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Don’t Yuck My Yum!

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Hello beautiful people. “Do your thing. And don’t care if they like it.” — Tina Fey

Have you ever been sharing something with someone and they roll their eyes, or say “I don’t like that”? It’s not just when I’m sharing something that I don’t like, but when someone sees or hears about something someone else has and says, “Yuck, I don’t like that.” That’s ok Becky (made up name) it wasn’t for you. I’ve taught myself over the years, when someone asks me directly if I like something and I don’t, to usually say, “I like it for you, it’s not for me.” And now that I’m thinking about it, I could probably leave out the last part. Seriously, I never want to take away from someone else’s joy of something they like. I do not like candy (love chocolate) but you’ll never catch me yucking my daughter’s yum as she eats jelly beans or Sour Patch Kids.

In this age of keyboard warriors, everyone seems ready to share their opinion — whether you asked for it or not. But here’s the truth: you can hear something or read something and simply… not reply. I’ve caught myself wanting to chime in on things that were none of my business, ready to toss in my two cents. But really, why? If you like pickles and peanut butter, or if you’d rather hike the mountains than sit on the beach, what does that have to do with me? The same goes for parenting choices — co-sleeping, crib sleeping, or anything else. Unless it’s your child, maybe it’s not your say. Why do we feel so entitled to weigh in on other people’s lives?

I don’t know about you, but people seem to want to speak into my life often. I’ve learned not to let it get to me, and when it does, I ask myself two questions: Do they pay my bills? and Do they live in a way I’d want to model my own life after? If not, their opinion doesn’t deserve my energy. We should allow people to enjoy their yums, as long as it does no harm to them or anyone else. So tell me , what’s one of your yums, that thing you love even if others don’t? Life is too short to waste on yucking someone else’s yum. Celebrate your joys, honor theirs, and always, Find the Good in Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming · Uncategorized

How Do You Take Your Mornings?

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Hello Beautiful People! “There are morning people and there people who can’t speak for 2 hours upon waking up and they marry each other.” ~ A Meme I Read

Sorry for the M.I.A. I have been down for the count the past few weeks (it was a month). I do not know what I had but it had me sleeping when I could because I was up coughing my lungs out the other part of the day. My energy was zapped and my focus was gone. However, I am feeling so much better now and I am feeling like writing again. I have homework to catch up on and a book to get in to my publisher, like yesterday, but I felt like blogging first because I saw that meme the other day and thought how true it was.

How do you wake up? Matt is a jump out of bed, brush his teeth, wash his face, get dressed, and let the dogs out, all in the first 15 minutes of opening his eyes. I, on the other hand, wake up, stare out the window watching the sun rise from bed (pictured) as Matt does his thing. I sit up when he’s downstairs to adjust myself because while he’s downstairs letting the dogs out he’s making me a warm beverage (usually tea but sometimes just warm water with lemon). Matt will bring me my drink and I will then just sit and drink it. Don’t get me wrong, I am a morning person. I love mornings. I even enjoy conversations. I just like to move slow. After I am done with my tea, I read, journal, then meditate, look over my planner, all before leaving my bed (except to go the bathroom). I know once I get out of bed I am fair game for the world. Matt will have already finished his morning trades, started work with his clients on the East Coast or England or somewhere else in the world and made breakfast for him and the dogs all before I am ready to get out of bed. When I had a corporate job I still made time for me in the morning. Maybe not as long, but if I don’t take things slow in the morning, then I feel rushed all day long, and nothing is that serious in my life that I need to rush.

There are mornings where I just feel so inspired to write that I will go into the office and just start working and not stop for hours. There are mornings where I will wake up and the house is still, and I will take the dogs down with me (they will be confused) and I will just sit in my living room as the sun rises over the mountain and wonder why I am out of bed. But most days are more like the first, and then once I am up, I go into the office to do work for a few hours before Matt and I go to the gym at 11:30 for a break in the morning. Then once home, lunch is made, then a few more hours of work before we call it a day. There is something about a slow morning/wake-up that sets the day for me. Matt said he needs to be productive as soon as he wakes up to set the day for him. I can see his point, having those mornings every now and again, but my creative juices are still sleeping till at least 8 am. But I am curious, how do you take your mornings? Whatever your mornings are like, I hope you have a good one, and always Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming · Uncategorized

Happy Valentines Day

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Hello Beautiful People! “Love her but leave her wild” ~Atticus

How do you celebrate today? Are you someone who likes the big box of chocolate with the big teddy bear and flowers with all the “romantic” stuff there is, or are you the more low key, just a card and a nice dinner at home? I don’t really “celebrate” today. Don’t get me wrong, Matt has in the past, and including today, has gotten me something that I love, but it’s never expected. Just because someone said that today you must show the people you love that you love them. Why would I want to be in a relationship with anyone and wait all year for them to show love? I’ve been in that relationship where the grand gestures were to hold me over till the next big day that they “showed” me they cared. I always felt like it was more for other people to see than for me. I rather have the daily love than the over the top. Don’t get me wrong, I love when Matt surprises me with a BIG gift. Yes, get me a new jeep again, or a trip to Hawaii. I will not complain, but it’s not expected, at least not today.

I have thought about love a lot. How do people show love and do they know that I love them? As you know, I am in Bible College and Pastor Rob said for us to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, and instead of where it says ‘love’ say ‘I.’ We have heard this so many times at weddings, 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. But it takes on a new meaning when you read it with I.

I am patient, I am kind, I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud, I will not dishonor others, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I will keep no record of wrong, I do not delight in evil but rejoice with truth, I will always protect, I will always trust, I will always persevere. I want to be love and try to live in love, but I am human and some days I fall short. But if today can be about love, let it be the day you choose to be love. Let it be the day you Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming · Uncategorized

Groundhog Day

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Hello Beautiful People! “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” ~Unknown

Did you hear that the Kentucky Groundhog passed away? He saw his shadow and then passed. Actually, he didn’t see his shadow this year, so early spring. But how sad for him. Do you remember the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? He had to relive the same day over and over again. Then one day, he was finally out of the loop. In the mean time he did they same thing over and over trying to figure out what would get him out of it. Then he found some moments that he liked and relived them. I’ve thought about that movie and others like it. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things was a good one. In that movie there is a boy and a girl who find out they aren’t the only ones going through the day over and over, and they go through it together. They thought if they could find all the good things in the day, they would get out of the loop. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t until the girl was actually ready to say goodbye to her dying mom that they could move on.

I have asked people if you could relive a day over what would it be? I’ve gotten so many different answers, but most of the time it actually comes down to moments that people would want to relive over and over. One of my husband’s favorite moments is when we were in Hawaii. It was after dinner and we sat at our table that had an amazing view, we were listening to the band sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, looking out at the water watching the sunset. Matt said he felt so much peace at that moment. He lived in Hawaii growing up so he always feels at home when we are there. I too am an island girl and always feel at home near the ocean. I think most of us, when we think about reliving something, it’s wanting to capture a feeling. I know for me there are so many memories I wish I could hold on to because of those feelings I had in that moment. I love thinking about them because they will put a smile on my face, but I have never been one to want to relive something over again, because I am always waiting for the next moment. I love thinking about that moment Matt and I first kissed and how electric it felt. One of my favorite stories I’ll share another day. But there are so many amazing memories in life, like holding my children or grandchildren for the first time. Staying up all night with my best friends at sleep overs and laughing till we can’t breath. The smile on my high school boyfriend’s face when I told his grandmother I was his girlfriend. Up to that moment we had only been friends. It still makes me laugh to this day. I think about the nights Michelle and I had in DC, eating 7-11 hot dogs at the feet of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, or riding the carousel over and over. Her and I walking through the museums, sometimes laughing about everything we saw, to sitting in silence as we looked at a Monet painting wondering how they could make us both feel something different. We both always wondered why all of O’Keefe’s pictures looked like vaginas. But I think those memories, even though they were great, all come down to a feeling. The feeling of love, friendship, joy, peace, true happiness, something that can’t be captured, but only felt.

I love pictures. My bestie Bean is an amazing photographer and is always taking pictures. She told me once, “take lots of pictures, because one day that may be all you have left.” She is right. I wish I would have taken more pictures or didn’t throw them away because of a heartache, because there was a memory attached to them. If you have read my blogs for a while you know my grandma had Alzheimer’s and her memory went, but we would look at pictures with her and see if something would trigger a memory. The funny thing is, a smell or a sound would sometimes bring her memory around. When she would talk I could hear her reliving that moment with feeling. Just like when you tell someone a story that made you laugh, they may never understand it like you did because they don’t have the same feeling you do. It’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ things, but they can see how it made you feel. Though we can’t ever go back and recapture those moments in time, we can remember the way that moment made you feel. Matt and I go to Hawaii often, and though we never had that same exact experience again that he recalls as one of his best days, we still make amazing memories there. We still feel peace and happiness there. Though I love remembering the past and sometimes can still conjure up those feelings when I think of that moment, I would never want to relive that moment over and over again. I personally am always looking forward to making new memories. Going some place new or reading a new book is so magical to me. Why would you want to relive one day over and over when there are so many beautiful days ahead. I hope that you can always find those beautiful feelings and memories that make you smile and in every day you can Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · music · Overcoming

I Wrote This

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Hello Beautiful People! “The scariest moment is always just before we start” ~ Stephen King

‘I often get asked what it’s like being a writer. Honestly, I’m not sure how to answer that. I love writing a lot. I feel it’s something I’m good at. However, writing my first novel was so scary. We are getting ready to do some re-writes on it, some corrections that were missed in the first editing process. As I reread my book, I have thought, “This is really good. If I didn’t write this, I would want to read it.” Yes, by all means, let me toot my own horn. I think I will talk more about the writing process another day, but for today, here is a snippet of my book, Daydreams. I hope you enjoy it.

