January | Goals, Travel & Charlie Puth

HAPPY JANUARY & HAPPY NEW YEAR! This year went by fast. I know I am not the only one who thought that leading up to the 1^st. Like myself, you were probably one of three people this year: the one who was dragging ass through the year, the one who made a list last January and ran through that thing like a 2017 bucket list, or the one who looked up at the last minute realizing it was all over. Please pick a category, and join me on this journey. If you are that one person, (yes…YOU) who wants an “other” category…Here you go…

OTHER – OTHER – OTHER

Yes, I am that extra.

Now, January has arrived *insert cheesy fireworks and bomb theme music*. I can’t count how many times I saw the classic, “New Year, New Me” slogan. Now this is what I need you to do for me…lean closer…closer…a little more…announcing your, “new me” goals to the world does not mean you will accomplish them. I am about to share with you a few ways to achieve your new goals without falling on your face or some other random body part.

The first and most important thing is to not list a goal that seems unattainable. It might make your list look too lit to quit, but if you want to lose 50 pounds, do not list, “Lose 50 Pounds” by itself. The realistic effort that it takes to lose that number of pounds will overwhelm you, and you might get discouraged. List a smaller goal, and place your final goal out to the side.

Example: Lose 15 pounds by summer | Lose 35 pounds by October

That does not look as intimidating, and if you continue to follow it you will achieve your goal!

Check out my MOTIVATION SUNDAE: HOW TO SLAY IN 2018 & ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS post for more tips and tricks.

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At the beginning of every year I save for something I really want. It could be something for my cameras, a concert, a specific trip, etc. This year, I really want to go to Bali. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I have made a post about this.

Things I want to do/see on my trip:

ATV Haunted Valley Waterfall Tour

Flyboarding at Nusa Dua

Visit the Pemuteran Underwater Temple

The Monkey Forest

The Aling Aling Waterfall or the Banyumala Waterfall

Basically I want to do everything I can while I can!

Destination chosen ✅

Decision made ✅

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Lastly, if you didn’t know…If you weren’t sure…I love music. At this point in life you probably will not come across many people who don’t, but my passion is a bit different. I can’t function peacefully during the day without it. As of lately my favorite artist has been Charlie Puth. I am talking about songs on repeat, YouTube video playlist so lit and morning dance sessions to How Long. Let me stop rambling. I screamed at my computer when I went to do some exploring on Ticketmaster. I live in Georgia, USA and Charlie Puth is having a concert in Alpharetta, Georgia. This will definitely be one of my things to do for the year.

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Focus Points for January

1 | Make a list of 5 to 7 attainable goals

2 | Start saving money for trip to Bali and Charlie Puth concert

3 | Post more frequent content so that you guys don’t strangle me

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What will you focus on this month? Leave a comment below!

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Motivation Sundae: How to Slay in 2018 & Achieve Your Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVES! It is officially 2018, and it has been requested for me to do a post about New Year’s Resolutions. I am about to give you the best advice anyone has ever given you.

Are you ready?

DO NOT SET YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE.

It is as plain and simple as that! Before you start making your list, you must know your personal limitations. Do not sit down with a friend to make your list and have a competition to see who can do the most amazing things. This is not a competition people. Think of this as a journey to a better self, because that is exactly what it should be. That is the first step.

The next step is REFLECTION. Think back on 2017, and ask yourself a few questions:

1 | What did I not accomplish this past year?

2 | Why did I not accomplish this goal/ these goals?

3 | How can I make this year better and my goals more attainable?

This gives you a good time to get organized and change some things around. Maybe some of your goals may not have been attainable because they fell under the, “too much too soon” spectrum.

A great example of this was mentioned in my January post JANUARY | GOALS, TRAVEL & CHARLIE PUTH.

The third step on your journey is to put yourself in a position to win! Want to lose weight? Make sure you have a place to workout or a gym membership. Want to save money? Make a realistic budget, write down your savings goals, and stick to them! Make a schedule or timeline for success. Get inspired! Find pictures, look on Pinterest, watch videos, grab a friend!

Do what you need to do to put your plan into action.

It takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit. If you start your new habits/routines now, you will be rolling by February. Give yourself that extra push and know that…YOU CAN DO THIS!

Your fourth and final step is to treat yourself! The road to achieving your goals can be very rewarding. It will only be a complete struggle if you make it one. On your journey, celebrate certain points where you feel like you are on the right track and doing well.

Example 1: Losing weight? Lose ______ pounds, and buy a new pair of Nike tights. If you’re losing weight you will definitely need new clothes.

Example 2: Saving for a trip? If you see a killer sale, buy a cute top or dress for those awesome photos that you will take.

Example 3: Working to spice up your relationship? Buy yourself a new perfume/scent. This will make you feel wonderful, and your loved one will definitely notice!

Leave a comment below, and share your New Year’s Resolutions with me! I would love to know what you will be up to this year!

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NOVEMBER | CREATIVITY, SUCCESS & BALANCE

HAPPY NOVEMBER LOVES! Let me start this post with a HUGE apology. I have truly been missing in action. Given, I could have given a warning, but I have my reasons which I will share right now…

1. Work has been the biggest pain in my butt since my childhood vaccinations.
2. Your girl needed time to reflect, relax and have some peace of mind.
3. My mind was in a creative slump, and I needed time to regroup. Pinterest wasn’t helping me.

Due to all of these things, I went on a temporary hiatus from the second week in September to the second week in October. #HelloVacation

During this time, I discovered many things about myself, remembered a few things to help me get back on track and had a influx of creative ideas. I am back now, and I have a new outlook for the month of November. This month I want to embrace creativity as a whole. I don’t want to just focus on creativity within my blog, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Twitter or on YouTube. I want to expand my creativity to all platforms including my regular every day life. I’ve gotten back into doing a few projects, and I purchased some new camera equipment, so that has definitely given me a boost to get some new things done.

