by Torrie Oglesby | Jan 26, 2016 | Family + Relationships
I’m going to go ahead and assume that if you’re a woman you are a giver. The days and weeks of your life consists of serving others. You freely give your time, your energy and the best of yourself to your loved ones. This is such a good quality and the true mark of a servers’ heart. However we often get lost in making sure everyone else is taken care of that we forget to take care of ourselves. I can always tell when I haven’t taken care of myself by my attitude. The minute serving becomes burdensome instead of enjoyable or when I start going through the motions and not be intentional with every action and move is when I know it’s time to stop and treat myself.
I recently fell into a huge writing slump. If you’re a writer you know how scary these slumps can be. It feels as if you’re stuck on sticky tap and can’t find a way to get unstuck. For a whole week, I couldn’t jot down one sentence let alone a word for my novel. I was paralyzed at this certain part of my story and it was looking like it was going to be a long road back to the light. Luckily, I have a husband who knows me inside and out and he came home from work one day and simply said, “On Saturday, you’re going to go take some time to be alone.” It’s amazing how our loved ones know truths about us before we can see them. I agreed and all of a sudden I was looking forward to Saturday morning, a date with myself, and a chance to gain a new perspective.
Saturday morning came, I got up early, before the babies, got dressed and headed out! With my laptop, charger, phone, and headphones in a tote I was ready to write and be renewed by time well spent with myself. As I sat down and was prepared to write I was still in a major slump. So I read a little, listened to music and even called an old friend of mine to catch up and laugh. By feeding myself, I got inspired and just like that the floodgates of my creativity burst open and I was able to jot down 4,000 words!!! The light was nearer than I thought, it just required me to put myself first and allow my creativity to be feed. If you starve yourself, you’ll end up being unhealthy. Same with your spiritual/mental body. If you starve your spirit and mind of love and nurture for ITSELF, then you’re going to be unhealthy and insufficient. Ladies, while I love that we are servers and that that’s a true reflection of our creator, I also want you guys to remember to TREAT YO SELF in order to give to yourself and others in a healthier and happier way.
What will you do this week to treat yo self? Let us know in the comments below!
With love and big smiles,
Torrie.
by Taylor Gardner | Jan 26, 2016 | Faith + Expressions
It is easy to take for granted the good things that are happening in your life, especially when you are in the mist of the storm. However, the truth of the matter is that you always have something to be thankful for. I know it may seem like the world is on your shoulders and that a brighter day will never come, but trust me it will. A quick way to ease the pain and brighten everyday is by DIYing a Blessing Jar.
Sometimes you need a little reminder of how awesome you are! It may seem unrealistic but even the smallest accomplishment can take your mind off of the burden of life.
The concept is simple:
- Buy or find an empty Mason jar
- Decorate the Mason jar anyway you see fit
- Everyday when you wake up and/or feel extremely grateful write a “blessing” down on a scrap sheet of paper
- When you are feeling down, pick a sheet of paper from the blessings jar and read what you are blessed to have in life.
Trust me, starting off with a positive affirmation will definitely make that day that much better.
Taylor G.
by Taylor Gardner | Jan 18, 2016 | Family + Relationships
We’ve all been there. Going home for the holidays and hearing family members and old friends ask if you have a special someone in your life. Truth is you are either still recuperating from that last situation or you are waiting for that special someone to get it together. Either way, the last thing you want to talk about at the dinner table is your struggling dating life. Well, I am here to tell you that you are not alone and that there is nothing wrong with being single
As I’ve gotten older and matured a little, I’ve always felt this pressure to always be in a relationship and if I wasn’t then there was something wrong with me. Between the media, my friends, and my family, it’s been hard to accept this newfound singlehood. However, the fact still remains that sometimes you have to be alone to get yourself together. I’ve heard countless sayings like “You can’t love someone until you love yourself first,” and “Worry about yourself and the rest will come,” or “God is preparing your special someone” or my favorite “How can you expect to have someone in your life, when you don’t even know what you want?”
Well, sometimes the wait is daunting and I may not always be the most patient.
However, I can honestly say, I have never seen myself in this light. I am actually taking the time to get know myself, and I must say that I am pretty amazing. This has been a long time coming, but I trust me when I say that it couldn’t have happened at a better time. So now that I have been on both sides of the spectrum from being madly in love with someone to completely alone, I can say that singlehood isn’t has bad as the movies make it seem. I am achieving my goals and dreams like never before. Now that’s not to say I couldn’t have done this with a significant other, but the truth is it took me to be alone, to get up and go after all the things that I wanted.
So, embrace that singlehood, love yourself, chase those dreams, and once you have done all that God wants you to do at that time He will drop that special someone in your life, I promise.
Taylor G.
by Altimese Nichole | Jan 17, 2016 | Learn + Grow
I have been blessed beyond measure. As I prepare for the next year- I am reflecting on all that has been achieved this year and the many years before. Within this year, I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing people, being promoted twice, getting married to my best friend, and I am finally finding true peace on my journey. Walking in purpose for me was more than a desire or wish, it was a necessity at a very early age. I can’t recall that moment that something clicked in me that purpose matters— but when it did, I followed with all that I had. It is a beautiful thing to not only discover purpose in life, but to live in your purpose.
If you’re looking for your purpose, here are some things that helped me along the way, that I would like to share with you:
- Find out who YOU are Where your Source Resides
Among finding your purpose, we must first recognize the core of you.Who are you? Truly. What’s your truth; when you’re most authentic, most comfortable, most aware and filled with freedom? When this place is discovered, purpose can be found. As you find out who you truly are, it’s inevitable to overlook your Source of being. I realized that when I placed my source on tangible things or earthly things– my happiness and joy became dependant upon that tangible source, which made me extremely unstable and unable to plant myself in true security of knowing, “I am safe, here in my truth.” For me, it’s God. It was hard for me to find my purpose and passion and not seek Him first.
