Motivational Monday: Start Now and Live Your Dreams

The other day I was doing my usual routine at work, fixing clothes, folding panties, etc. But the conversation I was having with one of the girls I work with was a little different. Typically we talk about our boyfriends, makeup, funny things, and what not. This day we were talking about our dreams and our goals for the future. She's very good at her job, I mean really good, but I know she doesn't want to work in retail forever. 

She had mentioned that she was thinking about going back to school for interior design, but wasn't too sure about it. I had questioned her a little bit about her hesitancy and listened to her concerns. Turns out, she and I are pretty similar. The whole "jack of all trades" type. I like a bit of everything, and i'd like to actually accomplish a bit of everything. So does she. 

I guess my little story for you was to stress the importance of doing what you love no matter what. You can work, go to school, have a family, and still pursue your dreams! There are so many ways to accomplish so much these days! Online course, self teaching, night school, and much more. 

I have a friend who works 2 job and is going to school to be a surgical technician. Another is working, raising her daughter as a single mother, and going to school to be a social worker. I'm working, running a blog and 2 YouTube channels, and preparing to go for my MBA. 

There is always time for you to live your dreams. Start now and you'll never regret it. 

Motivational Monday: Trust Your Journey

This is something that I have to remind myself everyday. It's hard when you see your goals and they feel so very far away. I know I've talked about understanding your happiness and following your dreams and what not, but that can get really hard sometimes. I find myself having to step back, take a deep breath, and continue moving forward. I have to trust my journey. My step-mom likes to say, "It's not your time." Eh, moms always know best, right? 

Most recently, and my step-mom unintentionally laughs every time I freak out, a large amount of people I know have been getting engaged and/or married. And every time I see a status on Facebook or a post on Instagram, I lose my shit. And I don't mean to be profane, but I really don't know how else to describe it. I seriously just lose it. Best example, and God bless Briam for handling my "moments" with stride, I saw on IG today a post about a Maid of Honor proposal and how that date had already been set, despite getting engaged like 3 weeks ago. And the month, October, has been my month for ever, as long as I can remember. I legit lost it about this girl planning her wedding in October, MY MONTH. Poor Briam just looks over at me and says, "November is nice too! October is scary, with Halloween and all. November is about being thankful. That's better for our wedding." Bless him. Bless him so much. 

I told this story to my step-mom and she just laughed. Because she knows that I'm not losing it in a "jealous, crazy, psycho" way, but in a "Why isn't it my time?" way. 

So the whole point of this post is that if there is something in your life that you really want, but aren't receiving, then it's not your time. We don't always remember that God has an exact plan for how our lives are going to turn out. And of course He's not going to lead you in the wrong direction. So just know that it's not your time. You will have what you want one day, and if it doesn't happen, God will provide you with the peace to accept that. You'll never be left hanging. 

Trust your journey. 

Motivational Monday: Live Your Dreams

There's something that I tend to say to my family, mostly Briam and my dad, a lot. And that lovely phrase would be "Trust me, I got this." I can remember saying that to my dad so long ago, it's amazing. And somehow, each time I say it, I actually do have a handle on the situation. Maybe it doesn't seem like it, but I do. 

The best/funniest example I can think of is one of the more recent situations. In May, I graduated with my BA in Organizational Management. I seriously had no idea what I was going to do. I kind of figured I was going to fold panties for a living and hope that my blog would make me millions one day.   At this time my dad and I began walking in the mornings together just to workout and have some daddy-daughter time. Every morning we would walk, no joke, he would ask "Do you know what you're going to do?" and I would reply "No, but trust me, I got this." and about 2 months later, I decided I was going to get my MBA and I applied to my grad school of choice, and I got in. 

I got this. 

And now the most recent situation is me trying to get a handle on my weight. If you read my post about avoiding the freshman 15, then you know that I did not avoid the freshman 15, and that I have gained around 100lbs since I started college. Being the nice man that my father is, he's always asking about my health and trying to give me not so subtle hints about my weight, out of love of course. And every time it's brought up I say, "Trust me, I got this." Hopefully I really do "have it" this time. 

But I guess the point of this is that no matter the situation, you got this. When everything looks outright impossible, you got this. Whether it's school, your weight, your future, finances, what ever it is, you got this. I have been in every boat imaginable and I can relate to almost anything situation you are going through. My step-mom always tells me that when things go bad, you allow yourself to feel the pain for 1 day. That's it. After that, you pick yourself up and get it together. 

You all know that I'm a huge advocate for doing what make you happy. And if you have a dream that is larger than life and you just can't see the end result, you got this. I believe in you. 

