A love song with a catchy beat!
He Knows Your Name
This one hits home. If you’re feeling lost and alone, just remember that he knows your name.
Becoming Your Best Self
I don’t think I am obsessed with becoming my best self but I would like to get halfway there at least. Learning to achieve that goal is not easy because it takes practice and a driven mindset to get there. I am still learning and keeping at it and who knows one day I might say, I did it!
Becoming your best self is not an overnight process and neither does it happen by pressing a button. It doesn’t happen accidentally, it doesn’t happen by chance and it doesn’t happen by waving a magic wand either. It takes action on your part and a commitment to self-discovery and self-development.
“To be your best self you’ll need to first discover who you really are, then maximize your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. You need to completely shift your mindset and take control of your life. When you do, you’ll discover a whole new you.” http://www.tonyrobbins.com
This journey is a hard one. You’ll encounter the good and bad moments, some will be messy and progress will be slow but if you persist and set goals you can achieve anything. Becoming your best self means opening yourself up to challenges, accepting the setbacks and living life to the fullest.
“Prioritize who you are, who you want to be, and don’t spend time with anything that antagonizes your character.” Matthew McConaughey
According to notesbythalia.com, you need to practice wellness daily because it goes hand-in-hand with working towards your best self.
Get at least 7 hours of sleep daily. Move your body as much as you can. Eat well. Build healthy habits. Dedicate time to self-care.
You can’t lay in bed and manifest your dreams. It takes action to succeed. Ask yourself, what is success to you? Set value-driven goals and become “razor-clear on what your future vision looks like.” Align your daily habits with who you want to be and the life you want to live. “Boost your overall health, well-being and productivity,” meaning even your smallest daily actions will determine your future self.
“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” Paulo Coelho
In a nutshell, becoming your best self requires going within to discover the greatness there. It requires strength to bring it to the fore AND it requires courage and hard work to make it shine.
“You are what you believe yourself to be.” Paulo Coelho
Change that mindset from one of negativity to positivity and watch your life take off!
But before you do that:
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, INCLUDING YOU.” Anne Lamont
Then go out and:
BE YOUR VERY BEST SELF!
Have an amazing day.
Tranformations
I find Hollywood’s ugly girl turned pretty transformations especially annoying. Give her a pair of glasses, baggy clothes or those that don’t quite fit, messy hair, no makeup, and a host of other stuff that goes to make up a plain Jane a plain Jane and you’ve got the Ugly Girl Syndrome according to Hollywood.
Now, take off the glasses, give her a good haircut, add a wash to that, clothes that show off the figure which you didn’t know she had because it was hiding under all that fabric, add make up and you’ve got a femme fatale in the making. This is an annoying trope that has been used in movies and we lap it up, hook, line, and sinker.
Let’s look at Miss Congeniality. This is an ultimate example of this trope where “an attractive actress wears glasses and baggy clothes to look ugly before removing then to become instantly gorgeous.”
After the magical makeover, her snort is gone, her glasses are gone, and the little trick of brushing her hair puts forth a beauty queen. Hmm…if only it was as simple as that in real life!
This “transformation” tactic has been used many times over. In the Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway transforms from a frizzy-haired nobody into a royal princess by changing a few things. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the same happens to Nia Vardalos when she ditches her glasses and with a little makeup is ready to fly. Just kidding.
I find these transformations more than annoying. Not only that, it is more than predictable as well. However, we are all romantics at heart, most of us are, and we want that moment when the main character, a nobody, meets her charming prince sans all the other stuff, the ugly parts. Fairy tales are alive and kicking through modern storytelling!
That’s Hollywood for you and I’m sure there will be more of the same in some future movie AND we’ll fall for it again!
Stay The Faith
A beautiful hymn of hope and trust if you’re struggling and wondering what the next chapter holds.
Thank you Jesus.
When Life Was Simple
I was about twelve and right on the verge of puberty when life was simple and easy to navigate.
My daily routine consisted of school, doing my homework, getting a few chores done for mom, and the rest of the time was mine and mine alone. I had the woods behind the house to explore and it gave me hours and hours of doing nothing but just that. One day I would explore a beautiful fern growing way up on a tree and on another day, rainbow fish swimming in the stream meandering through the forest. They were mesmerizing. Then there were the mushrooms in every color, shape, and size and I would look for little people under them. Yes, I had a vivid imagination which would help with my writing career later on in life.