“Hi everyone. I am Sophia Angel-Day Love. At exactly 10:23 a.m. on May 25th five years ago my life changed forever. So, in the next 20 minutes I may break down crying. It was Memorial Day weekend and my husband Bryan had the weekend off. He was a firefighter. However, he was on call that weekend for our friend Greg, because his wife was due at any time. The family was all packed up and ready to head to the beach for the day when he got the call from Greg that his wife was going into labor. I understood that he had to go, but our girls were so disappointed. Our oldest, Layla, was five, about to turn six, and Lola was three. Layla threw such a big fit, and Lola just liked to copy her sister, so she did the same. Bryan sat them on the sofa and explained why he had to go and reminded them why what he did was so important. He reminded them how he was a helper and how being a helper was an important job. Bryan hugged them and kissed them both and said, ‘I love you, to heaven and back.’ That was a saying Bryan started with the girls and myself because we had to have the hard talks sometimes about death and what could happen. Layla had asked Bryan if he would still love her even if he was in heaven. He told her he would love her from heaven and he would feel her love from there too, so it became our thing, ‘I’ll love you to heaven and back.’ 

“The girls and I went to the beach while Bryan went to work. We called to tell him good night when we got home and he had said it was a pretty quiet night so far and he would be home in the morning. The next morning my sister-in-law, Mia, called and said she wanted to come get the girls for the day and she would be over around 8 to pick them up. I tried calling Bryan but I didn’t get an answer. I figured he must be on a call, no big deal. Mia came and got the girls and we made plans for us to come over that afternoon for a cookout once Bryan was home and rested. After they left, I puttered around the house keeping busy, waiting for Bryan. I went out to the rose garden that he had planted for me, sat on the butterfly bench he had just gotten me so I could sit there and enjoy the view. I loved it so much. He had planted what we called a butterfly garden around it. You know, all the flowers that butterflies enjoy. He said I reminded him of butterflies because I was always going from one thing to the next, always fluttering around. As I walked into the house I heard a knock at the door. My stomach turned into a knot. I didn’t know what was on the other side of the door, but I knew something was wrong. 

“As I answered the door I saw Jack, the Fire Chief, and several others from the department standing there. I remember shaking my head and asking, ‘Where is Bryan?’ As Jack got closer I heard him say, ‘Sophia, we are so sorry.’ I don’t remember this, but I was told by a few of the guys that I just started screaming, ‘NO!’ over and over, but in my head everything had gone numb and silent. I collapsed onto the floor crying and screaming. I felt like my whole world had come to an end in that moment. Every dream, every future plan, everything, died in that moment. I barely remember the next few days. I know I have amazing friends who took turns staying with me till I could function again.

“‘Function again.’ That’s a funny saying. You see, I wake up every day and go through motions, but I don’t know if I am functioning. I am told it’s ok to move on, that Bryan would want me to. I’m told it’s ok to be happy, but my happiness died with Bryan. I don’t know who this was supposed to help today, because I don’t feel helpful. I have a job that I enjoy, and two amazing girls and the best friends anyone could ask for, but yet, I am not happy. I keep all the sadness and anger inside. As people try to be helpful I stay polite, but inside I say things like, ‘Shut up, you have no idea. You tell me how it feels to relive your worst nightmare every night when you try to go to sleep.’ I have not slept one full night in 5 years. I wake crying almost every night if I do fall asleep. I spray his cologne on his pillow so I can smell him. I ask God ‘Why?’ all the time, and I still don’t have an answer. 

“Oh, you might wonder how this happened. There was a house fire, and the little boy who started the fire was scared so he hid. The rest of the family got out, and when they realized he was still in there Bryan went running in to find him. As Bryan found the little boy, Bryan got him out the window in time but the ceiling collapsed trapping Bryan. Everyone tried getting to Bryan but it was too late. I am not angry at Bryan or his brothers. I knew the dangers of the job and so did he. I’m angry that I have to go through life without the one person who swore he would always be there with me. The person who could calm my fears. The person who I dreamt with, made plans with. I am mad, because even though we talked about this being a possibility, he never told me how it would feel and how to continue breathing without him. I have to literally tell myself to breath sometimes. I am 36 years old and by now we were going to have made a difference in so many people’s lives. We had plans. But instead, I walk around in anger and pain trying my best to be a mom, friend, employee, daughter, and any other hat people expect me to wear. I get to wear all these hats except one… the wife hat. That hat is gone. I’m sorry. I feel like I’m just rambling now. I really don’t know why I was asked to share today. I hope this helped someone.” 

As Sophia looked into the faces of everyone sitting there she didn’t see a dry eye. A lady from the back of the room stood up. She was young looking. She wore her blond hair in two braids and was very pregnant….

I hope you enjoyed that and want to read more. You can find your copy here. You need to read to find out if Sophia learned to find the good in her life, but I hope you can always Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · music · Overcoming

Dolly Parton

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Hello Beautiful People! ”Storms make trees take deeper roots.” ~ Dolly Parton

There has been a “joke” between me and my friends for years. If they asked me about an actor or singer, I would shrug and say, “If it isn’t Dolly Parton or Kenny Rogers, I don’t know their name.” Not really a joke, but pretty much the truth. I have loved Dolly as long as I could remember. She was a comfort to me for many years and still is. I met her when I was in Children’s Hospital having my first back surgery. She and Kenny Rogers came in and sang songs to the kids. They were practicing songs for “A Christmas to Remember” that would come out a year or so later. I’m not sure if that’s when it was recorded or not, but I do remember laying in my bed not able to move because I was strapped to a bed that would need to flipped (like Jonny was on in The Outsiders after he got burned). They walked in and she said, “Well hello sugar. How are you doing today?” Her and Kenny stood and talked to me for what seemed like forever, but I’m sure it was only about 3 minutes. I was the happiest girl in the world.

As most Hispanics growing up on Saturday mornings, the music would turn on and you knew it was time to clean. My mom loved Kenny Rogers. I can’t tell you how many times she played the song “Lady” in a row on the record player the night she got that album. She liked Dolly too, but not like she loved Kenny. Most Saturday mornings our house was filled with Kenny, Dolly, The Bee Gee’s, Diana Ross and Tina Turner. By the time Tina came on the house was almost completely clean and a dance party was going on. But back to Dolly. For me, when Dolly would come on it was like she was singing to a part of me I didn’t know was there until I heard her voice. She would tell stories in her songs that would make me feel. I had no idea that music could move a person like that. I was a child crying over songs. There was one song, my go-to song that I needed to hear when I was going through it, “Me and Little Andy.” My best friend knew I loved Dolly and I remember the day she played “Me and Little Andy” for me.

How could a song make you feel so much? I was no longer living with my mom at this time (read No More Hurt in my blogs for that story), and was living with my birth father who I didn’t really know and could tell he didn’t want me there. I understood this song. I had been Little Andy, knocking on a neighbors door because my mom hadn’t come home and I was scared. I didn’t understand these feelings that were welling up inside me, but I knew I felt this song like no song I ever felt before. I laid in my best friend’s aunt’s back room listening to this song on repeat. I cried a cry I never knew I could cry. This song became the song that would help me feel again. I had no idea that I was carrying stress around. I was a child, what did I have to be stressed out about? So many things! There has been many times in my life when I start to go numb from life and I know a part of me is needing to heal. I can turn on this song and feel feelings and heal feelings that I allowed to be buried. For me, Dolly has helped me heal because she helped me feel. I still listen to this song and cry because I am still healing that little girl. I have grown up stronger than I believe any person should have to be, but I am thankful for a blond wigged lady who called me sugar because she helped me find the good in my life, and I hope you too can Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming

SHOOB

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Hello Beautiful People! Shoob – To turn back, but not all the way back to the starting point. To break down and build again.

If you read my other blog you know I am back in school to get my Bachelors of Science in Biblical Studies. This means I do a lot of Jesus time and Greek and Hebrew are being studied. If you only knew how I shake my fist in frustration every time I think I have a word down, but I don’t. Doing great on the Bible stuff, getting in the 90’s on those test. When it comes to the Greek and Hebrew words, I’m getting 70-something. As Ciara told me because I was frustrated, “C’s get degrees.” However, I digress. The other day while studying I came across this word Shoob and I loved it. I was studying about the Potter’s House in Jeremiah. I promise to not get preachy, but for me I got excited about this word, so I need to talk about it.

