Live, Love, Laugh

2012-02-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we can find beauty where we lest expect it... Take a chance and look outside the box. Look at things with new, fresh eyes and you may find that what you thought to be has been wrong all along...

Life isn't as complicated as we tend to make it!

2012-02-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

We often times get so busy that we can forget the whole purpose that we got out of bed that morning. Try to make some time for yourself even if its only 10 minutes a day. Step outside, take a short walk around the block and regroup mentally and physically. You'll find that nature can be very calming and bring your life into perspective.

2012-02-21T06:18:00.001-08:00

Your journey begins when you change your perspective on how you look at a situation. Begin with not asking what can you gain from everything but how can you help and you will start to see things in a new light!

2012-02-16T08:27:00.001-08:00

2012-02-15T09:06:00.001-08:00

2012-02-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

2012-02-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday I went out to pick up some candy for my husband and while on my way to the check out line I ran across a book called The Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life. I read this entire book in about 3 days and now I really want to share some of it with you!

The seven wonders are:

Courage
Faith
Truth
Compassion
Friendship
Family
Common sense (my favorite)

The best part is that we all have access to these wonders we just need to know how to utilize and tap into them a bit better!
The reason why I like common sense the best is that we all were born with it, its just that we all may not know how to sue it or may push it aside with justifications or excuses and that's when we start getting hurt!

This book really has opened my eyes and helped me to see and understand how to look at things differently. How to forgive and have compassion for my enemies as they may have suffered a great deal and that may be why they are now so angry or mean. If you view those who hurt you in that light, it gives the entire situation a whole new perspective. Instead of hating or disliking that person you now start to have compassion for them and feel sorry for them or start to love them the way that God intended you to.

Long story short. I love this book and recommend it to everyone who is searching for ways to change and new ways to view the world.

I encourage you all to seek out these wonders as another step in inspiration for your life and soul!

2012-01-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

I believe these rules can apply to every thing in our lives from our daily work, to our relationships and so on...

2012-01-25T13:08:00.001-08:00

2012-01-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

Life is already so complicated that we really don't need to beat ourselves up every day over every little thing! We as women face the media telling us we are not thin enough or pretty enough or are not in the right brands or the right style of clothes. That were not making enough money or working in the right field...

Why, with so much pressure from society do we need to put additional pressure on ourselves? I'm not in competition with anyone in this life, only with myself so I don't care what other think! All that matters to me is that I know each day that I woke up, put on my biggest smile, pat myself on the back and went out and did my best! That's it, simple right??

So get ride of those thought of unworthiness, of not being good enough, of not begin this or that and start looking at the beauty that is staring right back at you in the mirror! We are all beautiful in our own ways, sometimes you just need to dust off a few layers of lies others have told you and sure enough, there it is, your inner beauty, just waiting to be discovered!

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

"You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever."

-Steve Jobs

2012-01-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

This morning started out bad, really bad! I was running late, I spilled hot chocolate in my brand new car and all over my skirt thus having to turn around and drive all the way back home and change, then I stopped for gas and the machine would not read my credit card so I had to go to another gas station. When I finally arrived at work, terribly late, the door to my department was making this high pitched screeching sound for some reason and that my friends was how I started my Wednesday!

But as I settled into my desk and looked back over my morning I begin to realize that I had 2 options here: 1.) I could let these random events ruin the rest of my day, have a bad attitude and treat my coworkers like dirt or I could move on, focus on the positives and let the day restart from that moment on!

That’s precisely what I decided to do so I fixed my hair and make-up and decided to put on a smile and see what this Wednesday has up its sleeves, I can take a few tricks!

2011-12-31T07:07:00.000-08:00


*Happy New Years!*

I hope this year starts out Perfect for each and everyone of you!

2011-12-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

So lately I’ve just been posting a lot of photos and quotes but not really adding much of a lesson with the quote and that’s mainly because I’m totally being lazy! Today I’ve decided to stop this laziness and get some content on here with a picture or quote so here we go!

This is the time of year where I usually start thinking about my life and what it is that I want to do differently next year so typically I write out a list of New Year’s Resolutions and for the most part try to stick to them.

I’m sure, about 100% that I’m not the only person who does this, in fact I know I’m not it’s just something we as humans do. Out with the old in with the new, right?

So when you begin to think about what you want to do differently or to start doing in the New Year, how about this: Think realistically about your goals, don’t just be all willy-nilly with it! For example, setting the goal of getting married by the summer is not a realistic goal as it does not only involve you, there are 2 people who have to be in agreement on this (I’m sure you get my point here)!

I like to think of thinks that are good for my soul, mind and body and start with small baby steps and don’t set a goal that is over the top otherwise your setting yourself up for failure before you even start.

Here are a few goals that I love and plan to do. Now you might be thinking, exercise daily! Yeah right who has time for that but, try thinking outside of the box for a second. I didn’t say go to the gym or run 2 miles a day, I was very general in this goal. Exercise to me might mean playing my Wii for 30 minutes or it might mean walking my dog after dinner. Cleaning the house is a form of exercise. Whatever I feel qualifies as exercise will allow me to meet and obtain my resolution. See where I’m going here.

