Motivational Mondays: Evaluating our Goals

Hello Confident Butterflies,

   Today is all about pushing yourself to keep going even if it takes everything in your body to get there. I keep hearing the phrase “feed your soul” over and over again. I say it quite often to others but now that I hear it coming from other people, it's making me wonder about the goals I’ve made this year and why I haven’t been dedicated to achieving them to my fullest potential. Now is our chance to figure out if our soul is being nurtured and one way to do this is with these very simple tips.

   We can all do amazing things if we dedicated our full attention to one thing at a time. I have always believed in this method but was never really sure if I could master it. I remember back in grade school my teachers would tell me to multi task to get things done before the end of the day but I never really saw the effectiveness in doing that. I have found that my most successful moments have been times when I have fully dedicated myself to just ONE task. 

   This next tip is new to me so we are in this together! I just woke up one day needing an extra push and decided that it was time to hit the ground running…again. It’s often hard to stay on track and we can blame it on work, school or anything else that happens to be taking up most of our time but we know exactly what the cause is…lack of motivation. So I started to remind myself why I set certain goals in the first place. I just jot down a few things in the morning that truly makes a difference in my productivity level and can do the same for you so here's what you do,

Write down a goal and next to it jot down a sentence or two stating why you want to achieve this. For example, if your goal is to learn a new language, write down a specific reason why this is so important to you; you may be visiting another country and want to be able to get the full experience. The point of this exercise is to make you feel inspired all over again. Sometimes I don’t have time to sit down and reflect so this is perfect because as you're writing down your checklist for the day you can fit it in there. It can look something like this:
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1.   Deposit Check

2.   Call to confirm Mom’s Birthday gift order

3.   Gym (I want to look and feel amazing. I want to worry less about feeling sick after a meal and enjoy what I eat. I would also love to fit nicely in my bridesmaid dress in 6 months)

4.   Pedicure at 3:00pm (I want to start treating myself to nice things. Self-care is more important to me than anything because when I take care of myself I always feel more balanced)

5.   Yoga (Stay on top of this! Every time I do it, my back feels better and I feel more relaxed. I do not want to lose this feeling)             

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   This is literally all there is to it!! I hope that this helps you move forward and believe that you can find even just an ounce of motivation to get you through it. 

Thankful Thursdays: Feel the Happy, Ignore the Angry

Happy Thursday!

   Today is especially important to be thankful for everything because it is the end of Ramadan (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/02/what-is-ramadan-and-when-is-it/) and the celebration of Eid (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/07/eid-al-fitr-160701164352978.html). For many people in the world, this day is the conclusion of a long hard reflection month where they devote themselves to God. For the rest of the wold, it is the end of a lunar cycle. Regardless of someone's practices or reasons, it is important to learn and teach the act of being grateful. Whether you're fasting for a month or handing money to the homeless man outside your building, there is so much that comes along with the act of giving. If we begin to understand someone else's circumstances we soon realize that we are all the same. I want to take this moment to bring awareness to all the crime, atrocity and injustice in the world. Who are we to say that we are better than someone else based on our upbringing or the color of our skin. We are all beautiful and it pains me to say the hurt is far greater than the love we share. Let's take a moment to truly find gratitude in our hearts and do something to change the world. I know it may seem impossible for many of us to find our place in this world and truly make a difference but we have to learn to take our knowledge and resources to help those who need it. Sometimes it is hard to see our own wealth because we are too busy comparing it to someone else's luxuries. Just remember, what you have is more than enough to someone in the world who has far less. If you ever forget this, observe these qualities and actions of a child:

1. Watch the way a baby plays with a piece of shiny plastic. A baby has no idea it is the torn up package of your new lipstick. She stares at it intently and realizes that when she bends the corner, it makes a clicking sound! That simple sound alone makes her giggle and when you add the shiny silver plastic strip to the equation, she can't stop smiling. This one small piece of plastic has brought her joy, what can you think of in your life that seems insignificant but has the potential to bring you ultimate joy?

2. Imagine a mother who was unable to afford the latest Disney toy for her child and instead heads over to target or even the dollar store to grab the cheapest thing she can find. Her child is ecstatic when he sees the pack of mini harmonicas in 5 different colors and the coloring book with a pack of crayons attached to the cover page. His mother spend less than $10 but the child doesn't know that nor does he care. When you have someone who is willing to offer you something to make you happy, try to accept it and learn to appreciate it. Think of something you have received in the past that was the complete opposite of what you were hoping for. Now think back to that person and their thought process, amount of time and love they put into getting you that particular gift. If you truly believe they didn't put thought into your gift then think about it this way, they didn't have to get you anything at all and the simple thought of wrapping something up is very generous of them and that alone I believe should be appreciated.

3. Live in the present moment. I have a nephew who reminds me to do this everyday. He is full of live and has no worries that keep him from enjoying his day. If he feels like he wants to play, he runs outside and takes advantage of the sun before it sets. When playing with water, he isn't worried about getting his clothes wet; He is completely oblivious about the fact that he is pouring all his water out of the bucket and won't have any left to play with after 5 minutes. Sometimes when I stop to think about life before him, I can't really remember much because I was always worried about what the next step of my life would be rather than living in the moment. As you read this, take a moment to think about what you are doing and the way you are feeling. I will end it here so that you can hope off the computer or your phone and start living life!

   As you continue on this journey called life, remember to be grateful and give back as much as you can.