In light of recent events, if there is ever a point where you feel you need to talk to someone, I'm always here. I will help you through whatever it is you are going through. There is no shame in asking for a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on. You must do good things for others in hopes that one day if the tables are turned, they will do good things for you. 

Motivational Monday: Look For All Possibilities

No matter your situation in life, there is always possibility. A possibility to make better of your situation, to grow and become a better person. Sometimes the darkness seems to hard, but if you look hard enough, there is always a light. Something that I always like to keep in mind is a quote that my dad liked to change up a little bit, "When one door closes, another one opens. Well, maybe, the door doesn't open, but the window does. But don't stare at the door too long or the window might shut."

If you think about that a little further your realize that sometimes the possibility is not right in front of you. Sometimes you have to go looking for the possibility. But it's always there. A window or a door, possibility is ready for you. If you have big dreams, find every possibility you can take to make your dreams a reality.

For example, my dad likes to tell me that I have champagne tastes on a beer budget. As true as that may be, I know that one day I'll have champagne tastes with a champagne budget. But if I just sat around and did what I currently do for a living (folding panties) I would always live on my beer budget. So I decided to make a change. In 10 months I'm going back to school for my MBA. I know it's going to be rough and I'm going to rack up a lot of student loan debt, but I have faith that the job I get after school will provide me with enough financial stability to pay off my loans in no time.

I'm taking my situation, analyzing it and where I want my future to be, and I'm creating possibilities to make that a reality. Something that I strongly believe in is the power of positive thinking. If you will it to be, then it will be. If you haven't read or watched The Secret, then you should. It was the best book I've read in a long time. Now I know I'm not going to manifest $1M out of thin air, but I can manifest possibilities with the power of positive thinking.

You can change your reality, you just have to make it possible. 

Motivational Monday - Shooting Down Negativity

So something amazing happened to me on Thursday. I was accepted into grad school! I'll be going next July for my MBA in Marketing. I could not be more excited. 

But something that has been coming along with the congratulations is not so sweet, and I wanted to use this Motivational Monday to address it. The first thing everyone I've told about my acceptance has said, right after congrats, is "What about Briam?" 

And I explain the situation: He'll stay here, I'll go to school. It's only 2 hours away. We have text, FaceTime, Skype, calling, and he'll come visit every 2 weeks. 

The next thing they say: "That's going to be so hard, isn't it? Aren't you going to miss him? Are you going to break up? Do you want to break up? Do you not love him?"

All of those questions make me so angry. 

Yes, it's going to be hard. Yes, I'm going to miss him. No, we're not breaking up. No, I would never want to break up with him. Yes, of course I love him. 

I'm going to get my MBA because it's something that I've always wanted. It's something that I know I need in my life to feel fulfilled. Briam understands this. He would never object to something that is only going to better my life. And his too. 

I want you all to know that if you truly want something in your life, and you feel extremely passionate about it, go for it. The right people will stand by your side no matter what. The people who are meant to be in your life are the ones who will support you the whole way through. And if anyone speaks negatively about your dreams or goals, dismiss them. At no point do you need negativity in your life. Take your goals and run forward. Do what you need to do to get where you want in life. 

My education is something no one will ever take away from, and I plan on keeping it that way. 

Food for thought: My dad always said "If someone is mean to you, they're probably jealous of you." 

Motivational Monday - Finding Your Inner Courage

One of the most frequently asked questions by my father was "Can you change it?" If the answer was yes, his response would be "So change it!" If the answer was no, his response was "So why are you wasting your time worrying about it?" 

Growing up we learn a lot from our parents. How to tie our shoes, how to drive a car, how to pay our bills. And all of those things stick with us, for us to pass on to our children. But what about all of the advice they give us? Do we remember it all? No. But the most life changing advice is what does stick with us. It didn't happen over night, and I'm still learning how to let go of the things I can't change or control, but I'm getting better. Now this isn't to say that my dad has perfected his own advice either. He was always a man of "Do as I say, not as I do." But I believe it's something that we will all struggle with during our lives. 

One of the best things I can say though is to take each situation as it happens and deal with it. Analyze each situation and decided whether or not it's an opportunity or if it's a loss. If there's something you can do about it, then take the opportunity to change it. If you can't change it, call it a loss and move on. Life will keep moving forward whether or not you decide to move forward too. So you might as well keep up with life. There's no reason to dwell on things we can't change. 

