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Everything Ain’t for Everybody
Whenever I’m in a car by myself, I sing. It never fails. I sing – HARD! You would think I’m in concert. For the longest time, I thought I could actually carry a tune. So much so that I considered recording myself and posting it on YouTube. I was singing a gospel song and wanted to share the inspiration I was feeling.
There I was, on the road to San Jose. I was headed to see Oprah and I was rolling solo. No husband, no kids – just me time. I was singing my heart out. So, I hit record. Then I played it back. Thank the LAWD I played it back and wasn’t so bold to immediately post it. Oh my goodness, everyone I know would have judged me. Yes, I had a cold and sounded all kinds of nasal – but still. I was shocked that I sounded so not good. Here’s a shot of me singing my face off.
7 Quotes to Inspire – Instantly
Being positive it pretty much my religion. I really believe in searching for the silver lining in every situation. I’ll never say it’s always easy. It is always worth trying though. To keep that positive vibe going, I tend to read lots of encouraging and inspirational stuff – that includes quotes. There are a few that put me in a better state of mind in an instant! I wanted to share them with you. We could all use a little extra inspiration, right?
This one is my favorite, by far! It just makes me feel like any and everything is possible. I remember this as I step out to grow and try new things. It can be scary but, “what if you fly?”
There are so many things on my list of things to DO and BE and LEARN. It can be overwhelming. It can be scary. That’s when I have to remember to believe in ME. If I don’t, who will?
Here are some others:
What are you go to quotes? What keeps you inspired?
Just Do It, Already! #GID challenge
When I was younger my mom noticed an issue with me. I would have mounds of stuff to do and I’d wait until the last possible moment to get things done. It drove her bananas. She’d always be on my case about procrastinating! Which, of course, drove me nuts. In my head, if something wasn’t due right away, I had time. And I’d take my time. The problem was I took ALL OF THE TIME and then tried to make things happen when there was NO time!
This lead to rush jobs, needless frustration and left me open to all kinds of mistakes because I was simply moving too fast. In some cases, I just missed the boat altogether. The only upside – I began to get really good and working under pressure. This totally helped me in my television career. Everything is needed ASAYesterday.
The other thing I’ve been guilty of is giving myself too many things to do. So then it’s nearly impossible to focus and get things done. But, I was “busy” so it didn’t look like procrastinating. I just looked overwhelmed. Any body else been guilty of this?
While I still thrive under a deadline, I try to manage my things better so that procrastination and I don’t remain on a first name basis. I don’t want to be his boo.
It has only be in the last few years that I have gotten myself together and stepped of of procrastination station. I tend to move on things right away. If I have a thought about something, I try to implement it at that next possible opportunity. I remember a co-worker pointing this out to me. She mentioned that she admired how I’d talk about something and the next thing she knew, I was doing it.
It wasn’t until that moment that I realized I had made HUGE progress on my anti-procrastination campaign. Yay me!
Not too long ago I posted one of my daily Mama Tips on my Facebook page. “What idea have you been sitting on? Make one small step toward it today.” A reader responded that she had done just that and moved on something that she’d wanted to make happen. Too many times we get overwhelmed with stuff we need to do + want to do and then we end up doing nothing. We say we’ll do it later and somehow later never comes. Procrastination is a beast, y’all! This got me to thinking, it will be January before we know it. We will all make resolutions, intentions + promises to ourselves. How about we got tackle this procrastination thing now so that we’ll actually make some of those resolutions, intentions + promises happen!
Join me on the FREE 5 day “Get Ish Done” challenge to kick “I’ll do it later” in the boo-tay and make some real progress on the things you want to do/need to do. You in? Just sign up below and I’ll hit your inbox with the goodness. It all starts Monday, December 8th!
Know someone who could use a (loving) kick in the butt? Share this post or just click here to tweet about the challenge!
You know my story. What’s your number one reason for not getting stuff done?
Loving the skin you’re in
Ever sit in front of the mirror and just look at you? Don’t freak out! It’s a great way to know when something changes. If you make a habit of just looking at you, you’ll begin to appreciate how amazing your body is and you’ll also notice if something changes because you’re checking it out on a regular basis. Another mama shared this with me and it made total sense. It’s a great step on the journey of loving the skin you’re in. I can think of a few more things that make me feel better about myself. Roll with me, ok?
