Motivational Monday

It's Monday...

 

And after a week like last week, (which most people got to spend lounging at home, but I still had to make my way into work) I need a little motivation. PS - can you believe I'm blogging for the THIRD time with in a week??

 

Spreading the love today! Happy Monday my loves!

 

1. Treat yo self

I'm a huge Parks & Rec fan! I have adopted the treat yo self motto practically as my own. When you're single I feel that it really is necessary to treat yo self every now and then. You deserve it! That's what I told myself when I spend a crap ton of money last week during the snow/ice storm shopping online. A little treat yo self goes a looooong way in my book. Can be as simple as a Starbucks run, whatever your little heart desires. Indulge on a Monday!

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2. After you treat yo self - treat someone else

After my Lent post last week, plenty of you little sweethearts reached out to encourage me. (I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!) It's so incredibly uplifting to be reminded of your magic when you forget. For someone from the outside looking in - heck, sometimes someone who has never even met you - to remind you that you're pretty awesome. Remember a time when someone reminded you of your magic - channel that today and lift someone up.

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Little Giveaway!! 

 Leave a comment and tell me someone you'd like to encourage this week & why. I have a $15 giftcard to Target I'm willing to give away to a random lucky winner just to brighten their day!

3. All aboard the healthy train - choooo chooooo

I have been eating like a horse. Also, I've been lazy. Lazy like a (insert animal that is incredibly lazy). We are about 3-ish months away from summer. Me continuing to eat like a horse will NOT make me a happy camper once lake season is here. I want to be proud of my body this summer! Even in a bathing suit. Back to the gym I go. I'm officially announcing here that I am training for a 5k in April. For the first time in like 2 years. Pray for me y'all - I MIGHT DIE! I probably can't even run a single mile right now. It's been many moons and many pounds ago that I even tried. I want to attract a boyfriend in the future who is into fitness too. It helps so much to have someone who can workout with you and encourage you.

 

My girls Cassie & Lindsay have been a huge inspiration to me with their fitness journeys so - y'all better keep me in line. Overall I'd like to drop 30 lbs from where I'm at right now. I know it won't be done overnight so please reach out to me and encourage me!

 

 

4. I am the nerdiest of nerds - and I'm so okay with it

When I was younger, I was a little embarrassed by how nerdy I was. A lot of my friends weren't into school like I was. Much less dinosaurs, history, science, reading and all the awesome things that I loved to learn about. I tried to hide it. I actually pulled a little Lindsay Lohan from Mean Girls and tried to act dumb a time or two. Then I had a teacher in high school who really taught me how much better it is to embrace your inner nerd. Being intelligent is attractive. And awesome. We all like weird things. My obsession with US presidents & the civil war isn't weird - it's just MY thing. Well, one of my things. (I feel like I have more "things" than most)

 

LONG winded story short - I have decided I am going to reward myself with this mug. After I lose 15 lbs (half my goal), that is. It's a nerdy gift and I LOVE IT! Back on the healthy wagon, plus a sweet reward for a prize.

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How's that for a Monday???

Motivational Monday

So many Mondays are filled with heavy eyelids and complaints. NOT THIS ONE! Maybe it's because I've been sleeping so good lately, or maybe it's because my body is starting to feel even just a little bit better from working out and eating better-ish, or maybe it's because my heart is so full of love right now... but whatever the reason I am on Cloud 9 today. Here's a little motivation for your Monday!

 

3 important life lessons that have been reinforced to me lately:

 

1. Be brave, no matter what the cost. I promise you, it's worth it.

 

When you don't feel brave, listen to this!

 

 

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 2. Be an encourager. Make someone's day today.

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 3. Be out of this world thankful for your home team.

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Take that, Monday!

Real Talk (as a form of Monday Motivation)

I have not a clue why I feel like it’s my job to bring Monday Motivation…but alas, here we are. I had an epiphany of sorts over the weekend. And by epiphany, I mean a mental breakdown. Now to be fair it’s been a little while since I’ve had a good breakdown so I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised by it.  I had a nice little post written up to start the week off right too – a post about how to pray as a single girl during what feels like a season of waiting. But honestly I had to keep it real with y’all. Not that I lied in that other post, because it all came from my heart too. But my heart is just a different state as of right now and I wanted to share that with you instead.
 

