How To Turn Right Side Up

I love it when you guys submit topics for me to write!

Today’s request is again from the Motivated Sista Facebook page: Dee suggested the topic “how to stay positive and motivate others when your world is turning upside down”.

I developed my own method around this problem during my first year of this blog. There were so many times when situations sucked, but I had to keep on pushing. Because how could I motivate you guys if I was attending a solo pity party? Now I’m definitely not perfect… if I just can’t give any motivation (I’m generally positive, unless I’m angry…lol), then I’ll take a break and come back with a new post when I have the motivation mojo.

If you haven’t yet mastered your own method of motivating others while dealing with your own situations, here’s what I’ve found.

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10 Reasons To Be Happy RIGHT NOW

1. Be happy right now because you have the option to be happy. No matter what’s going on in your life, those are just events and circumstances. Happiness starts in your mind and works its way outward.
   
   



2. Also, no matter what’s going on, it won’t last forever. So cherish the good things that you can be happy about, and look forward to when those unhappy times will be over.



3. You woke up this morning – which means you have more time to enjoy life. So instead of wasting time griping and complaining, stop sweating the small stuff and be happy!



4. Think back to those times when you laughed uncontrollably, loved unconditionally and believed thoroughly in the future.
   Remember how good those feelings felt, and relish them in your mind.



5. Have your own little party. Turn on your favorite music, get up and dance, and smile just because. Be happy that you have the ability to do so and that it feels good for no reason.



6. Be happy because you’re alive, you’re beautiful, no one else is like you and you are always loved, whether you realize it or not. You have at least one person on this earth who always loves you…YOU!




7. 7. Take time today to do something that makes you smile. Whether that’s watching your favorite movie, reading your favorite book, going for a walk in your favorite park, taking a long bubble bath or playing with your kids or your pet. Start with a smile and let that smile go all the way to your toes.



8. 8. Ignore the people that are tap dancing on your nerves. Let today be all about you and feeling good. Because honestly, they don’t matter! Only you matter so cherish yourself today.



9. Look at your hands, your feet, your skin, and your hair; feel the strength in your legs and your arms. Smile and admire how beautiful you are. If you don’t do it, no one else will! Be happy with exactly who you are and what you’ve got. You only get one you!



10. Lastly, think about every last person who makes your life great. Take a few minutes and think of each person, and love them in your mind. If it weren’t for them, would you be who you are today? Be happy that you have the chance to think of them lovingly and honor what they mean to you.

Do You Know How Short Life Is?

You’re over there being scared, straddling the fence, not knowing if you should follow your heart or play it safe, and all the while time is ticking away. Do you know that tomorrow is not promised? Do you know that one day you’re not going to wake up?

I hate to get all morbid on you, but today I came to work and found out that a beloved coworker passed away a few days ago. He was nice, super friendly, and genuinely liked people. This was a guy who was definitely motivated to reach his dreams. He and I talked a few times about our aspirations, his family, his goals, and the end results he was working toward. He proudly showed me pictures of his infant son and his wife, and we all supported him when he lost his parents. And now he’s gone.

What happens to dreams when a person dies? Are they expelled from the body, like air from your lungs? Or do they wither and recede into the silent and still corners in your brain? You can’t leave them to someone else in your will. They’ll be buried with you. Meanwhile, all the reasons  you haven’t reached them yet – the ministries you serve on at church that take up your free time and disposable income, the hours you spend in front of the TV, your mother’s disapproval, the financial worries, the insecurities, the analysis paralysis – these will all outlive you. When you’re in your eternal resting place it will be too late to start. We only get one life yet most of us fiddle it away mindlessly. Do you want this to happen to you? When you’re lying there, taking your last few breaths, what do you want to feel about your life? That you gave it your all, everything you had, and lived to the fullest? Or that you have so many things you wish you could have done, didn’t have time to do, would have done differently… or that you worked so hard for others and didn’t get the chance to truly live… or that you constantly lived in your head, afraid to just be, that time just slipped through your fingers?

All we have is today. Right now. This moment. We can’t go back and change the past, and sitting there worrying about the future is wasting the time you have right now. How are you using your time? How will your life unfold? Only you can answer that, but you’ve got to wake up first. While you still can.

Happy Holidays!

My earliest memories of Christmas are of my grandma and mom cooking tons of food early Christmas morning. They would always begin the night before, and in between the yummy smells that teased me and the anticipation of presents, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Our family had the tradition of letting me (I was the only child for 9 years) open one present at midnight and the rest the next morning. Then, we’d all sit down to one huge Christmas feast, usually served mid-day, and later on come back for seconds after our stomachs went down.

 

Granny passed away in 1996 and Christmas hasn’t really been the same since. My mom is pretty anti-holidays and I don’t really blame her, she has her reasons. I like to celebrate Christmas by either being in Florida with my mom (she cooks a few of her baby girl’s favorite dishes) or when I can’t get away, my extended family here in the DC area. The only thing better than Christmas dinner with people who love you, are multiple Christmas dinners with people who love you! And who can forget the gifts that keep on giving – bringing home plates that last you a day or two after Christmas!

 

What are your memories of Christmas?

 

 

I just want to encourage you, like I did at Thanksgiving, not to overdo your holiday munching so that you bounce back after the holidays and stay on track for your fitness goals. It was a pleasant feeling not to be stuffed after Thanksgiving and I’m looking forward to leaving some room in my stomach to enjoy my friends. For me, Christmas isn’t about decorations, music or food so much as it is a celebration of family, friends, and all the blessings I’ve experienced over the year.

 

Whatever you do, wherever you are, I hope you have a joyous and loving holiday season!

TGIF – What Are You Thankful For?

It’s FRIDAYYYYYY!!!!

 

 

Fridays are like mini national holidays. I love Fridays and I bet you do too. We always say “thank God its Friday”, so I want to know what you’re thankful for on this Friday.

 

I’m thankful for:

• new insights
• another chance to get it right
• wonderful family
• great friends
• the hope of a restful yet fun weekend
• “me” time
• and getting some housework done

 

How about you, what makes you thankful today?