I’m having one of those days today. One of those days where you realize that you matter and you can make a difference. You don’t have to be Mother Teresa or the head of a nonprofit or join the PeaceCorp in order to affect someone’s life in a positive way. It can really be as small of a thing as a smile.
I had a fantastic morning. I spent my first 30 minutes awake still snuggled up in bed and busting out a bunch of Instagram and Facebook posts. I made it downstairs to boot up my computer while eating my favorite breakfast right now: Wild Friends Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter (mine has chocolate chips in it!) with a banana, and topped with some Hemp Hearts from Manitoba Harvest. Yeah, totally yum. (Read below to find out more about my awesome breakfast!) Then it was off to my standing spin class at Burncycle PDX. It was as sweaty, intense, inspirational, fun, and killer as usual. I even got to have a lady boss coffee date afterwards with Jessi, which was totally awesome!
So needless to say, I was in a great mood as I was running much overdue errands like picking up some packages and taking my bridesmaid’s dress from Sam’s wedding (which was over two months ago! eek!) to the dry cleaners. There is a woman who works at UPS who is always very efficient and polite, but rarely interacts. I’ve never seen her crack a smile in the 8 months I’ve had a mail box at this store. Today I went in there, high on endorphins, caffeine, and girltalk, and radiated high, happy energy all over her. She was in the middle of something, but took my package slips and told me she’d be able to get it in just a moment. I assured her I was in no rush and went on to explain for whatever reason (doesn’t matter since I’m always oversharing anyways) that my coffee was kicking in and I was feelin’ good. Not only did she crack a smile, but she also continued the conversation with me talking about what a good day it seemed I was having with spin class plus a coffee date and how much that combination rocks! Then she said, “bye, Elizabeth,” as I stepped away from the counter. I had no idea she knew my name!
Interaction number 2: I found a dry cleaners right at the end of my street to take my dress to. An older gentleman walks up to the counter to complete my transaction. He’s perfectly polite, but again, efficient and maybe even a bit stern. I would venture to say the lines on his face were not smile lines. But again, with my persistent bubbly mood, I got a hint of a smile during our brief interaction!
Here’s the moral of the story… Energy is contagious. You can affect others with your mood. Have you been around those chipper people when you’re in an atrocious mood and you can’t help but feel the lift at the corners of your mouth? YES! When you’re going about your day, you have no idea what’s going on in the lives, minds, spirits of others. But by sharing a smile, holding the door open for someone, asking how someone’s day is going (and mean it!), telling someone you love her boots (and mean it!)… The ways of doing this is infinite, but by sharing your good mood, you help ensure that someone else has a good day. You might be the one source of brightness in an otherwise shitty day for someone. That’s a lot of power people! So keep it in mind when you’re out and about interacting with people around you. We all affect each other and have the power to shift someone’s experience.
Interested in hearing more about my amazeballs breakfast?! Thanks to the partnership between Fit Approach and Manitoba Harvest, I got to try out Hemp Hearts! I know what you’re thinking. I moved to Oregon from Colorado, and I’m having a product with the word “hemp” in it for breakfast. Not it’s not what you think it is! Hemp is the same species but not the same thing as marijuana. Read more about hemp here.
A Hemp Heart is literally a raw shelled hemp seed. They have a slightly nutty taste, and you can put them on whatever you want! I usually put mine on top of nut butter, yogurt, salads, and roasted veggies. I’ve seen a ton of people top their smoothies with them! (I know, I need to get back to making smoothies!) Other than the subtle flavor profile and texture you add to your dish, you’re also getting great nutritional value:
- Nutritious – per 30 gram serving, Hemp Hearts contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of Omegas.
- Hemp Hearts have more protein and omegas and less carbs than the same serving of chia or flax.
Enter this giveaway to try Hemp Hearts for yourself! To be eligible to win, follow Manitoba Harvest on Twitter, follow Manitoba Harvest on Instagram, or tweet about the giveaway using @ManitobaHarvest, #hemphearts, @FitApproach, and #sweatpink.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Manitoba Harvest but any and all opinions are my own. I truly appreciate all of the brands that support the Sweat Pink community!