I do not let myself go to sleep without some kind of physical activity. I am not saying you need to have an at-home gym or train for a marathon. All I am saying is if your mind needs some activity, chances are your body is asking for the same thing. Sometimes I even plug in some tunes while I clean and let it turn into a mini dance party with my mop and window cleaner. Other days I am a little more on top of my game and get up before work to get a good run in or grab some weights. Just, don’t neglect your body.
Attimes it feels like wellness or elevating one’s wellbeing, is diametrically opposed to high achievement and high performance in one’s career. The stress, mental energy, long hours, lack of restful sleep and preoccupation that result from a high-achievement life seem to directly inhibit wellness. And yet, in order to sustain the creativity, flexibility, mental acuity and resilience that are necessary for high performance, wellness and wellbeing of the mind, body and soul are also mandatory. So how do we achieve both? This is the question I’m hoping to answer through conversations with high-achieving leaders and influencers who are practicing their own philosophies about how to maintain their wellbeing.
As a part of our series about “Social Media Influencers Share Their Top Self Care, Wellness, and Beauty Tips, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ashley.
Ashley is the creative behind Millennial Going Down, the lifestyle blog that was brought to life about 2 years ago as a portfolio of short stories and marketing tips. Over this time, the site has evolved into bringing its audience a combination of entertainment and education on finance, wellness, relationships and of course, continuing to serve as a place of motivation.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory of how you came upon this career path and to where you are today?
Sure! Millennial Going Down initially started as outlet where I went to log my marketing tips and let my creativity run wild with my short stories based on my life — essentially, a portfolio of my writing and marketing talents. These two topics began to resonate with an audience I didn’t even know I had and with time, comments and requests began to flood in. I had friends from the other side of the country relating to my recent break-up or figuring out how to get insurance for the first time and loved seeing how I added humor to my daily struggles. I also had professionals reaching out asking if I could do a write up about marketing tips specifically in Email Marketing or Event Planning or something else that was specific to their job. I let these themes dictate my upcoming themes as they presented an opportunity to research topics I wasn’t well versed in and pretty soon began attracting an even larger audience. Today, my blog continues to feed articles of motivation and hopes to serve as a reference for other young men and women trying to figure things out as they enter the various stages of adulthood. My voice has grown, but so has my audience, and as long as I continue writing what I believe is honest and uplifting, my site will always be made to help others.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Of course! I had a ton of people help me along the way. I may topic requests from my audience or the shortcomings of my daily-interactions but I don’t let me Google be my one-stop shop for research. If I am writing a piece on Stocks 101, you better believe I will contact those in the financial world to get their input. Maybe I have an article piece on Spring Fashion coming up. Who better than to reach out to Fashion Influencers for their current selections to broaden my research. But why stop there. I look up to family and friends who have found success in what they love to do. I look up to my educators who said I had a gift of connecting with people but needed to practice my “style” to find a way to use it. And I look up to the mentors who have been nothing but supporting on this unorthodox career path.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
Most of my fun stories came from boyfriend at the time. Boy, did we get into some sticky situations. And although I do not regret logging our crazy adventures, I do sometimes wish I would have kept my short stories and my professional articles separate. Mind you, this was never supposed to be considered a “blog.” So while I am writing down new content, I have bosses and prospectors looking at my site to get an idea of my range and finding out that my ex-boyfriend and I had gotten kicked out of a concert. (True story). But like all things that are humorous, you need to laugh it off — after all, I was the one who decided to put it online. Even with the risk of my boss reading about my daily life.
As an influencer, you have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. In fact perhaps most people who tried to follow a career path like yours did not succeed. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?
Some say to find your niche while others may say to find the niche that your audience wants from you. I say, find the middle ground. I love to write and I love to create articles that may be used as a reference, but I had to find a way to translate this over to Instagram. And I found that my audience likes photos where they can’t tell are being used as an AD-photo, so they all have pink or florals or a dash of girly props. All very me — “Ashley” styled. But because this is my natural style, I rarely have the urge to quit or get burned out. Again, it’s all about honesty, even honesty to yourself.
Can you share with our readers some of your strategies you’ve used to build an engaged, loyal, and large online community?
