Finding Your Why.

What is your why?

Everyone has one -it is a purpose or belief that drives us, every single day.

What is your purpose?
What makes you come alive?
How will you measure your life?

Knowing your why is an important first step in figuring out how to achieve your goals and create a life you enjoy living. The life you’ve always dreamed about. When you know your ‘why’ you’ll find the inner courage (that’s always been there) to take risks, stay motivated during the difficult times, and to move your life into a more exciting, challenging, and rewarding direction.

It’s important you aren’t sitting still in your right now.
It’s important you are making moves, no matter how small they may be.
It’s important to figure out your purpose and plan.

And it all doesn’t have to happen right now. You can take the time to figure it out. It is going to be a trial and error process. You are going to make mistakes along the way. You may question your ‘why’, your purpose, your plan, and all of that is okay. That’s what this life journey is all about. Take it one day at a time.

But if you are finding yourself stuck and unsure I encourage you to just start today. Start right where you are. Start understanding your ‘why’ and living it out every single day. Stop waiting for tomorrow. Stop waiting for a sign. Stop wishing. Just start doing.

Take the time each morning and evening to sit down with your ‘why’.
Answer the questions above and feel free to adjust your responses as needed.

Remind yourself why you are doing.
Remind yourself of your purpose.
Remind yourself of your plan.
Remind yourself of where you thrive the most.
Remind yourself of what makes you happy.

Mindset is key in realizing and understanding your ‘why’.
Negativity won’t get you to where you are going.
Positivity changes it all and will propel you forward.

Make today the day. Make today the day you change your life.
Make today the moment you decide to live. You’ve totally got this.

Conquer

You go through it.
You heal.
You grow.
You conquer.

There is life after pain, heartbreak and suffering.
There is life after failure, disappointment and struggle.
There is life after hitting rock bottom.

Life has a way of working out in your favor, always.
Sometimes you just have to work a little hard and fight a little longer to find your way back to the light.
Find your way back to the life you know is yours and that you deserve.

I’ve been through it. I’ve been through the pain.
I’ve been broken and bruised (physically and emotionally).
I’ve been helpless and hopeless. I’ve been lost and scared.
But if there is one thing I know to be true, you never have to stay there.

There is help out there for you. You just have to be able to admit you need help.
You have to come to terms with where you are at and figure out what it is you have to do. For you.
And that’s a problem we tend to have. We don’t like asking for help. We don’t like admitting we messed up, we made a mistake. We don’t like showing our weaknesses. We don’t like feeling like we are the only ones who couldn’t get it right.

That was a problem I had and it is something that held me back. It held me back for 3 long years.
It held me back from living the life God had called me to live.
It held me back from going after my dreams and goals.
It held me back from being my most authentic self.
It held me back from a lot of things this life had to offer me.

How did I come out on the other side and how do I know you can do it too?
By the 4 simple steps I have laid out over these last 4 weeks…

-Go through it.
-Heal
-Grow
-Conquer

All of these steps are absolutely possible but they can be scary, and I get that.
But you have to start somewhere.
It starts with reaching out and asking for help.
It starts with admitting you took a wrong turn and it doesn’t mean it’s your fault.
It starts with knowing you deserve better.

We all go through something that changes us. That calls us on a different path.
That shows up who we are and what we are really made of. We all face challenges.
Life is no walk in the park. Not for one single person.
Don’t let social media fool you on that one.

Conquering life’s challenges and missteps begins with the moment you got through it, you start to heal from it and grow into the person you know you were meant to be.

This isn’t easy and trust me, I know from experience.
But remember, you are not alone. You are wanted.
You are needed. You are cared for. You are valued.
Don’t let the world and the darkness take this life away from you.

You were meant for so much more.
Keep fighting. Keep working. Keep being you.

There is life after all the bad shit that happened to you. You only need to go through it, heal, grow and conquer. Take it one day at a time. One step at time. You are so worthy of a beautiful life.

How do I know this?

Because I am living proof that through all the bad shit you can always come out on top.
You can always rise from the ashes and make this the life you know you deserve.

*If you or someone you know is going through domestic abuse, there is help out there for you or them. Visit www.thehotline.org for all the resources you need or if it is an emergency please dial 911. Nobody deserves to be mistreated. Don’t wait until it is too late.

Creating Healthy Habits.

“What are ways I can better myself?”
”How can I finally reach my goals?”
”Is it even possible?”
”Why does it feel like I am getting nowhere?”

Oh sweet friend, anything is possible including your dreams, goals and ambitions. Nothing is too big, too much or too distant for you to reach, achieve and maintain. I promise you that.

You start by creating healthy habits; habits that you stick with even when they seem redundant and time-consuming. And guess what? This may not be what you want to hear. This may not be what you came looking for but…creating healthy habits is NOT easy. Nothing worth having comes easy. You are going to have to put in some serious time, commitment and effort into making your life the most it can be. The most it should be. The most you deserve.

Every morning I wake up at 6:00 am (I know, WHAT THE HECK and also, healthy habit #1 being created here so keep reading). It was hard at first -not pushing snooze and saying, “forget it” and going back to bed. I did this on more than one occasion. But it soon started becoming a habit and I soon started seeing the benefits of waking up early. I felt more productive throughout the day and I was better able to prioritize my life. Who doesn’t want to get it all together and not feel rushed throughout the day?!

After waking up, I sit down with my cup of coffee and write down 5 things I am grateful for. It can be from the day before, it can be from just that morning or it can be whatever. There are no rules for this healthy habit #2. Starting your day with a grateful mind and heart can make a world of difference for you mind, body and spirit. You start to see the good in every day and your body begins to relax and ease into the day, knowing you have a life to be grateful for. No excuses either, every single morning.

Now that I have a grateful mind and heart, I create a positive intention for the day (hey, look at that healthy habit #3) -yes, a new one every single day. Something you want to work towards and be very mindful about throughout your day. Drink more water. Be kind to a stranger. Send an encouraging text. More positive self-talk. It can literally be anything. Again, there are NO rules.

So what next? Healthy habit #4 coming your way…I get moving with my exercise goal for the day. Currently, I am doing Morning Meltdown 100 through Beachbody. My friends and I have decided to challenge ourselves to 100 workouts in 100 days. Crazy right?! It’s wild but it’s been absolutely amazing and I have found myself excited every day for the next challenge ahead. Start with a small exercise routine or daily walk -whatever you want to do! There are no rules for this habit either. Start small and build your way up. Don’t get too crazy because that’s when you find yourself giving up because you put too much on your plate, you start to feel overwhelmed and say, “forget it”. Don’t do that to yourself.

Lastly, healthy habit #5…write out 3 things you want to accomplish for the day. Again, it can literally be anything. You know what you need to accomplish. You know what you’ve been putting off. You know what needs to get done. So do it. Three things may not seem like a lot but just like with exercising, if you overwhelm yourself by putting too much on your plate you are less likely to get it done. Start small and keep it small with this one. Accomplishing 3 small goals in one day is amazing. It’s something you can finally take off your to-do list and how great does that feel?!

Creating healthy habits can be hard, it can be taxing and it can be redundant but it’s so important if you are wanting to grow and progress in life. You can’t just sit on the sidelines and expect to get somewhere. Get out there and start playing your game!

This is your life and you are in control of it. Put in the work, time and effort. Nobody is going to do it for you and at the end of the day you must create the motivation needed, for yourself, and get it freakin’ done. You can do this. You are capable. You are worthy. Start today. Start now.