Dreams DO Come True..... Keeping That "Dream Seed" Alive (Learning to block out the negative voices & Pursue at ALL Cost)

 I wanted to write this blog post to let you know that, Dreams DO Come True!!  When you block out the negative voices and pursue at ALL Cost!! 

Recently in my life I have had an amazing opportunity come across my path, and I am pinching myself.  I have always known my value and my worth and in what I bring to the table, but never felt valued or appreciated.  I know that God made me different and that there is nobody else in the world like me.  I have had close people in my life speak death over me and told me I would never amount to anything.  Words like that hurt, especially if it comes from people you love.  Words like that can leave scars and cripple you from moving forward in life.  I never let those words truly sink deep in my ears, I was always able to block them out.  In my heart I knew what I deserved, and I always kept that dream seed alive.  I would feed that little seed with the word of God and motivation that I would speak to myself.  I am blessed that I have a supporting family that believes in me and encourages me when I am feeling down.  I would see people around me living "their" dream and I knew it just wasn't my time yet, but it still inspired me.  

The purpose behind this post is to keep your dream alive.  Do NOT have any back up plans!!  Whatever you are believing God for, write it down and put it in a place where you can look it in the face everyday!  Watch how you speak to yourself!  Be careful with the people you surround yourselves with!  My dream has kept me awake at night because I have been expecting God to show up.  I knew it had to be on HIS timing, and that I needed to be patient.  

When I look back on the people that were toxic and spoke "death" over me, I realize that they were a stepping stone for my motivation.  Each time they put me down, it ignited that spark inside of me, and it grew into a blazing fire.  I am actually thankful and appreciative for their words since I came out stronger!  

I am so thankful and humbled for this opportunity, and God knows how much this means to me.  This is an answered prayer, and I will forever treasure it.  It is important to celebrate the wins in life, and document those moments because God is alive and well!!  He does answer prayer, and he does hear the desires of your heart.  I hope this post encourages you to keep your Dream Seed Alive!! Let it thrive, do not starve it!!  Learn to block out the negative voices and Pursue at ALL Cost!! 

Enjoy Life Today, Yesterday Is Gone & Tomorrow May Never Come.

 

Enjoy Life Today, Yesterday Is Gone & Tomorrow May Never Come.

I have this quote in a place where I can see it everyday and I am reminded to live by it.  Many times as humans we love to "plan" and keep ourselves busy.  When we do this we are living our lives saying that "we are the masters of our domain and we hold tomorrow in our hands."  The world teaches us the mentality of "serve me."  If we are not careful we can become self serving and forget the true meaning of life and why we were put on this earth.  Yes, God wants us to enjoy our life and wants us to do well, but there is a greater purpose and calling on our lives.  We will not wake up and automatically start living this way, we need to "set" our minds ahead of time.  We need to have gentle reminders set around the house.  We need to read the word of God and pray daily.  

I was reminded of this recently because I have several people in my life that are going through some real intense battles right now.  It is a shame that difficult situations always seem to put things into perspective.  Just waking up another day and being able to breathe is a gift.  Do we wake up and say to God "Thank you for the breathe in my lungs and my beating heart?"  We can take things like this for granted.  This is a reminder though that we have NO control over our lives.  We can play games and think that we do, but sooner or later you will come to the realization that we can do NOTHING without HIM.  I have been reflecting lately and I have found myself continually cutting certain things out of my life, and adding in other things.  I am making sure I do not stay the same and get stagnant. It can be VERY easy to get stuck in the day to day routine.  We have to remind ourselves that we are ALIVE and that we need to maximize our time here and live each day like it is our last.  I refuse to make excuses and believe that "this is all there is to life."  I believe there are so many other things I have not uncovered yet.  The world teaches us that we need to grind it out to have the "best" life.  What is the "best" life according to the world........ More Money, Fancy Clothes, Big House, Dream Car, Into Looks, If something doesn't work, move onto the next best thing, always someone else's fault/ no accountability, do whatever your heart tells you to, live according to how you "feel"/ etc.

I am IN this world not OF this world!  I refuse to conform to society and what the world says I should be doing.  I feel like at times I am swimming up current and it can feel lonely.  At times it can be discouraging because you see "others" getting things that you think you deserved, or things that you have prayed for.  I would like to get personalize and break the above quote down and put it in my words and how I interpret it.

" Enjoy Life Today"

I look at one day at a time.  I only look at that day alone and make sure I keep my blinders on. I am not looking to the next day ahead.  I am working on to truly value the gift that is presented to me and not grumble and complain.  There are many others that did not wake up today, or may be missing someone that did not wake up today.  I am thankful for the gift of that day and I want to tell the Lord "Thank you!"  I want to maximize that day.  By maximizing I mean have all the key elements: Mind/Body/Spirit.  I want to exercise my body for that day, I want to explore my mental side (journal), and I want to feed my spirit with the Word of God.  I am yearning for balance.  If I had a great day, then that is awesome.  If I had a bad day then I am happy I survived it and I am looking to learn the lesson from it.

