She Connects:Core Strengthening: Daily Spiritual Practice

She Connects:Core Strengthening: Daily Spiritual Practice

“Establishing, then committing to, and maintaining daily spiritual practices is crucial. They form the painful and truly necessary process of surrendering your life into God’s hands.” –Iyanla Vanzant

Here we are roaring into the third week of August 2015! Here at STRONG we have many things to be excited about and much more to share with you! With only four months left in this year (times flies when you’re fulfilling PURPOSE) have you found yourself feeling like you need an extra boost? Many of us are going into the last quarter of this year with plenty of accomplishments under our belts, but in need of a little more to make it toward the finish line of our 2015 Goals List! If you’re anything like me, sometimes you just need to switch up or add something to your daily routine to get fresh energy flowing! This year, I changed A LOT, but the most beneficial change came from my inner-work to feel stronger and more grounded within.

Recently, I’ve felt the need to strengthen my core and I don’t mean this hidden six-pack! I mean beneath the surface, on a spiritual level. I’ve always felt the need to pray, but as I’ve matured I’ve developed a need to go deeper. I started to find that bowing my head with requests and some thanks a few times a day wasn’t enough to keep me fueled spiritually and prepared to navigate the battles that we all face daily! When you want to make significant changes in life, in order to manifest changes on the outside you must first make changes within. I realized it was time to take my daily spiritual practice to the next level internally so that my life would follow externally.

Think about it, there are so many things that require our time and attention daily, but if we are not properly fortified to handle these issues and circumstances, we can find ourselves struggling through life as we know it. This is truly unnecessary and leads us to operate in a way that doesn’t support our highest good! While attending my alma mater, Central State University, I started journaling my prayers so that I would remember to pray daily. The benefits far exceeded my expectations and over the years I’ve found adding components to my routine has strengthened me in ways I never thought possible! It is my sincere hope and suggestion that you will schedule time daily to strengthen your core- your spirit.

I consider this dedicated act core strengthening, because these steps improve your life from your core outward! I use this time to spend time with God, fill my heart and mind with His Word, and most importantly LISTEN for HIS directions-uninterrupted by my thoughts and desires. Prayer, reading scriptures along with devotionals, and meditation has taken my faith and spiritual endurance to heights that allow me to focus on higher things! (Colossians 3:2) Focusing on the bigger picture and what GOD has for you will give you the strength you need to continue accomplishing GREAT things with the remainder of 2015!

Every day. Literally, every day GOD wakes you up. Stop, and spend dedicated time with Him. Pray. Read scriptures and devotionals. Meditate. This is ALWAYS the FIRST thing on my To Do List every day. If I miss a morning, then I make sure to end my night with this routine. Do you have a daily spiritual practice? If not, I challenge you to try the one outlined above and/or create your own. Commit to maintain this practice for at least 7-days and be sure to let know me how you feel afterwards!

 

LIGHT and LOVE,

Khojdeshia Denise

She Rocks: Nudes & Blues

She Rocks: Nudes & Blues

She Rocks: “Nudes & Blues” ( A High Low Style)

A favorite style trend of mine this year is Nude. I think it’s very soft and feminine but makes a statement. In this STRONG inspired look I took a somewhat casual turn on nude pairing it with the perfect jeans which makes it super day time date appropriate. Feel free to show us Your ” STRONG inspired Style”…. Tag @knowyourstrong hashtag #STRONGstyle

•Quay invader shades $40 [Nastygal.com]

•Uttam Boutique Long Sleeve Pleat Detail Blouse $70 [Houseoffrasier.co.uk]

•Top Shop Motto Pretty Blue Ripped Joni Jeans $70 [Topshop.com]

•Miu Miu Sandals $995 [MiuMiu.com]

•Micheal Kors Jer Set Crossbody Dusty Rose $95 [Jomashop.com]

•Top Shop Komono Rose Gold Estelle Classic watch $110 [Topshop.com]

•Charlotte Russe Gold Druzy Shark Tooth Stud Earrings 3-pack $6 [Charlotterusse.com]

•iPhone 6/5/5s/5c Case Girl. You’re A Boss. Clearly $40 [Casetify.com]

 

Keep Rockin’ Your Style!

She Empowers: 20 Somethings for the 20 Something Soul

She Empowers: 20 Somethings for the 20 Something Soul

Dear 20 something soul,

Something #3

MAKE TIME FOR LAUGHTER…OFTEN!

