve learned how to rebound from the downs. I continuously tell myself that nothing good in life comes easy. Are there days where I wish I worked a “normal” 9-5 job? Hell yes. Would I be happy with life? Hell no. I live for the buzz of the restaurant industry, the unpredictable highs, the not-knowing-what’s-next kind of life. I don’t believe in ceilings. There’s always new ground to cover. But you can’t have that attitude if you’re not willing to accept that you will not and cannot excel at everything. Something’s gotta give. So you learn to embrace imperfection. You accept that you’re not perfect, that perfect is impossible, that perfect is in fact painfully boring.

This month I’ve partnered with KIND Snacks to share how I will Live KIND. every day™ in 2016. That means being KIND to my body, to my taste buds, and to my community. Because there are things in life that you must never sacrifice, no matter how long your to-do list is.

Be KIND to your body.

I will think of that one hour work out like a doctor’s appointment. I’ll wake up early on Saturday to finish Monday’s blog post so I can make it to that 10am Barre3 or Body Pump class without dwelling on remaining work during the whole lunge track. And when my knee starts to randomly hurt every time I squat, I’ll take a break and I’ll be okay with it. I’ll respect my body and let myself heal.

I will take a freaking BATH. I will light a lavender candle, blast “Champagne Supernova,” and pour myself a glass or three of malbec. I’ll sing really, really loudly.

I will walk to the coffee shop instead of drive and take the stairs to print my appointment notes. I’ll buy new workout pants because they’re bright blue and amazing and will most definitely make me more excited about exercising. I’ll make mindful decisions to stay active because I know how much it heals me mentally.

Be KIND to your taste buds.

Fuel your crazy life with delicious eats that power you through the day. That means organic spinach as much as it means dark chocolate (Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt KIND bar, anyone?!). I will see food as energy and recognize what foods make my body feel best, like chia pudding with raspberries and cacao nibs, hugh jass blueberry cacao smoothies, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on repeat. I will do my best to make homemade meals each week but not stress when homemade means microwaving an Amy’s burrito.

Be KIND to your world.

Don’t forget that you’re not the only person in the world that’s crazy busy! I will be patient, smile at new faces, and go out of my way to make some one’s day. I will buy a random person a cup of coffee and rest assured that those two dollars will make their week, guaranteed. I will do a random act of kindness just because. And when someone does the same to me, I will show gratitude. A little goes such a long way.

I will make time to call my mom and my grandma, even if it’s just a two minute “hi!” kind of call. I will bring my own coffee mug and water bottle to work every day. Little things can make a huge impact on this world, my friends.

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment telling the world how you’ll Live KIND. every day™ in 2016! Be sure to also check out the KIND blog to see how their team is living KIND and follow along on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook (@kindsnacks + #LiveKIND).

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of KIND. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Hummusapien possible!

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