I have to ask just one more question for those of you who use RSS feeds to follow this blog. Mel’s been helping me iron out a few kinks; if you followed The View from There in an RSS feed, and it recently switched over to Green Junkie Living automatically, could you let me know? Trying to figure out if that worked.

[This is a picture of my sister's childhood friend (black shirt), who is now an awesome yoga instructor in Burlington, VT, with one of her friends and co-teachers.]

But what I really wanted to talk about today is motivation and encouragement, and the awesomeness that can happen when we open ourselves up. We’ve talked about this before, and even had a guest post on the issue, but I think it bears revisiting. As I enter this new phase of engaging my body (that would be the kick serious butt phase, for anyone wondering), I find myself gobbling up support and inspiration every chance I get. When I see a friend’s comment on my dailymile.com account, it gets me excited to lace up my sneaks again. When I read Angela’s training log over at Oh She Glows, I start dreaming of triathlons in my future.

Here’s the awesome thing, though: all this motivation feeds itself. Jen said she went for an “Olivia inspired run” when she headed out even though she had a sore knee. And that sort of tenacity helped me know I had to head to the river for a long walk yesterday even though I felt lousy.

So, folks, I’m giving you homework. (Sorry–I teach. Homework is what I do.)

1. Think of a goal you’ve wanted to achieve (cook a healthy meal, slash your sugar intake, head out for a hike), and find the motivation you need to make it happen. Read cookbooks, talk to a friend, scour some blogs.
2. Share what you’ve accomplished. You don’t have to brag (though you should feel free to do so in the comments!), but spread the word. Open yourself up to the possibility of motivating others. Blog it, tweet it, email it, dish it. Just get it out there.

I don’t know about you, but I have a heckuvalot of trouble being my best if I try to operate in a vacuum. If I open myself up to what I can offer to and accept from others, magic happens. So give it a shot: add yourself to the motivation loop.

Needless to say, this approach also has some serious drawbacks. Think: a series of panic attacks in college that led me to think about dropping out. Think: a racing mind I couldn’t stop, leading to many nights of insomnia. Think: many, many, many experiences of stress-related tummy troubles. Not good!

Which brings us to that ever sought after middle path. Yoga helps. Meditation helps. But honestly, what has helped me the most is spending time with people with a natural (or seemingly natural) Zen mindset. It’s no secret that we tend to adopt some of the behaviors of those we spend time around (have you and your best friend ever said the same thing at the same time? do you find yourself falling into similar eating patterns as your roommate?), so why not surround yourself with people whose behavior you want to emulate?

Many of you probably know by now that I lovingly refer to Michael as my Zen giant, and I have to admit, I have chilled out a lot since we first got together. (Or at least, I think I have.) This isn’t to say I’ve gotten careless or turned into a slacker. But when I start to freak out about something, I ask myself if this is something that would send him into a tailspin, too. And guess what? Nine times out of ten (or more), I can imagine Michael very coolly working towards a logical solution for something–or letting it go. I’m not going to lie. This doesn’t mean I can always instantly chill out, but it has certainly helped me double check my perspective.

So, I’m working on it. I’m working on being more patient with myself, and with others. I’m working on making freaking out a choice rather than a knee-jerk reaction. And really, who would choose that? Not me! Since I first started developing calming strategies in college, I’ve developed quite the collection of tools: deep breathing, lavender scented candles, yoga, meditation, and a brilliant homeopathic remedy known as Calms Forte. But my loved ones have helped me incorporate a big dose of calming the heck down into my life.

If you don’t have a naturally serene person in your life already (and look again–maybe you just haven’t noticed), think about joining a meditation group or maybe talking to a holistic practitioner. My dear friend and former roommate in Rome has become a picture of peacefulness since she joined a meditation group a few years ago, and even talking to her online always helps me feel centered.

Do you have any other tips for finding the Zen? What has (or hasn’t) worked for you in the past? Are you one of those lucky naturally serene people? How did you get that way?

So what do you do? For starters, explain to the people you care about what changes you’re making; they can’t support you if they don’t know what you’re up to. Try to surround yourself with people who share similar values. Starting a yoga practice? Talk to people in class. Going veg? Join an online community or a local cooking class. I’m pretty darn lucky in that I come from a fairly health-conscious family, live with a man who loves his veggies and has thought about becoming a yoga teacher himself, and have friends at home and abroad who value healthy choices. Really lucky.