You know those laughs that grow in your belly, explode from your mouth and tickles you for moments on end? They usually are from remembering something funny with a friend or laughing at something hysterical that you might have just seen or that a love one just did or said. They make you laugh so hard that your cheeks start burning because the muscles in them can’t stop dancing on top of your face. Afterwards you feel like you’ve ran a marathon due to how euphoric you feel. Well, make more time for them 20 something soul!

Laughter is said to be the best medicine and did you know that there’s actually science behind that clever saying? Laughter is said to, relax your body, boosts the immune system, triggers and releases endorphins, and protects the heart by improving the functioning of blood vessels and blood flow. (www.helpguide.org)

The other weekend my best friend since kindergarten had a really bad week and I wasn’t having the best one either. My kids were at their grandmothers and my husband was at work so she came over and we had a fun girl’s night in filled with baking, dancing, making videos, and laughing so hard that I literally peed my pants. We both felt so alive and happy afterwards and our 20 something cares fell by the wayside. Life is too short to not laugh as much as possible! Laugh more and make it one of those belly burning, cheeks dancing, peeing your pants kind of laugh!

Till next time,

20 something soul

She Empowers: 20 Somethings for the 20 Something Soul

She Empowers: 20 Somethings for the 20 Something Soul

Dear 20 something soul,

Something #2

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY

So I recently had to go to the eye doctor to get my eyes checked out. My eyes have been bugging me for a year but with so much going on I just kept pushing it back because who has time to go to an eye appointment? Fast forward to my appointment and I’m legally blind!!! YES YOU GUYS, LEGALLY BLIND. My eye doctor was like “Honey, you shouldn’t even be driving and I don’t know how you read and write.” I felt so guilty for not taking care of my eyes sooner! Our eyes are important and with so many of us staring at screens all day we need to make sure we are taking care of them. Having my glasses is a complete new world, who knew everything actually wasn’t supposed to be blurry?

I know this sounds like a silly something, but hear me out. You won’t work if your body doesn’t work. Whether it’s taking care of your eyes, working out to keep your body in shape, or eating your veggies we need to make sure we treat out body like a temple and don’t just tear it down and fill it with trash. Get your yearly examines, go to the gym weekly (I still need to master this one), make sure your eyesight is good, go to the dentist, eat a balance diet, whatever it may be in your life promise me that right now in our 20’s is where we are going to get serious about taking care of our bodies so that when we are older we’ll still feel great and healthy.

Promise?

Till next time,

20 something soul

Mommy Knows: Teaching Boundaries with Blanket Time

Mommy Knows: Teaching Boundaries with Blanket Time

It’s a big, amazing, colorful world and from the moment your little ones can crawl their curiosity leads them to discover it. While it’s great to allow our little ones time to explore it’s also important to teach them boundaries. Boundaries help with protection, preparation, and gives your child a sense of responsibility. Whether you need them to sit quietly at home while you take a call, sit quietly at church, or to stay in one area while out in public, it’s important that our little ones learn the value of boundaries and it’s even more important that we as parents teach them to respect the boundaries given to them. There’s one method in my household that saves the day, every day, and that is blanket time. Here’s some tips and tricks on how to make blanket time an effective tool for teaching boundaries.

Blanket time- A simple method of getting your kids to listen and stay in one area until mom says it’s time to move on. Grab a nice size blanket, big enough to give them a little freedom but small enough to contain them and teach them about staying in a specific area.

Tips and Tricks to succeed at Blanket time:

  1. Entertainment

Now sitting without an activity is torture, even to us adults! Gather some books, puzzles, flash cards coloring books, counting activities, alphabet activities, and even snacks so that you can set them up to succeed. Let them know that they are allowed to play with anything on the blanket and that it has to stay within the blanket.

 

  1. Use a timer

This allows for the kids to participate by hitting the timer and makes them feel like they are involved! It also gives them a physical look at how much longer they have until blanket time is done.

 

  1. Start small

Now, I do not start my 1 year off by asking him to sit on the blanket for 30 minutes, that’s not possible for his age nor is it fair to start out at where my 3 year old is just getting to. Start small. My 1 year old’s time goal is 5 minutes and then I let him go run around and play and come back as he pleases while my 3 year old finishes her last 25 minutes. Eventually your little ones will work their way up to an hour or even two, but start small.

 

  1. Reward  

CELEBRATE! A little body staying that still for that long is an achievement! Celebrate with stickers, suckers, a trip to the park, or however you choose! Just make sure you let them know how proud you are of them for sitting still and staying in their boundary.

 

With love and big smiles,

torrie

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