Calculated Decisions & Nominations

Before we get to my big news, check out the Foodbuzz Blog Awards!

Carrots ‘N’ Cake received 3 nominations! Thanks, guys!!!

Best Healthy Living Blog:

1. Carrots ?n Cake

2. Eat, Live, Run

3. Gluten-Free Girl

3. Healthy Tipping Point

5. Kath Eats

1. What blogger would you most like to take to dinner?

1. Bouchon for 2

2. Carrots ?n Cake

3. Eric Rivera Cooks

4. The Healthy Everythingtarian

5. Steamy Kitchen

What blogger would you most want to make you a cocktail?

1. Carrots ?n Cake

2. Choosy Beggars

3. Honey Nut Lo

4. Sippity Sup

5. Tokyo Terrace

I love that people want to eat and booze with me! But, the category that I really want to win is the Best Healthy Living Blog! Just sayin’.

Please vote for Carrots ‘N’ Cake here!!!

For today’s lunch, I added leftovers from last night’s stuffed peppers to a bed of Romaine lettuce and threw in some sliced tomatoes to make a homemade salad of sorts. I also ate a banana with lunch.

Simple, yet satisfying.

I had no intention of buying such a delectable afternoon snack when I went out for a java run, but a frosted pumpkin scone at Starbucks coerced me into buying it.

I have zero willpower around pumpkin-flavored baked goods!

This baby was worth every single calorie and gram of fat.

Ok, here we go. First, a little background info for you…

In January 2009, I took a position working for the Dean of Harvard College. At the time, I wanted a high-energy and interesting job that would make the work day fly by. My new job in the Dean’s Office was no doubt exciting, but it didn’t leave me any “downtime” to blog like I did at my previous job.

So, for the last 9 months, I’ve basically been running around like a crazy person trying to fit it all in (full-time job, CNC, Health gig, Examiner, Healthy Living Summit, new puppy, sister’s wedding, the Move from Hell, traveling, exercise, etc.) But, unfortunately, I haven’t been very successful at balancing it all. Basically, something had to give… but what?

I considered giving up my blog a number of times. During the spring and summer, Mal and I had a bunch of heart-to-heart talks that would almost always end with me in tears. I didn’t have enough time for the blog, but I knew I couldn’t give up on my dream that easily.

Devoting less time to my blog was also an option that I considered, But, I’m not the type of person who can just half-ass something, especially a project that I have devoted so much time and energy to in the past. My blog is my baby! And, as cheesy as it sounds, sharing my love for healthy living is my passion. It fuels me.

So, in the end, I decided that giving up Carrots ‘N’ Cake was just not an option, but how the heck would I pay the bills if I resigned from my full-time job to devote more time to it?

I’m pretty “straight and narrow” when it comes to job security and a steady paycheck, so I knew quitting my job and hoping that my blog income would get me by was a bad idea. As much as I wanted to impulsively quit my full-time job and devote all my time to blogging, I took the time to make a calculated decision in order to make my dream a reality without totally messing up my life.

I started by creating a list of what would help me achieve a happier situation, and then, I considered all of the possible ways to make them happen. I consulted my husband a lot during this time. Ultimately, the decision was all mine, but almost daily, I bounced ideas off him. A lot of the time, Mal brought me back to reality and prevented me from rushing into anything. But, at the same time, he also supported and encouraged me to chase my dream.

After weeks of considering possible options, I finally formulated a plan of attack:

So, that was my basic plan to make things happen. Let me elaborate on a few things…

Save money: I’ve always been good with money. I grew up poor and then later went to grad school, so living with less is something I am used to. So, more than 2 months ago, I went into super save mode. I’ve been able to save a good chunk of my income as a security blanket for when I finally resigned from my full-time job. For weeks, I cut back on all of the “extras” in my life. Thankfully, all of these little sacrifices added up, so now I am pretty comfortable with my financial position.

Tip: Sign up for ING!!! I use ING to “squirrel away” my savings. ING is great because your savings earn quite a bit of interest and it makes it semi-difficult to withdraw funds once you’ve deposited it. (It just takes a few days for them to transfer from ING to your personal bank account.)

Research jobs: I spent a lot of time looking for part-time jobs, but I wasn’t going to leave my fancy-schmancy Harvard job for any ol’ gig. I wanted a job that was related to my passions and that would allow me some flexibility in my schedule. I applied for quite a few jobs and went on a number of interviews. Some were good; some were not-so-good, but I learned a lot about what I wanted in my ideal position.

Tip: If you’re going to make a career move, make sure it’s in the right direction. I’ve loved my time at Harvard, but to be completely honest, my job was not inline with my career goals at all. The 9 months that I spent in my current role basically just delayed my dream.

Secure a part-time job: Last weekend, I accepted a part-time job working for a company that I truly believe in. My new position is related to my passions and very much inline with my career goals. I’m very excited to begin this next phase of my career.

More details to come!