Looking cheesy with one of my granola co-chefs

Even with that to die for support network, I still find myself questioning my decisions or abilities. In addition to trying to tap into my purest self, I’ve learned to share my insecurities with loved ones. They haven’t let me down yet. (Which isn’t to say I’ve never had people in my life who told me I couldn’t do it, whatever it is. Over time, they’ve all gotten the boot. It wasn’t always easy to end a friendship or relationship, but why invest time and energy in people who try to break you down? Don’t!)

It’s also important to learn your audience. Don’t prepare your first vegan meal for your burger-obsessed best friend. No matter how tasty the dish is, it just might not be for her. Don’t look to your couch-potato coworker for encouragement when your new fitness program is lacking. It’s not that these people definitely won’t support you, but when you feel your own enthusiasm or confidence lagging, play it safe and call on people who already live the values you’re trying to adopt. Record them saying positive things if you have to. (I often joke about recording my friends Paloma and Amanda, who might be the queens of positive sound bites.) Here’s one of my favorite quotes to get you started:

“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” — Chinese Proverb

Lastly, be patient with the people in your life who might not be so enthusiastic at the beginning. (Just don’t let them actively sabotage you.) These positive changes, as important as they are, can be scary for people who aren’t there yet. Once they see how healthy and vibrant you are, though, they’ll likely come around. Then you get the privilege and honor of paying it forward and being in their cheering section as they make their way down their own journey.

Have people in your life been supportive? Has fear of others’ reactions held you back from changes you knew in your gut you wanted to make? How did you move forward?

I spend a lot of time thinking about motivation. If I’m not trying to come up with a way to bribe myself into healthy habits, I’m looking for a magic spell that will cause all my students to do their homework—on time and with enthusiasm. Needless to say, this not an easy feat. Last week, I implemented a new “leveling  up” system with my students, and was trying to think of how I could use points to motivate myself. I started talking about this with friends Paloma and Amanda on Sunday night, and they offered a brilliant solution: disincentives.

Last year, Paloma heard a story heard on NPR (which I couldn’t find, but this WSJ piece approximates the idea) about two professors who made a weight loss bet. The idea is that negative incentives work so much better than positive ones because the former actually changes your life, while the latter doesn’t. Along with a friend, the ladies tested the program by setting month-long goals and picking penalties. (Theirs included a conspicuous and tacky henna tattoo or wearing “whore makeup” for a week. To work.) The result? It worked.

Given this rave review, I’m getting on board. For the next month, the three of us are working to meet a new round of goals. Because I’ll be crazy busy in the States visiting friends and family, I wanted my goals to help keep me on track with my success from the Spent program, but to be realistic, too. I decided on a minimum of 15 minutes of yoga, five days a week, and a green smoothie three days a week. These goals are meant to be a gentle push, with the understanding that I can ramp it up when I’m back in Korea with time to kill.

In case you haven’t figured it out from the blog title, Sarah Palin is my disincentive. More specifically, if I don’t meet all my goals, I have to write a $100 check to her campaign fund. I can think of few things I would less like to give my money to. As if that isn’t bad enough, it would also grant Michael a lifetime of mocking rights. Lemme tell you—so far, this is working like a charm. It’s day three, and I’m 3 for 3 on smoothies, and am doing my second yoga session as soon as I post this. To make myself extra accountable, I’ll also post the weekly spreadsheet detailing my progress.

So how about you? Do you think this disincentive idea would work for you? Feel free to post your goals and disincentives in the comments!

I can’t believe this is my 100th post. Thanks so much to everyone who reads this blog–especially those who leave comments! To show my appreciation for everyone who follows along and gets engaged, I’m giving away a copy of one of my favorite recent books. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents, Kindle users, and very patient residents of the R.O.K.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that The China Study (T. Colin Campbell), Eating Animals (Jonathan Safran Foer), and Spent (Dr. Frank Lipman), have all made a big impact on me in the last six weeks. The winner of this giveaway will get to select one of these amazing books. This blog is largely about shared experiences, so I want to share these reads with you. I originally thought about selecting just one book, but didn’t want to exclude readers who already had/read it, and I couldn’t pick just one that I would recommend over the others. So the choice is yours!

To enter, leave a comment telling me which book you’d like to win, and why. Once you’ve done that, you can also use these additional ways to enter, just be sure to leave a comment for each telling me what you’ve done:

• Follow my blog in Google (or a similar) Reader
• Link to this giveaway on your blog
• Add my blog to your blog roll
• Mention and link to this giveaway in Twitter

I will randomly select a winner on Friday, February 12. Winner will be contacted via email and announced on this blog. U.S. readers can choose between a print or Kindle copy, international Kindle users will receive a Kindle version, and South Korean residents can choose between a print or Kindle version, but will have to wait until late April to receive the print version. (Sorry–international shipping is expensive!)

Thanks again, and good luck!

