Day 203 of 2025- Back Home

 Hi Friends,

Just returned home from a much-needed vacation, feeling rested, recharged, and reconnected. Time away has a way of showing you what really matters. With distance, you gain perspective not just on your work or routines, but on yourself, the people you care about, and the kind of life you want to lead.

Each day brought its own small adventure: laughter that echoed down unfamiliar streets, the satisfying ache of long walks, conversations that lingered, and moments of quiet awe. I wouldn't change a thing. The experience unfolded exactly as it needed to, unscripted, and deeply fulfilling.

I come back with more than just memories. I return with clarity. Gratitude. A little sun on my face and a lot of calm in my mind.

Now it’s time to reset the clock, unpack both bags and thoughts, and ease back into my routine with fresh energy and a deeper sense of direction. Jet lag will pass. But what I’ve gained from this time away will stay with me.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Day 202 of 2025- Leading Myself, Loving Us

 Hi Friends,

This vacation feels like a gentle reminder that self-leadership doesn’t have to be a solo thing — it’s something I carry with me into family time, too.

Being away with the people I love most has shown me how much intention it takes to really be here not just physically, but fully. It’s so easy to drift into autopilot, even on vacation: rushing through the sights, feeling responsible for everyone’s fun, forgetting to pause and actually taste what’s in front of me.

But this time, I’m noticing the little moments — the ones that fill me up the most.
The slow breakfasts that turn into second cups of coffee, laughter echoing across the table.
The unplanned afternoons wandering local markets, sampling snacks.
The dinners that stretch on for hours, everyone leaning back in their chairs, one more bite.

Leading myself here means being present enough to enjoy what’s happening right now, instead of trying to make every moment perfect. It’s remembering that my needs matter, too that it’s okay to step away for a walk alone when I need a breath, and then come back to the group refreshed and ready for more connection.

It’s saying yes to another scoop of ice cream just because. It’s staying up late to watch the stars with the kids, even if we’re all tired the next morning. It’s giving myself permission to drop the expectations about how vacation “should” go, and trust that we’re doing it right just by being together.

I’m learning that self-leadership on vacation isn’t about controlling everything it’s about choosing how I show up: with more presence, more patience, more space for joy. It’s about noticing when I want to lean in closer and when I need a little room. It’s about savoring the food, the laughter, the memories we’re making all of it.

At the end of the day, these moments with my family are what I’ll carry home: the taste of a dish we all loved, the sound of our voices layered together, the feeling of being both true to myself and deeply connected to them.

This is why we go away not to lose ourselves, but to remember what matters most. And maybe, to find an even better way to lead ourselves and love each other, one memory at a time.

Peace

Monita

Day 201 of 2025- Vacation Reflection

 Hi Friends,

As my vacation winds down, I’ve been reflecting on what this time away has taught me.

Self-leadership remained a quiet priority throughout. But three words kept rising to the surface—focus, consistency, and discipline.

Focus looked different on vacation. It wasn’t about productivity it was about presence. I focused on myself and my family, tuning into what we truly needed, not just what filled the calendar.

Consistency meant making each day count. Not in a rushed or pressured way, but in how I showed up—with intention, joy, and awareness.

Discipline wasn’t about structure. It was about self-awareness. Noticing my thoughts. Managing my emotions. Taking a breath when I needed space instead of reacting on autopilot.

Time away has a way of revealing what really matters if you’re paying attention.

When you step out of routine, don’t just escape. Observe. Reflect. Learn. There's always something life is trying to teach you. One of the other most important lesson was how important it is to take regular vacations for yourself and family. 

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Day 200 of 2025- 200 days in

 Hi Friends,

Even on vacation I can’t shake this thought: we’re already 200 days into the year, leaving just 165 to write the rest of the story. If you want to finish strong, anchor yourself to three simple drivers:

Focus. Consistency. Discipline.

These aren’t buzzwords; they’re the everyday levers that turn intention into progress. Give yourself ten quiet minutes with each word. Ask:

• Focus — What deserves my full attention right now?

• Consistency — What small action, done daily, will compound into big change?

• Discipline — How will I honor the plan when motivation dips?

My own answers look like this: Focus is planning meals that support my health. Consistency is showing up at the gym four times a week no excuses. Discipline is attacking every set with the intensity I promised myself on day one.

