Leap of Faith

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Hi, I'm Tina!

I’m the owner of Carrots ‘N’ Cake as well as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I use macros and functional nutrition to help women find balance within their diets while achieving their body composition goals.

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Last night, I read a feature in Real Simple (August 2012) called “Your Words” where the magazine poses a question and readers write in and respond to it. The best/most unique answers then end up published in the magazine. This month’s question: “What risk are you glad you took?”

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I loved reading all of the different responses. Here are some of my favorites:

After dating for only 2.5 months, we got married

opened a bakery

18-day, 100-mile trek through the Himalayan Mountains

remarrying him

And then I started thinking about the risks in my life I’m glad I took. The first that comes to mind is quitting my job at Harvard to blog full-time, but a close second is going on a semester abroad during my junior year of college.

I remember being a freshman and thinking it was crazy-cool that my peers were living and taking classes in a foreign country, but it was something I could never do. I mean, living thousands of miles away from my family and friends, learning a foreign language, and totally immersing myself in a new culture? I couldn’t do that. I was too “afraid.” I truly thought a semester abroad wasn’t in my future.

By the time my sophomore year rolled around, I still hadn’t changed my mind about taking a semester abroad, but the campus was buzzing with talk of upcoming trips. I didn’t think anything of it until my friends””my close friends””were applying to live abroad that next semester. At first, I was bummed because I wouldn’t have my friends around, but then I randomly accompanied one of them to the Semester Abroad office to pick up an application. On a whim, I grabbed one too and waited until the very last minute to apply. I guess I didn’t want to feel left out.

I only applied to one semester abroad program (York, England – I totally played it safe), and a few weeks later, I received a letter saying I was accepted. I know I could have backed out at any time, but I’m so glad I didn’t and took this risk. It ended up being a life-changing experience for me.

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I made it to York St. John University, safe and sound. I lived with three English students and a Japanese exchange student in a flat just off campus. I learned English even better!

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I traveled all over Europe with my friends””to London, Dublin, Galway, Edinburgh, Brussels, Venice, Prague, and Amsterdam””places I never thought I’d visit.

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I even traveled totally alone on more than one occasion. I figured out how to navigate trains, planes, and automobiles (long before SmartPhones), made friends at hostels, and explored new places.

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Long story short, my semester abroad helped me become a more confident, independent, and adventurous person. I was forced to do so many things outside of my comfort zone during those four months, so when I returned home, I wasn’t nearly as “afraid” to try new things. The experience definitely changed me for the better, and I’m so glad I decided to go.

Snack

I ended up getting really hungry before dinner, so I snacked on some celery and Pretzel Crisps with garlic hummus. I pretty much housed this snack.

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Mal was at CrossFit and dinner was still a couple of hours away, so I decided to pour myself a glass of wine and foam roll my back. I know, random, but the combo helped me relax, both mentally and physically.

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Dinner

When Mal got home, I started on dinner, which was Coconut Chicken from the Paleo Plan. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of almond flour for the breading, but I used 1/4 cup of almond flour + 1/4 cup of coconut flour for an even more coconut-y flavor.

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On the side, we had roasted broccoli.

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Oh my goodness, the Coconut Chicken turned out so well. I absolutely loved it. Mal said it was “ridiculous” and “the best chicken recipe we’ve ever had.” Definitely make this one! It’s also super easy and only calls for six ingredients.

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After dinner, I drank some more wine and watched Breaking Bad with Mal and Murphy on the couch.

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Speaking of Breaking Bad, Mal showed me this link last night: 20 Neat Facts, Cool Allusions, Instances Of Foreshadow”‹ing, And Theories On ‘Breaking Bad’. I thought you fans would enjoy it. I love the use of color that it mentions””although, now I’m nervous every time I see red or pink!

Question of the Day

Your turn!

What risk are you glad you took?

P.S. Pet owners: I’m hosting a giveaway sponsored by the ASPCA on Trading Up Downtown!

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