Okay, so you decided what your style is going to be? If not, read my last pointer to find out just how to find your style and theme. Once you have that, get down and dirty on your content. What I mean is when you finally decide to go in, you are going all in. Act like a professional from day one, from follower one. Be consistent, be honest and always be open to the changing audience. As I mentioned, I’ve grown since my first post. I am not longer that 19 year old girl who thought she was going to travel the world like a beach-queen. I still can but I don’t want to anymore. And that’s okay. But I need to be honest and let me audience know who I am now versus then. Some people may drop off, as they no longer can connect, but others will be attracted to you and may even bring some friends along.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. In my work, I focus on how one can thrive and care for oneself in three areas: body, mind, and heart.
You are a busy person with a demanding schedule, can you share with our readers two self care routines, practices or treatments that help your body thrive? (Kindly share a story or an example for each.)
Can you share with us two routines that you use to help your mind or heart to thrive? (Kindly share a story or example for each.)
BODY — I do not let myself go to sleep without some kind of physical activity. I am not saying you need to have an at-home gym or train for a marathon. All I am saying is if your mind needs some activity, chances are your body is asking for the same thing. Sometimes I even plug in some tunes while I clean and let it turn into a mini dance party with my mop and window cleaner. Other days I am a little more on top of my game and get up before work to get a good run in or grab some weights. Just, don’t neglect your body.
HEART — I have always been considered a “nice” person but that word almost felt empty. So, I challenged myself that whenever someone called me nice out of their own fruition, I had to actually do a “nice” act. Did my friend let me know she thinks my character traits include being bubbly and nice? Better make cookies for my friends. Did someone say my phone call was a nice gesture? Time to check in with 5 more friends via text. This challenge helped me connect with those I love by forcing me to recite what’s important to them or even discover the areas in which they might be feeling along but didn’t consider telling anyone without being asked. Plus, it gives you a happy heart to know if you created a smile that day.
Can you share 3 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Dress up. I don’t care if I am going to do a quick pit stop at the gas station or running back for last-minute groceries. I feel good when I look good.
- Move your body. This might not be for everyone but when I feel healthy, it’s almost like my mirror agrees with me. The more times I skip the gym, whether I’ve genuinely gained weight or not, my mirror and mind agree on becoming a funhouse for my sluggish feels. WARNING: With years of practice, I know whether this is in my head or not. I know I am healthy, but as I mentioned before, when I feel good, I look good.
- Point out something that looks good that day. There is always something that looks good on you.
Is there a particular resource, a practitioner, expert, book, or podcast that made a significant impact on you and helped you to thrive? Can you share a story about that with us?
I can’t name just one because I fly through all those self-development things like no other. Rachel Hollis and Jenna Kutcher? I’ve already ready everything book and tip they had to offer. And if you haven’t, I’d say those are great places to start. Every month I like to find a new book and podcast and have them bring my joy.
Do you have a story about the strangest, most bizarre or funniest wellness treatment that you’ve ever experienced?
Remember that ex-boyfriend I mentioned earlier? Well, he was also the first person I truly ever dated so imagine that heart break. Once I accepted it was done, like done-done, I grabbed my keys and just drove. I ended up in Yellowstone, the breaking point between Montana and Wyoming… from Washington. But, guess what. Swimming in lakes, discovering the park and just listening to my favorite songs the whole time was just what I need to build myself up. And I can recall that entire trip without even remembering the reason I was out there most times. Although, I’d never try something so spontaneous anymore without first calling someone this time.
As an influencer, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Stop being afraid to love. My grandpa once told me that world just needed a little more love. And to this day, I whole heartedly believe that. Love your parents, your family, your friends, your neighbors. Heck, even love that person you started dating a while ago. Caution: Just don’t fall crazy IN-LOVE with them right away. Remember the difference here.
But yes. Just Love. You’ll be amazed at how much love is shot back your way.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 🙂
ANSWER: Oh man, this is a good question because I have so many people that have been on my list. But let’s just start with Rachel Hollis and Jenna Kutcher for now. After all, they have brought so much joy to my life.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
BLOG — MillennialGoingDown.com
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/itsashleynicole.xoxo/
PINTEREST — https://www.pinterest.com/MillennialGoingDown/boards/
EMAIL — MillennialGoingDown@gmail.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Originally published on Medium – Authority || Influencer Ashley Shares Her Top Selfcare, Wellness, and Beauty Tips
