“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
~ Paulo Cuelho, The Alchemist
I did two REALLY cool things this week. Things I’ve been all “I should do that one day,” and “SIGH, someday when the timing’s right I’ll just buckle down and DO it.”
Things I’ve been putting off because I was scared or because I wasn’t ready or because I didn’t have the energy to focus on it.
A few weeks ago I started kind of throwing together this little project. I’ve been all jet-setty this summer. I like to eat. These two facts are common themes in what I write about, what I talk about, what I THINK about at any given moment. I’ve always thought – it’d be cool to start a food blog or a travel blog SOMEDAY when I have important, qualified, experienced things to write about. When I’ve been abroad and know what a foie gras should taste like.
(What should foie gras taste like anyway? In my head, it tastes like meat-flavored chalky-textured play-doh.)
I started playing with ideas. Names, domains, layouts, topics, approaches. Finally, I just told myself to STOP PLANNING and START WRITING. So I did. I dug up my archives from this past summer of places I’ve dined and places I’ve traveled. I started writing up mini-reviews of what I loved and what I didn’t.
I went to dinner this week with one of my oldest friends, wrote a review of the evening almost immediately after. And then I decided I WANTED TO PUBLISH THAT.
So, I took a deep breath, put on the finishing touches, ironed, washed, rinsed, repeated, and VOILA!
NomadicFoodie
That’s right kids, ANOTHER ONE! (Thanks, Brianne for the logo!)
I’ve had it live for a few days while I put the posts up and tweaked things (thanks to NICO for handling my freakouts and OMGIBROKEDITs).
Then I started brainstorming again… how should I promote this? Twitter? How should I unveil? What is my marketing strategy?
But then – again - I decided to STOP PLANNING and START DOING. My personal food/travel project does NOT need a marketing strategy.
So I just kind of threw it out there. HEY TWITTER! I have a new blog. YES, a new blog. Just when you thought I had it down to ONE blog, I go and launch ANOTHER one.
You’re welcome, Conner.
So go check it out! It’s not going to be on any kind of schedule, but when I travel somwhere, I’ll tell you about it. When I try a new restaurant that’s noteworthy (or just go back to Cafe Maude because IT’S MY FAVORITE), I’ll tell you about it. I’ll tell you about places here in the Twin Cities, places anywhere I travel.
Ok, so that was the first awesome thing I did this week. I launched my food/travel blog pet project.
The second thing?
This one has been over a year in the making, which is why it’s so huge and exciting for me.
A short background: last spring I was so stressed out, I was having recurring panic attacks, raging insomnia, and an overall sense of icky. My friends told me:
You’re under too much stress; GET OUT of this situation or find a better way to cope with it.
So, I took up yoga. I thought it’d be a nice little outlet where I could center myself and get a little workout in on the side.
What I didn’t realize was the level at which it would reach me. How I learned to not only center myself and stuff, but many, many other things that I carried over with me into stressful situations. Basic things like HOW TO BREATHE through stress. Simple ideas like finding QUIET when you need to.
And I fell in love.
One day, one of the yogis (who are always so adorable, by the way) mentioned a Teacher Training class. I bookmarked it in my head as something I’ll do someday when my practice has improved, when I’m more qualified to even think I could one day possibly teach yoga.
F that.
I signed up this week. The timing was right, the situation was right. I MISS yoga and am dying to make it more of a regular part of my life. I’m not saying I’m going to up and be a yoga instructor. What I AM saying is that I’m grabbing my yoga practice by the balls (can I say that? is that zen?), and committing to learning, growing, being it.
Maybe one day I’ll teach part-time or something, but I’m doing this NOW and FOR ME because it’s something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about for over a year.
I start at the end of next month and I could NOT be more excited.
Thanks to those of you who follow me on Twitter or received my phone calls about it yesterday and offered your cheers – this is one of those PERSONAL GOALS I set a long time ago that I’m finally pursuing.
I have butterflies. The nervous ones AND the excited ones.
So moral of the story? STOP WAITING until you feel qualified or ready or experienced enough to just DO something you’re passionate about and excited about and can’t NOT do.