I have felt at times in my life that I am having to start over in life. I have felt so down on myself for a failed marriage, not completing school, jobs that ended, financial problems, the list could go on. Always feeling like I was having to start over, a two step forward one step back kind of feel. Then I came across this word I have read about the Potter’s House so many times over the years. But there is something that happens when you read it in the context in which it was meant, understanding what the words means (look at me learning things). I promise I am not going to get preachy, just go with me, because if this is for no one else but me, then fine, let me make sure I understand this so I never feel like I’m starting over again.

Jeremiah 18:3-4,“So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.”

If you have ever worked with clay when it’s spoiled, marred if you will, (meaning spoiled, not perfect, could have been dried out, hard to work with) you would need to start over with fresh clay. BUT (you got to love a but in the Bible) in the Potter’s hand, he was able to reshape it. He was able to “Shoob,” break it down and build it again. What!? When you are broken down, felt like you were back at the beginning, just know, you didn’t go all the way back to the starting point (me getting excited). No, He just took you back to where He could start reshaping you. See, in order to reshape the marred clay, he had to pour water over to revive it. Those tears I’ve cried when I was feeling down (to me it was the water because when I cry I am finally surrendering… that’s a me thing), feeling like I was starting over, and over, and over again, I wasn’t. I was being reshaped. See, He never took me back to the starting point, for real ( I know where I started from). He just started me back to where I was moldable, pliable, teachable. He was/is reforming me into what He sees best. (I’ll just stop right there!) Thank you for allowing me to get this out for myself. I needed that word. If that was a word for you too, great. If not, that’s ok. But whatever you are going through, I hope you always Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Healthy Eating · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming

Dear Future Self

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Hello Beautiful People! “That sounds like a problem for future me.” ~ Too many people

I use to be one of those people who would say, “That sounds like a problem for future María.” Then one day I was listening to a podcast, I do not remember who it was by, but they said something that really gut checked me. They said something like, “You say you want to leave a legacy, something for your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, but yet you say, ‘That sounds like a problem for future you.’ But when that future comes will you be ready to handle those things? Have they been dealt with?” I am completely paraphrasing, but you get the gist. As a person whose family means everything to her, I really had to sit with this. The 20-year-old me (pictured) was so scared of the future and life. I remember the feelings I had in this picture. I remember every detail from this night. If only she knew, everything would be ok.

There are things in my past that I wish I would have handled differently, but such is life. I decided that I need to do things now to make future María proud. I wanted to be a friend to her. How do you be a friend? You keep your word, you show up when you say you are going to do something, you listen to them and offer help when you can. You spend time with them and learn likes and dislikes. I am a great friend….to others. Showing up for myself has been hard. Keeping my word to myself, hard. The “I will do it tomorrow” was so easy for me to say to myself. I would never do that to others. Then one day something clicked. Not only do I need to do this for me, future me, but this will effect my family. Not dealing with the past will cause challenges not just for me, but my family. Going to therapy was eye opening. Learning to show up for myself, physically and mentally… game changer. I wanted to be the best me for me. I wanted future me to like who I had become because I took the time to do the work. So here I am, still soul searching and learning, wanting future me to know I am going to continue on being the best friend to you that I would want for me.

Dear future me… My friend, I hope you laughed more than you cried. I hope you danced in the rain. I hope you traveled and had adventures that make you smile. I hope you lived a life of love. I hope you are happy, truly, genuinely happy. Happy with your life, your friends, family, happy with yourself. I hope you are successful in accomplishing your yearly goals. I hope you wrote books that made people fall in love with reading. I hope you took risks and still end up happy. No matter what happened in the end, I hope you always Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming

I really like Sundays… I know it’s Monday

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Hello Beautiful People! “Sunday, a day to count our blessings, be grateful for the journey so far, and anticipate the beauty that the coming week holds.” ~ Unknown

I really like Sundays. I love songs about Sunday, “I  want a Sunday kind of love, A love to last past Saturday night,
And I’d like to know it’s more than love at first sight, And I want a Sunday kind of love.” Thank you Etta James for that classic. There are so many different songs written about Sunday or give you that Sunday feel. That Sunday feel for me is feeling the sun as it comes through the window as you lay in your person’s arms listening to music, you can hear their heart beat that seems to go to the rhythm of the music. It’s also making pancakes together as you dance around the kitchen, and they must be banana pancakes because that ‘s how Jack Johnson made the weekend feel. I love Craig Morgan’s song about Sundays as he sings about new believers being baptized or sweet Ms. Betty singing off key. I love the way my husband’s hand holds mine every time we go to pray. I know when we hear those words, “let us pray,” he will grab my hand. I look down at our hands and see them tangled together, sometimes not able to tell his fingers from my own. On the way home from church, there is nothing like a Brett Eldredge Sunday drive home, “Cause we were watching the world through an open window, trees lined up like dominoes…” Do yourself a favor and listen to these songs if you haven’t heard them.

I deleted the last half of this blog because it turned into a get yourself ready for the week “Rah Rah” blog and I wasn’t feeling it. I want to stay in my happy Sunday feels, even though it’s Monday. Mondays are great, they are our weekly “New Years” because we get a do-over. However, every day we wake up, is a do-over. I hope you have the best week. Listen to some great music, make pancakes for dinner and dance around your kitchen. It’s ok to do those things by yourself too. Because everyday is a great day to Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming

Worth the Struggle

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Hello Beautiful People! “Our struggles can be strengths.” ~ Jim Kwik

Growing up I definitely was not the smartest girl in school… probably even in the bottom. I was in speech class, was/am dyslexic, but they called it stupid or slow, couldn’t spell to save my life and would get punished for not doing well, all because I couldn’t comprehend what was being taught. I dropped out of high school once I was 18 because it was too much for me. I worked my butt off at any job I had, because once I understood the job I could work circles around people. But I had a passion for reading and writing, even though both of those things did not come easy for me.

When my kids were little I would tell them stories before bed. Rarely did I ever read to them, because unless I pre-read something, it’s hard for me. One day my son asked me what was the name of the story because he wanted to go to the library and get the book so he could read the story again. I told him it was a mommy story and that they weren’t in libraries. Fast forward many years later, I am working in corporate America. I had worked my way up the ladder because, once again, my work ethic will out work anyone if I want it bad enough. I was not happy because I was not living my purpose. What was my purpose? I still am not completely sure, but I did know it had to do with writing and speaking, so I did it. My family encouraged me and would always ask when was I going to write my books. Finally, I quit that job and wrote my first children’s book. It took me a moment because of the research that went into it. The writing was hard for me at time. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who said, “You write and I will help you with the grammar.” He still does that to this day with every blog, every book I have written, and sometimes before I post a long post. (Thanks Babe you’re the best!)

I think about that young girl who people doubted, and at times doubted herself. I never get upset with those people. Honestly, I’m not sure we knew what dyslexia was until after I was out of school. I feel bad for all the kids that were just called “lazy” but we actually loved things like English, but the thought of having to read out loud would send us into a complete panic attack. Now that I am a 3-time Best Selling Author and I speak on stages in front of thousands of people, I am thankful that I get to share my journey with so many and give them hope that they can turn their struggles into strengths, and I hope you too can Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · Overcoming · Uncategorized

Time Marches On…

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Hello Beautiful People! “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” ~Drake

It’s funny how time goes on no matter what happens. Through a pandemic, through the loss of loved ones, through our happiest to darkest moments, time does not stand still. I, just like many of you, went through many things the past few years, and I grew and changed. I was not sure if I would ever write Find The Good In Your Life again, not because I did not have good in my life, but because my life and way of thinking and writing had changed. I am not the same entrepreneur out to change the world anymore, but just a person wanting to share her life with others through words of her life experiences. If I touch someone’s life through my writing here or with one of my books, I will have made a difference. Here, I guess I want to give a “blueprint” if you will, to help others through their life’s journey as I share my experiences and wisdom that others have given to me.

One of my favorite influencers always says, “Don’t stop until you’re insanley f*cking proud of yourself.” Thanks Gary V. Funny enough I have a Dove candy wrapper that I saved many years ago (pictured) that says “Don’t stop until you are proud” that I have pinned to my cork board that sits in front of me. I choose a new thing to do every year to challenge myself. I have written children’s books, a novel, went skydiving, trained, entered, and won a bikini contest at 52, and this year I am back in school to get a Bachelor’s degree. I don’t know if I do these things every year trying to find something that will make me proud of myself, or just to say I did it. People often say, “You must be so proud of yourself.” I think, “Am I?” I don’t know if I am or if I just expect it from myself. I am not sure what it will look like when I am or is this what I just do and when I’m a 100 I will look back and say, “I had a great life and did many things,” and I will recount the way I lived my life and be proud and close my eyes and pass away. Well, that took a turn I wasn’t expecting. As my therapist says any time I ramble, “You’re just working it out.” Glad I could share my rambling with you.

