Motivational Monday: Being Comfortable and Confident

Today I went to the gym. Yes. It happened. I woke up still kinda of in shock that I was going. And then I was there, on the treadmill, actually walking. It was such an awesome feeling! I was concerned about people judging me or looking at me weird. I was just so happy to actually be back at the gym. And it was so rewarding. I even went and did my leg workout by myself before Briam showed up. I was, and still am, so proud. 

And that's the thing, I didn't go to the gym this morning to lose weight. Okay, yes I did but that's not the root reason. The really, deep down there, root reason was because I want to be happy again. I want be comfortable with myself and be confident. TMI, but, I want to be able to run through a field of flowers naked and be happy with it. My body is my home, and I want to treat like I do my own personal belongings. I don't trash my room, so why trash my body? 

I want myself, and you, to be so completely comfortable with our bodies that we love them unconditionally. We love others unconditionally, so why not ourselves? It's time we do that. It's time we let go of what others think of us and begin focusing on how we feel about ourselves. 

Motivational Monday: A Birthday Is A Chance To Reflect

So yesterday was my 24th birthday. Which is why I've been MIA for almost a week. Celebrations have been occurring!  But I'm back to reality. But that's also why this Motivational Monday is going up on a Tuesday. Silly me. But I wanted to talk about how I feel about birthdays today. 

Birthdays are the perfect chance to reflect on your past year. Kind of like a New Year in a way. Because to me, your birthday is your true new year. You can look back on you past year and see what you've accomplished and what you want to accomplish moving forward. Regardless of how your past year was, you need to accept it as a stepping stone. Maybe it was the worst year of your life thus far. Okay, so now take that motivation and kick ass this year. Maybe last year was the best year of your life. Time to beat that record and set the bar even higher for the best year ever. 

Either way, use what you've learned over the past year of your life and go forward into the future head on. Maybe you need to get more organized in order to kick ass, okay, so do that. Maybe you need to buy healthier groceries to kick ass, okay, so do that. Maybe you need to refresh your wardrobe to kick ass, okay, so do that. Whatever you need to do to go kick some ass this year, GO DO THAT! 

Maybe I'll share with you all how I'm getting my business together to make my year a kick ass one. So here's to me turning 24 and making the next year of my life. 

Motivational Monday: In Due Time

I'm not one that's known for having a great deal of patience. My best example, if my appointment anywhere is at 12:30, I expect to be seen at 12:30. I get so frustrated if I have to wait. I also seriously dislike waiting for Briam to finish getting ready if I'm already done. And then if we're walking out the door and he decides to do something...ugghhh. Come on now. 

But it's something I'm working on. It's a character flaw that I have and I honestly recognize it. But patience is something that we all need to have. Some people are born with this natural ability to endure so much. Some people like myself, are not. We have to work everyday on being patient and finding our center of calm. This is important in day to day life and when it comes to your future and accomplishing your dreams. 

My dad always told me that the last thing I should be in my life is a quitter. He would say, "Quitters don't win, they quit." And all through my childhood I was dead set on never quitting. I worked my ass off at everything I did. I was a dancer for 11 years, and by the time I was ready to graduate high school, I was competing in solo competitions on a national level. I applied to 4 universities, I got into all 4. Even had a full scholarship to the private college. But for some reason something turned off in my head. I lost my drive. I became a quitter. Sorry dad.

It's been 6 years that I've been out of high school. It's about damn time that I get my groove back! If you read my last Motivational Monday post then you know that I revamped my resolutions. Well, if we're being honest here, and I hope we can be honest, I haven't begun any of my resolutions. 

So I'm taking a personal pledge right now to find the patience within my self and begin working on my resolutions. And I know for a fact that each resolutions will surely take time. So if you're ready to revamp your resolutions and get whatever issue you have in order, then join me and we can do this together! There's no reason to do anything alone. 

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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Motivational Monday: Graduation

So I graduated from college on Friday. Yep, I'm officially a college grad. I still can't wrap my head around it. It seems so unreal. I don't need to buy school supplies or textbooks anymore. I don't need to worry about tuition or other college fees. I do have a large sum of loans coming in 6 months but that's for another day. It's taken me 6 years and 5 majors later to accomplish this. And that's something that I want you to take away from this post. No matter how long something takes you, if you truly want it, go for it. 