OH, which reminds me. I guess I did three cool things this week. Thanks to Derek for kind of drilling home that little lesson above, I went ahead and published THIS page I’ve been working on all summer. It’s my own little portfolio of places I’ve written/blogged (and podcasted!).
Check it out (and then hire me to write smart-sounding stuff)!
It’s been a good week.
What about YOU? What’s one thing you want to grab by the metaphorical balls and just DO?
I'm Doniree. I live in Portland, Oregon where I practice yoga, obsess about the local farmers' markets and vineyards, and work from home or one of my many favorite coffee shops. I also 
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome x2!Great stuff.
i'm so proud of you. these are two HUGE things that are coming on the tail end of one hell of an amazing summer. two HUGE things that mean SO MUCH to you. way to keep up the epic-ness. i love you. really. you're amazing.
I got a little teary reading this… ok, now I am really teary. You are such an inspirational person. I am so glad to "know" you… or at least read about your experiences. This is what makes the internet and social networking so amazing.Yoga reached out to me exactly you how describe it. We both do hot yoga, which is another reason it is so effective and transformative. Without it, I would not be nearly as focused and happy as I am now in my life. I think it is awesome you are taking your practice to the next level! Keep us posted on what you are learning.
As for your foodie/travel blog… all I can say is, you go girl.It's amazing (and tragic) how fear often controls our actions in life and how fear holds us back from enjoying life to the fullest. And FYI: The Alchemist is like, totally one of the best books ever of all time. 
Ok, done ranting, time to get back to work!
I read The Alchemist this last weekend while on vacation with the roomies. It's impossible to not realize that some of my actions this week – the JUSTDO ITs – are a result of the inspiration I found in that book.Thank you SOmuch for your sweet words
I love knowing you too, and can't wait tocross paths again – probably in Huntsvegas sometime 
Girl, you kick so much ass. I know that when I finished The Alchemist I felt like a changed person. I left my copy at Gramma's for the fam to read, and never saw it again. I wonder if it's still there….
Oh my dear, I love you. So happy for you! So, so happy. I couldn't agree more. If we'd all just STOP WAITING the world might be a completely different place. Good for you for going for it!
140 characters might not have encompassed how excited i am for you to take this yoga training course, but I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!! My aunt has been teaching yoga for about 15 years, and it's always been an inspiration for me to throw myself into yoga classes. I recently injured myself and haven't been attending, and it's insane the difference I've felt without it. Now you're inspiring me to get back on the horse (well, the yoga mat) and just do it again! So thank you.
Long story short, good for you and good luck!
Yay! Go you. But also, great lesson for the rest of us. I'm not a huge fois gras fan, but I've always thought silky over chalky.
i'm so proud of you. these are two HUGE things that are coming on the tail end of one hell of an amazing summer. two HUGE things that mean SO MUCH to you. way to keep up the epic-ness. i love you. really. you're amazing.
Um, I kept saying I was going to do my laundry and I finally grabbed it by it's balls and did it. That isn't NEARLY as exciting as you.
Congrats on both of these milestones! They are great! I'm going to go do my first yoga class next week. I'm nervous and excited to do it. I hope I don't look like a complete idiot.Wait, that made me think of something worthy that I've done this week. I jogged an entire mile without stopping! While this may not sound like much, to me it is huge b/c I have zero endurance when it comes to cardio.
I got a little teary reading this… ok, now I am really teary. You are such an inspirational person. I am so glad to "know" you… or at least read about your experiences. This is what makes the internet and social networking so amazing.Yoga reached out to me exactly you how describe it. We both do hot yoga, which is another reason it is so effective and transformative. Without it, I would not be nearly as focused and happy as I am now in my life. I think it is awesome you are taking your practice to the next level! Keep us posted on what you are learning.
As for your foodie/travel blog… all I can say is, you go girl.It's amazing (and tragic) how fear often controls our actions in life and how fear holds us back from enjoying life to the fullest. And FYI: The Alchemist is like, totally one of the best books ever of all time. 
Ok, done ranting, time to get back to work!
