Amanda Kingsmith

yoga teacher. world traveler. writer. podcast host.

Just Life

Day 20: Gossiping & Self-Esteem

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The other day, I caught up with a friend that I used to work with who I haven’t talked to for almost a year. We caught up about our current jobs and how life is going for both of us before we got onto the topic of some of the people we used to work with. I found myself telling her a story of a mutual friend and how that mutual friend had hurt my feelings this past summer. It felt good to talk about it with someone who knew the situation, but I found myself halfway through feeling guilty that I was gossiping about my friend instead of talking directly to her about the challenges I have with our friendship.

I don’t strive to be someone who talks about my friends behind their backs, or who deals with frustrating situations by venting to other people, and as I hung up the phone I found myself immediately feeling down. Acting against what I believe to be integral caused a hit to my self-esteem that impacted the rest of my evening, and left me with a really bad taste in my mouth.  [Read more…] about Day 20: Gossiping & Self-Esteem

Day 15: 4 Must-Read Books Inspired by Ryan

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Today is Ryan’s 28th birthday and in honour of that I thought I would share 4 books that he encouraged me to read that have impacted my life in a positive way.

For those of you who know Ryan well, you know that he reads A LOT. Like, a lot a lot. He always has at least one book on the go, but it’s usually 2 or 3 books. Each time we have traveled, his backpack has contained more books than clothes. This is probably why he’s also one of the smartest people I know.

Every time he reads a book that he really likes or has had a positive impact on his life, he encourages me to read it as well. Sometimes I don’t, but most of the time I do. Here are 4 that impacted me the most:  [Read more…] about Day 15: 4 Must-Read Books Inspired by Ryan

Day 14: 7 Reasons Why I love Harry Potter

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If you know me well, you know that I am obsessed with Harry Potter. It’s one of the only series of books that has survived the many purges I’ve done on my stuff, and it’s the only series of books that can continue to capture my heart even though I’ve read them countless times.

Ryan and I had the chance to go to Harry Potter World in Universal Studios in Japan this past spring and it was easily one of the best days of my life. If I had the disposable income to buy everything there, I probably would have, but alas, I left only with a Hogwarts shirt and the taste of butterbeer in my mouth.

When I re-read the series again this past year, I contemplated why I love the books so much. Is it the characters? The writing? The escapism? The lessons I learn time and time again? All of the above?

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

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Day 13: A Lesson on Being Patient

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In our fast paced world, we have everything we need at the tips of our fingers. Literally. Our smart phones are an amazing access to any information that we may want, from recipes, to how to jump a car, to YouTube tutorials on how to get almost anything done. The world we live in is truly amazing.

The downside of having everything available super easily is that we expect everything to happen quickly. We get frustrated when our internet browser takes more than 3 seconds to load. We’re annoyed when our Uber drive takes more time to pick us up than the app said. We are impatient.

And this impatience transfers over to other parts of our lives. We expect to start at a management level making $50,000+ a year in our first year in the workforce. We expect to start a YouTube channel and instantly have 10,000 followers. We expect to start a podcast and immediately be sponsored.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe there is a difference between setting lofty goals for ourselves and expecting to get Insta-famous in the first week of having an Instagram account. Having goals that you can work towards is undoubtably a great thing, but we must also have patience with whatever we are trying to achieve. Fame and fortune will not happen over night.

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Day 11: Why I appreciate a good latte

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Ryan and I picked up coffee after lunch today, and his latte was really, really bad. It was so bad, in fact, that he threw it out. It brought to mind something I had been thinking about earlier this summer: how much I appreciate a good latte, and why.

Perhaps you’re wondering to yourself why on earth I’m writing about lattes when there are BIG things happening in the world. Important things. Really meaningful things.

Well, good coffee is important too. Not only does a good latte make my day so much better, but it also signals that the barista takes pride in being good at what he or she does. [Read more…] about Day 11: Why I appreciate a good latte