Part of me felt defeated because I didn't graduate when most of my friends did, after the normal 4 year program. But most of my friends didn't change their major 5 times. I went through all of these: International Business, Biochemistry, Chemical Science, Hospitality, and Organizational Management. And that's what I ended with. Business. Business is probably one of the only subjects that I truly enjoy with all my heart. So now I have a B.A.S in Organizational Management. 

This post applies to many aspects of your life, not just education. Obviously I personally believe that education is very important, but everyone had their own opinions. But this can apply to your career, losing weight, your relationship, any home project, or any life project. 

I had my brief moment of feeling worthless, but that moved on quickly. I cried when I was on my way home with Briam after graduation. I looked down at my degree and just said "I worked so hard for this." And then proceeded to sob for the next 15 minutes until I was home and eating Chinese food. And then on Sunday I laid my head on Briam's chest and cried. All I could say was "I just don't know."

And I still don't know. What I do know though is that I'm going to figure out. 

So go forth, do what makes you, and do what's right for your life. 

Motivational Monday: Be Fierce

This is something my dad and I were chatting about on our walk this morning, being fierce. The world we live in requires one to be strong, passionate, thick-skinned, and fierce. To climb to the top and be successful we must work our way there. We can't let others determine our success or failures. So far, I've learned this the hard way. Maybe William Shakespeare knew something we didn't. 

I'm not a big person, round yes, but not big. I'm only 5'6 on a good day and I look the same as I did in the 4th grade. No joke, you should see the pictures. I don't look like an adult who is successful. My dad on the other hand is a big dude. Kinda round, but definitely big. Standing at 6'3, body of a linebacker and a semi-belly, he is quite intimidating. When he enters a room, he commands the entire rooms attention without trying. 

I guess that's the point of this motivational monday. No matter your size, stature, wealth, or status, be fierce. If you are fierce, you will succeed. This doesn't just mean in your career. And being fierce doesn't mean being a bitch. It means being a go-getter. Go after your career, your dreams, that guy at the coffee shop. Find your confidence that is boiling inside of you and take charge of your life. It can be scary, but I'm always here to be fierce with you. 

Motivational Monday

My entire life I was taught this: If it doesn't make you happy, don't do it. Everyday I try to live by this philosophy. Now that's not to say that everything I do everyday of my life make me happy, of course not, but what I get as a result of what I do makes me happy. I'll give you a few examples to better explain myself. 

I had a good job. Paid $9/hour, always had Sunday and Monday off. But I was so unhappy. I found a different job that paid $8.25/hour and I was continuously happy. I left the first job because the second job made me happier. I still have a job, my bills are still paid, and I have a much larger chance of growing with the company. Taking a small pay cut for greater rewards made me happier. 

Still on the subject of jobs, I got a 2nd job whilst at my $8.25/hour job as a  guest services manager of a bigger retail store. Paid $14.25/hour, full-time. After 2 months, I left. I was horribly mistreated, harassed, and gossiped about. The pay was not worth it. I would cry on my way to work because of how much I hated working there. No job should EVER make you cry. I went back to my $8.25/hour job, because it made me happy. 

Another example, regarding my education: I went to FSU (Florida State) for almost 3 years. I switched between 4 different majors and was floundering. I got a 4 in my Calc 2 class. A 4 out of 100. Big fat F. So I packed up my things, moved home, and went to a local state college. I now have a 3.83 GPA, I was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta, and I have plans to get my MBA. I still love FSU, that's where I'll get my MBA, but it wasn't making me happy at the time. Now I'm extremely proud of my education and intelligence. Moving home and starting fresh made me happy. 

Living your life this way will seriously increase your quality of life. Planning for your future, of happiness, and mapping out how to get there with a clear plan of action will lead you to your happiness. Everyday try to be happy. Do something everyday that makes you happy. Exercise, read a book, watch YouTube videos, scroll through blogs, play with your pet, kiss your significant other. 

JUST GO BE HAPPY