If these words don’t click for you, choose three that do. Make them your compass for the next 165 days. Reflect today, act tomorrow, and watch the momentum grow.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Day 199 of 2025- Leading Myself-A Vacation Lesson

 Hi Friends,

I used to think vacation was an escape from work, from responsibilities, from myself. But this time, I’m noticing something different: no matter where I go, I bring myself with me. And that’s not a burden it’s an opportunity.

I’m realizing how much of self-leadership is just about staying connected to myself, even in a new place. It’s the gentle awareness that my needs and wants don’t go on hold when I’m “out of office.” If anything, they speak up louder when the usual noise quiets down.

Here by the mountains, and the little café I keep going back to, I’m practicing listening:

• To when my body says, “Let’s move” and when it whispers, “Stay still.”

• To when my mind wants adventure and when my heart wants a slow day with no plans.

• To when I crave connection and when solitude feels like the deepest kind of nourishment.

Self-leadership on vacation looks like trusting that I know what I need moment to moment. It’s letting go of “shoulds”: I should see every landmark, I should wake up early, I should do more, experience more, maximize every minute. Instead, I’m asking, “What do I want to remember about this?”

I want to remember the taste of the coffee I took two hours to sip while people-watching. I want to remember the long walk that cleared my head and the nap that followed. I want to remember that I didn’t try to outrun myself, I stayed close. I led with curiosity, not pressure.

The biggest thing I’m learning? Vacation doesn’t change who I am, it reveals who I’m becoming when I listen deeply and respond with care. That version of me is welcome to come home. She’s the one who knows how to rest when she’s tired, say no when she means it, and say yes when it lights her up inside.

Self-leadership doesn’t take a break just because I’m on one. And honestly, that’s the best part.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Day 198 of 2025- Leading Myself

 Hi Friends,

One thing I’ve noticed this time around: even on vacation, I’m the one steering the ship and that feels good. It’s not about having a rigid plan or squeezing the fun out of every moment. It’s about listening closely to what I need and trusting myself enough to follow through.

Some days like today, that means waking up early to watch the sky change colors, coffee in hand, wrapped in a blanket. Other days it means staying in bed until the sun is high and the only thing on my agenda is deciding where to eat next.

I’m learning, again and again, that leading myself well isn’t about control it’s about care. It’s asking myself what would feel good right now, and then actually giving myself permission to have it. It’s noticing when I’m tired, when I’m restless, when I’m hungry for adventure or hungry for stillness.

I set the tone for how I want to feel here. I get to say yes to the long walks that clear my head. I get to say no to plans that feel too rushed. I get to carve out pockets of quiet when I want them and lean into laughter and conversation when my heart says more, please.

Leading myself means I don’t abandon my needs just because I’m away from home. If anything, I’m more tuned in. It feels like a soft kind of power one that reminds me I can be my own best guide, wherever I am.

So that’s what I’m doing here: paying attention. Choosing on purpose. Letting each little decision add up to a day that feels true to me. This is the version of me I want to bring home the one who remembers she’s always in charge of her own joy.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Day 197 of 2025- Power In Planning

 Hi Friends,

I’m realizing something on this trip: there’s magic in letting the days unfold  but there’s also a quiet kind of power in the planning that made it possible. It’s funny how those tiny choices, made weeks or months ago, shape the way I get to feel right now.

Because I chose this place this town where the food tastes like someone’s grandmother still stirs the pot. I picked the trails I wanted to wander, the markets I wanted to taste my way through, the mornings I knew I’d want to sleep in with no guilt.

And all that intention is transforming me in small, surprising ways. I feel softer around the edges, more patient with myself. I listen more closely to the wind, to my own thoughts, to the tiny details that usually get drowned out by noise and hurry.

Planning gets a bad rap sometimes. But maybe planning is its own kind of self-love the promise I make to my future self that I’ll give her what she needs: rest, new sights, good food, a chance to breathe different air and remember who she is underneath all the busy.

Every day here feels like it’s rearranging something inside me opening a window I didn’t know was shut. And it’s not an accident. It’s the reward for paying attention to what I want, what I crave, what I’m ready to let go of.

So yes spontaneity is wonderful. But I’m grateful, too, for the part of me that sat down with a map and a calendar and said, “I want this. I deserve this. Let’s make it happen.”

And now here I am living the plan, soaking it in, letting it change me in all the best ways.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita