How to be free

Positive Affirmations to regain your personal power

The Truth Relationship

How to Break Toxic Habits

How to stay in your zone

                 " Enjoy the moment for it will be gone in an instant." ~Andrea Anderson

     Do you ever feel like you need balance in your life? If you’re anything like the average working person, work can be crazy nonstop drama at times. It seems like you see the people at work more than you see your family and the weekends fly by like sweet dreams that never last. With all this being said it can be a headache to get ready for the same old ritual every week. The routine of getting up, wearing the same clothes that you washed over and over again, seeing the same people and smiling at strangers like everything is great  because it’s your job. Real life in the corporate world is not all sunshine and daisies. Sometimes you just want to say Stop!!! Of course the world doesn’t stop because no one’s listening.  So how can we balance our lives with all this going on?  Here are some tips that's helped me along my journey.

·         Wake up and try to do a 5 to 10 minute exercise. This moves your body from the stiffness of sleeping all night. Yoga is perfect for this as well.

·         Eat a well balanced breakfast to get your metabolism going for the day. You could eat an apple, a piece of toast and a scrambled egg with orange juice or water.

·         Get a good morning laugh in if you can. It definitely helps start your day off right and also helps you to not take life so seriously.

·         Find a place inside of your mind where you like to go to when you don’t have to work and try to focus on that moment in time through out your day. Remember that this is why you work so hard so you can enjoy those moments.

·         Enjoy the present moment and try to make the most of your day because it will gone in an instant. Although the work day seems long, our lives are still passing us by. So it’s good to try to make the most of it.

·         Be honest about how you feel.  If you feel something except it and move on. You have the freedom to be who you want to be at any given time but you have the responsibility of choice, so chose wisely.

·         Appreciate everything that is.  Believe it or not, you’re in your situation because you put yourself there. If you know you can do better.

·         Embrace and except how you feel. Feelings are just feelings and there is no wrong or right when it comes to this. Let them pass through but most of all try to understand where they come from.

·         Every day after work try to unwind and go to that place of peace. Don’t waste your time thinking about what happened because it’s just a waste of energy. Reflect on it and move on.

·         Relax and let go of things and people that don’t serve you. If it’s not contributing to your well being, then it’s not for you so just let it go.

·         Last but not least, love yourself and except yourself completely. Remember that you are your own best friend. Forget how other people feel about you because its not your business or responsibility to know there thoughts. Concentrate on getting your mind right and creating balance in your life. It's a freeing feeling to not care how everyone else feels about you. Trust me.

One thing I’ve learned about myself is that it’s hard for me to fake anything. I’m not a good liar, so when I’m having a bad day it’s just a bad day and I deal with it accordingly. I would always try to fight how I really felt on the inside to please the world but I came to a point in my life where I had to tell myself to stop. Now I go to that place in my mind where I feel safe. A place inside where I can still be myself and function the way society wants me to. Of course this is easier said than done but with daily practice this can be achieved.

How to Appreciate Yourself

"I am my best Motivator and Appreciator."~ Andrea Anderson

Going through life can be a struggle at times and the appreciation from others seems to fall by the waist side. We constantly do for other people and sometimes it feels like the love isn't returned. Why is that? Why are our hearts so big and theirs aren't? It just doesn't seem fair when you think about it for too long, but really it is. NO one asked us to have big hearts, we just do it because that's the kind of people chose to be. So where does the appreciation part come from?

 In my experience, I've realized that it's more important to appreciate myself. I don't expect other people to appreciate me because sometimes they really don't know how far I've come or how much I've achieved on my journey. Only I could possibly know that, so now I make it a point to congratulate myself for the small/big things that I've accomplished. Giving that gratification to myself gives me a boosts of confidence to keep me going and doing what I'm doing. So here are a few steps to help you appreciate yourself a little more everyday.

• Pat yourself on the back for just being you. Sometimes it's hard to go against the grain and just be you and not conform to how people or society wants you to be.
• Always talk kind to yourself.
• Be an encouraging coach to yourself when you need it.
• Congratulate yourself for doing good things for other people, even if they don't appreciate it. When we do for others it makes us feel good and that's a personal thing.
• Applaud yourself for coming this far in life and accomplishing the things that you have  accomplished. Sometimes we forget to stop and think about all the things that we already have done. So every now and then just take a deep breath and say to yourself "I'm proud of you, keep up the good work."
• Appreciate yourself for having the drive to keep going.
• Applaud yourself for all the goals that you have set out to accomplish in the future.

We all need motivation along the way. I motivate you to keep going and accomplishing your dreams. I appreciate you for coming to this article and reading something for yourself that's going to help you and others. Always remember that it is important for you to appreciate yourself because we are our best motivators.

picture inspired by amissionformichal.com

Never Give up on Erykah Badu

"Never give up on yourself because you are all you have." ~ Andrea Anderson

Sometimes in life we have goals that we want to achieve and we go for them, but the outcome is not quite what we would have expected it be. We may fall, cry or stumble but each time I believe it truly makes us stronger than we could have ever imagined.

A few months ago I went to an Erykah Badu concert that was held in Dallas. She was someone I really wanted to meet and I really believed that this could've been my chance. I tried to get a couple of my friends to go but no one could, so I went by myself. I was determined to meet and give her one of my Naturally Beautiful shirts with a personal letter I had written to her. I stood in line for about an hour in a half and was ready to make my entrance. The whole time I envisioned myself handing her the shirt and was prepared to finally meet someone that I had admired for such along time. As time went on she finally came out on stage and she was amazing. I soon realized my time was running out and that I needed to make my way towards the stage where she was performing. I finally made my way towards the front of the stage and was anxious to give her my shirt. My goal was to hand it to her, she'd read it and hopefully agree to be the face of my Naturally Beautiful shirts but unfortunately almost doesn't count.

Once I got to the stage there were security guards guarding it, so politely asked one them to hand it her. He did and I was so happy! She had the shirt in her hand! I had accomplished what I came to accomplish. In that moment I was so proud of myself. I realized that this was it, my dreams could possibly come true...until it was grabbed out of her hand by a bunch of hungry Badu loving fans. My heart dropped and I freaked. It was one of the most happiest then saddest moments of my life but it taught me a very valuable lesson. To never give up on my dreams no matter how big or small. I tried my hardest to talk to her back stage but the guards said it was nearly impossible to see her. I was happy that I tired but disappointed at the outcome. In life we will always have ups and downs but that doesn't mean give up, it just means keep going. Just because you don't succeed the first time doesn't mean you can't keep trying. 

This is what truly makes us beyond measure. To go after any dream even if it seems impossible and you will accomplish them.  Just remember that sometimes you have to pay the price first and that's the hard work and dedication part. I wont give up and part 2 of this article will be when I finally do meet her. Stay tuned!