4 Truths We MUST Remember for Ourselves
It’s important for us to remain grounded in who we are and what we want for ourselves moving forward. BUT to do that we have to remember a few truths…
“There are billions of amazing people in the world, but there is only one you!”
Summer has begun and we are headed into the second half of the year. Seasons change, transitions begin, and life goes on. It’s important for us to remain grounded in who we are and what we want for ourselves moving forward. BUT to do that we have to remember a few truths for ourselves and not get lost in what is going on around us.
Let’s get into it…
The Truths...
Be Yourself
There is no one better at being you than you. You are inspiring others even if you aren’t getting the likes, the follows, or the engagement!
Keep doing you, for you. Everything else will fall into place. What’s meant to be will be.
Stay Focused
Stay focused on your OWN thoughts, skills, health, education, heart, goals, relationships, and business, to create your OWN wins & successes.
When this remains your focus, you can truly “do you, Boo”, with class and confidence!
No Negative Self-Talk
Let your words be uplifting, loving, encouraging, and full of praise. Be your biggest fan, even if there’s no one else.
The things we tell ourselves each day are either going to tear us down or lift us up.
You choose!
Stop Comparing
Don’t compare yourself to others!
This includes accomplishments, relationships, and even waistlines!!! Do what YOU need to do to hit your own individual goals. Use others as inspiration VERSUS comparison.
Take what you need... Share with someone else who may need this today...
5 (Doable) Tips for Improving Productivity
No matter what you have going on, the changing of seasons is a good time to evaluate yourself in regard to productivity.
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
We are quickly moving towards the start of Summer! That can mean a few of things… either we have a bit more time on our hands, because the kids are out of school; we become busier by taking on additional work; we hit the road and begin to travel more; or we take some personal time to rest and recharge… just to name a few possibilities.
No matter what you have going on, the changing of seasons is a good time to evaluate yourself in regard to productivity.
Read on to check out ways we stay on track moving forward, no matter what our goals may be. As with any new idea, plan, or task, the key is simply to START!
Establish a morning routine
When we get our morning off to the right start, we are poised for our own personal success, whatever that success may look like for each of us. Creating a proper morning routine is a great way to jumpstart us into thinking more intentionally about today and tomorrow. It will be important to begin the process with a good, restful night’s sleep. That sleep will encourage and assist you with waking up refreshed and ready to take on whatever the day may bring.
Prioritize your day:
Start each day by identifying the most important tasks that need to be completed. This focus will allow you to power through the day with intention leading to increased productivity. Once you’ve completed the high-priority tasks, feel free to move on to those items with lower priority that followed. Remember, don’t stress… whatever doesn’t get finished today will surely be waiting for you tomorrow.
Manage multitasking:
I used to thrive on having the ability to multitask… eventually, I learned better. While multitasking is sometimes necessary, it isn’t always the most effective way to complete our work. Try focusing on one task at a time for 30 minutes, instead of multitasking. This technique can improve concentration, improve the quality of work, and reduce the time taken to complete tasks by minimizing distractions.
Meal prep:
We’ve got to eat, right? And we’ve got to eat right! Meal prepping allows us the opportunity to slow down, plan, and prep meals that meet our needs and even the needs of our household. This planning allows for budget consideration, along with choosing healthier food options. Additional food/nutrition productivity tips include batch cooking, portion control, shopping with a prepared grocery list, and proper utilization of leftovers to minimize waste.
Declutter your space:
Now is the perfect time to wrap up your spring cleaning! Consider choosing a specific area to organize and declutter each week, whether it’s your car, under the bed, or a closet. As you work through your space, create piles to designate the items as: Keep, Trash, Donate, or even Sell! A tidy space has the ability to reduce stress, improve focus, and create a more peaceful environment for productivity.
As the seasons change, it’s important to not get lost in the shuffle of life and stay focused on our mental wellness. Being mindful of productivity is just one of the ways we can do that.
Resilience - Word of the Year
In my opinion, choosing a Word of the Year is much different from creating a New Year Resolution, a practice many of us may be more familiar with. Oftentimes with resolutions, even though we have the best intentions, we…
Resilience
“the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness:”
Before I get into why I chose Resilience as my Word for 2025, let me give you a little background into why this practice is important to me…
Have you ever engaged in the practice of selecting a Word of the Year for yourself? It is the practice of selecting one particular word (sometimes a short phrase) that will serve as your motto, guide, or focus for the coming year. People go to great lengths to come up with a word that will truly convey what their intention or goal may be for the year. Research may be employed to determine the best word, even prayer and meditation are used as guidance in selecting a word. The past couple of years, it has actually taken me longer than expected to determine a Word for myself… I take it seriously! So seriously, to be honest with you, that I actually set reminder alarms in my phone to check-in with myself to keep the focus as I move through the year.
In my opinion, choosing a Word of the Year is much different from creating a New Year Resolution, a practice many of us may be more familiar with. Oftentimes with resolutions, even though we have the best intentions, we have the tendency to create unrealistic and rigid goals for ourselves that do not always foster growth and awareness. Instead, resolutions give us a task that is to be completed, a box to be checked upon completion. When that task is not achieved, we may feel defeated and give up on that focus altogether. In my opinion, with a Word of the Year, we have more flexibility to establish exactly what that word means for us individually. Any given word may have a complete different meaning and impact from one person to the next, and that is perfectly fine. That’s actually the beauty of it! You, and you alone, are in control of the interpretation and execution, in your own way and in your own time.
