How you do one thing is how you do everything.

I recently attended an inspiring Health conference hosted by two of my mentors in the industry.  On the second day, they presented us with this statement:

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

As soon as they said it, a light bulb seemed to go off for everyone in the room and they all nodded in agreement at this revelation.  They all seemed to get it.  But honestly, I couldn't figure out what it meant. How could the way I check my email, the way I spend money, or the way I dress have anything at all to do with the way I watch TV, the way I read a book, the way I eat or the the way I cook? 

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

It sounds so profound yet, how could it be true?  In an effort to figure out what this might mean, I started to break down the things I do on a regular basis.

When I check my email, I have all 3 of my email accounts open at once, I have facebook open, pinterest and usually at least one other blog or article open that I'm in the midst of reading.  So even when I'm "checking my email," I'm never just checking my email.  If something else beeps, rings, flashes or seems more interesting, I'm easily sidetracked and often lose sight of what I was doing in the first place... which was checking my email. 

This, I realized, is how I read books and how I watch TV.  If I hear about a good book, I have to have it... now.  I read it until someone recommends a different book that I just have to have immediately.  I buy that book and read it until I come upon a review of yet another book that I have to have... you get the picture.  So I read a lot of books without ever really finishing any of them.

When it comes to TV, I'm not much better.  My husband can't stand to watch TV with me (lucky for him, I don't do it very often) because I start out watching one show until a commercial comes on or I get bored and I turn the channel to look for something better (unless it's HGTV, in which case I shamelessly watch whatever show is on and don't even consider changing the channel).  We end up watching the beginning of one show, the middle of another, part of a 2 hour movie and the end of another show.   

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

But what about shopping?  Let's see... when I shop, it's usually online because I don't have the patience for dressing rooms or crowds and I love the satisfaction of being able to purchase something at the exact moment I decide that I want it. Anyway, I don't shop often, but when I do, it's a wallet draining shopping spree that includes almost everything on my wish list and anything else that catches my eye along the way.  In the end, I usually wind up returning most of it because the excitement has worn off and I start to remember all of the reasons why I would be better off just putting the money into my savings account. 

So what does this have to do with how I eat?  Well, I normally eat very healthfully.  But, when I splurge, it's an all out indulgence fest.  I buy my favorite foods and treats and prepare them in portion sizes normally reserved for family style dinners.  Before things get too out of control, I usually remember all of the reasons why I generally choose fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats and I end up throwing most of the indulgent food away.  Sound familiar?

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

If you follow my blog, you're familiar with the way I cook.  I find a recipe that looks and sounds good and I follow about 1/3 of it.  1/3 is adjusted to suit my personal taste. 1/3 is adjusted because I don't have the items on hand that are called for in the recipe.  The outcome is usually something that resembles the original recipe but totally suits my taste and I don't even miss the ingredients  that I had to omit or replace.

As for my personal style, it's a mix of inspiration from magazines/blogs, pieces in my closet that I love and the help of my stylist (and sister), Bryn of Byrdie (check out her blog here).  1/3 of my outfit is usually inspired by a magazine tear or post from a style blog.  1/3 of my outfit is adjusted to suit my personal taste.  1/3 is adjusted because, sadly, I don't have an Hermes Birkin, a Cartier Love bracelet or the adorable J.Crew heels that Olivia Palermo is wearing in the photo below.  So, I make do with the next closest thing in my closet.  

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Normally I share my recipes with you, but in the spirit of this post, I thought it would be fun to share with you how I interpret my outfit inspiration and how, just like when you start with a recipe, you can usually come up with something pretty darn close and equally amazing with what you already have on hand.

Olivia Palermo

Yours Truly Photo Credit: Bryn Sanders

What I learned from all of this is that I'm easily distracted, seek instant gratification and don't always finish what I start but that I'm also pretty resourceful and don't waste time on things that I don't have the patience for or don't enjoy.  And in the end, I'm usually happy with the results whether it be the dinner I made, the one item I end up keeping after a major shopping spree or the part of the book that I read first because it sounded the most interesting to me.

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Have a great day!