Well all that to say, time continues to march on and so do we. I am looking forward to sharing life with you and all the things that go with it. I’d like to think that I’ll write daily but that might be expecting too much from myself with the goals I have this year of writing a new Luna and Sol book almost monthly, writing a new novel, and graduating in May. However, I would just like you to know that we make time for the things that are important to us and we can always find the time. Plus, nothing makes me happier than talking to people and asking them if they too can Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · music · Overcoming · Uncategorized

Holding My Keys

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Hello Sunshines! I remember in my 20’s into my early 30’s I would ache with depression and sadness. I went to the Dr. and was put on Zoloft. I couldn’t figure out why I was so sad all the time. Why the people around me weren’t making me happy. I would cry myself to sleep just wanting to find happiness in my life. I loved my kids but they didn’t make me happy. My husband at the time worked a lot and so I thought it was because he was always gone and we would fight when he was home, so I just knew that was causing my sadness. I ended up getting off medication due to having cancer. Now I felt like I was on my own, nothing to help numb the pain. Fast forward a few years and I went through my divorce. I was alone many nights. I literally had a panic attack in Target because I didn’t know how to be alone. One night something shifted, I took a bath with candles, listening to music, had a glass of wine, read a book instead of turning on the TV, these were things that brought me joy. I realized I had been living for others, my family, my church family, my friends that I stopped living for myself. When I finally took the keys back to my happiness and figured out who I was and things that brought me joy life got better. It took a moment but when I realized I am the one responsible for me and my happiness I never looked for it in others. I create my own happiness and I try daily even when life is busy to slow down long enough to do something that helps me find the good in my life and I hope you slow down long enough to Find The Good In Your Life and take back your keys.

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Hello Again

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Hello Sunshines, it’s been a moment. Let’s just say 2020 happened, twice. I’ll talk about that a little later, but right now, it’s good to be back. How are you? Like many people, I dealt with depression, weight gain, sickness, loss of family and friends, and just the lack of get up and go. I really do celebrate those who took the last 2 years to better themself, get in shape and show up for themselves. I found myself watching and getting inspiration by people on TikTok (not sure how to post, but trying to figure it out). Besides Youtube it’s my favorite thing to watch. (Don’t judge me, this is a judgement free zone). I have written so many blogs, but they all remained in draft because “I just didn’t feel it” once I was done writing. However, something happened that made me realize it was time to be me again and get out of that shell I was in.

My ex-husband died from Covid. That slapped me in my face and in my heart. One of the last conversations he and I had was about time and family. He hoped he had more of it and wished he hadn’t spent so many years being angry because he realized he was angry at people he and I no longer were. We had a family dinner a month before he got sick and talked a few times after that trying to catch up on lost time. We were making plans for when he was going to come out next and we were going to celebrate our granddaughters birthday. We talked about doing another family dinner and just surprising the kids that we were all there and showing them that we really did move past all the anger we had towards one another. When he got sick, I really thought he would be ok, we all did. Unfortunately, I guess it was his time. I grieved so hard, and still have bad moments where I wish he could see the kids being amazing adults and parents. I was asked by someone “why are you so effected by your ex-husbands death?” I realized they had no clue because they had never been married or had children. They didn’t realize just because things didn’t workout between you and that person doesn’t mean that you didn’t still care for them. He was the father of my children, and their pain is also my pain. Plus, I lost someone I had just became friends with after many years of hurt and anger. I know you are thinking, “Aren’t you married?” Yes I am. To the most amazing man who held me for days/months as I cried and mourned the loss of Rohn. Matt is sitting across from me as I write this and smiles every time I wipe a tear because he knows that my words will help someone else one day. If I have taken anything from Rohn’s passing, it really is to not wait to live. He said when he got out of the hospital he was going to spend more time in California with the family and take care of himself better. So to that…

I have a friend who made a life change, he lost over 100 pounds. He said something in one of his posts that has stuck with me, he said “Commit to yourself“. I realized I was showing up for others and making commitments to others once again, and I had gotten into the past habit of not showing up for myself. I know back in the “old days” women put themselves last and our husbands and children came first. Thank God we figured out that we can’t show up for them at 100% if we don’t show up for ourselves first. It’s so important to make time for us, to commit to yourself first. We all know we are stuck with ourselves forever, so we might as well be the best us we can be, mentally, physically, and emotionally. So, I did it, I committed to myself. I decided that I would show up daily as my best self. I will work out and eat better, I will continue to grow as a person and I will heal from the things that once broke me.

I do not believe in New Years resolutions, but I do believe in change. Anyone can change if they want to. We usually change when there is a life changing event that happens. This time for me it was Rohn’s passing. I do not want to wish I would have done anything. I want to say “remember that time I did____.” I have always been the one who sees the good in everything and everyone, and for a moment I forgot who I was. My motto has always been, “if it’s not positive, uplifting and encouraging, it doesn’t need to be said.” I still believe that for myself. Any how, as I said, I’m back, and I hope you will enjoy reading my blogs, that I WILL post, because they are good enough (self talk is important). I hope you commit to yourself and Find The Good In Your Life, even in those dark moments, even if it takes a little time.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Overcoming · Uncategorized

Are You Happy?

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Good Morning Sunshines, it’s been a while . I have so much to catch you up on, but that won’t be today. Can you believe it’s 2020? I seriously had an OMG 😱 moment a few months ago when I realized that it was 2020 and how long ago 2000 was and what was I doing when we all thought the world would stop spinning that night. Any who, that’s not why I decided to blog today. I wanted to talk about happiness.

Are you happy? I am. But what is happiness? What makes you happy? This last 5 months I did a training with some people, and for everyone else there was a 4 week open invitation for everyone to watch on Find The Good In Your Life (Facebook and Insta). One of the things we focused on was Finding The Good In Your Life and finding happiness in all situations. Here are the top 5 questions my clients and people in general ask me about happiness. “Why is it so hard to be happy?” “What does happiness look like?” “Is joy and happiness the same thing?” “Is happiness different for everyone?” “Why are some people just always happy?”

Well, I’m happy to answer those for you ….

“Why is it so hard to be happy?” Most of the time it’s hard to be happy because we find ourselves either thinking about the past, wishing things could have been different or worrying about the the future. I have found when I live in the now I can find things to be thankful for, and when you are being thankful it’s hard to focus on the negative. (You will hear/read me saying this a lot.)

“What does happiness look like?” I truly believe it’s different for every person. Happiness does not mean all rainbows, unicorns and sunshine for everyone. For many people, happiness can just look and feel like contentment. What do I mean by contentment? It does not mean that you are not striving for more but that you are happy (content) at that moment.

“Is joy and happiness the same thing?” No. Joy is a peace that you have when you are good with you. Being able to accept yourself for who you are and where you are. It doesn’t mean you aren’t still trying to become a better version of you, it just means you have peace with where you are right now. Happiness is usually based on the situation, memory, “feeling” you have.

“Is happiness different for everyone?” Happiness is different for everyone based on life experience, and science also says some are born with more of the gene that causes happiness. Don’t use that as an excuse to why you’re not happy. They have found that even those who have less of this gene can still change their DNA in a way that they cannot tell you are lacking, but you must work on it. I do understand that there are people who have medical conditions that can cause depression that may need medication, but even those people can find happiness with work, maybe therapy or someone who has been studying happiness and the brain for years. (That’s why I am here. I have been doing this for years.)

“Why are some people just always happy?” Are you ready for the hard truth…? They choose to be. Yup, it all comes down to a choice . It doesn’t mean you won’t have bad days or things won’t go wrong, but when you decide you want to be happy and that you actually want to find joy and peace, you will work toward it like you never have before. You will learn what things bring you happiness. What you won’t settle for anymore. Maybe it means removing negative people and situations out of your life.

How are you feeling right now after reading that? I hope you feel hopeful. I want you to be happy, but more than anything I want you to have joy and to be able to Find The Good In Your Life in every situation. I’m here if you want/need to talk.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · Uncategorized

“You can still smell the roses and be on a mission” ~ India Arie (Beautiful Day)

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Hello Sunshines! Have you ever been so busy that you forget to have a life? I love the quote I used today from India because it’s a reminder that you can take a break and rest. I sometimes feel like people get so caught up in doing things that they never just sit and enjoy the moment. I am so guilty of this. My life was so full of stuff to do but I never felt like I was accomplishing anything, I was just repeating the same thing day after day. I was like a hamster on his wheel, going round and around. I’d get up go to work, come home, work some more, maybe watch tv, go to bed, repeat. I lived for the weekend, when I didn’t have to go into the office to work but instead could work from home, you know, and “spend time with the family.”

One day I realized this was happening and I decided I was done with that life. I didn’t get paid extra to work as hard as I was and I wasn’t going to move up any further in the company, I had hit my cap. I had to reevaluate what I was doing with my life. I had to take serious look at my life and what I wanted. I wanted to be a writer, I wanted to help people, and the job I was in was not getting me there. You know the story if you read my other blogs or follow me. I quit my job and wrote two best sellers. I just wrote book three of the series and am now working on a novel.