It was a time when life was simple. The simple pleasures put a smile on my face and my mind was filled with something wondrous, nature at its best. I was caught up in a world of imagination and anything was possible, that was the message I got. I didn’t know at the time that I was getting ready to leave it all behind and “time” would show me a different path altogether. Simplicity would be left behind and I would embark on growing up where life became difficult but that year in the woods would stay with me forever.
It is a year I would love to relive and I would go back there willingly. Time stood still and I was caught up in something bigger than myself. It was a time when boys were waiting to be discovered and life’s demands were put on hold and SIMPLE was what it was about.
Daily writing prompt
If you could relive one year of your life, which one would it be?
The Prep
The first OP went better than I expected. I thought I was going to die but I’m still here and recuperating. The wound seems to be healing and I made six rounds in the garden today, walking from one end to other with no problems. Still, I am impatient and I want to get back to my normal routine of 40 minutes of bone-busting workouts!
Patience you say? Exactly what friends are saying. Anyway, the second OP is looming in the not so distant future, less than five weeks away and I’ll be wheeled into that operating room again. Seems like a long time before that happens but I know it is just a matter of time before I am staring it in the face!
I prepared like an athlete for the first one. Working out with weights, cardio, walks, meditation, and eating right were all part and parcel of my daily routine. It seemed to help because I was up and walking a few hours after the procedure and did 4 or 5 rounds in the hospital room with no help at all. Add no pain to it, no meds and no painkillers and it seemed like I was coasting through on clouds. Well, not quite. I was still attached to a couple of things but according to the Gods, the doctors, I was doing exceptionally well.
Coming back to the second OP, this one is going to be different. I know what to expect but the outcome is still unknown. Plus, I’m not able to workout like I want. These itty bitty walks in the garden is not going to do it. Keeping off my feet and resting is not going to do it either so I’m worried. Will I fare as well?
I don’t know and that is scaring the …. out of me! Planning ahead has always been my thing and I try not to leave things to chance. I find that I can’t do that with this one. Have faith? I am trying but just when I think I’ve conquered my fears, another bigger and stronger one rolls in. It comes in waves.
Concentrating on what I can control is my next step. Today, I made my six rounds in the garden. Then I got my bag and decided to pack the essentials again. This time a much smaller bag. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but fingers, toes, and everything else crossed!
The bag is not fully packed, it never is. I am “female” remember. We always need more. The next step is to eat right, try not to lift anything that could cause problems and get myself out of the house! It is getting claustrophobic!
A friend is going to come by later and drive me to the cafe. We plan to have coffee and breakfast there and people watch for a little while. It should be a good outing and will do wonders for my mind and psyche.
Have an amazing day.
In the Dead of Night
I’m not a very brave person and being brave also means taking risks and I’m not a risk-taker. However, I have learned that sometimes you have no choice and being brave is not up to you but about the circumstances you are in.
I live in a village that goes to sleep at around 7:30 in the evenings! The streets are empty and so are the roads. When my son was in his teens and just starting to spread his wings, I found out that that bravery would be called into play many times.
I recall he was going to a party in the next village. He was going to walk and it would take him about 20 minutes to get there. It was ok in the daytime but at night a game changer. I was nervous about him getting home late at night so I offered to pick him up when he was done and ready to come home.
It was getting late approaching midnight when he wrote, “Mom, please pick me up at around 2.”
“Where?”
“Gas station”
I wasn’t happy but I had promised and I’m a promise keeper. At 1:30 in the morning, I got into my car. There was no traffic on the road as I made my way there. I was freaked out but took deep breaths as I pulled in at the gas station. It was deserted as with everything else at that time of morning. I parked and waited.
At a quarter past two, I heard voices. Then I saw two figures in the distance heading in my direction, they were talking and cutting up. One of them was my son. He saw the car as he got closer and I could see relief cross his face. His friend lived in that village so he was just a stone’s throw away from home and didn’t need help getting home.
My son got in and the first thing he said was, “Mom, I’m hungry! Let’s get Burger King!” We drove to the all-night Burger King place, which was deserted as well, and got him what he wanted. It was quiet in the car as we drove home and occasionally the silence would be broken by his chatter. He was happy and feeling safe. Mom had come to the rescue and it wouldn’t be the last time either! It was the beginning that would test my bravery many times over!
In the dead of night and when the world around me was asleep, I chose unwillingly to show just how brave I was!
Daily writing prompt
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?
One More Prayer
A hymn about trusting and letting go of worries. Simply beautiful.
THANK YOU!
Make America HUM Again
Hmm….don’t you just love country music? I do.
