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Meagan Rigney

3 things to think about this week

December 21, 2020      Leave a Comment

I am cozied up in my office right now with Christmas Classics playing and it is very, very cozy. We have plans later to do a Secret Santa with our friends, and a yummy dinner, and I am looking forward to it! These are the same two families we see every weekend and we are basically a POD now and I am loving it. It gives us something to look forward to each weekend.

I have been finishing up my book this week as well. I set a goal to write it in 3 months with a set daily word count and it is set to be done (the 1st draft) on Decemebr 29th. It is a memoir/self help book and it has been a journey writing it. If you like this newsletter, and my blog, you will like this book;) After I am done I plan on querying literary agents and getting it published. I’ll take any good vibes you want to send me on that!

I have also been painting a ton and having a blast with that. Lots of flowers, animals, and affirmation type art so far. I also like doing watercoler prints of homes and I’m thinking of adding that as a custom thing I can do. I am going to set up an Etsy shop after the hoildays and sell prints and custom work. But, I need your help on a name for my shop! Any suggestions?! Should I use my name, as that is what I use on social media and my blog, or do something different? Please comment if you have an suggestions…

Okay, let’s get on with 3 things to think about this week!

1) I listened to a podcast about having an abundance mindset and something she said really resonated with me…

“There is always more where that came from.” 

How many times do we think about life in terms of not being enough? From money to time to a zillion other things? I often have to peptalk msyelf when I feel like I am getting anxious about something. Right now, time seems scarce, like I won’t get things done, but I always do. When I feel like I am getting anxious about time I try to say…

“There is always enough time to get things done.”

or,

“I have plenty of time. I am okay” 

Then I take a deep breath and start my task. Something about just taking the moment to center myself and reassure myself that no matter how much I worry, I always get things done. Where can you switch from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset? What area do you need it in most?

Another thing I like to do when I worry about money, is to imagine 10x the amount that I spent going back into my account, and saying thank you in my head. Just a small trick to inspire more abundance. 

2) One thing that I like to remind myself of often is that my happiness is worth a lot. When I am happy, everyone else in my home is happier. What makes me happy? Creating, writing, reading, family dinner each night and movies after on the couch. Simple things, but often life will tell you that other things are more important. I have always been really good at saying no to things that steal my time and don’t honor me. My family and time to create and rest are important to my mental health, and I guard that time. How can you make time for your happiness? 

My children desreve to have a happy mom, more than they deserve to have one that is rundown and stressed.I think the biggest gift we can give our loved ones is to be happy, and we are the only ones that can do it.I love my family, but they aren’t in charge of my happiness, I am. How can you be more proactive about your own happiness? What is in your control? 

3) Building self worth and confidence comes down to making little choices daily.What can you give yourself credit for doing? DId you smile at a stranger and compliment their earrings? Did you offer to help someone put a way a cart in the grocery store parking lot that was struggling? 

What choices have you made to honor yourself?I build my self worth by setting small goals for myself and staying consistent. That means moving my body and watching my limiting self talk and doing my daily word count. It means I work on how I talk to myself and talk to a therapist and heal some of the wounds inside of me. I am building my self worth by changing how I view myself, which means less focus on how I look and more focus on what I can do and feel. I build my self worth by loving myself the way I always wish others would. I honor my needs and love myself by caring for my mental and physical body. I put the oxygen mask on myself before helping others. Only I can be who I need to be, it is no one else’s job love me in a special way or bring me happiness. That’s on me.I have always loved the thought that the only job for the people in our life is to be here for us to love. That’s it. It isn’t anyone esle’s job in my life to bring me happiness and joy, that is up to me. All I can do is fiercely love myself, and everyone else in my life for exactly who they are. How can you love yourself more? 

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Hi, friend! My name is Meagan and I like to overshare on Insta-stories, LOVE finding the best stuff for everyday life, and I truly believe that life is more fun when you feel good about yourself, both inside and out.