So try not to be too specific, don’t set goals that involve other people, don’t be unrealistic and don’t set yourself up for failure!

The whole point is to be better this year that we were last year, maybe you can say, be nice to one person a day, this can include yourself. Or save money, set up a budget and stick to it. There are so many resolutions that can be obtainable if you are willing to try!

So jump in and get going on your list!

Oh and Happy New Years!

Below are a few photos that I thought were cute for resolutions! (Enjoy!)

2011-12-27T05:07:00.001-08:00

2011-12-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Looking back over the year can bring up sadness, happiness and so many other questions but remember, God brought you where you are for a reason! Look toward the future and know He’s got your back! Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Only 2 days before Christmas and I wanted to wish each and everyone of you a blessed and happy holiday season!

2011-12-19T13:14:00.001-08:00

2011-12-18T14:42:00.001-08:00

2011-12-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Simple message for today: Love who you are and don’t be like the rest of them! We are all born as individuals but by the time we’ve reached a certain age many of us have fallen into an assembly line of look-a-like clones.

Please don’t be one of those people! Be yourself, it’s so much better!

Just in case you forgot:

2011-12-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

2011-12-06T04:46:00.000-08:00

2011-12-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

2011-12-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Be nice to others because you never know what they are going through!

(FYI: I laughed so hard that I cried as I read the cats diary!)

2011-12-01T04:43:00.000-08:00

2011-11-30T05:12:00.000-08:00

Today's lesson is about looking at yourself, not the outer self but the inner self, your personality, your actions and feelings towards others. Try asking who you really are, how you've treated others this year and most inportantly who have your hurt because of your words or action?

For me, the end of one year rings in a new opportunity to start over, to make changes within yourself. A few years ago, I took a hard look at who I had become and hated the person standing before me, I honestly didn't even know her. I was being cruel and mean to people for no real reason other than that the people I thought were my friends were also doing it. Deep inside I knew it was wrong but at the time, I didn't care and to this day I am ashamed of my actions.

When I decided to make a change and think for myself, I made amends with some of those people who I judged so harshly and came to find that I was judging someone I never really knew and some of them are really great!

Take the opportunity to get to know a person for who they are in the inside not for how they look on the outside, or for what kind of car they drive, how much money they have or what name brands of clothing they wear! All that fades away with time but finding someone who may be a true friend can last forever! Think of how many wonderful people you've passed over who could have potentially been good friends because you ignorantly judged them, were cruel or mean and make a change today!

2011-11-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

So Sorry!

2011-11-29T03:53:00.001-08:00

Wow! It has really been a long time since my last post, I’m so sorry! I have been so busy lately doing so many things but I’m back now and ready to get some great content up and running!

2011-10-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

The lesson of today came to me in the form of a Bible passage I was reading and I know that not all of you are religious or spiritual but don’t worry, this has more to do with you than you might think!

Take for example this; Rick Warren stated that

“Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it”.

How simply this statement is but yet how little we all seem to pay attention to it. In all honesty, most people do follow the crowd; they seek approval from others and not from themselves, they sacrifice their own selves for the temporary approval of their neighbors, friends, co-workers ans so on. I cannot say I have never done this in my lifetime, at some point we all have; it’s merely our human nature. But let me tell you this, one day I woke up and realized that the same people that I was seeking approval from either disliked me or I disliked them yet I still cared what they thought, I still did things I thought they might like and for what? To add additional stress to my already over complicate life… It was just foolish of me so I stopped caring and moved on. Though I may not been "liked" by everyone, my life just became so much simpler because it no longer mattered to me what others thought. I liked myself and that was so much more important to me than having everyone “like” me!

When you follow the crowd, you often get lost in it, what does this really mean; well it means you become just another face, a clone of everyone else. Your individually has been striped and replaced by the fact that you are now just like everyone else. Imagine this: you are trying to please everyone who is in turn trying to please everyone so really who are any of us trying to please? It's a never ending cycle that gets you nowhere! Get off that boat and take the path least walked! You'll find me there and I'll accept you as you are!

I don’t want to be lost; I want to be me so to end this topic I leave you with this:

“When you are set free of the bondage of pleasing others, when you are free from currying others favor and their approval - then no one will be able to make you miserable or dissatisfied. And then if we know we have pleased God, contentment will be our consolation.”

-Kay Arthur

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

-Matthew 7:13-14

2011-10-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

2011-09-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson is really about letting go, letting things happen and letting what will be, be... We all go through life analyzing every little thing, wondering about this and about that and constantly trying to change our situation, to change people around us and to change the outcome before it happens. We focus our time and attention no regretting things of the past and letting it interfere with our future or our current situation and really life is so simple, so very simple. But we as humans make things harder, more complicated and intricate. It's just our nature and our reality. Everything is amped up by 1000% these days, nothing is as it should be, nothing is natural. But I want to let you in on a secret that I have found on life's journey, things really can be as simple as they seem. No one wants to believe this so they twist and pull things in all different directions until what it has become is no longer what it was meant to be.