- Ask yourself, “If I could do anything in this world with no limitations, what would it be.”
This for me was discovered, when I was a child– and my mother noticed it. I loved talking and I craved relationships. I make friends very easily, I still do (now with a wisdom-guided compass). I LOVE relationships. Not just the good things but the moments of growth that many people consider to be the downsides of relationships. It is in those moments, that we grow into our authentic voice and relationships become deeper than the superficial connections. I can also talk a lot (my love for both birthed my desire for writing, so I’ve always kept a journal to release the things that I felt wasn’t ready to be spoken in the world). Fast forward years later into adulthood and I’ve studied Communications and Management, worked at my childhood dream job, stumbled into Public Relations, used social media as my core skillset– made a decision to switch to marketing, and now building on that foundation through building an organization’s greatest asset; their people. All of this involves those two things of communication and relationships.
Find your passion. Truly ask yourself this question and embrace your soul’s response. We think that we fear failure but often times we fear the success that follows if we pursue our dreams. Dare to dream and have the courage to move toward that dream.
- Become a student to life and to all you encounter
It would be total deception to believe that my purpose was discovered and fulfilled on my own. It’s not true. The first person who helped me was my mother and there are MANY others along the way. After graduating from undergrad, I had all the passion but I was very naive to the importance of being teachable. I thought that my passion was enough– and it was not. Passion is not enough. It is an important key but there are other keys to walking into purpose. The door of my unthinkable didn’t truly open until I opened myself up to truly becoming a student to life. I was already great at being an academic student but there were people in my path that succeeded at the things I wanted. It wasn’t until I allowed my soul to learn from those people (through humility and a welcoming spirit).
Passion can most definitely get you there. However, developed character and integrity will help keep you there. These two things happen through adverse times or the wisdom of others. The path we take can sometimes be up to us.
It blows me away that all things I’ve dreamed about as a child and as a teen have been manifesting before my very eyes– and to think that it’s not close to being over is astonishing. There’s no luck here– only abundant grace–from God, and intention– from myself. You can do the same and I hope that this article helps spark the internal conversation that’s needed to shift your life to you mind-blowing life journey.
XOXO
by Kiersten Homalon | Jan 16, 2016 | Learn + Grow
I love how it feels when the Holidays roll around. There is always that magic in the air. Even though Christmas can stir up some feelings of missing family and friends the magic and spirit seems to cover all of that with a blanket of thankfulness. I love that. People are kinder, and everyone is more generous.
Then the year comes to a close, and often people choose one of two avenues.
- Same old Same old path
For some nothing changes. They continue their habits and choices and routine without missing a beat! And that is ok for some!
- Pep in the Step
Many See the new year as something to Attack! They go full force into a completely different life style and uproot all they know to be better, stronger, healthier and more successful in the new year!
Both of these CAN be good. But in many cases people in the first group never feel that pump in their heart for the year that could be the first of many years that creates life long POSITIVE change!
And the Second group are the Cliche Burnouts. The people who crowd the gym for the first two months of the new year and then you see them less and less each year.
What if there were a few key thoughts that could guide your steps to creating POSITIVE change in your new late that would last and domino into the next year…… BUILD and domino even MORE POSITIVE change in to the next new year!
And so on!
I believe that these 5 focuses are a good start to that avalanche of goodness!
- Reflect on the Year
I am a firm believer that we cannot embark on anything new without reflecting on what had past. This is especially true when trying to tweak your habits, and lifestyle for the better!
Some things to take into account are:
-The good things in the year (Things you over came, habits you formed, weight you lost, friends you made, businesses you built and the relationship with The Man Upstairs you invested in)
-The not so good things: Things you let slip through the cracks (The goals you set for the year, bad habits that resurfaces, mistakes that were made, and decisions that were made, the lack of time spent with friends, family or most importantly The Father!)
- Set New Goals
Setting new Goals is a great way to create excitement and passion going into the new year! Having big dreams is only sweet when paired with goals that make baby steps to achieving those Big Mama Dreams!
- Set Deadlines
Setting dates and specifics next to each Goal is so key to keeping your eyes on the prize. This is also a good tool for those inevitable times when passion cools, and when we get a little off track! Knowing that that date is creeping up on you helps to get your head right back in the game!
- Find an Accountable Partner
No one likes to admit that they are off track or not making the best decisions when they know they can do better! So confide in your spouse or reliable friend your goals… and yes the deadlines! This will ensure that you keep the heat tuned up!
- Be involved in Your Home Church
This was a curve ball wasn’t it? All of your Goals, Dreams and Talents are blessings and callings from the Lord. So naturally we need to bring them back to The House of The Lord to put it into its biggest and most useful outlet. And honestly I envision it being exactly that: an Electrical Outlet! Plug into the House of the Lord and you have a non-stop flow of encouragement, accountability, prayer and of course The Holy Spirit to guide your way!
These 5 Steps are a great tool to start you 2016 with VIGOR! I think we all know that those hard times in each year come and go. However, if we have the back bone to our lives; which is non-other than Christ Our Lord, Eyes fixed on our Goals, and Our time plugged into The House of The Lord then it is guaranteed that you will gain ground in this next year! So Lets pray for those bad habitual tendencies to be broken, the passion to never die out, CLARITY in what you’re called to do on this Earth, and Generosity with your time and investment into the lives of others!
So What do you say? Are You going to have enduring VIGOR this New Year!?
Have Grit Sweet Ones,
Kiersten Homalon
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