My work schedule has gotten back to a normal and consistent baseline as of lately. Now I have more time to physically sit down at my desk, get my life together and actually create some worthy content. I want to get back into the habit of posting at least twice a week and recording videos regularly. I’ve started doing so, but I need to be a little bit more consistent. Progress is what makes the world go around, and as long as I am progressing, I can be happy.

This month I also want to focus on success. Too often I find myself critiquing little things about my content or things at work, etc. I’ve come to the conclusion that I focus more on my failures than my successes. That is the WRONG thing to do when you are trying to get some pep in your step! There was a tip I learned a while back about making to do lists.

*Pauses to put on glasses and clear throat*

Instead of doing the traditional to do list as one long column of things that need to be done and checking them off as you go… you should make two columns/lists! The first column/list should be a to do list and the second should be a done list. Thank you Lilly Singh for making my life so much easier. This way, at the end of the day, you can see all the things that you HAVE accomplished and not just focus on the things that you HAVE NOT accomplished. All people/ideas in history that have been successful have reached that success with few or many drawbacks. No one or thing is perfect, and that is definitely something to remember.

The last focus point that I want to expand on today is balance. I love agendas, and anything that I can write down my little notes on because sometimes my phone doesn’t cut it. I am an old-fashioned pen and paper type of girl when it comes to planning out my weeks, months and year for that matter. Last year, I got a Big Happy Planner from a company called Me and My BIG Ideas, and I fell in love with it! This year I did the same thing, and it definitely helps me in the category of balance. Another part of my journey to balance is knowing when to just say NO. I’ve always been that person to get the job done, always think of other people before myself, never say never, and always be the one to find the answer.

Majority of the time these are all great characteristics to have… especially when you are in your mid 20’s and work for the government. *raises hand slowly*

However, it came to the point where I was saying so much “yes” and not enough “no” that my body started to shut down mentally and physically. I would always be tired, I would feel sick, I would always have a chip on my shoulder, and that’s just not the person that I am. I’ve gotten to the point now where if my body is telling me no and I know that I can afford to have time to myself, I will definitely take it, and it is paying off tremendously! #healthandwellness #selflove

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What will you focus on this month? Leave a comment below!

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AUGUST | Happiness, Love & Reflection

HAPPY AUGUST LOVES! Let me give you a little personal fact…I have always been the type of person to write down my goals. Whether they be personal, work related, long term or short term. There is a certain power that stands behind writing down your goals and aspirations. Writing them down is the first step to them becoming a reality and not just a wishful thought. I decided to start sharing them with you for two reasons:

1. Sharing your goals with others is a great way to keep yourself on track. Self motivation is key, but this will also act as that little extra push. I used to keep a journal for all of my goals, but this way is a bit more effective for me.
2. By sharing your goals you could help someone else with their own personal journey. Whether it be the process in which you go about starting your new journey or the beautiful outcome of achieving your goals…someone…somewhere…will appreciate it.

This month I will embrace happiness. Many things have changed as of recently, and I must say that my spirits have definitely been uplifted. A big part of this change has been meditation. I used to mediate quite often, but with a crazy work schedule and change in sleeping habits, that started to be a less than consistent practice. I have gone back to mediating every morning before I start getting ready. I start with a stretching session and meditate for about 5-10 minutes to follow. This time frame depends on what time I have to leave the house. This may seem like a very short period of time, but that’s truly all you need sometimes.

This month I will love deeply. Last month I focused on self love. That is now a given aspect of my daily life. I will now focus on the true selfless love that comes with being in a relationship. There is an old saying…You must first love yourself before you can truly give your love to another person. This is very true because many relationships fail due to insecurity or personal, deeply rooted issues. I am happy with myself. I love everything that I have become and have the potential to be. With that being said, I also love my girlfriend, and she deserves the world. This month will be the start of something amazing for us. See you in 11 days babe.

My last focal point of the month will be cherishing shared moments. Far too often, we as people look back in search of memories. I mean really wrecking our brains in search of a memory, and in that search we sometimes have pieces missing. I want to have vivid memories of moments shared with others. Photographs are great to look at, but the thoughts and emotions you have when looking back are most important. I have tons and tons of photographs from childhood, college, events and life’s random moments, but not many people take time to enjoy the moment they are currently in. They spend more time trying to digitally capture that moment at the time than actually live in it. This month I choose to live in the moment.

What will you focus on this month? Leave a comment below!

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Motivation Sundae: The List | Goals + Dreams

Everyone has a goal that they would like to achieve, and as a people we spend more time constructing, “The List” than actually checking things off of it.

Whether it be a New Year’s resolution or a sudden epiphany, we tend to start off with a goal or dream, and before you know it we have written the entire book on how to achieve it without even making an effort to start the journey. Trust me, we have all been there.

How many times have you kicked yourself for not achieving a goal that you set out to accomplish months ago? I want you really think about it…don’t just stare at the screen. Maybe you wanted to change your eating habits and get into that cute bikini for the summer? Maybe you wanted to start on that big project and possibly get a raise at work?

I’m challenging you to figure out whatever that goal or dream is, and start checking things off of your list. Start your own personal journey right now! Figure out which goal you want to start with. Got it? For every major step towards achieving your goal that is accomplished…Reward yourself. You deserve it! You’re putting forth the effort to make your life or the life of someone else better.

Consistency is key and the drive is within you!

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