Despite having a successful blog and business, Crystal Paine found herself feeling burnt out and not really excited about anything at all. So she made the choice to untangle herself from her business obligations so she could take a year of rest and have that time to pour into herself so she could better pour into others. During that year Crystal did things that brought her true joy, including spending time with her kids, completely overhauling her health and enjoying the freedom to be more spontaneous, adventurous and creative. If the idea of a year of rest appeals to you, then you're going to love this episode.

Crystal Paine a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, business consultant, and the founder of MoneySavingMom.com. MoneySavingMom.com was started in 2007 as an offshoot of a mommy blog Crystal had and has since grown to be one of the top personal finance blogs on the web averaging over 1.5 million unique visitors per month. Crystal lives in the Nashville area with her husband and 3 kids. Get Crystal's free 5 Days to a Better Morning series to learn how to start your day off on the right foot. 

Nuggets of Wisdom from Crystal:

"Do what you can with what you've got, where you are."

'I wanted to say yes to my family, yes to fun, and yes to things that were going to scare me a little bit but hopefully help me break free from fears and anxiety and be able to just walk in more freedom in my life."

"I said yes to my health."

"When I broke free from not being dependent upon coffee to survive, then I realized that I felt so empowered in other areas in my life....I needed to break free from that because it was causing me to have anxiety, it was hindering my sleep, and that then was contributing to other health problems. But it was also that I was looking to this thing, this drink that I was drinking, to give me the energy to do what I needed to do, instead of just getting enough sleep and taking care of myself and eating healthy so that I could have the inner strength to do what I needed to do."

"I wanted people to see that I am not at all as brave or courageous as people assume that I must be, and that there's a lot of things like making phone calls or talking to people that I don't know well that scare me. But I have learned that the more that I make myself face those fears and do those things, the more that I feel empowered, and so when I step outside my comfort zone, the more that I do it, then over time my comfort zone moves, and I am able to then face more fears and go farther because I didn't just stay where it is all safe."

Some of Crystal's Favorite Things:

Personal habit: "Writing out daily to-do-lists. I've done for years and years. Google calendar for family, team. I brain dump everything into Google calendar as all-day tasks."

Easy meal: "Salmon, bake it in the oven, with brown rice with sweet potato fries and roasted broccoli. Salad with a homemade dressing."

Favorite kitchen gadget: "InstantPot"

Crystal's Favorite Books: Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

Best advice received: "Do the next right thing."

Crystal's Happiness Formula:

Getting enough sleep + allowing time to refuel + using talents and gifts to bless others' lives.

A Challenge from Crystal:

"Take time and make space in your life to breathe and refuel and take care of you."

Resources

5 Days to a Better Morning series

InstantPot

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

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