YAY! All of that sounds so, so great!I love reading your posts – they are so passionate and alive! Being a yoga teacher sounds AWESOME; I really want to start doing more yoga and have been thinking about getting a membership at the local yoga studio for awhile. Maybe it's time I just DO IT!
Gah. It really HAS been a good week for you, and I'm excited about all the things you're doing.I really want to start taking a yoga class somewhere in my little town. And I want to take a cooking course at a local kitchen shop. And I think I'm going to check those out now.Thanks for the inspiration, love!
I read The Alchemist this last weekend while on vacation with the roomies. It's impossible to not realize that some of my actions this week – the JUSTDO ITs – are a result of the inspiration I found in that book.Thank you SOmuch for your sweet words
I love knowing you too, and can't wait tocross paths again – probably in Huntsvegas sometime 
Amazing Doni!!! Holy, congratulations!! I'm so happy for you just taking charge and running with this, it will reward your heart in spades <3
Yay!! You really are DOING things this year!
Girl, you kick so much ass. I know that when I finished The Alchemist I felt like a changed person. I left my copy at Gramma's for the fam to read, and never saw it again. I wonder if it's still there….
Oh my dear, I love you. So happy for you! So, so happy. I couldn't agree more. If we'd all just STOP WAITING the world might be a completely different place. Good for you for going for it!
Wonderful! It's always nice to get things done. I'm checking out your blog as I type. I just want to grab my career by the horns and make it more valuable than it is. I should start to and stop waiting for the "right time." The right time may never come.
I'm proud of you. You're doing great things <3
You hit the nail on the head with this one. There have been a few things I've been throwing around in my head for a little while now. And just earlier today, wrote one of the things down as something I will do in early 2010 (it's a timing / money thing now). Anyway, I love this post and will bookmark it as a reminder to keep pushing forward with the marbles in my head!
Yay! Go you. But also, great lesson for the rest of us. I'm not a huge fois gras fan, but I've always thought silky over chalky.
Thanks, sir!
Thank you! Can't wait to see what comes of all of this
Thank you! Eyes on the prize, and 2010 will be a fantastic accomplishment
Good for you!! Also, maintainging two blogs feels overwhelming at first, but in the end, when they're so different from each other, you'll wonder how you ever only had one. (For the record, my two are whatagrandworld.blogspot.com and homebetweenpages.wordpress.com). Good luck to you. Oh and I may move to Israel, partly to study and partly for a guy, so I need a bit of the metaphorical ball-grabbing mojo too.
Amazing Doni!!! Holy, congratulations!! I'm so happy for you just taking charge and running with this, it will reward your heart in spades <3
Yay! This is so exciting! I need to follow your advice, get off my ass, and start doing things that will make me happy. Thanks for the reminder
I'm proud of you. You're doing great things <3
check you out miss rock star! love the new blog, you seriously are a nomad and i love it. and i have to note to only check your blog after i eat because now it will make me hungry, haha.
Congrats on the new blog – excited to stay updated with all the places I need to check out during my travels!
I feel like I read it at the right time in my life, much like how I feltabout Eat Pray Love. Like I was on the brink of making these choices andjust needed someone to be like STFU AND DO IT ALREADY.You know?You know. And thanks for that ass-kicking comment. I feel like I did thisweek, for sure.
Congrats on finally jumping in instead of just dipping your feet. It's a shock at first but soon its all fun in the sun!
Thank you! Can't wait to see what comes of all of this
What's the flavor? I'm SO scared of it.
Ok, I think I may have finished my laundry in the same day I started itONCE. And jogging a mile without stopping is a HUGE DEAL. I should know, Iaccomplished that for the first time this year as well! So, I agree atleast!Wanna play this weekend? Karlie (@hautepocket) and Rachel (@racheliza) andI will be out on the Uptown tomorrow evening if you're interested in somechick-blogger fun!
Hm… When you said yoga I was going to say "Nooo! She's coming down to Costa Rica and I'm up in Strasbourg! Nooo!" Then I saw it's a training course, and I sighed in relief. Haha.And the one thing I want to grab by the balls and just do is already done. I am fully 99.9% packed. I don't care if I leave in 5 days.