So our story starts Friday night – the 4^th of July, which in case you didn’t know is one of my 3 favorite holidays. I feel like everybody in my life used to know that and now only a couple people know that fact. Sadly, it just doesn’t hold the excitement for me that it once did. But ANYHOW – I spent Friday with a full heart. I had a busy day, and ended the evening at a get together with a bunch of people from my church. Such a great day! Towards the end of the night, I happen to take inventory on the people I’m surrounded by and all of a sudden realize I’m the only single person in attendance. I’m with so many people who love me and are important to me, but the breakdown consists of two engaged couples, plenty of married couples, kids galore and ME. Nobody was treating me in a way that made me feel different or left out or anything, but once I noticed this fact it was literally ALL I could think about it. Don’t you hate it when your mind just controls you like that?
 

The party ends and I come home to an empty house – totally and completely in the beginning stage of feeling sorry for myself. I turn on the TV and Sex and the City is on – which happens to be one of my favorite movies. I remember after my breakup, watching that movie with brand new perspective – you know I’m talking about the part where Big ditches Carrie before the wedding. I remember feeling those exact same feelings and relating to what had just happened in my own life.  I felt dead inside, like Carrie felt dead inside. I don’t think people quite understand that feeling - and if you don’t then thank your lucky stars! The quote that always stands out to me still is when Carrie & Miranda are shopping for Halloween outfits (just before she sees her issue of Vogue for the first time) and Carrie says, “I KNOW it happened to me, but I still can’t believe that it happened TO ME.” I saw that Friday night and I lost it. I STILL FEEL THAT WAY SOMETIMES! I definitely felt that way Friday night. And for the first time in a long time, I missed my old life. I missed the ease of things, and the comfort of being snuggled up tight in my comfort zone. I missed Skye and so many things about him – like how he always went out of his way to make the 4^th of July a huge deal for me. And I wanted it all back – the life, the imperfect relationship, the years spent together, the ring, the future, the planned wedding – in that moment I would have likely sacrificed so many things to get my old life back.

 

And yeah that’s a terrible thing to say. I feel awful even admitting that out loud. Mainly because I wouldn’t be the person that I am today if I hadn’t survived through that tragedy of a broken engagement. But it’s the God honest truth. And clearly that stigma still haunts me. I hate that I let it define me. And my enemy knows that – and when he comes to prey on me he knows exactly what ammo to bring. I just cried and looked at our engagement pictures – because I’m a weirdo who likes to torment myself. (And because I really love those picture and how skinny I was) And I prayed. And I’m here to tell you that even right now I’m still battling a little bit with those feelings. Maybe you’re reading this and thinking I’m a crazy person – and I wouldn’t disagree with you –but I know that if 1 year and 8 months later this can still creep back in and affect me, then other people might be dealing with fighting similar battles. And that’s what makes us human. I spent a lot of time this weekend looking backwards. Going over things in my head and wondering how they might have played out differently.

But really, that’s time wasted. I felt like I was in control of my life then – and obviously I wasn’t. I know that God is control of my life now – but I still have bad days. I am so thankful for my faith and all God has done in my life – especially in the past almost 2 years. I know things now that I didn’t KNOW then about God’s grace. And how even when I am a whiny crybaby and wish to go back to a life that didn’t value or praise Him, the Lord still loves me relentlessly and welcomes me with open arms to taste his forgiveness. That’s something that my ex-fiancé could never in a million years offer me.  He left me and never looked back. God reminds me that this is all just a part of my story to tell. My relationship with Him doesn’t exclude me from sadness, but it offers me a new kind of hope. Hope that the best days of my life are not behind me – but they lie ahead of me. Which is why that CS Lewis quote helped me SO much during my rough patch.

And even though I think the lesson this weekend has been a valuable one, I’m ready to get back to feeling like my perky old self again!

How can I pray for you guys this week? Tell me specifically what you’re struggling with and let’s pray together that we conquer these battles!

Motivational Monday

Mondays can be rough....especially Mondays after a spring forward time change. I really hope TN goes to not doing the time change next year. As much as I looooove more hours of sunshine in the evenings, I do not love dark mornings. You would think I lost a whole night of sleep instead of just an hour! But today is about motivation, not complaining!