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I’ve been coaching our high school powerlifting I’ve been coaching our high school powerlifting team (along with a few other awesome people,) and we had our first meet of the season this weekend. Working with these kids has been so freakin’ fun-they work hard and they make me laugh every 5 seconds. I feel lucky I get to mentor them both in and out of school each day.
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Most of my stuff comes from Old Navy at this point, they are honestly killing it! I am a size 8/medium in most things. You can shop my outfits here…

https://shopltk.com/explore/meaganrigney/collections/11ed52d1acbbb795b3720242ac110004
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Grateful for…my husband (he makes me laugh everyday and is my best friend), my kids (the funniest, kindest, most awesome kids on earth), my family (who always make me feel loved), my friends (can’t live life without you,) my co-workers (I’m obsessed with you all, how else do I teach without you lol), and just feeling settled after 20 years of moving. 

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I’ve been loving this oval Amazon ring since it I’ve been loving this oval Amazon ring since it came in the mail last month. If you know me, you know I like to switch up my rings often. I have a lot that I like to play around with. Life is too short to not have fun with jewelry 😊
Also, an ombré mani that I can’t stop staring at. I feel like in the winter I like nail art and in the summer I like simple neutrals. 

Follow my shop @meaganrigney on the @shop.LTK app to shop 🌈

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This weekend…. Picked up our oldest after 11 da This weekend….

Picked up our oldest after 11 days away at summer camp (with no phones/no contact!) and it was amazing. Love this kid!
Travelled 3 hours across state for a lacrosse tournament that even included an afternoon at the beach 🙌🏻
On Sunday drove 1.45 hours to pick up Molly from camp, then drove 1.45 hours back to watch the boys play in the championship game (lost by 1, boo…), then drove 3.15 hours back home. 
But! My babies are back home and all is well. 
Our hotel had Direct tv so I was reunited with my beloved Hallmark and watched a few Xmas in July movies 🙏🏻

Anyone know how to steam Hallmark? I need it back in my life 😞
A little over two years ago my family started watc A little over two years ago my family started watching wrestling together. It kinda became our thing, following the story lines and becoming invested in each character. My husband grew up watching it, and he wanted to share that with the kids. Then, slowly but surely, I got a little bit invested myself. 🙃What I love the most is that we all watch this together, and anything that we can all enjoy as a family is what makes me happy. 
Anyway... @allelitewrestling came to Detroit and we knew we had to get tickets. We went the other night and it was awesome! The lights, the music, how invested the crowd was, I kept looking over and seeing huge smiles on all of our faces. This was what we did during the pandemic, in the uncertainty of quarantine and the world, we watched a lot of movies and we watched wrestling. Getting to see it live sort of felt like a full circle moment. We had survived, moved across the country, and settled into this new life of ours that we love. If you had asked me 3 years ago if I would have enjoyed a wrestling match I would have rolled my eyes, but sitting there the other night in an arena full of magic and energy, it was just magic. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
*Also, is this what one wears to wrestling? Bodysuits? Wedges? lol 😆
When the looser jeans of our youth (long live the When the looser jeans of our youth (long live the 90's!) came back, I resisted. You weren't going to pry my Madewell black skinnies off of my body! Those of us who have lived it already know how bad low rise was (2" rise, baby), or how our pants used to be shredded and dirty b/c they dragged on the ground, or how the fit of everything was just off. 
 But then I got sucked into buying a pair of "dad jeans" (which is funny because I use to borrow my step-dad's jeans in high school), and after I got used to styling them I like the look! First of all, my legs can breath lol. The key is to show of your waist in some way and just not take yourself so seriously. The older I get, the less I care about wearing what other people think looks good and wearing what *I* want. Are my skinny jeans more flattering? Yes. DO I feel more comfortable in these? Also, yes. Life is too short to wear anything other than what YOU want, end of story. Wear the skinny jeans, or the baggier ones, buy the cropped tank or the oversized flannel. Forget about what is "right or cool" or what you think you *should* wear and just wear what makes you happy.
My mom sent me a package filled with old pics and My mom sent me a package filled with old pics and report cards that are hilarious and embarrassing! 

My faves....skiing in jeans in the 90's?!
The leaning my chin casually on my hand school pic. 

The fact that I have maybe 10 pictures of myself in high school but took probably 20 selfies of myself yesterday.

