Brrrr!!! When it's Cold Outside, we still have to Get Up and Do The Work

                Catchy title don’t you think?  Usually I write first, then come up with a title but I am trying something new today.  I try to write about things that are going on in my life on each day, and today I AM FREEZING.

                I just got back from taking my Dad and Susan to the airport, they are visiting family in Sacramento, and even though I have had the heater on for a few hours it’s still cold.  My hands are freezing, but I can’t type with gloves on.  LOL.

                What strikes me most this morning is that my “old self” would have just gotten right back into bed, not just because of the cold but because I could.  Thankfully my “old self” isn’t in control anymore.  She likes to come back and visit, but I have the tools to “put her in her place.”

                I had to put my “old self” in check because if I didn’t  I would have allowed myself to snuggle up, turn on the TV and delay the start to my morning.  That wouldn’t be good because then I would have to get motivated to start working all over again.  Better to just get up and start the day.

                Now I have one “good decision” under my belt and that is a decision I made from a place within myself that is filled with “LOVE.”  As my day progresses if negativity or tough choices come my way I can remember my first “good decision” and use that as fuel to stay on track.

                Every day is different.  Some days I have to “work” harder to stay on track and focus more on making positive decisions and operating from “love” not “fear.”  My job is to keep moving and keep working.  I must acknowledge the “good” things, and “Learn From” then “Let Go Of” the negative things.  The more I practice this, the better I get at it.

                What “good decisions” can you make this morning that you can carry with you throughout your day? 

To The Universe

Love Brandy

I REALLY WANT A COOKIE!!!

                Good Morning Universe I bet I got your attention with my title today.  Honestly who doesn’t want a cookie (or 10) now and then.  Before now I would have DEFINITELY just ate all the cookies.  Self-Control hasn’t always been one of my strong points, but that is changing these days.

                I have spoken before about my addiction to negative behaviors like smoking, drugs, and even self-harm.  Another addiction I have struggled with, and still struggle with is an addiction to food.  I partook in these negative behaviors to escape.  I was usually bored or depressed and made excuses as to why these negative behaviors were OK.  Not Anymore, I don’t want to make excuses I am making changes.

                It is very difficult to change behaviors that have been part of your life and your personality for years, but it’s DEFINITELY POSSIBLE.  The best part about changing your negative behaviors and habits is the pride you get upon success.  The hardest part is getting back on track if you fail.  Failure is common when making significant changes, but I BELIEVE the only TRUE FAILURE is never trying again.  The things people value most are things we have WORKED FOR.

                That being said, I REALLY WANT COOKIES.  I am aware that the OLD SELF wouldn’t be able to just have one serving of cookies, I would be in danger of eating half the box.  My NEW SELF has been doing really good this week.  I bought a small box of cookies 5 days ago, and still have more than half the package left today (and it’s actually a really small package) YEAH!!!  I am starting to gain some self-control, and with that comes PRIDE.

                I have goals this year and like most people weight loss is one of them.  I have had success with weight loss, but not recently.  Two years ago I weighed 316lbs, as of today I have gotten down to 242lbs.  (Wow it’s REALLY DIFFICULT to tell people my actual weight)  The majority of my weight loss was accomplished in 2011, I just didn’t gain it back. 

Last year I still had the goal to be healthier, I just got lazy.  This year it’s not about maintaining my weight loss, but getting it moving again, and I am happy to report THIS YEAR is going GREAT.  This week I have lost over 3lbs, and I am SO HAPPY.

 Now my job in the coming months is to remember this POSITIVE feeling in order to keep me motivated.  It is my job to keep working even when I hit the DREADED PLATEAU, which I acknowledge will come.  I must take my thoughts captive, thoughts like “this is too hard” or “well I worked so hard and don’t’ see changes.”  I must remember how good it feels to succeed, even when my inner quitter is SCREAMING at me. 