 

Yesterday at church we talked about the common things we all struggle with: unfair criticism, unrealistic compliments and unwise comparisons. I've been struggling with this comparison thing for a while now - maybe my whole adult life. I even talked about it here as one of my reasons for doing the Overcome the Lie 40 Day Challenge (which I will give you a recap on soon since we are wrapping up).  I know I needed to hear this yesterday, and maybe you need to hear it today. When we get caught up in measuring our lives compared to someone else's, we lose sight of what God says about us. I cried at church yesterday for the first time in a little while because that hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

You ARE God's masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)! Plain and simple. That's His view of you. He knows exactly how He created you, with this incredible purpose to be fulfilled. Nothing else matters.

 

For this whole week, I am going to try my hardest not to compare myself to anyone else. Not to say mean things about myself - even in a joking manner. Not to think ugly thoughts about myself. It will be hard, because I'm terrible to myself. I'm going to try my hardest just to be happy that I have a Savior who has given me exactly what I need to succeed. And that He doesn't care what has been said about me, or what I've done in the past, He only cares about using me as a disciple for Him.

A Time To Be Thankful

The best way to start your week is to count your blessings! So in honor of Veterans Day today, I want to take a moment just to be truly thankful. We are so blessed to be Americans. Blessed to live in a land of freedom, built by amazingly unselfish people who were willing to sacrifice their time and some even their lives to make that possible for us. Freedom isn't free and I am forever grateful to those who pay that price.

 

Other things I am thankful for today:

• I lost 3lbs last week! And my dad talked me into going to the gym last night for the first time in a while...at least a month. It felt good! It's always easier when you have a buddy too. I can't wait to have my hot body back!!

• Friends who are nerdy like me and will text with me throughout the Killing Kennedy movie (ahhem...Christa, I know you're reading this)
• Blind dates that terrify me but end up introducing me to someone I would never have picked for myself - in a good way
• Sushi dates with my best friend

• Oceans by Hillsong United - I am obsessed with this song (lyrics above). It's so powerful. I get teary every time I hear it. I know the video is a little long, but I dare you to listen to it and not be moved by it.

How's that for a Motivational Monday???

Motivational Monday

Oh Monday! I actually didn't mind waking up this morning...I'm not sure what has possessed me. 5am came early, but I sure did jump right up out of bed. This will be the 3rd week Ms. Manda and I are trying to motivate each other to do the 5am club - even though last week I only made it once, I'm still counting it. And as of tomorrow, I am back on tracking linking up with her for 30 Miles in 30 Days for October.

 

My weekend was pretty good - Vols won, Braves won, Chiefs won, Titans won, Lane Kiffin got fired...that's a pretty good sports weekend.

Babysitting duty with this little princess on Saturday night - we watched a lot of football, spent way too much money on earrings at Claires, went to a movie and then cuddled at home.

Family pictures yesterday afternoon  - me and my bro - blacked out

 

Today I want to do Motivational Monday. You all know I'm a sucker for some motivational quotes, and you can find plenty of them plastered all over my Pinterest. This is just as much for me today as for anyone, but I do have some people close to me in my life going through some struggles. So I just wanted to offer motivation to us all to keep on pushin! And we can all use a reminder on a Monday that we ARE capable!

 

 

 

 

Motivational Monday

The countdown to my birthday is officially ON - 30 days! I still can't decide if that's something I want to be excited about this year or not. I have SUCH mixed feelings this year!! My birthday is usually a huge deal to me. September is my favorite month - we get football, fall and my birthday. This year just feels different, less exciting and scary. Hopefully the closer it gets, the more excited I will get. Birthdays were made to be celebrated, right??

 

Since my weekend was pretty uneventful, I wanted to share a couple motivational things this morning. First, I have slowly become obsessed with Alex and Ani. I want one of their bracelets sooooo bad! I might have to treat myself for a little birthday gift. If you follow them on Facebook or Instagram, they are always posting motivational quotes. This one last week was spot on for me. So simple, yet so true.

 

One of my good friends, who also happens to be my pastor's wife, shared this week me last week. Last night I listened to it again, and wanted to share it with you guys. Have you ever heard of Andy Stanley? He's a pastor at a church in Atlanta. For some reason I can't get the video the embed here, but if you are SINGLE and find yourself wondering what God has in store for your love life LISTEN TO THIS! http://yourmove.is/watch/the-new-rules-for-love-sex-and-dating/ It's a 4 part series, and I am so intrigued by the way he breaks things down. I know that I often find myself thinking about what's next for me, and falling victim to the  "right person will fix everything" way of thinking. 