Exercise is a good one for me. That extra step in the morning makes me feel better about me. Working out makes me feel different about my body almost immediately. Which is great because the changes certainly don’t happen immediately. Le sigh…
I noticed a while back that I was holding on to way too many clothes. As I started to go through them I realized some of them didn’t even deserve to be taking up space in my closet. They were too small, too big or just wasn’t something that made me feel how I want my clothes to make me feel. I like to get dressed without feeling like the frumpy mama. I don’t wanna get into the habit of being OK with my frump. So the best way to do that was to let some things go. Yep, that’s another “feel better about me” move. Go through your closet and get rid of clothes that don’t make you feel good about you. Anything that makes you feel frumpy, lumpy and “ugh” have got to go. Only rock with stuff that makes you feel good. That could be as simple as jeans and a white tee (my go to simple look). Feel free to do this process with other things in your life. That could include people too. I’m just saying…
Remember that you’re here for a reason. You are all kinds of unique, special and beautiful. Repeat that until you believe it if you have to.
Treat your body well and it will return the favor. Make a commitment to eat and drink things that serve you well. Been slacking on skin care? Get back on the wagon with that. Those changes will be written all over you. It will show in how you look and how you feel.
Focus on the things you really like about yourself. What you focus on grows. If you only focus on what you think are your faults… that’s all you’ll see. You’re way more than your flaws! Give your awesomeness some love.
Stop listening to other people, including magazines and TV shows, that say what the ideal body is. Tell your inner and outer critic to “Shut Up”! I don’t believe in an “perfect size”, do you?
How do you show yourself some love? Share in the comments!
A Weekend With Oprah…
“We are here to turn up the volume on your life.” – Oprah Winfrey
The volume on my life has been cranked – way up!
With anticipation running through me, I drove to San Jose this weekend. I was excited for a few reasons. I had been invited to cover Oprah’s Life You Want Weekend AND I was going to get some alone time. I looked forward to loads of inspiration, resting and getting work done. The only thing I managed to accomplish was being supremely inspired! Once I hit the road to come back home on Sunday, I felt nothing short of transformed.
With more than 10,000 people in an arena, the whole event managed to feel like an intimate gathering. A gathering of people who shared one goal – holding the pencil that writes our life stories. The energy was electric. There were dance parties like this all weekend.
It was amazing to be around so many people who all greeted each other with smiles and hugs. So what that we’d all just met. It was like some alternate universe that we all wished flowed from the arena and permeated our cities.
I had many “aha moments” and just moments of confirmation.
Oprah started things off on Friday night by sharing her life story. There were many things I hadn’t heard before and it was awesome to get those details straight from the source. Her message was looking for the thread that connects the dots of your life.
“The thread is your spirit seeking expression. Your thread is that which connects the dots and experiences of your life and allows you to become who you were meant to be. Everybody has their own thread. What is your thread? What’s your purpose? Why are you here? What is that which connects the dots of your life? Your job is to pay attention to whatever that is.”
As she spoke, all around me I saw tears, hands were raised in affirmation and one woman even let out a shout. You know the kind that only happen in church. It was definitely a spiritual experience.
On Saturday, class was in session. We were all handed workbooks as we walked in. It was clear, this is where the real work was going to begin.
Deepak Chopra was the first to take the stage. He talked a lot about spirituality and how to find that connection for yourself. “Religion,” he said, “is believing in someone else’s experience. Spirituality is believing in your own. If someone’s pointing at the moon, you should be looking at the moon, not worshiping the person’s finger.” His talk led to him leading us in meditation. I had never meditated before. It was a great experience for me. I plan on incorporating it into my life.
Elizabeth Gilbert of “Eat, Pray, Love”was up next and she talked about going on a quest of self-discovery. She talked about dreams and knowing when it’s time to change your life. We were reminded that change isn’t painless but it’s so necessary!
Pastor Rob Bell spoke of living RIGHT NOW. He used the example of saving the good china for special occasions when none of us really know if we’re going to be here tomorrow let alone for that special occasion. All we really have is right now. Use the china now, live the life you want now.