                One step I have taken is to tell others my goals, that way I will be accountable.  Another way is to share my struggles and successes with a support system.  The only person I have shared my goals with for this year is my Father, but now I have shared them with ALL of YOU and it SCARES ME but it also inspires me.  Let’s all work to overcome our FEARS this year and look for the POSITIVE.

To The Universe
LOVE BRANDY

Dance and Be Silly!!!

               It’s time to enjoy life, have fun, and get a little silly.  This is something that I need to remember more often.  The best part about this motto is that I don’t need anyone else to make this happen.  I can have more joy in my life, even if I am on my own.

               Don’t get me wrong, being surrounded by people you can enjoy yourself with is great.  What I feel right now is that I can enjoy myself and celebrate my life even when I am alone.  Right now I have the music up and am dancing around without worry that someone will think I look silly.  It’s SOOOO freeing, it’s fun, and it makes me feel alive.

               When I smile, laugh, and dance it fills me with a kind of freedom and happiness that I often forget about in the daily grind of life.  I realize that we all have responsibilities, worries, and things that must get done to function.  What I AM Saying is that it’s very important to ENJOY your life.

               I am sure not everyone enjoys turning up the music and letting go of their worries.  Though I am sure the majority of people do.  If your one of the people who doesn’t think this sounds like fun then just try it.  One thing to remember is to listen to UPBEAT music, don’t turn up the sappy stuff.

               I challenge you to turn up your favorite happy music and try to be sad, it’s actually really difficult.  Enjoy something small today, be silly today, dance today, tell a joke today and see what happens.  If it doesn’t make you feel good now, try it again later.  If it’s not music and dancing that makes you silly, happy, and filled with laughter try to find what works for you.

               The pursuit of happiness is never a mistake as long as you are not hurting anyone else or doing something self-destructive.  When you are happy, you attract happy people and positive things.  The Universe wants you to experience happiness, laughter, and love.  What can you do today to bring more joy into your life?  Trust me PURE JOY is NEVER a waste of time.

To the Universe

Love Brandy

Happiness or Sadness…Where Do You LIVE?

                Good Morning Universe,  I LIVE IN HAPPINESS.  Yes, I said it and I mean it.  Today I spend my days in Happiness and I am Grateful.  I don’t want people to misunderstand what I mean by Living in Happiness, I am not saying I am Happy 24/7.  What I AM SAYING is that I don’t let sadness rule my life.

                I acknowledge that Sadness may come and visit me at times in my life, but I am not spending the majority of my life IN SADNESS anymore.  To me being Sad is only temporary, I don’t have to allow my negative emotions and experiences to dictate My Life.

                I contemplated whether or not I should write about Sadness.  I want my writings to be positive and uplifting when others read them, but I don’t want to be dishonest or let people believe everything is perfect.  My words wouldn’t help anyone if they aren’t honest or relatable.

                I remember last year when I went home to visit my mother for Halloween and she was a little shocked when I confided in her that I was Sad.  At the time I hadn’t found my place in Vegas, I was lonely and confused, but she didn’t know that because all my Blogs up until then were ALWAYS Positive.  I was afraid to admit that I felt negativity at times, but in that fear I was doing myself a disservice.  I was doing others a disservice, because how could I inspire others if I myself was unrelatable.

                Today I Live in Happiness for the majority of my days, but sometimes I must work harder to find the Happy and surround myself with it.  It is my job to move forward and find ways to bring more Happiness and more Love into my Life.  I have to work to leave the Negative in the past so I don’t end up living there.  I have to forgive myself when I am sad or negative, otherwise I may use that negativity as an excuse to live in Sadness. 

I am building a “toolbox” filled with ways to Live in Happiness.  What can you do to fill your “toolbox” with Happy?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

In the Aftermath of Destruction comes NEW LIFE!!!

                Good Morning Universe your power and beauty is amazing.  Today I am reminded of the amazing gift of nature and re-birth.  I am not physically outside experiencing the gifts nature gives us, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be constantly in awe and appreciation.

                I am simply inspired, and that inspiration came from something very small and simple, a photograph.  I was looking at different images of nature online and was struck by this image of a volcanic eruption. 