"Yesterday Is Gone"

Once I wake up to another day, I remind myself that yesterday is in the past and that chapter is closed.  There is no need to revisit it or dwell on what happened.  There is literally nothing I can do with yesterday.  The only control I have is to see what I learned from it.  Maybe there was a big important lesson that God needed me to learn.  Many times when people are on their deathbed they look back over their life and revisit the: would have/ should have/ could have reel.  They like to open up the entire book and revisit the regrets.  This is honestly a #1 fear of mine.  The thought shakes me to my core and I have made sure to live my life with no regrets!! How can I do this, you ask?  Let me go into further detail.  I do not hold grudges with ANYONE.  I forgive ALL who hurt me.  I say sorry even if it was not MY FAULT.  I say I LOVE YOU.  I choose to spend quality time with my loved ones and put my phone down and turn the tv off.  I see that relationships are the most important thing.  We are not guaranteed another day, so spend time living in the NOW with your loved ones. It is easy to become bitter and have that turn into hate with friends and family.  Don't drink the poison!!  This is what happens to those who lay alone on their death bed.  This is something I will never have and it is a choice.  You can start living this way every single day!!

"And Tomorrow May Never Come."

There is no guarantee that I will wake up tomorrow.  I can have all of the plans mapped out in advance, it still doesn't guarantee me another day.  Everything is on God's time and he decides!  So what does this mean for me? This means that I need to maximize today as much as possible.  Spend time with my loved ones, have no regrets, spend time with God, forgive others, and love others!!  In life it is pretty rare to get second chances, so we need to give it our all.  There is no time to waste.  If you died today can you honestly say that you have a relationship with Jesus and you would go to heaven?  If you died today what is the last thing you said to your family?  If you died today are their relationships you wish you could repair?  Be proactive and do things right now!! Start moving in that direction!!

I hope this blog post encouraged you and helped you take a moment to see what you maybe need to cut out or maybe develop some new habits. I encourage you to take this quote and put it in a place that reminds you daily of how to live!!  I wanted to close up and put some examples below of a few things I have added in and cut out:

- Spend time in silence journaling, and collecting your thoughts.  This is the layout for how I journal.  I made it up but it works for me. 

- Mon-Fri I make sure to workout and do physical activity (Sat and Sun I am off). After working all day at a computer I can honestly say I look forward to going outside and doing a garage workout and sweating.  I physically and mentally feel better afterwards.

- Eating Healthy- I document in my mobile calendar everything I consume.  It helps hold me accountable and it is nice to be able to look back and see how I am doing.

- Read The Bible With My Family- Every night we get together and go through our Bible Reading Plan and then discuss what the verse meant to us.  We also go around and pray together

Some things I cut out:

- My phone is 100% down and I am 100% engaged with my family and self

- Limited TV time

- Alcohol

- Stress and Anxiety

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Self Discovery

This post will be different from all the other posts I have written in the past.  This year (2021) has led me on a journey, and I am only just beginning!!  I have started to do things that I have NEVER done before.  I feel like I am on the path to "self discovery."  I am truly learning the importance of taking care of myself on ALL levels.  In the past, I have done small adjustments but never fully committed to going ALL IN.  In this post I will explain what I am learning as I walk down this path of Self Discovery.

I had a health scare earlier this year and it honestly caused me to wake up.  It heightened my senses to see all of the things I did on a daily/weekly/monthly basis that had a negative impact on my body.  Yes, I make look ok on the outside, but what about the inside?  How is my immune system, how are my organs, how are my muscles and bones?  These are things we do not think about, until we have a health scare.  I talked to health professionals to see what changes I needed to make, and educated myself.  Anything I mention below you can do research for yourself.

Toxic Products- Once I started reading the labels of things that I was putting on myself daily, it honestly scared me.  The chemicals in products seep into your skin and go into your bloodstream.  Educating myself on this topic made me do research to look for all natural products.  I no longer wear nail polish at all, I changed up my toothpaste, my hair products, my skin care products, deodorant, etc.  This is a small change, but to me it was important.  Once you educate yourself, you are called to do action.  I was not going to sit back and continue to lather my body with chemicals. ( I do not wear makeup during the day, I let my skin breathe and I love being natural). I will only put on mascara, eyeshadow and lip gloss if I have a special occasion.  90% of the time I am all natural. :)

No Alcohol- I took the time and studied the liver, and the process of what happens to the liver when you drink alcohol.  I learned about (NAFLD) and (ARLD).  I learned about how alcohol affects other organs in the body.  After understanding what I was doing to myself after every time I have a drink, I realized I was only doing harm to my body.  I realized that I needed to cut ALL Alcohol out of my life.  I need to build my organs up, not tear them down.

