Happy Motivation Monday!

You all know that I’m a huge fan of continuous improvement, and that I love learning (read: I’m a nerd).  I do my best to learn constantly in many areas of life, from reading books to scouring the internet for the latest studies to simply talking to people about their specialties and learning from them.

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One of my favorite ways to learn, reflect, and stay informed lately has been listening to a TED talk while getting ready each morning.  We all have those moments when we’re picking out clothes, getting dressed, brushing our teeth, doing our hair and makeup, and that time used to feel like “wasted time” to me.

So, I downloaded the TED app about a month ago, and I fire one up almost every day.  Most days, I do a search for something that interests me (usually health / nutrition, business / entrepreneurship, mindfulness / self-care, or some current news event / relevant cause).  Sometimes, though, I choose “surprise me,” tell it I have 15 minutes, and listen up!  What I get is generally not something that I would have chosen myself, but it’s fun to broaden my horizons and learn something even without any additional time.

This morning, I listened to a talk called “How Healthy Living Almost Killed Me,” which was a great reminder that even the best (and healthiest) of habits can be taken too far, and that we always need to save room to enjoy life.  Being in the nutrition world myself, I see far too many people become so obsessed with healthy habits that they can’t think of anything else but what disease they’re preventing by ingesting a food or how many calories a certain exercise will burn.  Many clients sound shocked when I tell them I “indulge” on “normal food” sometimes, too … but that’s part of life! As long-time readers of the blog know, I believe that it’s all about balance, and if you’re maintaining your healthy habits the majority of the time, there’s always leniency at other times.  That’s why the tagline of the blog is “Eating healthily and living actively … The Lyons’ Share of the time!”

So, this week, I challenge you to fire up at least one TED talk.  While you’re driving (just listening! not watching!), while you’re getting ready in the morning, while you’re out on a walk.  Whatever it is, expand your horizons and learn something!

*By the way, another way I engage in lifelong learning is with conferences!  If you haven’t signed up for the Healthy Gut Summit and have any digestive issues or curiosity, I’d highly recommend this! It’s free to listen live (starts today!) or $47 for lifetime access!

So tell me in the comments … How do you encourage yourself to learn continuously?