However, I found myself getting back in that rut even doing what I love. I love Find The Good In Your Life (Insta and FaceBook) doing videos and doing one on one coaching. I love writing. Seriously, I wish my brain would let me do more of it. But I found myself being so “busy” making sure I was being productive every day with every minute that I needed to stop for a moment, smell the roses and realize that this life is a journey, not the destination, and that I will get everything done that I’m supposed to get done, or it wasn’t meant to be. I had a talk with my hubby this morning about needing to take a step back from something I was planning on doing because I needed/wanted to focus on my novel more. It doesn’t mean the other thing won’t happen, it just means I will wait to accomplish that goal at a later date. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be too busy that I forget to live. I want to Find The Good In My Life every day, not just after I hit the goal.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Healthy Eating · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

80 Days To Slay

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“Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It’s a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment.” ~ Thomas Carlyle

Hello Sunshines! Long time no talk. There is only 80 more days till January 1, 2020. How are you going to end 2019? Not just 2019 but the end to this decade. I didn’t give it a lot of thought going from 1999 to 2000 or from 2010 to 2011. I take that back going from 1999 to 2000 everyone was worried about how computers would handle everything at midnight and would the world come to an end. I laugh at these things now, but back then, it was serious. We didn’t go out to celebrate, we stayed with family, you know “just in case”. Everything seems so different in my life from 2000 to now. When someone says 10 years ago, I still think the 90’s, 20 years ago I think the 80’s, boy am I off. So what has changed?

My Life almost feels like a blur for the past 40 plus years. No, I never did drugs. Why does it all seem to be coming into focus now? Is it because I can see my goals more clearly now than ever before? I almost feel like everything before now was just a “wish” with very little action. Then one day I woke up and realized how to actually put action behind those wishes and make them a reality. Tomorrow will be one year that I released my first book, and went #1. I have written 3 books (chapter books for elementary kids) this year and I’m now working on a novel to come out May of 2020. I’ve traveled, done some public speaking (not as much as I’d like to do) for Find The Good In Your Life, and have become healthier than I was before (not where I want to be).

But really, what changed? Why are those “wishes” becoming a reality? I seriously took action. I know what I want, and how I want it. I/We have 80 days left till 2020 and I am going to finish strong. I have some goals to still reach this year and I will accomplish them. One thing I have seriously wrestled with this year is discipline. The next 80 days will be me being disciplined with the things I need to do, to move forward. I said 2019 was all about “Expecting” 2020 will be the year of “Receiving” but I set my self and my family up to succeed by laying down a foundation to make those “wishes” a reality. It’s not too late. Right now, you can stop “wishing” and start doing. I want you to ask your self a serious question, “Am I only wishing things will get better or am I doing something to make it better?” Whatever, “IT” is, you can change it. Your health, your marriage, relationships, self discipline, work, whatever it is, let’s work together to Find The Good In Your Life. 

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · over coming

I Said F*@# It! But Like, The Real Word.

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Hello Sunshines! “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Ian Wallace

 

Have you ever felt like you had to hide who you are? I have, and because of it I dimmed my own light. I swore years ago I would not allow others to make me feel less than, but somewhere along the way I did. I felt like I had to dim my light as to not take away from some others or to upset others. When you walk into a new space and there is already a “flow” going, you try to slip into others’ flow so you don’t disrupt things. I’m a bit of a “boulder,” not a pebble, but because I didn’t want to change things I shrank myself. Do you know how much you take away from a boulder when you become a pebble? Too much! As a matter of fact, you may not even recognize yourself anymore by doing so. Another thing I did by shrinking myself was not share my joy because I was worried about hurting others’ feelings. Let me explain them both.

Let me start with what I mean by hiding my joy. I have told you I was married before. Well, we still have mutual “friends,” and any time I said or did anything it would get back to my ex. This became hard on me, so I almost felt like I had to live my life in secret. I also never wanted to cause my ex any more stress or (not sure of the best word here) anything bad, but it seemed that the memories of me hurt him so I dimmed my light/happiness and things I wanted to share because of it. Why? Because I don’t like hurting people (a.k.a people pleaser). I did this with friends who had bad marriages. I wouldn’t talk about how awesome and amazing my marriage is because I didn’t want to make them feel bad. But inside all I wanted to do was share with everyone that I had an amazing life, great husband, amazing kids, and I am happy. But people would make comments like “no one is really that happy, that’s just your instagram life, why do you always brag?” Seriously, I am that happy. We are that much in love. And my kids really are that awesome and they are our best friends now and I’m proud of that…ok I digress….

So, becoming a pebble when you are a boulder. I am thankful I have been able to work in Corporate America. I was also one of the only women sitting at a table full of men. When it came to the pissing contest, I had to “sit down” (pun intended). It did not matter that I came in with more experience than most people at the table or room, it was going to be their way because “this is the way it has always been done.” When sharing new ideas of how to change things or make them more efficient you are told you are confrontational because you give push back. My favorite is “you are so passionate, but can you bring it down some.” And even better, being told you are “too corporate” in every day life when you try to bring order. So I gave up, shrank myself, sit in quietness because I get tired of trying until I no longer have any passion because I have become a grain of sand or my light is about to go out. So what do you do….What did I do?

I said F*@# it! No seriously I did. I think I said the real word as a matter of fact. I let the things I was once passionate about go because I wasn’t able to be me. I have always known you can be a leader without having the title of a leader. You can influence people more by just being you. I tried so hard to fit in because I didn’t see other people like me, until I did. I asked them, “How do you not dull your shine?” They let me know it’s because they get around others who are like-minded. They don’t always have the same vision, but they cheer them on none the less. YES! “Where do I get some of these people?” I thought. They let me know they would show themselves. Boy did they! There were people I thought for sure would be in my corner rooting me on but they were like ghost. I have barely heard “boo” from them and I see them weekly. Then there were people I hadn’t talked to in years who were cheering for me harder than my own family. Seriously, my heart couldn’t handle the love. Slowly, I started to see the old me again. I had to let go of some past hurts and disappointments before I fully saw who I am and what I should be doing. (Yes, I’m about to plug my stuff right here with no apologies). I finished that book, and book two is almost done. I decided it was time that I didn’t hide the fact that I have been so blessed and started a Vlog with my husband. We are far from perfect but we have a pretty incredible marriage and how we got here I feel like a lot of people could learn from it. Also, I’m happy. Why should I hide that? I’m sorry (not sorry) that my happiness makes you uncomfortable. I don’t feel I should have to apologize for it. I know what you are thinking, “This has been you dulled?” YES! And if you have dulled your light, I’m here to help you like I was helped. I found it (again) and it’s time you also Find The Good In Your Life! Shine on!

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · over coming

This Is Not A Dress Rehearsal

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Good Morning Sunshines! “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. ” – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

We have all said it, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Somehow tomorrow never comes. I’ve told you about my best friends growing up. There were 5 of us, until there wasn’t. Mel was coming home from a Halloween party when a drunk driver hit her and took her life away too early… she was only 18. She had her whole life ahead of her and it was taken. She didn’t get the chance to do the things we all get to do and take for granted, including me. I don’t tell you that to be a downer, I tell you that because I want you to realize we are not promised tomorrow. There are no do-overs. There are things we can’t get back. We can’t get back time or words. Be careful with them both.

I have told y’all before I listen to a lot of podcasts and try to read a lot, so there are two things that Steve Jobs has said that rings over and over in my head. The first, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” And the second, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

I am not telling you to go to work next week and put in your notice. However, I will tell you to figure out what that passion is and start doing it. It may be part time for now until you can make it your full time thing. It may never become a full time, pay the bills thing you get to do, but how much happier are you that you get to do something that brings you joy. Most people will come home, eat, and then sit in front of the tv. That is probably not bringing you the joy you are looking for. If you are one of the few who actually get paid to do what you love, congratulations, that’s awesome. But if you aren’t, then I want you to be honest with yourself. What are you waiting for? Buy the camera and take the pictures. Take the art classes. Try out for the play. Sing in your church choir. Write the book. Bake the cookies/cupcakes. Take a dance class. Start the business. We don’t get a do-over. This life is not a dress rehearsal. We get one chance to do it right. I know I felt like I had to put my dreams on hold while my kids were growing up. I wish someone had told me it’s ok to not put your dreams on hold. I think my kids would have had a better childhood if they had a parent who was living her best life. They would have seen a joy in me because I had an outlet instead of a parent who was stressed because I felt the need to live up to other peoples’ standards. I am thankful that I stopped waiting. Now it’s your turn. Go for it! You can do anything you want! Live your best life and Find The Good In Your Life.