My dad used to tell me, and still does today, "The only person stoping you, is you." Also another very powerful life lesson. I learned that I can change myself, my situation, and my life. But I can't change others. I can exercise and eat healthy to lose weight. I can work harder to make more money. I can go to grad school to better my education. But I can't make John Doe do anything he doesn't want to do. 

All you can do in your life is love yourself and love others. Change your life and hope others come along for the ride. They say that you are most like the 5 people you are consistently around. Have shady friends? Well you might be a little shady to. To be successful in life and become the person you know in your heart that you are, you have to surround yourself with like minded people. This is an excellent example of being about to change your situation. 

Your life is yours and you only get one shot at it. Grab life by the horns and go forward at full speed. It's your life, it's about damn time you start living it. 

Motivational Monday - A Brand New Me

This quote really stuck with me today. It's taken time, but I've learned that if you live your life trying to please people, you'll never please yourself. You'll never be happy with your accomplishments because you'll forever have the need to be validated by someone else. Well for me, that era of people pleasing ends here.

This past week has been a very good opportunity for me to reflect on my life and make some pretty interesting and possibly life-changing decisions. First off, I got pretty sick last Saturday. I had to leave work early, I could feel it in my body that something wasn't right. Sunday morning I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a semi-truck going 100mph. Stuffy nose, serious congestion, migraine, rough cough, etc. I went to work and barely made it through. Monday I made an appointment with the doctor for Tuesday. Turns out it was (and still is, almost gone though!) a hardcore sinus infection. My 3rd one in less than a year. Because of that and other factors that I can't openly discuss, I missed work all week and ended up only getting 3.5 hours for the week. 

Now when you're cooped up in your house for 6 days, you tend to lose your marbles. I could only watch so much Futurama and The Big Bang Theory before my brian became a mooshy blob. So on day 4, I decided, without much thinking, that I was going to chop 10 inches off my hair. And I did. And I couldn't be happier! My hair is so healthy, soft, and strong! My hairdresser, Bart, also did some highlights and toned my hair. It was quite brassy-orangey before. Now it's perfect for the summer!

I also made the decision, maybe 2 weeks ago - but I solidified my decisions this week, that I was going to go back to college and get my MBA in Marketing. After almost 6 months of indecision and not knowing what I was going to do with my life (maybe fold panties for a living...), mainly while I was finishing my BAS, I finally realized what was going to be best for me and my career. I've chosen my school, gotten all my admission materials ready, and now I just have to wait until my admission window (next fall) opens. Many people say that if you wait too long to go back to school, you'll never go. Which is why I made myself a "game plan" on how to handle the next year and ensure that I do indeed to go grad school. I'm going to pay off all of my credit cards and start saving money. 

Well now that you know how my week was, let me get to the point of this post. You have to stop looking to other people for validation. If you think you have a good idea, well then you have a good idea. And you should speak up about it. If doing something, whether it's chopping your hair off or getting your master's degree, makes you happy, then go out and do it. My dad always told me that the only person stopping me was me. You need to let go of what others think or say about you and go into the world doing what is best for you. Every day. 

"An entire sea of water can't sink a ship unless it gets inside." 

-Goi Nasu

Motivational Monday: Beating The Odds

Most of my life I heard more than my fair share of the following phrases: You can't do that. You're not smart enough for that. Why don't you try something else. Wouldn't this be easier for you? Are you really sure you should do that? 

For real? How do you even treat someone that way? Maybe that's why I have such a hard time with commitment. Or maybe I get too committed sometimes. I don't know. Indecisiveness though, on point. And if we're being honest here, I have fallen prey to those negative comments. I believed the horrible people who told me I would never amount to anything. And it's held me back from so many things. 

I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was the late night ham sandwich or all of the negative comments acting as a peanut gallery in my dreams last night but I realized this morning that shits gotta change. Sorry for the naughty word but really though.

So today, May 12, 2014, I'm creating, starting, and will be documenting my goals for the rest of the year. I guess you could say that I'm "restarting" my New Year's resolutions. So let's take a look back and see if I've accomplished anything that I origannly planned to do this year. (Click this link to see my NYR post)

1. I've really tried to be a better person. That's kinda hard to document, but it's always noticeable when you're nicer to others. You tend to feel really good inside.

2. I am not fit. Nor am I healthy. So, gotta work on that one.

3. I GRADUATED COLLEGE! YAY. I accomplished something and I'm damn proud of it.

4. I am not financially stable yet and I have a butt load of loans coming in 6 months.... So gotta work on that too.

But I have some new ideas, goals if you will. So let's call redo and make with a new resolutions list!

So yeah. Let's do it. Share your mid-May resolutions and let's call redo for each other! 

Help me work on #2! 

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