A Nerdy Girl’s Summer…

Hot girl summer has been a trendy term since 2019, made famous by the rapper Megan Thee Stallion. However, for us ladies who love bookstores, rom-coms, a bottle of bubbly or wine, and all things nerdy, I decided to make a fun list of essential things for an intellectual girl to have an unforgettable summer.

• Find a beautiful bookstore or library. Try a vintage bookstore or an independently own bookstore; here you will find some classics and treasures.
• Watch Black & White Movies. I love black and white movies like Casablanca, It Happened One Night, Sunset Blvd & many more.
• Shop at a thrift store, vintage consignment shop, or boutique to find unique pieces to put in your wardrobe.
• Read your favorite genre, whether romance, thrillers, or suspense.
• Go out in nature or sit at your local park & connect with God’s creation.
• Create a fun playlist with all of your favorite music.
• Have a dance session in your home.
• Watch a favorite foreign film without subtitles.
• Listen to the rain.
• Do some stargazing.
• Find a receipe & cook a meal.
• Listen to classical music.
• Go watch a sunrise or sunset.
• Spend a day doing nothing, no technology.
• Sit in silence.
  

The Travel Series: Work to Live or Live to Work?!? (Part 2)

Listen here to this podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmrLU6joNuU

I recently got a chance to watch the new Netflix series, Emily in Paris, which transports me back to the time I lived abroad. Living abroad shift my perspective on the work-life balance. When I was living in Iceland and Italy, I was always aware of the importance of living in the moment. International living helps me grasp the difference between American and European culture.

In America, we live to work because our life rotates around the demands of work. This lifestyle encourages long working hours, making more money, neglecting family and friends, and taking fewer vacations. People who choose to live to work rarely take breaks to enjoy life but escape a life they hate. The feelings of low self-worth, needing validation, and other internal insecurities often plague their lives. Workaholism is the number one addiction in this live to work culture. 

However, European culture promotes a work to live culture. This lifestyle encourages working fewer hours to enjoy a quality of life, making less money to live a specific lifestyle, and utilizing vacation for a time of leisure. People who choose this type of living are happier, productive, and excel in their personal and professional lives because they spend more time enhancing their creative nature.

A work to live mindset has significant benefits than a live to work philosophy if you notice people live longer in other countries versus the U.S. because they promote the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

And so I want to give you a few tips on how to begin your work to live lifestyle.

1. Prioritize your most important task you need to complete. Figure out the top three things you have to finish at your job so you will not spend time working overtime.
2. Use your vacation time. Don’t let your vacation time build up instead be proactive by planning your vacation at the beginning of the year.
3. Plan your exit strategy. If you are working a job that does not promote your ideal lifestyle start looking for different alternatives.

3 Simple Ways to Make 2019 Your Best Year…

With the excitement of a new year comes resolutions, goals, and everything under the sun to make 2019 your best year. However, I have three simple ways you can make 2019 a year of ease.

Step 1: Mind Your Own Business.

Life is so much easier when you learn to focus on your own life and tune into the present moment. When you focus on fine-tuning your life, you will find no time to be worried about what others are doing including obsessing on what other people are posting on social media. You will be able to accomplish your goals quicker and see the beauty in your life.

Step 2: Stay on Energy Saving Mode…

So often we are exhausted and burnt out from fighting battles that are not our fight. We spend too much energy overthinking, fearing and obsessing over things that create distress.  We feel the need to give our opinion to every situation just to be consumed with other’s problems. When you preserve your power for the essential things in your life, you will be at peace. Exhaustion, stress, worry, and anxiety will slowly drift aside when you put your emotions on energy saving mode.

Step 3: Don’t Join The Circus….

Every clown or court jester that begs for your attention does not need to be entertain. Two thousand nineteen is not the year to sign up for anyone’s circus of foolery be adamant about setting boundaries and ignoring the distraction. To live your best life in 2019, you will have to learn the power of ignoring things that don’t require your attention.

Comment below and tell me, which step you will focus on this month to make 2019 your best year? 

Self Care Essentials: Finding Your Zen…

“What you seek is seeking you.” ~Rumi

In the last month or so my life has been filled with the unknown, I have found myself looking for answers in this unfamiliar place. However, I have learned the answers lie in between the moments of letting go. This entire year I learned the importance of letting go and detachment from things I can’t control. When I let go there is a moment of peace that comes with detaching myself from the outcome. I have learned to be more in tune with my mind, heart and soul.

These moments of zen have taught me the importance of releasing the struggle and embracing the ease. I have spent my entire life in survival mode, trying to stay afloat so the pressures of life would not overtake me. As I was struggling to stay afloat  I found myself drowning from the pressure of trying to keep it all together. I realize now that this facade kept me from becoming free, free from thriving to my fullest potential.

However, when I decided to stop fighting the flow of life things began to fall into place. I was able see things more clearly and implement self-care into my life. Self-care has taught me how to be present in the moment. It has also taught me how to be still, let go and flow in uncomfortable situations. Self-care has been a great teacher in showing me how to reconnect with my true essence.

So, below I have listed self-care essentials to help you find your zen and tap into the peace of mind you deserve.