Report card comments..."A great worker, sometimes I need to interrupt her independent reading to call attention to the next class discussion." 😆
"Meagan needs to "buckle down" a little more on her studies and a little less on her artwork." 🤩
Turns out, my independent reading has turned me into a Language Arts teacher, and my art has turned into an Etsy shop. 

(There’s still no reason for skiing in jeans.) 🙃
A few self care things I do on the regular... *eve A few self care things I do on the regular...
*every two weeks I get my nails done. I get gel on my real nails and often get designs or fun colors, and seriously have a Pinterest board and a special album saved on my phone with ideas. It just makes me happy to have pretty nails. 
*I schedule in workouts. I don't do well with "winging it," I have to be really intentional with my time. I work out after work on Tues + Thurs and also on Sunday, and will sometimes add an extra day. I feel my personal best when I am active.
*A couple of months ago I finally started the habit of flossing my teeth. I just started at night and for some reason it has stuck and I am on a streak and I feel like a real grown up. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks at 41:)
*Every Sunday I cook a lunch for myself to bring to work, and I pack it into 5 pieces of Tupperware. I find a simple dish and will eat it all week. That way when I get up I just throw it in my lunchbox and I have a healthy option to eat. 
*I research affirmations and have them written in a word document. Typically during my lunch break I will open up and read the document, and then I have a running list of things I am grateful for that I type out. I also have a couple fave self help books at my desk and I read a chapter or two. 
*Every Sunday after my workout I apply a face mask and let it sit, then shower and apply a hair mask and exfoliate. Then after my shower I put my self tan on. Love starting the week feeling refreshed and with a little color on my skin. 
* I have days I do certain things that make my life easier. Saturday I meal plan and order my groceries. Sunday is for picking up groceries, meal prep, and laundry. Tuesday and Thursday I work out when I get home and wash my hair. Linking certain days to activities takes the thinking/anxiety out of running my life.
*Reading daily, lots of sleep, lots of water, painting, writing, etc.
Celebrated a friend for her bday with a fancy dinn Celebrated a friend for her bday with a fancy dinner out! It’s been awhile since I got to dress up and wear fancy necklaces and drink Prosecco and I really, really enjoyed it. 😊
Part 2: In my last post I talked about learning to Part 2: In my last post I talked about learning to appreciate what is, versus thinking the next big goal will bring happiness, particularly with weightloss. Spoiler alert: being skinnier won't bring you contentment, I promise. 
Here's the deal, there is no 'finish point' when it comes to our physical self. If you are lucky, you will change in a million ways as you grow old and live a long life! Bodies are meant to evolve in many ways, and it is pretty amazing what they can do. 
The big question I want to ask you is, "How do you want to FEEL on a daily basis?" I know I want to feel healthy and strong and I want to be able to do active things with ease. That fires me up. So then, how do we get there? I believe habits are the key to change rather than grand resolutions. Adding small changes into our day that are easy to achieve. This year I am building in habits that will help me FEEL better in my physical body, and they aren't based on weight or pants size. 
The key? Keep these habits SMALL. Like, stupid small. One habit I made was to go to CrossFit 1x/ week during the school year. I could have set a bigger goal, but I wanted to build my confidence that I could do this one thing. And I have! I am adding more to that since I know I can, but that benchmark is still there when things are hard. Another habit is to eat more veggies, so I buy a ton and cut them up on Sunday to have. I like to ask, 'What can I ADD to my life" versus taking away? More water, more veggies, more mindful movement. I'm also adding in more fiber (Hello Metamucil #thisis40) and flossing at night. 
I'm not looking for a dramatic physical transformation, I am looking to FEEL better on a daily basis with small, achievable habits. When it comes to adding these in ask yourself, "Can I do this for the rest of my life and be happy?" If the answer is no then it probably isn't for you, or it's a quick fix.
Part 1: I'm not a resolution person, as in, the ty Part 1: I'm not a resolution person, as in, the type of person that promises to make huge changes on January 1st in the blind hope that this year will be different. (I used to be!) I think for a lot of us, we assume that achieving something big (weight loss, more money, a new job, marriage, kids, etc) will bring happiness. And honestly, it probably will for awhile. However, I have learned something in the past couple of years that has really helped me put perspective on the whole, "I'll be happy when..." thing.
Here's the secret:
If you can't be happy where you are RIGHT NOW (even if it isn't your ideal,) you won't be happy when you achieve your big goal.
