Today's positive affirmations:

try saying these positive affirmations 10 times each, with feet apart, outstretched arms, and head held high!

1) I love and accept myself
2) I am my own unique self
3) I stand up for my beliefs
4) I am intelligent and know what I want
5) I am filled with success

There is power in our words and in the things we tell ourselves each day.
Intentionally saying or thinking just a few positive affirmations out loud daily will definitely help retrain our brains to focus on the great things about you!

So here are some tips on creating your own positive affirmations!- based on the source http://www.mdjunction.com/forums/positive-thinking-discussions/general-support/3003860-list-of-positive-daily-affirmations

Okay, here we go!

1) State your real innermost desires and clearly articulate on your most expansive self
2) Link your affirmations to actual daily actions, so they will have a greater chance of manifesting themselves in your life
3) Find a way to make positive affirmations easy for you! ex. post them on your computer screen, on your mirror, or places you look at often each day


Good luck and good day!:)

What life would be like if I didn't care what others thought of me:

I am free. I am confident. I am secure. My two feet are firmly grounded. I am not afraid to speak my mind, and I do not walk in fear. I feel at peace because I am not seeking to appease others, but I know who I am and know what I believe in. Weights have been lifted from my shoulders. I no longer need multiple masks to cover myself. I embrace the day more fully than I ever have. My heart bursts with joy because it is not constrained by the perception of others. I sing and dance in the sunlight. I shout and breathe in the world around me. I can fly and soar, because my shackles have been broken. My soul smiles serenely and is able to show its true colors. I know who I am. There is no confusion. There is no doubt. There is no suppression. I have broken away from images I have portrayed of myself for so long. I am loud. I am not ashamed, but find strength in knowing where I stand. I walk out of the shadows and into the light. I am real. I am alive.

A Dream NOT Deferred

Today I came across a thought...a dream (big or small) constantly deferred will less likely occur. I find this to be very true in my own life, especially with little aspirations I have- whether it be journaling, practicing guitar, or doing some creative task. I find the more I put these things off, the less motivated I am to do them. The more I put off doing things that are part of who I am, the less fulfilled I feel. But when I finally take the time to do something I truly desire, I feel accomplished. I guess the trick is to not defer my passions, thoughts, and ideas. To learn to seize the moment and make time each day for these dreams of self-expression. 

On Motivation & commitment 

A wise person (Ali, that's you!:p<3) once told me that it's easier to see commitments through when our motivation to do them is based on our core values.  This was such a simple idea, but somehow to me, it was mind-blowing! Knowing this, I reflected on my core values. It's crazy, but I've never really thought about them much until now... What do I value? What do I care about? What to a believe in? Knowing the answers to these questions are crucial to shaping a concept of who we are.

My core values:)

- deepening my relationship with God

- family

- friendship

- music 

- expanding knowledge-base

- compassion

- loving the broken-hearted 

- initiative

- wisdom

- truth

- sincerity

- communication

- self-expression

- boldness & righteousness 

- nutrition, wellness, fitness

- continual improvement 

- academics 

- unconditional positive regard

So back to "it's easier to see commitments through when our motivation to do them is based on our core values." For example, I've been trying to get through the Bible for years! And have never been able to do so. But now I can look at reading the Bible from a different perspective. Instead of seeing it as something I "should do" or something to do just to check of a list, I can use a few of my core values- desiring for truth + wanting to expand my knowledge base & deepening my relationship with God- motivate me to read His word! 

From personal experience, I can say that the more I find time to do the things I love and the more I work on developing personal core values, the happier and more satisfied I am. But when I first thought of my list a few weeks ago, I noticed a great disparity between my core values and the way I lived my life. I was basically spending all my time either working on academics or watching t.v. shows, while neglecting everything else I cared about! Sometimes our core values can differ from our "expressed core values." But to combat this internal conflict, we can simply allocate just a few minutes (even 5-15 minutes works wonders!!) a day to enjoy doing what we love. It's so much less overwhelming to do things in little pieces instead of big chunks. Ali (here's her awesome website! http://aliparnell.com) pointed out to me that as humans, it is in our nature to want to seek pleasure and avoid pain. And feeling overwhelmed by having to take on big tasks is definitely painful (like spending 1 hour to journal vs. 5-15 minutes) No wonder I always use to avoid and find excuses to journaling! So instead of doing that, we can take things little by little and ironically that can lead to HUGE progress!  

Personally, I find that setting a timer helps make things less intimidating. Whenever the timer goes off, I say to myself, "Okay, you've done what you've set to accomplish! You can either put you're things away and that will be totally fine, or continue if you really want to." I find that altering my perspective to viewing these these things as enjoyable treats:) vs. tasks also makes accomplishing them immensely easier. As the weeks go by, the more I read the Bible, practice guitar, and journal, the more I can feel my dreams of self-expression slowly form into good habits! And I can't wait until the day doing these things will become like second nature to me- like eating, sleeping, & breathing~ I am certainly not perfect and am still working on engraining these habits into my life, but a small effort each day definitely makes for a dream NOT deferred!

food for thought:

what are your core values? & how can they be used to motivate accomplishing your goals/ dreams?

To what extent does your life express your core values?

What are some ways / small steps that can be taken to better express these values?

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, 

But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Dear God,

You see our afflictions,
and ease our pain
How loving & beautiful is Your heart
You are faithful,
and keep Your promises
How sovereign & mighty is Your word
You are the breath that revitalized this shriveled soul
and the song that bursts forth from within 

You are Savior, Redeemer, Messiah
The One who graciously saved me from sin