The whole night was a wonderful affirmation for me. To start, the ladies so positive that I asked if I could record them for whenever I need a little added encouragement. (Seriously–not only did they want to look at Spent so they could think of doing it, too, but when they tried my green smoothie, it was followed with, “That’s really good!” and “I would drink that every day!”) It was also nice for me to be reminded that I could go out for dinner and drinks with friends and not just sit there feeling deprived. Did I want some sangria and to nibble the fries or try the gratis creme caramel? Heck yes I did! But I also got to split a delicious salad with my fella, snack on some yummy cheese with the girls, and drink two pots of tea–rose and thyme–out of super cute glasses. And yes, the fact that the teapot and glasses were adorable definitely helped things.

On Sunday, I went to my favorite street in Seoul (post coming soon) to get some work done and enjoy some peace and quiet. The Spent part of the outing came when I was at a great little coffee shop and ordered a wasabi latte. I figured that wouldn’t be laden with sugar, right? I was wrong. Unfortunately my Korean is awful so I couldn’t go back and explain, or ask what drinks aren’t sugary. While I do know how to say “No sugar,” most of the options looked naturally sugary or processed, which is a no-go. So I sat at my table, overpriced wasabi latte by my side, and instead drank all the free water I wanted while I edited a friend’s (really good) grad school essay and looked over my new poetry homework. (I’ll post about that soon, too.)  The point is, I was victorious. Lindquist: 1, Sugar: 0.

The rest of the day was spent watching Full Metal Jacket, which I decided was just a little too much for my sensitive self, and No Impact Man, which was awesome. This was one of the recommended documentaries, and I’d been wanting to see it for a while now. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to watch the movie and check out Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man website. We talked a bit about what more we could do to green our lives, and, to be honest, decided that given how many comforts we’re doing without while living in Korea, decided to delay any major overhauls until we’re Stateside. But we already made the switch to fewer animal products, we recycle and compost far more than we throw away, and most of transport is on foot or using buses and subways (though we do indulge in the oh-so-cheap Seoul cab rides when the situation calls for it).

One change we did talk about–and hurray for my awesome man for suggesting it–is instituting screenless nights a few evenings a week. We used to play cards (M kicks my butt) and board games (see previous parenthetical) and do crosswords (solid team effort) all the time, but with crazy work schedules, laziness got the better of us. Seeing as time in front of screens interferes with melatonin production, not to mention isn’t real quality time, I’m pretty excited about this change.

What are your favorite activities that reduce your carbon footprint and allow you to better connect with others?

(This is post #98, so we are getting awfully close to the Post #100 Giveaway–be sure to check back this week for details!)

I’m focusing on my health as a way to enjoy the holidays because, quite frankly, it’s tough to be excited about much of anything when you feel lousy. Better physical health is conducive to better mental health, and vice versa.

The winter blues hit me hard this year, complete with days of not getting out of bed until the afternoon and huge crying jags. Fortunately, I could recognize what was happening and have a great support system. In addition to MB’s magic hugs and amazing patience and love, I humbled myself and reached out to one of my dearest friends, whom I affectionately call Bug. She peppered me with uplifting emails and little reminders of things that can help pull one out of the doldrums.

I also went hunting for naturopathic remedies. Sunlight and fresh air are amazing cure-alls, but I knew there had to be more. Kris Carr came to the rescue again with this post by Barbara Mendez on her CrazySexyLife blog. It was nice to see I was already doing a lot of the right things, but it gave me some new pointers, too. So I’ve started adding a big drizzle of flax seed oil to my smoothies, am currently working to give up sugar, and have been more protective of my sleep.

The great news is that so far, things seem to be helping. Days seem easier, and I’ve been laughing more. I’ve also been more accepting of myself. I had been pushing myself to do thing that I “should” want to do (like going out late partying on Tuesday. Ugh.) and instead honoring the homebody bit of my soul. I got some craft supplies and wrapped Christmas presents while watching mysteries. I’m spending less time in front of screens and more time with books. Giving up sugar (read: wine) is the real challenge right now, but I’m working on it. Of course, I will be indulging in glogg soon (which you can read all about in part iii), but it’ll be worth it.

If you’re curious about what goes into my daily green smoothie, check back soon. I’ll be writing a guest post for my brilliant friend/fellow health junkie, Jen, on her funny and informative blog, Holistic Health Junkie. I have all the pictures taken for my VitaMix love post, but have to bang out the text to go with it. I’ll be sure to post a link when it goes up.

Oh! And yoga! I joined a gym to go to their yoga classes, but that’s not happening. I am starting to do just a bit of yoga on my own at home though, which feels great.