Why not just let it be; live a simple life, let go of the hurt, the regret of your past, knock on the doors and let opportunity lead the way! For we are not promised tomorrow so let today be your wonderland, enjoy the moments, the smells, the smiles and the laughs, the tears and the fears and see how much lighter your load becomes! Love life, simplified!

2011-09-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend had brought to thoughts to mind for me and its that people tend to be ungrateful, or actually I don't want to say ungrateful but I want to say they are so busy looking out at what others have that they don't realize what's right there in front of them, all the blessings that God has given them and I'm no stranger to this, we've all done it. We wake up each day, go about our day looking at what others have and are given and their opportunities yet never realize that God woke then up, filled their lungs with air, gave them good health, food for breakfast, a warm house and bed to sleep in. A family to spend time with, a job to make money and so many other things so small to realize!

The message for this weekend is that God truly blesses us but we can't see past our own selfish desires to realize that somewhere in the world someone is homeless, sleeping in the cold, wet streets under a bridge, they went to sleep without a meal all day, their cloths are dirty and tattered. They have no money or job; no family to spend time with and hardly any one will look them in the eye as they sit on the corner asking for your spare change!

How often do you thank God for all he has done for you? How often do you thank him for your family, job, car, health, home and spouse? Or are you quicker to complain about these things? The things we have, somewhere in the world, someone is lacking and could only dream of having! Try to be more thankful and less resentful!

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

2011-09-12T18:52:00.001-07:00

2011-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Because they are always there for us, sometimes we take them for granted but NEVER, forget that no matter what your family will be there for you when all others have turned their back.

Family is one of the most important things that will we will ever encounter in our lives. love those around you, spend time with the older generation for they have gems of knowledge to share with you, don't forget about the youth of the family for they will someday be the head of the house hold!

2011-09-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

2011-09-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

Simple message for today: God brought them to you for a reason! Pay attention, Learn from the pain, the laughter, the tears, the coffee meetings and everything in between.

2011-09-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

I read this on Facebook today and loved it so much that I had to share with all of you!

"Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul committed murder, Gideon was insecure, Miriam gossiped, Martha worried, Thomas doubted, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zacchaeus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead.... God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the CALLED! Re-post this if you know you are NOT perfect but that God is working in your life anyway!"

Sometimes we can't get past our shortcoming to realize that God has a pan and a purpose for us. He made you, He knew you long before you were even born and He knew what you would do before you ever even thought of it so though right now your life may be in shambles and you may be a big mess, God had that in his plans for His bigger plan!

2011-08-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

What Was, Was:

I'm sure your wondering what I mean by this and well its pretty simple. If your reading this, it means that you've been given a second chance, a second chance to live another day, to right a wrong, to move on and forget the past. You have been granted entry beyond the velvet ropes into the party called "LIFE".

Today and most importantly, every day, make a commitment to throw away you security blankets or blame. Its too easy to blame instead of looking at yourself as the cause. Throw that blame away, along with your fear, self doubt, self destruction, and hopelessness. Instead replace it with confidence, optimist, clarity and consideration to the feelings of others.

So ask your self this, "what pain are you willing to release today?" and "What pleasures are you willing to embrace?"

This will help you clear away your cobwebs of uncertainty from your past.

2011-08-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Today's message was meant directly for you, yes, you right there sitting at your computer reading this! So stop looking around because I'm pointing right at you! God made you for a purpose, you may not know what that purpose is today or tomorrow or a year from now but believe me when I say this, in due time, it will be revealed. There are no accidents when God has something up His sleeve and when He made you believe me honey, He had a wonderful plan in mind! So maybe today sucked and maybe next Wednesday it might rain and you'll have a bad hair day but you have this to look forward to: One day You Will Make A Difference! You can count on that!

2011-08-20T11:14:00.001-07:00

Okay ladies you know I love you all to death but I need to get a few things out there on the table for you. It just makes me sad to see all these women and girls running around here so willing to change who they are for the guys they love or even worse the guy they want but who doesn’t really want them! Ladies, you have to be strong enough to know that if he doesn’t accept you for who you are now, he will never really love you because the “you” you have changed yourself into is what you think he wants not the YOU that you really are inside.

Even if you manage to get him, not only will you be unhappy the end but eventually you will resent him for making you change and you won’t even want him anymore so do your self a HUGH favor, save yourself a bunch of time and heart ache and wait it out until you find that one special person who accepts you for the person you are! Believe me, it’s worth the wait!

2011-08-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Perfect lesson for the day:

2011-08-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

Today's message is simple, its all about not forgetting and ultimately enjoying life!

I also was to throw in something about forgiving and not being so hard on yourself because take it from me, the world is full of people who will happily put you down for free, 24/7 - 365 so don't add insult to injury. Life can be really simple if you just let it.

So take it easy on your self today, its Wednesday!

2011-08-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

Today, no let me correct myself, everyday you are a queen so let that crown shine! Even if your the only one who knows its there, that's all that matters! Keep your head high and rock that bling girl!