 

Happy Monday loves!

 

Motivational Monday

Motivation is something that I have been completely lacking lately...in all areas really. My focus on "fixing myself" keeps getting blurred or pushed to the side. It keeps me up at night, this urge to fix myself. I dream up who I want to be, but then never take the action steps. When it comes to internal problems, I am very much an avoider. External problems - meaning involving others - I like to deal with head on, but when it's an internal struggle I have a much more difficult time being real with myself. If that makes sense...

 

Anyhow - TODAY is my day to start fresh. When you get to the point that you sick of your own bullshit, you know it's time. It's time to get my life back, my sanity back, my hot body back. It's just time. Today is the day to be thankful. Thankful for lessons learned, true friendships, the opportunity to rebuild and support that comes from the most unexpected of places! No more excuses. No more putting it off. I deserve this moment to focus on myself.

 

 

What are you thankful for today??

Motivational Monday

 

I heart weekends! They go by so fast, but man they are awesome. I was a bad little blogger and didn't take many pictures this weekend. But I did have a great one. Went out Friday night for dinner and to see a band with some friends, then Zumba Saturday morning, my Insanity workout Saturday afternoon, cleaned a little, saw the Great Gatsby and dinner with my girls Saturday night, awesome church service and visiting with my mama yesterday, then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 was on TV last night so that pretty much sums up my weekend. Plus, I got allllllll kinds of cuddle time yesterday with this sweet baby face. She is such a little sweetheart!

 

Since it's Monday I thought I would start everyone off with a little motivation for your work week. Yesterday at church we talked about Romans 12:9 {Love must be sincere, hate what is evil, cling to what is good}. And it got me thinking about one of my all time favorite verses Romans 12:12. So last night I got my Bible out and read all of Romans chapter 12. If you are looking for instructions on how to live your life, look no further. This verse has always been special to me, and this week I really want to try and live it to the fullest. Will you try with me? Let's attempt to love sincerely and cling to the good things in our lives, be faithful with your prayers and thank the Lord for what he has blessed us with.

 

It's easy for us to judge and be evil to each other. It's easy for you to look at my blog, which is a small piece of my life, and see my talking about inspirational Bible verses but also about drinking or cussing and judge me for that. I am not a perfect Christian....not by a long shot. I struggle, we all struggle. But I want to be joyful in my hope, patient in my afflictions and faithful in my prayers and over time grow to be a better example for those around me.

 

 

Motivational Monday

Instead of doing the usual Weekend Update today, I wanted to do something a little different. I know the past month or so I've talked a lot about fitness & getting back on the wagon (I have fallen off that wagon so many times, you would think it would have run over me and crushed me to death by now).

 

I can get into a good routine with my workouts, but I have NOT been able to get control of my eating habits. Sure I can maintain eating healthy Sunday - Thursday of the week, but then on the weekends I go nuts and just eat, eat, eat. I have touched a little bit on the fact that I am binge eating, but I think it really just hit me this morning that I have a problem with it. I stepped on the scale this morning only to realize that bloated feeling I've had is because I have gained 25 lbs since DECEMBER! I wanted to throw up, I wanted to cry, I wanted to run away and hide my chubby little body in a closet. No wonder my pants are tight and some of them don't even fit anymore. I have no idea why I like to self sabotage, but apparently I do. I cannot even imagine showing off myself in a bathing suit right now.

 

This cycle stops TODAY. April 1st is a new beginning and I mean it dammit! My methods of stuffing my face when I'm bored or stressed out are not healthy. I am going to be following the Weight Watchers Plan and working my ass off to lose some weight. I had a goal set for March to lose 8 lbs, but what did I do? I lost and gained the same 2 lbs each week. I know the right things to do to lead a healthy lifestyle, I just have to do them. I want to feel better about myself and more comfortable with my body by the end of the month. So here we are April 1st starting with a Motivational Monday because let's face it, I need a kick in the teeth!

Also, don't forget I am hosting the 30 Miles In 30 Days Challenge again for April! I will be doing the link-up on Thursdays so we can all share our stories.