You might enjoy checking the box that you did it, but then your brain will switch to 'keeping up' or it will look for the next thing to get to. This will go on forever (or 41 years in my case lol.) One day you will wake up and see all the time you were wishing for something else, life was happening right in front of you. 
I think about this the most with body image. I look back on ten years of photos from my blog and social and life, where I was at my fittest, and I was never satisfied. I always saw myself and thought I had 'let myself go," or I looked better the year before. AND YET, since I have been working on shedding diet culture ideals and disordered eating and have gained the weight that I always dreaded, I can see how messed up that thinking was. I was NEVER HAPPY with how my body looked, even at its thinnest. I always found fault. So then, what if I taught myself to love what is, instead of always trying to shrink myself smaller? What if you were to look like you do right now, forever...can you learn to be grateful for your body, from a standpoint of what it allows you do (like breathe and LIVE?!) Can you dress the body you have and appreciate what is? Can you stand in front of a mirror and just say THANK YOU and know that what you weigh is the least interesting thing about you?
My first baby turns 14 today. The night she was bo My first baby turns 14 today. The night she was born (3 weeks early!) I had driven myself to the hospital because I thought there was no way that I was actually in labor, and at one point called my husband at work and told him not to come home early from work (he ignored that, luckily.) Molly Amelia was born and I remember holding her in my arms and staring into her face and wondering who would she become? This tiny, 5 pound baby, with the head full of dark hair and squished little nose. I can still smell her newborn smell and feel how tiny her hand was in mine.
She taught me how to be a mom, and she taught me how to be myself. There is no greater mirror for reflection than through your children's eyes. They will humble you to the core and drop your to your knees. From day one this child has brought a light into my life and my days, she was the piece of a puzzle to myself I didn't know I was missing. Watching her grow has been the biggest gift of my life, and I will never take it for granted. 
I wish I could describe the magic of my daughter. How she lights up a room and how she can tell a story that holds the attention of everyone in a room. She is dynamic and sarcastic and funny and empathetic. She is 1 million percent smarter than I was at her age, I love watching her navigate the world and can't wait to see who she will become.
It is beautiful and heartbreaking to be a mom, because I know that with each year she grows I will have to eventually let her go. I can't keep her forever, safe at home with us. I want to bottle up each year and say, "This! This is my favorite!" I want to freeze time and hold her tight, as my baby, forever. But I can't. We never can. Instead I will fill her up with love and grow her self worth and give her the knowledge that she is magic and to never, ever, ever forget how special she is and how she is a gift. She is the most beautiful gift I have ever received. She is my heart, forever,
I just finished the first season of ..."And Just L I just finished the first season of ..."And Just Like That," and I have some thoughts!
I've heard so much negativity around the return of this show and I get it. If you watched the original season and was as invested as I was, it can be hard to feel like you want things to stay the same when they just can't. Let me get this out of the way, though. I loved this new season. I knew from episode one that there was going to be a journey, and I had to be patient. As much as we all like a happy ending, I think we all needed to see something deeper. 
You know what I loved? I loved seeing vibrant, amazing women in their 50's being shown as they are. Women age, things change and often the world is not ready to see that. While I'm still in my early 40's, I can see and feel how these changes become more and more apparent, and it's OKAY. It's okay to age and not always look like you are in your 20's anymore. If life continues as it has for me, each year I get more confident, I feel more amazing in my skin, and I become more and more who I authentically am. I want to see more women that are older and vibrant and real in the media. I think the show showed us that.
I also loved the portrayal of motherhood from a  teen-age perspective. So much is covered about early motherhood, the baby + toddler + elementary age. You rarely see people parenting teenagers in a real way. I have seen the issues Charlotte portrayed parenting her children in both myself and my friends children. I want to see more of life and motherhood from this perspective in the media, and not the cliched stuff. There are so many weird horror stories of parenting teens in this day and age (that I don't really agree with), and I appreciate seeing more angles and stories that I can relate to.
I liked that no one has their stuff figured out, too. Just because you age doesn't mean you know what you are doing, or can't change. Life is dynamic and wonderful. I think the show showed that.
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