Now, how did I come to choose the word RESILIENCE?!
Well, 2024 was tough (to say the least)! And if I’m being honest, I wasn’t able to handle some of the hits my family and I took as well as I would have liked to. BY WHOSE STANDARDS, you ask… my own. Now I surely understand that there is no right or wrong way to handle losing a loved one (or three)… no right or wrong way to handle illness in the household… no right or wrong way to handle many of the unexpected occurances that life throws at us. But, moving forward, I pray to be able to equip myself with the tools that are important to me to cope…. tools that I have since gained.
According to the American Psychological Association, “resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.”
Verywell Mind states it simply as: “A resilient person is someone who has strong coping skills and is able to marshall their available resources, ask for help when needed, and find ways to manage the situation they are facing. People with psychological resilience are able to use their skills and strengths to respond to life's challenges. People with resilience do not experience less distress, grief, or anxiety than other people do. Instead, they use healthy coping skills to handle such difficulties in ways that foster strength and growth, often emerging stronger than they were before.”
KEY POINT: I do NOT expect to experience anything less than anyone else, I just pray to cope in a healthy manner… physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Trials and tests will always occur, but I’m striving to make 2025 the year that I grow more hopeful and optimistic AND prayerful in the MIDST OF and IN PREPARATION FOR whatever may lie ahead of me this year. Sounds relatively easy, huh? On the surface, yes. But when I think deeply about it, I know that this will be quite the process. Even the definition of resilience that I shared above is a bit too simple. Resilience is personal and individual. It is absolutely affected by our personal traits, our environment, our family, and so many other factors.
This Word… this year’s focus… is going to take some work on my part. Thankfully, I’m willing to put in that work. I’m not perfect, but God is. So, I will pray AND put in the work.
My challenge to you is to do the same…
Choose your Word, then put in the work!
Make a Difference with Kindness
A random act of kindness is an unexpected, good deed done for another person. There are times when these small acts of kindness are planned or intentional, but other times they may truly just take place when the need or desire presents itself.
“Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.”
February is a month jam-packed with many special reasons to celebrate and educate ourselves. One of my favorite occasions is Random Acts of Kindness Week, which takes place during the week of February 13-19, 2022. According to www.randomactsofkindness.org, “The work to create a kinder world never ends”.
A random act of kindness is an unexpected, good deed done for another person. There are times when these small acts of kindness are planned or intentional, but other times they may truly just take place when the need or desire presents itself. Either way, these actions have the potential to really make someone’s day, whether the recipient of the kind act or the initiator.
My goal here is to share ways that you can incorporate kindness into the special occasions of this month and on any given day, for that matter.
Black History Month is an annual celebration in February of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. But it also provides the opportunity to be reminded of how much progress is yet to be made in our country, and the opportunity to learn how we can contribute to progress.
Act of Kindness: Educate yourself - That could take place reading books, visiting historical museums, watching movies and documentaries, or asking appropriate and thoughtful questions directly to others. Be open-minded and prepare to listen and learn.
American Heart Month is dedicated time when focus is placed on heart disease, the number one killer of Americans. According to www.heart.org, “during American Heart Month, the AHA and other organizations reinforce the importance of heart health, the need for more research and efforts to ensure that millions of people live longer and healthier”.
Act of Kindness: Learn CPR - CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, a lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest. Visit cpr.heart.org for more information on the different types of CPR, proper training, and how you can help. You can’t get more kind than potentially helping to save someone’s life!
Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on February 14 and is probably a holiday we are all pretty familiar with. Traditionally, known as a holiday to celebrate love, whether romantically or platonically. Loved ones and friends around the world exchange candy, upscale dinner dates, gifts, flowers, and other expressions of affection.
Act of Kindness: Remember those who may not have a “Valentine” - This could include by choice or by circumstance… friends, family, widows, divorcees, etc. Meet up for lunch, give a phone call, or even send a note.
With those specials occasions in the month of February being covered, now I’d like to share a few (30!) FREE or inexpensive ideas on how you can intentionally share kindness during Random Acts of Kindness Week and beyond!
Pray for someone
Tell someone you love them
Compliment someone
Send a handwritten thank you note
Donate clothing
Buy the order for the car behind you in the drive-through
Bake a dessert for your neighbor
Offer to go for a walk with a friend
Donate books to the library
Plant a tree
Mow your neighbor’s lawn
Give someone a gift card you don’t plan on using
Write a handwritten letter to an old friend
Offer an appropriate compliment to a stranger
Donate to a food bank
Safely pick up litter in your neighborhood
Offer water to the mailman
Take treats to the fire station
Hold the door open for someone
Send a postcard to a family member in another state
Write a note for your child’s lunchbox
Teach someone something new
Help your kids organize and donate old toys
Create a care package for a homeless person
Shovel snow from a neighbor’s driveway
Donate blood
Say “thank you, have a nice day” to someone who holds the door for you
Walk someone’s dog
Check on a friend
Smile with your eyes, behind your mask
These are just a few of the ways you can intentionally show kindness to someone you know or even strangers. And remember the well-known quote by Aesop, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”.