Healthy Foods- I realized what processed foods/ high sodium, and sugar do to the body.  I realized that I felt like I never had energy and felt always tired.  I exercised but still didn't feel good internally.  I made the decision to cut out sugar from my diet.  I focus eating on healthy whole foods.  I now make sure to eat more vegetables, healthy whole grains, make my own smoothies, drink plenty of water, cut out soda, no more deli meat, and healthy carbs.  I do not call it a diet since this is a lifestyle change and this is something that I will continue to do.  *** Yes, I had sugar withdraw headaches/ migraines that lasted for 2 weeks***

No Caffeine- I drink my coffee every single morning, but realized I did not need all of that caffeine.  I have switched to decaf coffee and I love it.  I can now enjoy my coffee every morning without all of the caffeine.  

Fasting- I have done fasting in the past, but only for a certain period of time.  I now fast Mon-Fri from 7pm-1pm.  On weekends I take two days off so that way it changes it up for my body.  I look at it as a body reset, it resets all levels and improves organ functions.  It also regenerates new blood cells.  While fasting I drink decaf coffee, water, and tea.

Walking- I was never a walker.  I am a runner, I do HIIT, Boxing, Strength Training, etc.  I now make sure I walk a certain amount of steps every day.  It forces me to get outside and walk more.  I now enjoy taking walks.  I find that during this time I am able to think and get away.  It honestly is good for my mind.

Oils- I have studied Essential Oils and what they can do for your body, and how they are natural remedies that can be used for health issues.  I use Essential Oils DAILY and NIGHTLY.  I use them while I am working, when I have a headache, before bed, and mix them together for other benefits.

Yoga/Stretching- I have listened to my body as I have gotten older, and my body is craving TLC.  My body always feels tight and at times in pain.  I now dedicate 20-30min a night doing stretches.  I put on music, have my oils going and I spend time loving my body and giving it what it needs.  I look forward to this every evening, and my body feels better afterwards.  I struggle with Sciatica, and I now have a flow that I do every night that helps me properly stretch that area.

Reading The Bible- I have been on a Bible Reading Plan since January, and I make sure to take time (Usually after stretching) to sit down in my massage chair and read the Word of God.  This is important time with God, and it is important to do it DAILY.  We also have a separate Bible Reading plan that we do as a family, and talk about what we read, and then pray.  

Vitamins- I spoke with a Doctor and found out which Vitamins I should be taking for my age/body etc, and I now take them daily.  It is helpful to know where you need to increase certain levels, and vitamins can help do that.

Journaling- I now make time for Journaling.  I did this when I was younger, and I have fell in love with it again.  I spend time writing down what I am currently feeling/going through/prayers/ etc.  It helps to get it down on paper.  I feel better afterwards, and I am able to see the different stages of when God answered my prayers, and what he has done in my life. 

These are the main changes I have made, and I hope it brings encouragement to you.  Maybe one or several of these areas have spoken to you.  If so, I recommend doing research for yourself, talk to a doctor, and pray about it.  God will reveal to you what you need to cut out of your life.  I am thankful that I have a loving family that supports me.  These things above are important to me and I have made time prioritizing them so I do them daily.  

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God NEVER Stops Amazing Me.......

 I am just once again blown away by God's faithfulness.  He always exceeds my expectations.  When you humble submit yourself to him, you will see him move in a BIG way.  I have started my mornings off in the Word, covering my family in prayer, and spending alone time with God.  I find myself confessing the Word of God OVER my circumstance, and not by what I am seeing.  I know where I stand in God's eyes, I know where I am held.  It is in the palm of his hand and he holds me up in his Righteous Right Hand where the enemy cannot come near me.  I was going through a health situation and I asked God to use the Dr to speak specifically to me as if he was speaking himself.  The Dr addressed me and exactly pin pointed what I needed to hear and it was customized.  That is God!!!!  God is faithful! God shows up! He is moving even now in 2021, in the middle of a pandemic!  Do not put limits on God.  I recently removed social media from my phone and I can tell you it has eliminated an extra distraction.  I want to spend more time on what really matters. I want to focus on my relationship with God.  I want to focus on my family and my health.  Life is too short to be buried in a phone, and scrolling through it.  I also want to encourage you to Journal Daily/Weekly.  It is a beautiful reminder of God's faithfulness.  I find myself falling more and more in love with God in 2021 and this year has just begun.

Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you.  Through it all, Through it all, it is well.