2011-08-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

This past month I've had the opportunity to speak with a lot of people in doing so I have come to realize that many people set out daily to win the approval and love of others and in all honesty, half of these people they are trying to win approval of they don't even really like! This to me is crazy! We all have enough people who love us now and to those that don't, well their not worth our time or energy! There's no need to be so consumed with wondering and searching and hoping that this person or that person will love you or want to hang out with you. It's just not important! Enjoy the time you have with your family, friends and loved one now because one day you'll look back and realize how much time you've wasted on people who never mattered!

2011-08-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Our world is becoming so consumed with things that don't matter, people are caught up in things that are meaningless yet they feel these things will define them when really its taking away from their personality and harming their soul. What has our world become, what matters most to people, is it even real?

Go out and find yourself, find your soul. Don't get lost in the little things that consume so many souls. Get back to who you are and what really makes you YOU. In the end it's not about your status, your fame, fortune or how many followers or friends you had, it's about what your life meant to you and what you meant to others.

Get out there and find your soul, reclaim it and define what's most important in life. Life is short, don't waste another moment.

2011-08-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

I love it when we look to ourselves for what we need instead of looking to others. No one knows what you need better than you. Today is your day, this is your moment so instead of searching outside for what others want you to do, look to yourself. Be Your Own Hero!

2011-07-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

2011-07-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Seven important things to remember!

2011-07-25T12:29:00.001-07:00

Perfect day to move on, Monday, its a new week and a great day to start over! Why not?

2011-07-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today (at least for me) is about taking chances and enjoying the moment! I think in general people become frightened to seek out new things, to try them and see what might happen but I want you to jump off that cliff, dive in head first, do that thing you've been dreaming about for far to long and see what opportunities are out there for you when you just knock!

Today's challenge, Take a chance, no matter how big or small, just do it!

2011-07-20T13:39:00.001-07:00

2011-07-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

No matter what we do, there is one thing you can always count on, that there will be someone there to try to knock you down, to belittle your ideas, to make you feel silly and stupid for doing things your way!

So my pretties, you can chose to do what you want and not care what others think, say or how they will react to it or you can become a shell of the person your heart desires you to be for fear of being criticized by people who wish they could do the things you’re doing!

I say “Be Bold, Let Your Heart Live!”

This is your life and you only get to live it once so why hold out on the things you really want to do? Please think about that for a while and then head out on your new adventure, follow through and be strong!

2011-07-08T15:53:00.001-07:00

2011-07-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Today I think I need to post two messages for everyone. Life is short and no matter how you look at it, there are 3 choices you have:

1: You can hold yourself back out of fear.

2: You can let others hold you back out of jealousy.

3: Or you can jump into life with all of your heart, take the opportunities and live with no regrets!

2011-06-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

2011-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today I really needed to post this not only for myself but for everyone! We all go through storms and sometimes its difficult so recover but if we look deep within our souls we find something that was there all along!

2011-06-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

2011-06-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

2011-06-12T15:01:00.001-07:00

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

— Steve Jobs

2011-06-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

2011-06-10T19:39:00.001-07:00

2011-06-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

I posted this today because I've been getting emails about this topic and I'm actually hearing a lot about it from random people, some I know personally, others I don't but no matter I felt it was worth posting this message.

So I have come to realize that there are far more people willing to just follow the crowd rather than to break free and be an individual. To me this is horribly sad because I'm not a follower and never have been and to see so many people willing to sacrifice themselves and who they really are to be what someone else wants them to be is basically giving up your life, your dreams, your passions and everything else God gave you when he gave humans free will!

Drastic, no, I think not! I see it so often and there is nothing I can do but watch these people self-destruct. I'm a firm believer in doing what makes one happy regardless of what others think and say because no matter what you do someone, somewhere is going to have an opinion! For me it's really like "Who cares what you think of me". This attitude is not for everyone, it works for me because I honestly don't care but if your a person who needs and seeks approval from others, I don't suggest trying this because like Eminem said, you will have enemies.

People see me doing things all the time that they want to do but just don't have the nerve to try and they whisper and talk and give me their unwarranted opinions and I really just look at how miserable they are in their sad little existence and for a split second I feel sorry for them but then I snap back to reality and realize that their life was their choice and they chose to be a follower.

You may have already found that not many people truly like to see other succeed, they may either prevent to be happy for you, attempt to sway you away from doing positive things by pointing out what you can not do or they may just flat out tell you not to do it. Why? Well, 95% of people want to think they are better than someone else and when you start to surpass them they don't like it yet they won't get up and do the things you want to do.

REMEMBER: no one's opinion will effect you more than your own.

So take this challenge if you can otherwise, see you at life's finish line!

The Four Step Program for finding Your Eudemonia (Happiness):

2011-05-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

Eudemonia (Happiness)is a Greek word commonly translated as happiness, however "human flourishing" is a more accurate translation. Eudemonia has links between virtue of character and happiness (eudaimonia) and is one of the central preoccupations of ancient ethics.