 

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Healthy Eating · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

September Is The New January

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NPP Delta II LaunchHello Sunshines! “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” Meister Eckhart

Happy New Year!!! I know you’re thinking I’ve lost my mind. It’s been 9 months since you made your 2018 New Years resolution….How’s it going? I know I fell off track some. I said I would write daily and post weekly. Well, y’all know that didn’t happen. I was going to start Vlogging… ummm, I’m scared of the camera. I wanted to work out at least 5 times a week and lose 20 pounds. LOL, now I only need to lose 25 pounds. I wanted to finish my book by May… well, I didn’t finish it till July.

What were your goals in January? How did you get off track? Was it the holidays, spring break, summer, vacations, the kids? This is why I said September is the new January. The kids are all back in school tomorrow. The next big holiday is 2 1/2 months away. Think of all the things you can do if you truly focus for the next 2 months. You’ll also be ahead of all those people who don’t start till January. Why do we wait to start? I know so many people feel like Monday is the best time to start because it’s the start to a new week. However, I’m going to challenge you to just start or pick back up where you left off. Don’t wait till next Monday, start tomorrow. Heck, start today! Whatever the goal is that you had in mind for this year it can still be accomplished, this year.

Tonight I want you to write down your to do list for tomorrow. Make sure to include those things you wanted for yourself. You may have to get up earlier. I promise you if you get up before everyone else to do what you want to do, it will set the mood in a positive way for you. Tomorrow morning when your alarm goes off, do not hit the snooze. I want you to count backwards… 5,4,3,2,1 and then get up like a rocket ship (listen to Mel Robbins- Outsmart Your Brain to fully understand why this works) You have a 5 second window to make decisions to change your life. Tomorrow morning will you decide today is the day or will you continue to let your dreams not come to life in 2018?

September is my January! I am writing again. My first children’s book is done. The second will be complete by the end of the year and I have other things in the works too. What is it that you said you were going to do but got sidetracked? Really, I want to know! That business you wanted to start, DO IT! I’m waiting to hear how you decided that this 4th quarter was going to be the best part of your year. I believe in you and I believe that this September you will Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

Adjusting To The Dark

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Good Morning Sunshines! “Just like our eyes, our hearts have a way of adjusting to the dark.” – Adam Stanley

It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote but I have been thinking about this for a while. I was telling my hubby one night as I was walking upstairs in the dark that I realized I closed my eyes until I got to the light switch in our room. I asked him if he did the same. He said no, that he can see in the dark. You can see in the dark? Then I started leaving my eyes open in the dark and my eyes would adjust after a few minutes. I knew this was a thing, but all of a sudden I had a revelation to other things in life.

Being in the dark and letting our eyes adjust is a metaphor for so many things. I was having coffee one morning with a young lady who said, “When you’ve been in the dark for so long, your eyes start to adjust.” I almost fell out of my seat. She had no idea I had been thinking about this blog, not even sure she reads my blogs. But here it was again, our eyes adjusting to the dark. I realized it was “US” lying to ourselves. It could be the smallest thing but we soon adjust. My morning routine got thrown out the window the last few weeks while I planned an event. I would still read my bible and pray but it was kind of rushed. I even missed a few days. I didn’t work out, I didn’t write, and it was becoming ok because I was doing “something important.” The truth is, I was adjusting. I had lied to myself saying I will get back my “normal” when the crazy is over, where in reality I should have kept my “normal” and adjusted everything else to go with my lifestyle. However, my eyes were adjusting to the dark, my new “normal,” and I didn’t even notice til now. How did I notice I was living in the dark and had just adjusted my eyes?

On the morning of the event I knew it was going to be a crazy day so I grabbed my journal, and as I read my Bible that morning I went to write down what I was reading and feeling and saw it had been 3 weeks that I hadn’t journaled. WHAT!?!? How did that happen? I knew right then I needed to throw on the light switch and get back to what I knew to be true and what my “normal” was. I still had crazy going on for a few more days and because I had let myself adjust to the dark, it was taking me a minute to adjust to the light. Think about it; when you have been in a movie and walk outside, your eyes had gotten so used to the dark, you throw your hand up to protect your eyes, you squint, you have to get used to what was your norm all over again. So this week, little by little, I have been readjusting to the light and getting back to my norm.

Have you started to accept things in your life as “normal” because you let your eyes adjust to the dark? It could be as simple as mine, or it could be like my past of an abusive marriage where I thought “normal” was the words that were spoken to me, or the addiction of my mother. Those things were my “normal” until someone showed me that I had been living in the dark and had adjusted my eyes to see what I wanted in the dark. I hope today you can readjust your eyes and start seeing in the light again and Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

Where Did You Go?

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img_3385Good Morning Sunshines! “Do not allow negative people to turn you into one of them” ~ Anonymous

Have you ever woken up one morning and wondered what happened to you? How did I get here? I just had that morning. I woke up wondering how I allowed someone to speak into my life so much that they made me negative. Let me stop right there. They didn’t make me negative, how I responded to them made me negative. They drive me crazy but I still put myself in a position to allow them to speak into me in a way that is bothersome. I’ve never had this challenge before. I have always been able to remove negative out of my life. This is the first time I’m choosing to stay for the sake of the bigger picture, but now I have to figure out how to deal with what is happening and how I will respond. So I go to what I teach other people.

Use the grocery store method. When you go to the grocery store you only take what you need. You never need everything in the store, so leave those things there. I’m sure there is some positive I can walk away with, so that’s what I’ll do. Remember, everyone is in different places in their walks of life. Just because they aren’t where you are doesn’t mean they aren’t growing. View this as an opportunity for you to grow also. You may be stretched out of your comfort zone right now, and that’s ok. What can you learn while you are going through this? Do not complain to others! Trust me, I know this one is hard. If you have one person you counsel with or a spouse you can talk to, talk to them. However, the last thing you want to do is be known as the person who is always complaining. Especially if you know this someone (boss, co-worker, friend, family member) is bothering everyone else too, it can be hard not to entertain the venting conversations with others. However, if things get too bad and it starts to affect your health and mental well being, it may be time to break ties, find a new job, and/or cut people off.

So, I’m walking away with this today. I will not allow anyone to cause me to lose me. I am a positive, uplifting and encouraging person. That’s what I love to do. And who I love to be. I want to be that person that people enjoy to be around because I uplift their day. I never want anyone to run away from me because I am negative. As I continue to read, listen to podcast and learn from others who have walked where I am going, I am thankful for those who continue to help me Find The Good In My Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

It’s Not Too Late

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Good Morning Sunshines! “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” George Elliot

Imagine you are 100 years old and you are laying in bed taking your last breaths and standing around your bed was not your family and friends but instead, it was all of your hopes, dreams, visions and talents you were given but never used. The books you never wrote because you were too worried about what others would think. The business you didn’t start because no one else could understand your vision, so they talked you out of your dream. The trip you never took because it was “never the right time.” The family you never had because you needed everything to be “just right” before you could do that. How would you feel knowing these things were going to die with you? I know this might sound a bit morbid, but the truth is that no one can do what you can do.

I lived in limbo for years of the things I wanted to do for myself. I would use my kids as an excuse. I would tell myself, “When they are grown up I will do the things I want to do.” Well they grew up, got married, and I still waited. What was I was waiting for? A few years ago when I had my strokes and was working way too much I knew, this is not the life I want to be living. What was going to change and how was I going to do it? I quit my job and started writing my first of many children’s books, but just couldn’t finish them. I have been doing other things too. Started a new company with my hubby, but he does most of the work for that. I help when I can. Very active at church. I spend most of my time there. However, knowing what my “calling” is and not fulfilling it was really getting to me.

So, what was I going to do? I had to think what made me come alive? What did I want to be when I grew up? I know this might sound funny to some, but I loved the show Sex and the City. To me it was a great show about friendships, and anyone who knows me knows I love, love and friendship. I’ll watch anything about friendships (including cartoons). So, while watching this show I would love watching Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw. She would write an article for a newspaper and every time she did it made something in me stir. I knew I wanted/needed to write. Yes, every time I write my blog I think of Carrie Bradshaw. My articles will probably never be like hers, but I love the writing. I also knew I needed to write the children’s books because my kids would tell me when they were little they couldn’t find my stories in the library and they needed to know what happened next. So, I did it. I started writing my blog, channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw. But, the most exciting thing, I finished my first book. Doing some rewrites right now, but it’s done. The moral to this story, it’s never too late, unless you are laying on your death-bed, to follow your dreams and live out the life you always believed you should have. What makes you come alive? What do you want to be when you grow up? Now it’s your turn to start living for you and Find The Good In Your Life.

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Discipline

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Good Morning Sunshines! “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” ~Jim Rohn

I have been writing a piece called being a crockpot in a microwave world. I hated it! I deleted it! I also cleared out the other 12 that I haven’t published because they just weren’t good enough. Have you ever just been working on something and said “NO!” I have in the past, been working on a project for months and trashed it and started over when It was due in the next few days. Seriously I have no idea where this is going today…

Discipline, I am not a fan of the definition that is given in the dictionary, they all sound so harsh (the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience😧). I think of discipline as practicing a specific desired behavior.