Once Iyanla Vanzant took her turn we were all worked up, on fire and brimming with excitement. She definitely kept it going. Her whole talk was about life and the ups and downs that come with it. She asked that we all remember that life really is on our side. Those things we go through are for a reason. There are lessons in all of it to get us to the next level. We have the choice of repeating those lessons or learning and growing from them to move toward the life we want.
The common them for all that spoke is that they had been knocked down by life. They had experienced real stuff and were able to bounce back to gain the life they wanted. Once they day was over we were all emotionally drained and full at the same time. I exchanged information with all the people that sat near me.
A few of us even made a pact to not lose what we’d gained that weekend. We have promised to hold each other accountable to going, full force after the life it is that we want. The first step, is embracing the life you already have.
*Oprah photos Courtesy of Harpo, Inc. / George Burns
When it’s Oprah, Just Hit SUBMIT
You ever have an opportunity to do something really good? It’s definitely a life changing opportunity but the questions in your head start swirling. Before you know it, you’ve talked yourself out of the opportunity. You’ve built a pretty convincing case against yourself as to why you won’t get it.
That was almost me a few weeks ago. When I first heard about Oprah’s Life You Want Weekend, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I immediately went online to see where the tour was going. I thought for sure, it would be making it’s way to L.A. To my surprise, there were no stops in or around L.A. The closest stop was going to be in San Jose. I gave it a lot of thought and figured I’d see how I could make that happen. It can be pretty hard for me to get away during the week because we don’t have back up child care for our children.
Then, I saw a thread in a Facebook group I’m in. There was talk of opportunities being available for the media. Even though I’ve been a part of the media for nearly 20 years now, I questioned myself. I asked myself a million questions and had started to convince myself that I wouldn’t make the cut for media for this event. After staring at the form for a few days, I finally filled it out. I remember the moment I hit “submit”. I was nervous, excited and hopeful. I wondered if there was anything I’d left out that I should have said. Then, I decided to just let it go, say a prayer and know that whatever is meant to be is what will be.
I’m happy to say that I was approved! I’ll be attending the Life You Want tour stop in San Jose! I am equal parts excited and hopeful! The whole message of the tour is the message I try to drive home in this space. We are all worthy of the life we want. Even as moms – especially as moms! I say especially not because we’re entitled as moms to be any happier than anyone else. As moms though it can be tougher to pursue those things that bring you the life you want. I am going to soak up the knowledge and I’ll be bringing it right back here to you!
The next time you get that feeling of , “am I ready?”, “can I do this?”, hit “submit”! Submit yourself, submit to the process and be open to the life you want!
Never Too Late
My whole “mama motivator” moniker was started because I have encountered far too many moms who felt like it was too late to do certain things that might bring them some happiness. I talked too many moms who felt like everything about them had to hit the back burner because their name changed to mama. Simply put, my message is it’s not too late. It never is. Let this man be your inspiration…
It’s never to late for what, you ask? I have a small list. Feel free to add to it.
It’s Never Too Late…
- to start over – were you working on something and life got in the way so you put it down. Now is a good time to pick it back up.
- to chase your dreams – always wanted to write a book? How about starting the outline today?
- to change your ways – fed up with your fitness. Go for a walk, a good one that gets your heart moving. All it takes is one step.
- to be positive – what you focus on grows. If you focus on the sucky stuff, that’s all you’ll see. Try to look for the positive in every situation and you’ll start to notice the positive more than the negative – guaranteed.
- to learn something new – always wanted to learn to paint. Take a class. Or break the ice by taking a paint and sip class. It’s fun and you’ll get your artist juices flowing.
- to be inspired – inspiration really is everywhere. We just have to look for it. I’m most inspired by my kids. There’s something about the innocence they bring to everything that keeps me inspired.
Any thing you’d like to add? It’s never too late to…
Someone is in your way – I’m not saying any names.
Everybody has a talent
Everybody has something to give
All of us has something we’re good at
All of us have a gift that makes us
Special and unique
We hear it all the time. It’s repeated over and over again to remind us of what we’re capable of. Everyone has a special something – a talent. My kids love that song on Yo Gabba Gabba. OK, I really like it too.