1.) Rewiring your emotions and your reactions: Get to the core of your issues or problems - Our lives consist of daily and sometimes long term, ongoing issues and problems. From the smallest to the biggest things it can really bring us down. No matter what problem we fix, there is always going to be a new one right around the horizon. Some issues are so big that they enable us to enter a fight or flight response. In this state we seem to disassociate ourselves and other things can emerge like rage, anger and hate… The very things I want you all to stay away from. What we must do is learn to rebuild the capacity to regulate our emotions. Our brains have to learn to rewire itself and this takes time.

2.) Realize that your vices are not a weakness: Reality is a state of being but the way we actually feel about is a completely different story. Most people are trying to escape their reality and their feelings associated with how their reality makes them feel. Pleas stop doing this and realize that we can change our realities by facing it and conquering it. When you allow your vices or reality to take control and alter the balance of what your life should be or your mental or physical well being, this is when we allow our vices/reality to become problematic. This is not exactly weakness but more of a frailty. Over come and face your reality, change it and become strong again. This is enables you to be the person you were meant to be.

3.) Find ways to be of service: As humans we have a wonderful ability called empathy. We use our bodies to absorb and tune into another persons feelings. This is truly an intimacy that we should utilize to connect with others ultimately to help ourselves by helping others. Unfortunately this is also a virtue that is becoming extinct in the modern age of technology and the culture of our world today. We need to start reconnecting to those around us, listening and caring. The simplest act of giving and gratitude makes our souls and our bodies healthy.

4.) Aristotle believed that real happiness is achieved by living a good life and by good life I don’t mean one of riches and fame. No, what I’m referring to is a life filled with nurturing, filled with substance and that is real. Since Aristotle also believed that everything progresses towards its greater goal, like rocks fall and fire goes up. However, our society is consumed with the falsity that we must be filled with happiness at all times, but think about this, a heroin addict feels this way when they take their first hit and then tends to believe this to be true thus making them an addict. Real happiness is about feeling nourished, fulfilled, and creating your life to mean something real, that you believe in.

2011-05-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to focus on love and not love in the sense that makes you think of Romeo and Juliet or Valentines Day, roses or even hot dates… Nope, today I want to talk about a love for things or moments that make your life so much better. Yes, the love we have for family and friends makes our life great but I’m talking about the category of love for the small things that speak to your heart, that some how makes your day so much better and that can it worth getting out of bed for…

Our lives are broken up into small moments and when put together; they all sort of make the bigger picture. There are some moments that are epic and some not so much but in the midst of everything, we find pleasure in the smaller things, some that we absolutely love! For me, watching a sunset on the beach or hearing the rain beat against my window seal on a Sunday afternoon is like no other pleasure in this world…

I am one of those people who actually stops to smell the roses and notice the birds nest in the tree in my front yard. Or takes the time to small the wind as it blows on my face. I love life and it’s because I take notice to these free gifts that I am such a joyous person!

When the weather first started to change, I remember seeing the very first flower of the season and feeling a wonderful sense of joy! It was purple and so tiny but to me it represented something so much bigger and held so much beauty. These are the things I refer to when I say “the love of things that make our lives so much better”.

If you’re a person who rarely finds time for the little things of life maybe it’s about time you did. Doing this not only opens your eyes to new experiences but it also makes your day so much better.

Challenge for today: Find at least one thing that you love, one small thing that made you smile, maybe you heard a bird sing in the morning or perhaps it was a rainbow after a storm. Maybe it was the smell of flowers or some other small thing… It doesn’t matter what it is, but it matters that you take notice.

Just start to pay attention and you will discover a world that you have been too busy to be a part of! Smile when you have this experience and enjoy the moment while you can!

2011-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

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Happy Easter To All!

2011-04-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in last year.
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
8. Sleep for 7 hours.
9. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
10. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
11. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
12. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
13. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
15. Dream more while you are awake.
16. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
17. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
18. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
19. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
20. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
21. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
22. Smile and laugh more.
23. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
24. Call your family often.
25. Each day give something good to others.
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
28. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
31. Do the right thing!
32. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
33. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. The best is yet to come.
36. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

2011-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Life’sTruths as I have come to know them: Bynow most of you have probably had what I like to call your “moment of truth”in life where you ask yourself that age old question of “Is this what mylife has turned into?” and if you’re like 90% of the population then youask yourself this question with very good reason. You probably spent your youthfalling in love with all the wrong people, believing you knew everything whilerebelling against authority and that’s perfectly fine. But now you’re older,wiser and realize that in fact, you may not really know nearly as much as youthought you did and perhaps you should have learned from other peoples mistakesand saved yourself a whole bunch of trouble but hey, we live and we learnright?

Sofor those of us who are still gazing at yourselves in the mirror and wonderingwhen that big moment in our lives will arrive and change everything, rememberthese truths that I have discovered along this journey I like to call "Life":

LIFE'S TRUTHS:

· Truth #1: Life is bydefinition a work in progress with the occasional hill to climb, rainy day andof course ray of hope.

· Truth #2: The grass isnever greener when you actually get to the other side. What you have now isjust what you need.

· Truth #3: Life is not acompetition so pull into the slow lane and take in the scenery.

· Truth #4: Never judge abook or person by its cover; you’ll discover that the “plot” might not be whatyou expected.

· Truth #5: Payattention to the small things in life, for they might just end up meaning morethan the bigger things.

· Truth #6: Love thosearound you, one day you might not get a chance to.

Thereyou have it, the simple truths I have unearthed. Take them with you orleave them here.

2011-04-08T13:11:00.001-07:00

Found this today and just had to post it!

2011-04-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today's focus is on relationships that might be strained or may need work in order to repair the hurt or damage from the past. It doesn’t matter what kind of relationship it is; friendship, marriage, family, co-worker, whatever, it doesn’t matter but what does matter and what is the bottom line here is that you start fixing it now! Tomorrow may never come and your regret will be 10x worse if you put it off. So mind the gaps, rebuild the bridges and work out the kinks. Nothing will ever fix itself, be honest with yourself during the process because it may take time to fix the relationship but if you make and effort, small changes will occur. Nothing good ever comes overnight. Stop saying “tomorrow and start now!

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Today I want to focus on controlling what you eat and how you eat it. We are considered the largest, fattest and heaviest people in all of the developed countries! America, this is not a good thing to be known for!

But I’m not going to lecture anyone on eating right or controlling your diet because I understand that it’s a personal decision and a personal choice that we all have to make individually and making someone feel bad about how they eat is not why I’m here. However, being someone who recently lost weight on the Weight Watchers program, I do feel like I can offer some help and guidance so feel free to leave a message or email me if you want to talk more privately about this issue.

In the mean time, I will leave you with 2 photo guides because people are very visual and like to see things so here you go, your first step to starting your new eating habits!

What your plate should look like and contain.

The amount of food you should be consuming.

2011-03-22T05:24:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate you!

I don’t normally make it a habit to walk around talking about myself because that’s really not my style, but today that’s exactly what I’m going to do, mention something about myself that I love, only because it goes along with today’s focus.

One thing that I value about myself is my ability to not really care what others think of me or of what I say or do, with the exception of my family of course because I try not to embarrass them and I also care if I hurt someone so I usually don’t go around hurting people and not caring, but I think you get my point that I don’t really care what people think of me or about me. I was given this life and I only get to live if once so I do what makes me happy (as long as it meets to two above guidelines). I use to worry so much about what people thought of me and one day I just stopped caring, I don’t know how or what prompted it but I just let all my fears go and it was so freeing, so wonderful to just not care anymore. Many people were offended and thought I was rude or that I had an ego but it wasn’t that at all, it was me finally getting out from under years of perceptions that people had created about me and when they finally found out who I really was they couldn’t take the honesty. The truth is most people would much rather be told a lie than to face the truth because it can be ugly or it can hurt or it can really rock someone’s world and I had just hit the stage ready to rock everyone’s world!

The point I’m making is that today I want you to find 3 things about yourself that you love and value, even if no one else cares about them. All that matters is what you think, remember this is your life so don’t live it how others want you to, live it how you want to. Maybe it’s your freckles or your ears; maybe it’s your big heart or your friendly personality. Maybe it’s how creative you are or how you have to be punctual everywhere you go. It doesn’t matter what it is, what matters is that you love this feature about yourself so celebrate it and try to bring it out more often, disregard what other might think because it’s your life and honestly no matter what you do there will always be one person who has something to say so go ahead and give them something to really talk about and enjoy every moment of it!

2011-03-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

5 reason to be happy for today:

1.) You’re alive!

2.) People love you

3.) It’s another chance to start over

4.) It’s Friday!

5.) New opportunities come every day! Seize yours!

So rejoice for the day and thank God for giving you the gift of another chance to make a difference in someone life!

2011-03-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

Today’s focus is forgiveness. Forgiveness is part of the process of healing inside and out. It does not matter if we are forgiving ourselves for something or forgiving others for things they have done to hurt us what matters is we do it. Holding on to pain and hurt will do nothing for us except hold us back from growing into a better person.

For years I held grudges and little did I know it was putting a weight on me that was actually holding me back from physically doing things in life, I was so consumed by what others had done to me that I thought about them all the time, I hated them and was angry inside. I became angry with my husband for no reason but because I was angry with those who had hurt me and it affected my marriage, I didn’t trust others for fear they would hurt me like those I held grudges against. Finally one day I realized I had to let it go, move on and start living my life as I was supposed to.

Letting go was one of the most freeing things I had ever had! I literally felt a weight removed from me, my mood changed I saw things in a new light and began trusting people again!

Today, find out who you need to forgive, maybe it’s yourself for something your ashamed of, something you wish you had never done and ask God to forgive you and guess what, He will! But on that same token, you have to forgive yourself and move past it, once God has forgive you, it’s washed away forever but if you continue dwelling on it, then you are saying you don’t trust in Him and this thing whatever it is will continue to weigh you down.