I had to have mind shift the last few days. I had a “belly ache” last weekend. You may think that’s not a big deal. Well, when you have the GI challenges like I do, you know, this is a big deal. I did it to myself. I won’t tell you how many doughnuts I ate, but it was just wrong. After being hospitalized for this almost a year ago you would think I had learned. But apparently I needed one more reminder before getting it. I would try to start eating healthy, but then I would say “I lack discipline” to give up the sugar, cake, donuts, sweets in general. I was listening to a podcast and, what was it on, but discipline. As I was listening to this I realized, I didn’t lack discipline. I am disciplined. I get up every morning at about the same time, with no alarm clock needed, I read, I journal, I have a To Do List, I know my Why, I workout several times a week, I get my work done in a timely manner. So what the heck!?!? I have literally spoken to groups of people about being disciplined but never when it came to this… eating healthy.

So, what happened you asked? I had a wake-up call. After listening to the podcast on discipline, I listened to Warren Buffet in one of his podcasts. He was asking the kids, “If I told you I would buy you any car you wanted and when you left today it would be outside waiting on you when you left, you would ask me what the catch is. The catch is, it’s the only car you get for the rest of your life. How would you take care of it?” The kids were saying they would take great care of it, getting regular oil changes, putting the best gas in it, and take the best care of it. Then Warren Buffet had a drop the mic moment, he said, “Well, I’m here to tell you this is the only body you get, take care of it!”  I realized it wasn’t that I wasn’t disciplined, it was I was lacking my WHY. I have always had a why when I do anything. Yes, I knew this was my only body I would get, but hearing it like that was a smack in the face. What was going to happen when I had grandkids who lived here and were over every day and they wanted me to run around with them? I know that when I eat sugar the inflammation that happens in my body is serious. So, I found my why and I decided to make a change. I know I can be disciplined in all areas of my life, including food. Yup, it’s hard just like it was waking up every morning and following my morning routine. But I found when you want something bad enough, you will find a way. I want to be healthy and be an example for my family and others. It’s why I do anything I do, to help others. I always want to help you Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

T.M.I. Friday – Me

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Image-1-3Good Morning Sunshines! “I’m a big believer that your life is basically a sum of all the choices you make. The better your choices, the better the opportunity to lead a happy life.” ~Karen Salmansohn

T.M.I. Friday – Me. So the blog I wrote yesterday is not what I decided to publish today. In my “to be published” are 9 things that I’ve written lately and then changed my mind for whatever reason, deciding not hit the publish button. So, what am I going to talk about if it wasn’t that bit from yesterday…..

Three rules I try to live by….One: At an early age I remember my grandma telling me, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.” Little did I know she was quoting Thumper from Bambi. However, this rule has stuck with me most of my life. Did you know it’s possible to see something on social media and not reply to it? It is! You can scroll right on by. Trust me, I have written out my fair share of “I can’t believe you just said that” responses and then deleted them. Mainly because I can still hear my grandma asking me “Was that nice?”

Two: Never Mess With Anyone’s Family or Money. In one of our business ventures we weren’t making a profit. We made enough to make sure our employees could get paid but not really us. This was a struggle. Knowing that one day this wouldn’t be a challenge we continued to push forward. We also knew if you treated people the way you would like to be treated, most of them would do the same, so we were great to our employees. Needing to leave the store early one night, we asked one of our people if she could close up for us. “Sure, no problem,” she said. Well the next day we get to the store and find out she had sex in our back room and cleaned our petty cash to order food. We left her alone for what should have been 15 minutes and she was there for hours doing us wrong. Needless to say, she was fired. We didn’t really have the money to pay her to stay longer, but we sacrificed and took from our family to make sure she had what she needed, only to have her “screw” us over. All I could think was, “You took from my family.” I had to refer to rule one in order to not call her out of her name and stick to the facts.

Three: Always be Positive, Uplifting and Encouraging. I guess this kind of goes with rule one, but I think it deserves its own rule. We never know what someone is going through, so to say something positive, uplifting or encouraging to them could really change their day. But not only to others, but also ourselves. When my kids were little, and probably still now, if they said anything mean about themselves or their sibling I would make them say 3 nice things. I know for all the negative that we hear it takes a lot more positive to undo the negative. So if you are like I was, saying things are negative about yourself, you need to say at least 3 positives about yourself to overcome that. What you say to yourself can be even more damaging than what that bully in your life would say. It’s ok to say you are amazing, you are an overcomer, you are going to kick butt in this new business (even if others say you can’t, show them you can). You do not need to believe what others, or even you, have said in the past. You can rewrite your own story. I have! (I’ll save that soap box for another day) However, today as you get to know me a little better, I hope I help you Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · technoligy · Uncategorized

What Are You Doing With Your Time?

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clockGood Morning Sunshines! “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” ~ Steve Jobs

Time is no respecter of person. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, you get the same amount. You can’t buy more time. You can’t borrow from tomorrow’s and you can’t take back what you “waisted” yesterday. No matter what happens or what family you are born into, you get the same 24 hours as everyone else. How are you using it?

This morning when Elon Musk or Warren Buffett woke up they were not granted more hours in their day because of how productive they were in the past. I do not know them, but something tells me they probably didn’t binge watch something on Netflix yesterday.

While I was researching how different people use their time I found a common denominator for those who are most productive and wealthy. It’s how they were using their time that really mattered. I don’t know about you, but I had always heard, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” or “Sleep is for broke people.” Actually, that is quite opposite of what I was reading and the podcast I watched. “They” (those who are where I want to be) said sleep was important. You can only make so many good decisions a day and without a good 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night you may make a costly mistake. Going to bed early so you can wake up early was actually recommended. The most productive hours in the day are first thing in the morning, if you use them right. So I listened to what they said and started using my morning time more wisely. I know I’ve talked about this before but I think it’s worth repeating. First thing in the morning, give to you. For me that looks like, reading my bible, praying, journaling, reading, writing my blog or working on my book and then working out. That is my first few hours of my day. I was feeling pretty good about how I was spending my mornings and my routine. Then things got a little trickier.

What did they do with the rest of their day? It looked like a lot of research, meetings, making decisions, returning emails (but only twice a day, that is important because you can get caught up answering emails every 5 minutes depending on what you do) giving back to the community, investing in people, teaching, learning. I got excited! Investing in people, that’s what I do! How were they doing that? One of the things that all these people said and had in common was they are always reading and learning from others so they can pour into others. Yes! They all spent at least an hour a day reading and learning from others. Even Warren Buffett said he still learns something new every day. The other thing that these people had in common was not only had they established a morning routine, they had a night routine. For some it was tuning out the world and reading and writing things they were thankful for that day. One thing they all said was before bed they would journal down their goals, and make a “To Do” list for the next day. This always kept their why in front of them and helped keep their dream alive.

For some people being a millionaire may not be your thing. I have a friend whose goal right now is to be the best mom and wife she can be. As she and I talked about all this for the past few weeks, she set goals on how she would do this and she saw a change in her house and family. She found there was less stress in the house. What had changed? She was taking the first and last part of the day for her and not feeling guilty that she needed a moment. She said becoming a morning person was a huge change for her, but she found that it made a difference when she started they day off right. Setting a routine for her kids and herself helped make things run smoother. She says she is able to be a better wife because she isn’t feeling so stressed, and when her husband comes home she is able to enjoy that time with him and not feel like she needs to be rescued from the chaos that was her life.

My point, time is precious. How are you using it? Do you need help on how to manage your time? I’m here to help you, if you need it. We are all given the same amount. Are you going to use it to help you Find The Good In Your Life?

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · Uncategorized

T.M.I. Friday – My Hubby

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Good Morning Sunshines! “Let a wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.” ~ Martin Luther

T.M.I. Friday….Let me tell ya about my Hubby! He is my best friend and one of the strongest men I’ve ever known. We fell in love because of the common goals we had in life and our love for poker. It amazes me how he will say “I’m going to do ______”, and do it. His will power is amazing. I will get jealous because he has no problem giving up food or starting something new and sticking to it. Discipline is not something he lacks. I’m very attracted to his mind. I have been told that this is called sapiosexual. (A sapiosexual is someone who finds sexual stimulation from the way a person’s mind works. It means you literally are attracted to intelligence.) Yup, I find it very sexy!

One of the things I love most is his heart. He says he lacks empathy and there has been times where this has been shown, but with strangers. However when it comes to family and close friends I have seen him love unconditionally. One of my favorite things he does is, when I’m having a moment because I have given out so much he will speak words of affirmation over me. We call this “Good Stuff”. There are times when I will come up to him and say, “Babe, I need good stuff,” and he will speak back life into me. He will say things like, “You are an amazing wife, friend and mother. I love how you love on people.” Things like that. I am thankful that I have someone who will speak love into me, because the world does not always do that.

