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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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Finding My Voice

March 22, 2017 by Taylor 1 Comment

Finding My Voice - Espresso and Ambition

I’m still pretty new to this blogging thing, but I think I’m slowly starting to get the hang of it. However, it’s definitely been a process and part of the struggle has been this concept of “finding my voice,” which is what this entire post is going to be about.

Although actually, the use of the word “finding” is a bit misleading, because I’ve always had a voice, and a very distinctive one at that. I’m loud, opinionated, sassy, sarcastic, and occasionally too silly when things should be serious. I’m the type of person that you hear from another room and immediately think, “yep, that’s Taylor.” So my voice definitely doesn’t need to be found – it’s already out there.

Blogging kind of complicated that a little bit though. I started this blog with the idea that I’d be up-front and blunt about everything, because that’s just who I am as a person. But the problem with growing a blog is that you constantly want to take cues from people whose blogs are successful. So you read their work, and you start trying to learn from them and add in little tidbits and features of their writing into your own. This can be great at times, but it can also be dangerous to your identity as a writer. My voice is one that’s entirely my own, but it can get muddled when I’m trying to incorporate other people’s writing styles into my own.

I saw it happen, really. There’s a number of posts that I wrote, that I look at now and feel as if they’re really disingenuous. They’re good writing, and I definitely don’t regret posting them or any of the content I wrote, but they’re not me. The “me” that writes posts includes sassy comments about almost dying while making a cooler and is straightforward enough to tell you that I tagged a picture on Instagram as the Cliffs of Moher when in reality it was just some random smaller cliffs because fog. I’m getting closer and closer to discovering my blogging voice, and moments like that make me feel like I’m hitting the mark.

It’s tempting to put up the front that I live some sort of perfect life for the sake of making my blog more desirable or my experiences more envious, but in reality I only left my apartment twice yesterday (both of which were for coffee) and I spent 30 minutes this morning watching corgi videos on Instagram when I probably should’ve been studying for the LSAT. I have my life together a lot of the time, but sometimes I don’t, and that’s ok. I can still give tips on writing good essays or share some of my favorite outfits without being some sort of perfect Barbie doll who is 100% productive and put together at all hours.

So, there’s that. I’m working on getting my voice back and being the most genuine version of myself as I can on this blog. That person is sassy and weird and constantly spouting something about feminism and #girlpower, and to be fair, she’s pretty awesome.

(I’m also the type of person that’s not afraid to occasionally brag about myself, weird quirks and all, because that’s what female empowerment is anyways and I am all about that.)

Finding My Voice - Espresso and Ambition

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Etc., Thoughts

Comments

  1. Indya | TheSmallAdventurer says

    March 24, 2017 at 3:31 am

    This is a great post! Everyone has times where they feel like they might be somewhat losing themselves, but as long as you try your best to stay true to yourself, you’ll always find your way back!

    http://www.thesmalladventurer.blogspot.com.au/

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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