But what if your talent is you being really good at continually and successfully getting in your own way? Yes, that can be a talent. If it’s something you’re good at, and makes you special and unique. It qualifies as a talent. Don’t look at me like that. I’m just telling you what Yo Gabba Gabba says.
It’s no secret that we’ve all been guilty of it at some point. Along the way there’s been something that we’ve really wanted to do. The problem could be a little voice in our heads saying all sorts of things that we choose to believe. When it comes to something we really want to do, we can tell ourselves a million reasons why it won’t work. Suddenly we’re convinced we’re not ready or you can’t do it or any other “reason”.
You wanted to start a blog but coming up with a that “perfect” first post was too much pressure and you’re still tweaking it – after a few months.
You spend all of your time planning for what you really want to do instead of doing it (guilty!)
You’re super talented but hold on tight to the thought that you’re not good enough. You are too hard on yourself. Ms. Perfect, anyone?
So how do you shake all of that?
First, allow me to give you permission to tell that little voice to kick rocks! Yup. Do that.
Next, watch what you do. What I mean is, watch yourself like you’d watch someone else. Why? It’s always easier to see where other people could do things differently. Turning that eye on ourselves helps us to see what we’re doing and where we could be switching things up. We’ll start to notice the habits that make us our best road block. Change those habits. Get closer to what we want.
Decide what success looks like to YOU! It’s not the same for everyone. For some people success means lots of money and power. For others it’s all having a family that’s thriving. Just because success looks different for you doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Work toward your own level of success and don’t let others re-define that for you.
Give up on perfection. Pssst… it doesn’t exist anyway. Don’t kick your projects or ideas to the curb simply because they didn’t come out “perfectly”.
Do you have a no-fail tip for getting out of your own way? Share in the comments.
I’m Being Watched…
I’m being watched. At all times, I’m being watched. Whether I like it or not, there are eyes on me and all that I do. I’m not always sure how I feel about that.
It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.
As a mom, I’m finding these words couldn’t be more true. My kids make me take a look at the good as well as the not so pretty stuff about me. It’s like they are tiny mirrors that show me my flaws while still seeing the good in me. It can be a challenge to be under that kind of microscope. I want them to see the best of me. I think it’s also important that they know that I’m a real person though, too. Did I mention that it’s a challenge? It is helping me to be a better person. For that, I’m thankful.
There have been a few times lately that it’s been so obvious that I’m being watched. The whole idea came right home recently with my son. He was asking me for an orange. He wanted to peel it himself. I handed it over. He was having a hard time breaking through the thick peel to get it started. He reluctantly handed it back to me – defeated. I peeled it and handed it back to him. As I was giving him the orange, I noticed he already had one – perfectly peeled. I asked him if he had peeled it himself. He proudly told me that he had. He said, “I learned from you. I watched you, Mommy!”
Recently, I’ve been getting back to my old fitness routine. I have been taking better care of myself and making my fitness a priority again. That includes me working out every morning. I have these thirty minute work outs with Jillian Michaels that has been bringing on the sweat.
My daughter has a project to do for those thirty minutes. I hand her some puzzles or play doh or she just plays with her toys. Of course, she can’t spend the WHOLE time doing that. She jumps in and works out with me too. It’s really fun to watch her get involved. It’s at that point that I like that I’m being watched. I like that she’s a witness to me taking care of myself. I’m thrilled that she’s getting to see fitness as a priority.
While working out one day, I was getting worn out with one of the moves. I decided to just half step my way through it. Baby girl wasn’t having that at all. She looked at me and said, “Mama, do like girl!” She called me out! Jillian was demanding high kicks and I just wasn’t getting high enough. I had to step my game up thanks to my little workout partner.
Lesson: Even when you think they aren’t looking, your kids are watching you. The other lesson is to never underestimate the determination of a child. My son and his persistence with the orange is proof of that.
These watchful eyes are what keep me moving. They keep me making progress toward my dreams. Through my daughter watching me work out she’s getting to see fitness as the norm. I love that both of my babies are seeing me pursuing my dreams as normal too. I want them to know that whatever they want is possible. If I can model that for them – even better!
What cool stuff do you think your kids are picking up by watching you?