If you’re struggling to forgive someone in your life again, ask for God’s help and again He will give you the strength and courage you are looking for to move on. Maybe your seeking closure or need to speak to this person one last time to tell them how they hurt you, or send an email letting them know what they did to you and how it made you feel, but remember tell them you’ve forgiven them. It does not mean you have to be friends or lovers again, but saying these words will actually allow you to let go and move on. It’s a form of closure that helps in the healing process.

You don’t have to speak to this person if you don’t want to but you should try or even sit in a room alone and imagine they are there with you and speak the words out loud that you have been wanting to say to them and remember to say you forgive them at the end. Write a letter to release your pain and finish with “I forgive you”. Rip it up and throw it out.

So today ladies we will forgive ourselves or someone who has hurt us and REALLY forgive them, let it go and move on. Your lives WILL change for the better.

Overcoming Procrastination

2011-03-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

This morning I wanted to focus on the aspect of overcoming procrastination in your life. The reason I’m discussing this is because I use to be a procrastinator but with a bit of reformation of my habits and routines I was able to kick this bad habit to the curb!

Procrastinating only makes things worse; instead of utilizing your time wisely you’re putting off things that you could have already finished and in the process wasting valuable time. Secondly, when you finally get around to doing whatever task you’ve been putting off, it’s usually rushed and poorly completed. Consider this, you’re presenting yourself in the work you do and by procrastinating, your work only reflects badly on you as a person. Is this the image you want to deliver to others? By changing your habits and prioritizing things that need to be done first, you eliminate stress and unwarranted worries. There are too many rewards in getting it done now rather than waiting until the very last minute.

So if you’re a procrastinator, this week try to focus on reorganizing your “to-do” list and actually getting things done. Replace delay, worry and panic with time organization, a sense of calm and added free time.

Believe me it’s worth it!

*Start planning and stop daydreaming or delaying. More than likely you’re not choosing the right priorities on your list so rearrange it!

*Stop making excuses or saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow” and DO IT NOW!

Simple steps to change your nasty “put-it- off” habit:

1. Admit you’re a Procrastinator

a. -find your weaknesses, T.V., phone call, internet, whatever it is we all have things that suck up our time and cause us to put off what really needs to be done. Steer clear of these things for a few hours.

2. Create a to-do list and stick to it!

a. -add in some easy tasks with difficult one so you don’t overwhelm yourself.

b. -also only add things that absolutely NEED to be done otherwise you may get sidetracked.

c. -cross off each item as you complete it, this will give you a sense of pride!

3. Reinvent your attitude and start seeing the brighter side of things.

a. -find your weaknesses, T.V., phone call, internet, whatever it is we all have things that suck up our time and cause us to put off what really needs to be done.

b. Need help: visit this site for a free “To-Do” List template

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/worksheets/PrioritizedToDolistDownload.htm

New Challenges

2011-02-26T06:01:00.000-08:00

Today’s challenges are focus on improving our health both mentally and physically.

We all have something going on in our lives that might be causing us to stress out, overeat or lay around all day instead of confronting our problems but none of these things are doing anything positive for our health and well being. Have the courage to take these problems face on, stop worrying about what isn’t and focus on what is! Sometimes we get so caught up in the negative side of life that we tend to forget all the blessings God is giving us on a daily basis, so today try to do 2 things:

First, watch what you eat, our bodies are a gift from God and he commands that we treat them as a temple so why store a bunch of junk food in your holy temple? Push away your plate before you’re finished, no need to over-do it. As a snack, eat a piece of fruit or veggies instead of those salty and calorie loaded potato chips or sugary cookies, your body will thank you later!

Second, life is difficult enough so why are you being so hard on yourself. Examine your life and try to find at least 3 things that are causing you mental distress. Rather its problems in your marriage, problems at work, at school or with friends whatever, it doesn’t matter what it is just try to identify 3. (Writing them out often helps). Now for each item, try to figure out the first step to solving them. Notice I only said THE FIRST STEP. Starting small helps to better tackle a problem and puts your plan of action into perspective by setting and attainable realistic goals.

For example:

1). Trouble with teenage daughter – step 1: will spend more time together

2.) Boss hates me! - step 1. Suck it up but start looking for a new job

3.) Unhealthy family - step 1. Start preparing better meals, after dinner walks

This is just a general example but it helps if you try to be as specific as possible with the problem you’re having, you can do this by digging deeper into the issues. This will also help you to understand what the root of your issues really is. Sometimes it may not be what you think, for example “Husband is always working, has no time for me” but by really digging deeper you might find you’re suffering from deep seeded thoughts that maybe he’s cheating and you’re afraid to face this so your using the blanket of him “working late” as the top layer issues. Find the real problem, list it and them list your first plan of action!

So make your lists and also don’t forget the first part of the challenge to start eating healthier!

2011-02-25T13:55:00.001-08:00

Life is hectic but I promise to update soon! (I PROMISE!!))

Will Update Soon!

2011-02-22T07:55:00.001-08:00

So I’ve been sitting here in front of my computer for a while freaking out because I have not updated my blog in a few days, unfortunately I have tons of work to do today so I know there’s no way I can really update the way I want to and still get my “9-5” work done. I kept trying to forget about my blog but I couldn’t so I’m leaving this post to let you all know that I’ll have an update later this evening! Please check back later today for a very cool update!

Happy blogging!

It's Gonna Be A Lovely Day...

2011-02-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday lovelies,

I’ve been taking it a bit easy today that’s why I’m just not getting a post up here. Its so beautiful today and anyone else having great weather should be out enjoying it!

I’m keeping this post short and sweet. I’ve updated two sections (Awaken Your Soul and Health & Wellness) of my blog so when you have time check them out, I’m sure you’ll find something useful in there!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! Check back soon for more updates!

Sunny Side Up....

2011-02-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing!” Oh how true this is!! Do you live your life like it’s an adventure or like your just waiting for it to end… Ladies, do you realize how blessed you are each and every day when you open our eyes? It’s a new opportunity to have another day to start over, to make new decisions, to make a difference to someone and to matter! I encounter people all the time that have something bad to say about everything, “It’s too cold outside!” “Uggh, why did my day have to start off so bad?!” or “I hate my job so much!”

Look at things with new perspectives

Does this sound like you or someone you know? I have learned to see the beauty in life and I try my best to always look on the bright side because no matter how bad I may think things are, it could always be worse or I’m betting someone else has it rougher than me at that moment! Why not turn your complaints into compliments!

So it’s a little cold outside, well what a perfect opportunity to stay in and spend some time with your family or to relax and have some “me” time! Your day started off bad, really, do I have to tell you how to turn this into a positive? So if it started off bad, well make sure it ends GREAT!! There are 24 hours in a day and maybe the first 3 or 4 didn’t go as you hoped but you still have plenty of time to turn the day around! You hate your job? Who doesn’t but think about this, at least you have a job and can pay your bills, buy food and every now and then treat yourself to a cute pair of heels and as much as you may hate it, there has to be something you like about it, fins out what that is!

Never seeing the righter side of things will only make things harder for you, people won’t want to be around you because they’ll fear your rotten attitude toward life will bring them down and ruin a good time!

Ladies, now’s the time to step your game up! Every time you’re faced with negative thoughts about something, try to find at least 3 positive things about it and believe me, you’ll start to appreciate your life a little bit more! I have been living with this motto for a while and it completely turned my way of thinking upside down (in a good way)! I’m more in love with life and passionate about things, I see the bright side before the negativities have a chance to seeps in and when they do, I know how to counter them! This is your new challenge for today!

Time to Start Living Your Dreams...

2011-02-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday Lovelies,

Today I have posted a new life challenge for you under the Awaken Your Soul tab at the top. It’s lengthy but well worth the read!

I will be posting more updates under the other sections as the week comes to an end!

Take the challenge, you're worth more than others tend to tell you!

2011-02-16T05:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s been nearly a week since my last blog post and I promise I will try my best not to let that happen again. I’ve been away on a sort of vacation and did not have access to my computer or the internet so that’s why I have not added any new content though I have certainly been receiving emails and getting feedback from many of you! (Thanks!) As mentioned in my last post this is a fairly new site with the main goal of inspiring and empowering women based on my own personal experiences so please believe me that when I get your comments and questions, I’ll do my very best to reply and post related content on one of the many pages of the site!

I did want to thank those of you for stopping by, joining and leaving your sweet comments and words and I wanted to also thank those of you who sent emails and questions! Since I’ve been away and today is really my first day back I have to get some personal work done so I won’t make this post long and I can’t do too many updates today but I promise tomorrow I’ll have more info and updates ready for you!

I really want to do my best to inspire and help as many of you as I can so bear with me through these early stages of the site because there will be great and exciting updates to come! I’m also working on a press release once the site is fully up and running so keep your eyes out for that as well!

2011-02-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

Recently I've received a few emails from readers suggesting that I focus my blog on Inspiring and Empowering other women. I didn't really think that this was the right focus for my blog at this time but then I thought long and hard and reviewed my own life and the journey I have had. I struggled with the idea of talking so freely about my personal experiences but then I was reminded of something that I've always wanted to do and that was to help people. I never knew how or to what extent I would do this, all I knew was that I had a desire and a passion to help in some kind of way.

Last night, I thought more about the idea of inspiring girls and women and empowering them to live their best life possible, "Could I do this, did I have what it took to help these ladies?"

Right now, I don't know but I really want to try and I'm willing to take this adventure head on. So within the next few days and weeks you will see changes and updates being made to my blog. I'll be focusing on topics that inspire and empower girls and women, I'll be providing personal development posts which will be largely based on my own life, lessons I've learned and research I've done or information I have obtained from professionals.

During my life I have overcome bulimia, depressions, abuse, suicidal thoughts/attempts and so many others issues. I was always ashamed to talk about these things mainly because people close to me made me feel ashamed but then I realized that I had overcame all of this for a reason, an important reason and I could use these experiences to help others realize that there is a rainbow at the end of every storm and a light after every dark day. Life can be inspiring and can be lived out in the best way possible!

Additional experience includes working within peer-groups or teens and young women to help support those who struggle with life and all it's pressures.

I believe all of this experience will aide me in my quest to help others.