Saturday, December 31, 2016

here's to the friends that were by my side through 2016

Here is to the souls that I surround myself with that just radiate happiness with me.
I couldn’t do it without you!
You have made this year the best yet with your words, your support and your energy. We are all doing this together. Moving past the pain, moving past the struggle and marching forward. We all encourage each other to be our very best. 

Finding friends like this is difficult to come by. But I have found my tribe and without them 2016 would have ended a lot differently. 

So here is to 2017 where we will celebrate life & continue progressing forward together.

Here’s to the nights that we gaze at the moon and create affirmations we say aloud and viewing all the stars in their glory.

Here’s to adventures involving sunshine, nature and movement.
Here’s to nights filled with live music and allowing the songs to be felt to our core. 

Here’s to all the cuddle puddles.
Here’s to the deep conversations with loved ones about something so much bigger than us.

Here’s to the contagious laughs and giggles that make you fall over and barely breath from being consumed by happiness.
Here’s to all the aspirations and dreams coming true within the next year

Continue to dream
Continue to dance under the moonlight
& continue to be happy

2017 we are ready for you! We welcome you with open arms and high hopes.

<3

Monday, December 26, 2016

2016 the year of happiness & following your gut

The girl I was a year ago is an entirely different person than who I am right now.
I didn’t know it then but I was allowed to be happy. For some reason I had dug myself into a deep hole that I could not climb out of. I felt lost and confused in the darkness because I had no connection to myself. Constantly pretending to be a person I wasn’t for those around me, and truly losing myself in the process.
It all began with me deciding to just listen to my intuition and it has gotten me to this point.
A point where I feel like I am in the light all the time with moments of dark clouds. But now I know how to handle those grey moments and move past it. I feel my emotions through to my core and I can express myself more authentically than ever. I find myself speaking from my heart and not holding things back anymore. Just being real in communication and in the way I am living my life has transformed me in a way I never thought it could.
I am constantly being guided to the next step. The more grounded I am in the present moment, the more I can see the next move to make and go from there. I can feel when my gut is opposed to the idea and take another path.
It began small. It began with me deciding my voice and how I felt mattered more to me than the people I was putting before me. I realized I mattered. All the years of being told I did not matter and that I deserved to be sad finally was released. I didn’t feel the handcuffs holding me back from true happiness.
Because we all deserve that happiness.
As I sit here and reflect on this past year.
I realized I stuck with almost all my resolutions. I kept progressing forward regardless of the obstacles that stood in my way. The more I worked on bettering myself spiritually, mentally and physically the happier I became. We are constantly evolving; we might as well evolve into better versions of ourselves.
Allowing doubts and fears to wash away and not create walls to stop me was a complicated task. With perseverance and faith in myself I know I could do it.
As you sit and reflect on your 2016 and think of the new year, reflect on what progress you want to make this following year from all that you’ve learned this year.
I think the biggest take away I got from this year which I felt like way an entire year dedicated to my happiness was trust your gut and go where it leads you.

Cheers 2016 you showed me my true potential and how I can be a ball of radiating light always.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

social media detox

I just completed a week long social media detox.
(No Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.)
Holy shit was that difficult !
But oh boy was it beneficial !
My fingers scrolled to the folder on my phone without even a thought multiple times in the day. So I had to delete the apps entirely to not give myself the temptation. Scrolling through social media has become habitual and the motion of opening the apps to dive in is engraved in us all.
We grab our phone in any setting to just scroll through, from sitting in traffic to sitting at a table with group of friends.
It bothers me how much time we spend looking through a device and focusing all our time on other people’s lives. We need to be with the people we make plans with. Be conscious of the adventure we are on! 
I challenged myself and a friend to a one week social media detox. 
I wanted to stop looking at everyone’s life so I could focus on my own personal life and what was happening right in front of me. 
I wanted to be more present with life and more present with the people I am with.
To be fully aware of where I was and be engulfed in the moment.
We scroll
& scroll.
Looking, judging, comparing and overall sometimes just obsessing over everyone else and the life they are portraying for us to see.
I didn’t look at who is attending what event, I didn’t see your #tbt or your dog picture on Snapchat. I was living my life.
I became more aware and more present.
When I am with my friends, I am actively listening to what they have to say, feeling the words they are sharing with me, and consumed by our time together. 
We have an awful habit of not listening and not being active in a conversation because of how focused we are on our phones.
I am not saying I am off social media forever!  
A break was just necessary for me. It was a challenge but it also has allowed me to refocus my attention on what I need. It also made me appreciate the people I call friends!
Try it out! Maybe for a week, maybe even just a day.
See how much clearer your mind becomes.

Watch how much you appreciate the life you are living in the moment.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

choose happiness

You don’t have to be miserable. You don’t have to stay in a toxic relationship. You don’t have to be sad or anxious. You don't need to be friends with energy draining people. You don’t have to go to that event people are forcing to go to if you don't want to.
You can choose.
You can choose to be happy!
You make the decision every single day.
You set the tone for how your day will unfold from the moment you wake up.
You can decide how your day will play out by the mood you set.
You can choose if you are going to allow the rough times to get you down today.
You can choose your friends that you spend your time with.
You can choose what your day consists of.
You choose.
So choose wisely.
& know that every day you CAN choose to be happy.
Surround yourself with those that bring out the best qualities in you.
Be wary of the negative companions you allow in to your day.
Make sure that the company you keep are those that inspire and support you.
Always choose shining beings that appreciate who you are.
The ones that want to see you at your brightest moments.
The ones that want to be happy with you.
Choose happiness.
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Because you can.
& if today you did not choose.
Just know you have a whole new opportunity to choose when the sun rises in the morning.
So choose happiness.
& know you deserve to be nothing but happy!