I still get butterflies when I know he’s on his way home, like when I knew he was on his way over to pick me up for a date. I still see fireworks every time we kiss and my knees go weak. When he holds my hand it calms me like nothing and no one could. We call our bed our island. When we are there nothing and no one can get to us. This is our safe place where we can have conversations, “pillow talk,” that might be hard to have, but in this safe place we have made life changing decisions. I am so thankful that I have my best friend to walk through life with. I get excited thinking about all the places we will go together and all the things we get to do together. I plan to live to be 101 and when we are looking back at our lives and still holding hands I will forever be grateful that I did it all with him. My hubby is some of the best Good In My Life.

 

Entrepreneur · family · gratitude · Inspirational · mind set · over coming · Uncategorized

Don’t Wish It Away

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dancing in the rainGood Morning Sunshines! “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn the past, worry about the future or to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” ~ Buddha

Have you ever found yourself wishing for the next thing? When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to be a teenager . When I was a teen, I couldn’t wait to be out of high school. When I was single, I couldn’t wait to be married. When I had one child, I couldn’t wait for more. When I had to get up in the middle of the night to feed them, I couldn’t wait for them to sleep through the night. Now that I can look back on it, I believe I couldn’t wait for them to get older too. My heart sinks at the thought of how much time I waisted on wishing for the next thing and not enjoying the now.

I look at my family as they are growing up and are married, one with a baby, and wish I had that time back to sit on the floor and play with them instead of wishing they were older and could help me clean. I think about my friends who I don’t get to spend time with because we all have our own lives and some of us don’t live close by. I remember my grandma telling me to enjoy the moment because they will go by so fast. It is now that I truly understand this.

What am I trying to say? I challenge you to stop wishing away the day but instead embrace it. Take every part of your day and remember you will not get this day back. Go outside today and feel the sunshine on your face. If it’s raining, go outside and dance in the rain. Don’t worry about tomorrow or even the next hour, just be in the moment. Today, sit a little longer with a friend, hold your baby while they nap, call someone you miss. For those of you who enjoy your work, (that’s awesome) remember that. When it’s getting you frustrated and you want to throw in the towel, remember why you started doing what you are doing. Remind yourself of your why! Tomorrow is a new day and you may fail today at these things and wish you could be doing something else, and that’s ok. Keep trying every day till you can Find The Good In Your Life and in every moment.

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Petrified In Fear

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hands-in-chainsGood Morning Sunshines! “Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real.” ~ Unknown

Have you ever been petrified in fear? Have you ever felt like it didn’t matter what you did it was going to be wrong, so you decided doing nothing would be better? Have you ever woken up and known that you were failing everyone around you by not doing what you were called to do, but it was easier to do the safe thing, because failing again was something you didn’t want to risk? Have you ever thought, “No one will notice if I give up?” Have you ever thought, “It’s just not worth it?” I have! It was literally so bad I did nothing. When I say I did nothing, I mean I did nothing. I laid in bed all day being the most unproductive self I could be. It got to the point that I couldn’t even look myself in the mirror and ask, “What are you doing?” because I didn’t want to face the truth. I wanted to give up because I was scared.

The second day of “feeling” this way I knew I had to do something because this was not me. I got up and showed up, but didn’t post. I knew I had to go through the motions even if I didn’t “feel” like it. I did this for 8 days. “What the heck Maria!?!? Seriously, this is your soap box. You are everyone’s cheerleader for their dreams, you speak life into them when they have doubt and fear, do it for yourself.”  I had always told people to be careful of your “feelings” because some days you will “feel” love and another dislike, just remember why you started. Have you ever found it easier to root for someone else than yourself? Ya, me too. I knew this is not where I wanted to stay. I had to find my way out of this “feeling”.  But how?

I had to remind myself of my why. I went back and reread my personal journals of why I must not quit. I listened to more podcasts than ever before. I read more than I ever have before. I talked to a friend I trusted who I knew would understand but push me forward. I started speaking life back into myself and writing my goals back down. Going through the process I knew worked for me and had gotten me to where I was. I became thankful for where I was, but knew that is not where I wanted to stay. It’s ok if you fail. It means you’re doing something. I have to remind myself its a stepping stone to where I am going. So once again, I got up, showed up, and reminded myself to go Find The Good In My Life.

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Are You The CEO Of Your Own Life?

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Good Morning Sunshines! “The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.” ~ Irene C Kassorla

Are you the CEO of your own life? One of my favorite movies is The Holiday. In this movie one of the actresses is going through some things and someone asked her, “Why are you not being the leading lady in your own life?” This struck a chord with me. I was not the lead in my own life. I allowed everyone and everything else to take precedence over me. I knew something had to change. There were so many things I wanted to do for myself but I made everyone else the priority. I knew I had to find a way to change it.

Change, UGH! I swear it should be a four letter word. I wanted it, I needed it. I had to have it. How was I going to get it? Every morning I had to fight a war against myself to get up and show up. If I could do this for a job, why couldn’t I do it for me? Every day I fight against procrastination, laziness, fear, doubt, so I can become the person I want to be. I get up earlier so I can do the things I want for me, before I do for others. I needed to take control of my life and the only way I could was first thing in the morning before the rest of the world demanded from me. It’s ok if you’re working for someone else, the question is, did you do for you before you did for them?

Every night before I go to bed, I look in the mirror and ask myself, “Were you the CEO of your own life today?” Most days I say “Yes!” I am proud of who I am becoming because I chose to take control of my life. I decided that making healthy habits for myself and not allowing others to dictate my life and happiness made me a better person not just for me but for everyone I encountered. Today I want you to ask yourself, “Am I the CEO of my own life?” If the answer is no, let’s find a way to change it so you can get The Good In Your Life.

 

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Don’t Let Your Mind Whisper Fear Into Your Heart

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determination-to-succeed.jpgGood Morning Sunshines! “Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals.” ~ LL Cool J

I can talk my self out of anything. I’ll put something in my cart but by the time I get to the checkout I have decided not to get it, even though my husband will tell me to buy it. I am the queen at rationalizing why I don’t need something. Have you ever been so excited about something you want to do, a new goal, but then you start to find ways why it won’t work instead of why it will work? In the past I have been so excited about a project that I’m about to take on and the next thing I know I’m no longer excited about it. I will tell myself, “I’m going to work out at least 3 to 5 times a week. Everyone knows you never miss a Monday. Well, actually, I can’t on Mondays because I’m so tired from Sunday, and I can’t go Tuesdays because I have an early meeting…” Next thing you know you’re paying for a gym membership you don’t actually use. My favorite thing I have talked myself out of in the past is eating healthy. “Well it’s the holidays, it’s this person’s birthday, got to eat cake. I don’t want to answer questions about why I decided to become a vegetarian so I’ll just eat meat to keep everyone off my back from telling me why it’s a bad idea, even though I feel it’s best for me.” I would talk myself out of things out of fear of failing.

I decided not to talk myself out of things anymore. How was  I going to do this, when I am the Queen of it? In the beginning, I found that if I wrote out a Pro and Con list, that helped. If I found someone to be accountable to, that helped me. Sometimes it also helped that other person because you don’t want to let them down. However, my friends knew I was a pushover when it came to working out so I had to pay a trainer. You don’t mess with my money, I’ll be there! But when it came to my writing or a new business opportunity, I found talking to that one person I knew who could help me remember even when I’m not “feeling it” was the best thing for me. I’m thankful that for me that’s my hubby. He helps me remember the excitement I had about something. However, the one thing that I found that works 100% of the time is this… just to do it. When it comes down to it, I am only responsible for myself, and if I want something bad enough, nothing and nobody can talk me out of it, including myself. I have to remind myself, “Don’t let your mind whisper fear into your heart.” When I want something bad enough, nothing will stop me. The next time you start to hear “you can’t do that” or “it’ll never work,” ask yourself, “Is that your heart or your mind?” Listen to your heart. Stop being rational about everything and get passionate about YOU! Let’s start having passion about our life. I promise this will help you to Find The Good In Your Life.

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Walking Past Abundance

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focus

Good Morning Sunshines! “I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, happy and I am loved.” ~Reba McEntire

Where are you looking? When things are not going the way you wish they were, are you focusing on the lack? I remember being a single mom, living in a one bedroom make-shift apartment with my kids. Our “sofa” was two twin mattresses stacked on top of each other that we would pull apart at night for them to sleep on in the living room floor. To the outside world this probably looked like lack. To us, this was true happiness. There was peace in the house. We would sit at the table and eat dinner together and laugh and not worry about things that had happened before.

When you focus on your lack, you have to walk past your abundance to get to your lack. When you keep focusing on what you don’t have you aren’t being grateful for what you do have. Don’t get me wrong, there were days in that little apartment when all I could do was pray that one day soon I would be able to afford a bigger place where my kids actually have their own rooms. However, I found that when I changed my mindset about where I was in life and was grateful for what I DID have, it made life a lot easier. There are things in my life I am still working toward every single day, but I do not let it steal my joy from today. I refuse to walk past my abundance to look for the lack. Can you share with me three things you are grateful for right now? I hope you can look at your abundant blessings in your life right now and Find The Good In Your Life .