                It struck me how violent and scary it must be to witness something like this, but what also struck me was how Amazing it must be to witness the Power of Nature.  The best part about nature is that it’s beauty can come from something large and powerful like a volcano, or something as small as an insect resting on a blade of grass.  AMAZING!!!

                No one will disagree that nature is amazing and beautiful.  No one will disagree that the cycle of nature which includes destruction and rebirth is beautiful, necessary, and reflects Life Itself.  Nature isn’t just plants, animals, landscapes….Nature is Us.

                We are ALL part of the cycle of nature, our bodies, our minds, our lives.  The cycle of death and rebirth, positive and negative, isn’t just nature it’s OUR LIVES.  Next time something bad happens let’s try to remember that after the rain comes the growth.

                Let’s all work on taking the storm of our past, and using it to push our growth in the future.  We are ALL beautiful, not because we are perfect, but because we DIFFERENT.  We are ALL beautiful, not because of what others think, but because we are part of Nature.  RESPECT yourself, RESPECT others, RESPECT Nature, and LOVE YOUR LIFE!!!

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

Do you need a New You in the NEW YEAR?

                Well we made it…It’s 2013 and everything I’ve been reading is about creating a “New You” in the New Year.  What’s that supposed to mean?  We don’t need more people telling us we need to create a New person to go along with the New Year.  We need Love, Acceptance, Growth, and we need to tune into to what will make each of us happy.

                If you truly believe that you need to create a “New You” in the New Year in order to have more happiness in your life, Then DO IT!!!  I am all for self-reflection and growth, but make sure that the changes you consider implementing are changes that come from a deep desire within yourself.

                In the New Year you should focus inward on what desires you feel inside your heart.  What if you don’t really Want a New You.  What if you Truly Believe you are happy with yourself, if so then CELEBRATE.  No one is perfect and we are always growing, but don’t seek out changes unless you Truly Believe those Changes will manifest Happiness in your life.  In the New Year your desires, intentions, and the changes you implement because of them should be in alignment with your Heart!!!

                Personally I have many desires I want to implement within myself and my life, but I also realize I am happy now, I just want MORE HAPPINESS.  When I consider “changes” that I want to make in the upcoming year, I will filter these desires through Happiness.  I must ask myself if the road I am travelling and the decisions I am making will result in More Happiness for Myself and those around me.

                Here’s to EVERYONE bringing more happiness into their world this year.  Here’s to EVERYONE operating from a place within themselves that is filled with LOVE.  HERE’S TO THE NEW YEAR!!!! 

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

Feed Your SPIRIT!!!

"It's not the idea of a particular religion that's important; it's the development of a spiritual life. Because spirituality creates well-being, health, and happiness."  Goldie Hawn

                Spirituality is a very broad word, or at least that’s what I used to think.  I used to believe that to be spiritual you had to be religious.  I used to believe that in order to be spiritual you had to believe in God or attach yourself to a specific religion.

                I am not writing today to speak about religion or God.  I am writing about spirituality, but the spirituality I speak about is what is inside each and every one of us.  It doesn’t matter if you are religious, if you believe God, or if you are an atheist.  We are ALL spiritual in one way or another.

                The dictionary defines the word spiritual as relating to one’s spirit, relating to religion or one’s religious beliefs, and having similar values or beliefs.  What I noticed most about these definitions is that they all revolve around the individual.  It’s the individual who chooses how their beliefs will form into their spiritual nature.

                Even people who may not be conscious of their spiritual beliefs are practicing all the time.  Your spirituality comes from within, it is part of your subconscious, it is part of your emotions, your decisions, your beliefs, and your actions.

                When each of us works to connect with our spiritual side, we are really connecting with ourselves.  When we connect with ourselves we can understand our thoughts, emotions, and actions on a deeper level.  When understand our “inner self” and our “spirituality” we can grow and love in ways we never knew were possible.  Feed your Spirit with Love and it will Nourish You!!!

To The Universe

Love Brandy