Half Year Check In (Where I'm at, Where I've failed, and What's next)

Hey friends, today I felt like doing a half year round up on how 2023 has been and what I hope to achieve during the remaining months. Check-ins vital for mental health and physical health - so why not a half year check in to see if we’re on the path for success?!

I’m going to admit something major - this first half of the year I feel I’ve been on auto-pilot. I don’t feel like I’ve achieved as much as I hoped but I also don’t feel like I’ve failed… I’m just doing the average and I assume its okay (but to be frank I want to be going above and beyond, so I aim to make the last part of the year have more passion for goals). 

To do some reflecting on why I feel I’ve been kind of ‘auto-pilot’ I think its best to explain what’s been going on.
-  I loss a family pet unexpectedly and it has resulted to deep affects on me, more than I expected on myself.

• I ended up having my car damaged in a situation that was out of my control. I had a new windshield installed because I felt it would increase my car value when I sold it, BUT some unexpected events happened resulting in over $2.5k in damages as a result of the windshield specialist not installing my windshield correctly. The “big goal” was to sell my car in May but it ended up being 2 months of back and forth drama and requesting legal actions. 
• Bryce became unexpectedly ill and it took half the year to discover what was wrong with him.
• I also haven’t had much spark in doing LTK as much. I do post but its more like here and there VS the goal of posting daily. It might not be a surprise but A LOT of people are kind of getting exhausted with social media… It was helpful during the pandemic to keep everyone socializing in a safe way but now that the world has opened back up I feel social media is going on the back burner. 

Now I want to aim for my remaining goals. My biggest mission is to get off ‘auto-pilot’ and get somewhere that there is great results and something I can be proud of! 

- I want to work harder on my social media, I know I just said more people are becoming tired of it but personally thats my opinion - if you do research they claim social media is still growing and deeply valued. So since I feel the way I do, I want to make sure what content I create is very inspiring and that’s what I want to focus on is creating more inspiring content. 

- I also want to make sure my LTK stats improve. The pennies and small dollars I do make on there is to be sat aside for my Japan trip in March 2024 and I want to have saved up as much money as possible so I can create some travel inspiration for the future.
- I also want to improve on my health. I’ve been slowly adding vitamins into my diet all year but I need to really start a fitness routine or just find a way to get my body moving more.

Anyways, I hope this half year check in helps you in some way. Maybe it shows you that we all have moments where we feel we’re ‘just getting by’ or possibly hearing where I’m at will help you find a new goal to strive for in the remaining months.
As always don’t forget to follow along on my socials especially YouTube and instagram since those two will be featuring the most of my upcoming Japan trip! 

Packing Tips - Super Simple and Easy!

With summer quickly approaching many of us are getting ready for family road trips, tropical destinations and the must have weekend getaways. One of the biggest 'ughs' I experience with packing is making sure what I pack is what I need and where it should be in the suitcase. I have this fear ill open my luggage and everything will be wrinkled or a makeup bottle will have leaked out onto all my shoes! Here's a round up of tips I started using and noticed my packing anxiety seemed to fade away to a stress free experience. 

If you have any other tips let me know! Also don't forget to follow along on the social media! I have a North Carolina trip coming up soon and a Japan trip! I plan to use these tips and will update you guys on international packing tips when I start to prep my suitcases for that vacation!

Don’t forget to follow my socials!

LEMON8: https://www.lemon8-app.com/brittmcadenmills?region=us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittmcadenmills/

Home Account: https://www.instagram.com/mcadenmillshome

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@brittmcadenmills

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brittmcadenmills

liketoknowit:  https://www.shopltk.com/explore/brittmcadenmills

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrittMcAdenMills

Best, Brittney 

Healthy Lifestyle - How I get all 8 Glasses of Water in!

I feel everyone struggles with is getting their daily recommended water intake. I mean, 8 glasses of water a day can sound like a lot - because it is! I envy the people who can just pour a glass throughout the day and by 6pm they’ve reached the suggested amount. I’m the type of gal who had to find tricks to get myself to drink H2o. So if you're in need of some advice on how to get all 8 glasses of water into your daily diet below I mention some helpful tips that I use everyday! 

- Set small goals
If you’re an anti-water drinker you’ll probably struggle to get more than 3 glasses down. So start small, and be proud. Start with 2 or 3 cups and work you way up. 

- Switch up the cup
Something that helps keep me excited to drink water is switching up my ‘water bottle’. Sometimes I’ll match the bottle to the outfit I’m wearing or grab a funky shaped bottle so when I see it, I’ll remember to take a sip.

- Add a vitamin to it
A way I make sure I get my full amount of water needed is by adding a vitamin supplement. Currently, I drink 8oz with a collagen tablet which gives the water a lemon rose flavor but also I know I ‘must’ drink all the water to get that vitamin in for today. Then later in the day when I take my other vitamins I pour another 8oz and remind myself to consume all the water with the vitamins. 

- Flavors help
Add water flavors or fresh fruit if you’re bored of the flavorless water. Water flavors varies from ‘sweet tea’ to ‘lime margarita’. They seriously make a flavor out there for everyone! And fresh fruit you can toss anything from watermelon, berries, to even cucumbers. 

- Ice does the trick too
For me, really cold water is easier to consume than room temperature or Luke-warm water. So I always make sure to add some ice cubes (like the small pellet size from Sonic).

-Remind yourself why you’re doing it
For me, if I tell myself “hey girl, drink this water! It’s going to do wonders for your skin, appetite, weight, and keep you alert to play with Holly” I suddenly get major motivation to drink a little more H2o. Find what will motivate you if its a quote or a goal you want to reach. 

- Reward yourself overtime
The best trick is to reward or ‘treat’ yourself overtime. When I met my 30 day water goal I went and bought a new mascara I’ve been dying to try. I feel keeping a promise to drink water even when you rather have a Coke-a-cola is a reason to celebrate! 

I know these might sound silly or be obvious but the goal is to get the daily recommended amount into yoru diet. If drinking 8 glasses of water is hard for you I hope these tips help!

-Brittney