Ah, THANK YOU! And you won't regret getting involved with it. It's SOamazing.
AH! That is incredible, and I hope you keep me/us all updated on thatdecision!I actually found your What a Grand World blog via Kyla when the discussionsabout community came up, but I didn't realize you had another.:::hopping over to check those out now:::
Thanks for coming by! And you're right, you'll look back later and see thatthe right time was right about late-summer 2009
Yeah, and I'd be careful with the whole no-cheese-for-a-week thing becausewhile I want to do that someday, THIS IS NOT THAT DAY.xoxo, Sneezy
Thanks, sir!
Thank you! Eyes on the prize, and 2010 will be a fantastic accomplishment
I feel like I read it at the right time in my life, much like how I feltabout Eat Pray Love. Like I was on the brink of making these choices andjust needed someone to be like STFU AND DO IT ALREADY.You know?You know. And thanks for that ass-kicking comment. I feel like I did thisweek, for sure.
Congrats on finally jumping in instead of just dipping your feet. It's a shock at first but soon its all fun in the sun!
What's the flavor? I'm SO scared of it.
Ok, I think I may have finished my laundry in the same day I started itONCE. And jogging a mile without stopping is a HUGE DEAL. I should know, Iaccomplished that for the first time this year as well! So, I agree atleast!Wanna play this weekend? Karlie (@hautepocket) and Rachel (@racheliza) andI will be out on the Uptown tomorrow evening if you're interested in somechick-blogger fun!
Hm… When you said yoga I was going to say "Nooo! She's coming down to Costa Rica and I'm up in Strasbourg! Nooo!" Then I saw it's a training course, and I sighed in relief. Haha.And the one thing I want to grab by the balls and just do is already done. I am fully 99.9% packed. I don't care if I leave in 5 days.
Ah, THANK YOU! And you won't regret getting involved with it. It's SOamazing.
AH! That is incredible, and I hope you keep me/us all updated on thatdecision!I actually found your What a Grand World blog via Kyla when the discussionsabout community came up, but I didn't realize you had another.:::hopping over to check those out now:::
Thanks for coming by! And you're right, you'll look back later and see thatthe right time was right about late-summer 2009
All I can say is HUGE KUDOS and congratulations to you. Love your grab-the-bull-by-the-horns and live attitude. You're such an inspiration!
Yeah, and I'd be careful with the whole no-cheese-for-a-week thing becausewhile I want to do that someday, THIS IS NOT THAT DAY.xoxo, Sneezy
I'm STILL doing that Costa Rican one, just not til next year sometime. Perhaps we'll plan something where we'll be there at the same time? OMG, I can't believe you're leaving in FIVE DAYS. Congrats and good luck!!!
Yes! Let me know when you're planning on doing it, and I'll see if I canmake it! And as for the trip… actually, less than 4 days. Haha!
Um, Stone Phillips?
Like buttery, liver-y decadence (and I don't like liver). Umami, definitely, and saltiness, and like meat and fat distilled. It should be noted that I don't really like gravy either. I think my description is now a big fail.
Yeah you've pretty much inspired me to NEVER try that. Not that I was allthat jazzed to in the first place.
I absolutely love the Alchemist (did you know Paulo Cuelho is on Twitter…he tweets in English AND Spanish) for much of what you wrote. It's like the quintessential stop talking and start doing book. I could write an entire comment on my love for that book, but this is about you!Kudos for so many changes and ambitions and DOING of things. It's a trait I try to adopt more and more yet still have some work to do to fully embody it. One thing on my bucket list, coincidentally, become a certified yoga instructor. So now I'm just totally in awe of you!
I did not know Paulo Cuelho was on Twitter, but you can bet I'm going tostart following! And I love meeting someone else who's got the same passionfor that book as I do – it's amazing, and it's so funny how many times I'vequoted it or or referenced it in conversations lately. As for the yogainstructor thing, granted I've only been as far as the orientation so farbut all I have to say is make sure you DO it sometime. It's the bestfeeling in the world right now knowing I'm finally doing something I've beenwanting to for a long time.By the way, I just peeked over at your blog and it's GORGEOUS.