1.Tea, Anyone? : Green tea and other teas have been linked to having many health benefits. I often drink tea to calm myself when I feel overwhelmed and full of anxiety. My favorite tea is Yogi Tea, this tea has a variety of teas that you can choose from to suit your needs. I often use the bedtime and ginger tea. Another great benefit is they add inspirational quotes on the tea bag label.

2. Candles: Candles can reduce your stress by adding some aromatherapy to your day. Here is a list of the best organic candles on the market Organic Candles

3. Music: Music is a great way to cultivate some calm in your everyday life. BMG Channel on YouTube is a great channel to listen to it has a variety of music for studying, relaxing etc.

4. Whoosah: Meditation is a great way to bring calm into your mind. The Calm App is an app I have used for years. It has various programs to help you get into your calm.

5. Selah: Taking time to hit pause in your life is a way to stop and listen to your inner self. Pause help you clear the noise, clear the clutter & reconnect with yourself.

So, which self-care essential will you use this holiday season ?, share your thoughts in the comment section!

The Antidote (Part 2)

Last month on January 16th, I released my first ever short story series entitled, The Antidote. I am happy to announce that part two is available. If you did not get a chance to download part one  go to this link: https://tinyurl.com/yb72u7om 

Go to this link to get your copy for part two: https://payhip.com/b/Qe4w

 

 

September Theme: Transition, Transformation & Transcend!

We are back from our illustrious break and now it’s time to give you more power packed articles to keep you inspired to live a bold, loud and authentic life. This month is entitled Transition, Transformation & Transcend. In this series we will give you tips on how to transition through rough times in your life, how to allow your transition to be a time for wonderful transformations and rising above it all.

5 Tips On Living A Beautiful Life!

How can you really live a beautiful life? What are you willing to let go in order to gain the life you deserve? What are the keys to living a life based on beauty? Well, you are probably wondering what are the answers to those questions. I can honestly tell you that living a beautiful life begins with cultivating a beautiful mind. In the last month, I have focused on filling my life with beautiful things to see, hear & speak. I have spent time celebrating beauty in a different kind of way. 

I decided not to watch, speak or listen to anything that did not display beauty. In this time of beauty I found out that life is a lot more beautiful than what we choose to see, hear or speak. When it comes to living a beautiful life you have to be intentional. If you lack intention you will continue to see, hear and speak about all the things that is wrong with life. As I grow day by day I realize life is what you make it and if you choose to make it miserable then you will be miserable.

Misery loves company, the more you feed it the more it will gain energy. The greatest question you can ask yourself is what am I giving energy to. I found myself in the last couple years giving energy to things that were irrelevant. I made situations bigger than they really were because I invested too much time into over analyzing. I can now honestly say that creating a beautiful life is solely up to each of us. Make a mental inventory of where your your energy is going.  Find out if  the energy has produced the right fruit you desire in your life. If not, refocus on new things that will serve you in a positive way. Everyone deserves a beautiful life so below are a five tips to help you start your journey.

Below are a couple tips to help you live a beautiful life:

1) Stop over analyzing. I can admit this is one of my huge problems and over analyzing creates problems that were never there. In order to stop over analyzing  let go of what you cannot control, stay focus in the present moment and know God is your ultimate source.

2) Be mindful of where your attention goes. Where your attention goes so does the flow of your energy, so be mindful of how you interpret things & react to others. 

3) Other people issues are not your emergencies. Yes, you want to be the hero for everyone but you will exhaust yourself trying to be everyone she-ro or hero. Do not let other people emergencies become emergencies in your life.  

4) Don’t take it personal. I know this is a hard one but stop taking what people say or do personal. What others say or do are not a direct reflection of what or who you are. What they don’t say or don’t do is still not a reflection of the brilliant person you were called to be. Be confident .

5) Self-Love. Fall in love with who & what you are no matter your flaws. In a perfect world we all are flawless but in the real world our imperfections is what makes us unique. 

To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance. ~Oscar Wilde~

P.S. To make your life even more beautiful you can now purchase my eBook to get five essentials tips to help build your self-confidence.  

Click here: http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/p/ebooks.html  

P.S.S I also listen to podcasts now & here is one I am recommending to you. Click here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/french-kiss-life-by-tonya/id1071406906

Recap of September Blog Post

As September slipped away we are recapping our series Girly, Glittery & Glamorous! In this series we discuss embracing your own authentic style & fashion, we also discussed tips to exercise your girl power everyday and then we wrapped up this series of learning how to be a woman of grace. Below are the links to help you recap September’s series:

Fashion Tips For Being Authentically You! 
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2015/09/fashion-tips-for-being-authentically-you.html  

Exercise Your Girl Power Everyday!
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2015/09/exercise-your-girl-power-everyday.html 

The Grace Anatomy
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2015/09/when-i-think-about-gift-of-grace-i-am.html 

Breaking News!!!

My story was featured on Ms. Be More site for their “Our Stories” section. Check out how the tragedy of losing my child gave me the courage and will power to triumph, to find a new beginning! 

Click on icon to check out my story: