Remembering What is Most Important in Life..

Happy Tuesday Loves!!

My week is off to a great start! I started my Monday with cleaning the house from top to bottom- vacuuming, mopping, washing sheets, rugs, cleaning lights, emptying trash, etc. Late Monday morning my sister messaged me to come by for coffee to catch up, so I decided to take the rest of the day off and hang out with her. One of the main reasons that I love being my own boss!

It was so nice chatting with my sister and visiting with my niece (we played on Snap-chat- obviously!). I decided at the last minute to go to town with my sister and we did a little shopping, which was exactly what I needed. I tend to work way too much and not take time off to relax and it was really nice to get out of the house. I ended up finding some cute summer clothes and a new coffee mug. I picked up the hubby some dinner from Subway- it was so nice not to have to cook and dirty up dishes! Sometimes, I forget that it's the little things in life that can make the difference!

Later when the hubby got home, he hung the mirror for me and mowed 1/2 of the lawn. Between last week and today- the hubby painted all 3 exterior windows on one side. We are planning to paint some more this week. My husband's birthday is tomorrow, so I am planning to surprise him soon with a weekend trip to the beach! 

This morning, I listened to a couple of sermons online and have been catching up on some client work. I will be working on some website updates later and then I have a potential client meeting at noon. I also paid off a credit card bill so that always make for a great start to the day! I really am blessed that I get to work from home and make money to pay the bills and go on vacation. 

I was talking to my sister yesterday, about how life is such a rat race and how I really want to slow down and enjoy life more and work less. My motto has always been work hard, play hard, but lately I've been working too hard and not playing enough. After talking with my sister, I realized that I need to play more and take some me-time. It's easy to run around like crazy trying to make extra money and make plans for my future. But, then I remember, it doesn't matter how much I run around trying to do it all on my own and be successful, in the end, God is in control of it all anyway! What matters is that I enjoy life and I remember to help others along the way by showing generosity and kindness towards others.

Lately, I have been noticing in society, more self-centered actions and an all about me mentality. It makes me extremely sad to see when people are self-serving and worried about all that they can get, until they forget that life is really about helping others. You can make all of the money in the world, but when it comes down to it, you can't take it with you. Nothing in life is guaranteed, not money, not our tomorrow; it's all in God's hands when it comes down to it, no matter how much control that you believe that you have. I pray every day that I can do something in my life to bless someone else- whether they are feeling down or if they are having financial issues. It's amazing what a little bit of kindness and prayer will do for someone. Life is not about what you can get, it's about what you can do to help someone else.

When you sow good things and give unselfishly of your time and resources to those that need help; God promises to multiply those resources to that you can continue to be a blessing to those around you. You might look at what you have and think, "I don't have much to give." But have faith that when you are faithful and give God what you have, he will turn it into more than enough!" Just like Jesus fed a crowd of over 5,000 people with a small lunch, he can multiply whatever you have in your hand too!

Matthew 25:34-46 Then the King will say to those on his right, "come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And the King shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."


What can you do today to help someone else? Maybe give some of your time, talent or finances to help someone else who needs it?

Who Gives You Encouragement?

What kind of support do you have in your life? Are you surrounded by positive girlfriends, and/or your family who are there for you when you're having difficult times or even just having a friend to hang out with to share in your successes in life?

I have to admit, I've never had supportive women/girlfriends like that. I've always had to be my own biggest supporter, my own coach, I have had to pull myself up by the bootstraps when I'm going through a rough time and give myself pep talks on the days that I'm feeling down. I don't remember many compliments being given & was constantly reminded that I was the same as everyone else and nothing special. I've never had a woman mentor to lift me up or tell me how amazing I am or what I am capable of and you guys, no matter how much I try to bury that in my subconscious, it really hurt and it affected my self-worth for a long time. It made me feel like wasn't important or that I didn't matter. They say that you don't miss what you've never had, but I have had glimpses of what other women have and I really want that too..

I am so envious of those women who have girlfriends to go out with to have a glass of wine or to go shopping. I admit that I'm extremely choosy of who I allow to be around me -I only allow myself to have authentic, positive relationships- I don't associate with takers, people who lie, cheat or who pretend to be something they're not- I feel that I should only have people surrounding me that are good for my spirit.

I've had my share of women that have tried to tear me down in my life or tried to bully me- I've never had much positive encouragement from another woman. None of the women ever asked how my business was doing or the books that I've published or complimented my weight loss or a new haircut- they honestly don't even know me as a person because they have never taken the time to really know me and I find that extremely sad. 

Luckily, I have been blessed with an amazing husband who does lift me up and brag to all of his co-workers about  how amazing that I am. But I still miss having having girlfriends to hang out with to talk about girly things. I have always been a big believer in women supporting and loving one another- I have never wanted to be a part of anything less. 

The other day on Instagram, this girl accidentally tagged me with some other mean girls who were bullying Carly Waddell from the Bachelor and I was so upset about it. I tagged her and begged her to please remove my name from being grouped with those girls that were making fun of Carly. I find that type of behavior to be so atrocious and don't want anything to do with it. I believe that there are so many different ways that you can bully someone - verbally, giving mean looks, by copying them so excessively until they feel like their identity has been stolen and they no longer feel like themselves or by passive aggressively ignoring someone like they don't exist. Those last two are the worst- I've experienced both and it really really hurts....No one wants to be made to feel like they don't exist or that someone is trying to replace them as if they no longer matter.

Because I know what it's like to feel left out and to feel alone, I have always gone above and beyond to support other women. I am very comfortable giving out compliments or listening when someone needs someone to talk to or wants advice. I know that because of never having those things myself, I am very sensitive to how I treat others and make sure that I always treat people in a kind manner even when they are unkind to me. 

It doesn't mean that all women will be best friends or have a compatible friendship- it just means that we have respect for one another and when someone needs help or support- to be there for them. It never hurts to be kind & it doesn't cost anything- so feel free to spread the love to others :) You never know who might being going through a difficult time and could use some support in their life. 

This year my prayer is that God sends me some Christian, loving women that are kind and supportive because I know that there are so many kind and supportive loving women out there, I just have to wait on God to send some into my life.

Do you have supportive girlfriends or a positive female mentor in your life?