Finding the Positive in a Negative World: Go Get Goals

Making things happen. We all have dreams, we all have ambitions... Why haven't we achieved them? Because we find reasons why we can't. Money, time, people. Whatever the reason there is usually a way around it. How to fix this issue of dreaming and not doing? Goals. They are the exact same thing as dreams just they have deadlines (Stolen from Pinterest). 

Steps to proper goal setting:

1. Find something achievable. Don't set something impossible because then you are just setting your self up to fail. If you have a big dream set a small goal that can be achieved in the next six months or so. This will keep you from getting too discouraged. Things take time. 

2. Once you have your goal, write it down. Write it in your notebooks, on post its, in your phone, on your mirror. By writing it all over it will become a part of your daily life and you won't forget it. 

3. Talk to your parents and friends about it, see what advice they have for you.

4. Devise a plan. Set up a series of daily steps towards meeting your goal. Write them all down and work towards them each and everyday! You will need help from others, you can't go it alone! So go and talk to people, ask for advice, support, and help when you need it! People like helping others, nothing makes me feel better when someone comes to me for help!

It will take time, commitment, and perseverance. Stuff will happen, problems will arise. As my friend says, sh*t happens and life it too short to let it make you miserable. So march on no matter what curve ball life throws at you (: 

Stay beautiful!

Love, 

GITGB

PS: Go take a walk, fall is beautiful. We got our first snow today! 

Finding the Positive in a Negative World: It's All Perspective

Gez this took me way too long, I'm sorry! No excuses just an apology (:

It can be really difficult to find the positive in situations (no matter how good you look as I said that's a small fraction). Sometimes there seems to be absolutely no up side. And sometimes there really isn't, that's when you have to simple move on and look for the good in other situations. It is really easy to feel lonely, forgotten, misunderstood, and down. Other people have the power to make us feel all these things but we can't control others, so how do we avoid getting too down? We try to take some of that power away. You have to realize people are people, they make snap judgements, they can be rude, and say things in the heat of the moment that really are reflecting them, not you. So you have to take all the negativity you hear around you with a grain of salt. Don't take it personally. I know that is super hard, I take way too much personally, but you have to understand, those people are living in the same negative world as you. Also you don't know how their day has gone, what their family life is like, what their struggles are so don't get too upset if someone does or says something that hurts your feelings. If its a friend of yours address it, tell them politely that what they did or said was hurtful. Chances are they will feel extremely bad because they did not even realize what they were doing or saying. If they don't feel bad maybe rethink your friendship.

That leads into the next idea, friends. Being surrounded by the right sort of people is vital to your emotional well being. If you are surrounded by negative, rude, caustic people chances are you will be pulled down with them. Granted a little banter and joking with your friends is never a bad thing. But if they are always complaining and never trying to fix what they are complaining about, maybe start looking around for some more positive people to be around. It took me my entire freshmen year to find the right group of friends. Finally I did and even though they give me a hard time and we joke around plenty, they are a great group of positive people. Sadly I had to move right before this year... Starting all over. Deep breaths.

Deep breaths. They really do help. If you are upset or feeling particularly down, just breathe. It's okay I promise.

Excuses... Okay so we all use them in excess and if you are denying this then go read the next paragraph and then come back and read this one. I think the most common excuse is "I've been so busy". We are all busy. Pretty much everyone is doing something, school, work, raising kids, something. It's all about budgeting your time. Don't over commit yourself so you have to apologize and make excuses for why you couldn't do what you said. If you do slip up don't sweat it. Everyone makes mistakes. Just do not let it be a habit. You want to be a reliable, trustworthy person and if you are constantly slipping up that will tarnish that persona. So when you do make a mistake just simply apologize and tell the person you will do your best not to make the same mistake. If someone asks for a reason then tell them the truth, don't make up some lie and never deny that you messed up unless you truly are being wrongly accused.

Denial. We all are in it a lot. We deny that we should probably do that paper due in two days rather than watch Bones and Grimm (Shhhh, I Never do this (; haha) for another two hours, we deny that we had no good reason not to do that assignment or to be late for that meeting. We deny that it was our fault when something goes amiss, we deny that we could have worked harder to make something happen, we deny that we were the reason to hurt another person. We are always denying things that we don't want to be true about our selves. And it'd time to stop, or make an effort to at least. Take a breather and think of all these things you are denying. Mull over them think how you can change them, make them right, make them something you don't want to deny. Accept your weaknesses and work to strengthen them. Just because you ignore them doesn't mean they aren't there. Face the beast and figure it out.

Be nice to yourself too. We all have faults, are in denial, mess up, have bad days, feel bad about ourselves, ect. Every single person no matter how much they seem to have it together has these moments. So, accept your flaws and work on them but focus on your strengths as well, you are a unique amazing individual. Make sure you remember that for at least little while everyday.

It's really easy to let your mental state be impacted by your relationship status. Whether you are in a relationship that makes you feel on top of the world or one that makes you feel horrible or if you aren't in one and you are relieved or if you feel lonely and like there is something wrong with you, its very influential. If you are in a relationship that makes you feel horrible, think about why you are in it. Talk to the other person explain what's going on. Give it a chance try to work things out never just give up. But sometimes two people just are not quite perfect for each other, when it comes to love anything less than extraordinary isn't worth it. If you are single and feel alone and sad because of it realize it's not just you. Finding another person who works with you well is like a lock and key. Some keys don't work at all, some fit but won't turn, and one works perfectly. Finding two people that compliment each other in such a way is extremely difficult and takes time. The longer it take the sweeter it will be. If you honestly feel like it's you , such as you feel like you are cold towards the person you like or are defensive or off putting or just not being yourself, work on that. I completely understand I used to be really guarded and defensive around anyone who was not an extremely close friend. Well then I realized it and worked on it. It is possible to change. But change for the right reasons. Do not change so you fit the person he or she is looking for. Change because you want to be a better version of you. It is hard to be around people in perfect happy relationships all the time, trust me my two best friends started dating this past summer after I've been friends with them for a few years. Talk about third wheeling it. I used to feel like Harry in the Deathly Hallows when Ron and Hermione get really close. So I know it can be hard to see them and be happy but know that they relationship has nothing to do with you. It doesn't reflect you at all. So be happy for them and hey maybe your friend's boyfriend/girlfriend has a single friend too haha!

So I know it's hard to stay positive, there's just SO much to be negative about but really it's all how you look at it. Find the good, move past the bad, and focus on what you can control: you. Above all never stop trying to be a better person, we all have room for improvement in out lives.

Like it says, be kind to yourself, stop chasing things you can't control, and know you will become stronger if you choose. 

Stay happy, stay beautiful, stay you. 

Love,

GITGB

Next up: Goals, oh we here so much about those (: 

Finding the positive in a negative world 2b: Look Good, Feel Great!

So here it is part B of Look Good, Feel Great! It's really easy to loose track of the little things about ourselves when we are running around trying to handle everything life throws at us. So its always a good idea to stop worrying about everyone else, take a breath and give yourself some TLC. 

So our skin is put through the ringer everyday with oil, UV rays, pollution, make up, ect. It's a good idea to show it some love. A daily face wash is a must, not one of those highly acidic scrub ones, no no. You do not need to torture you face that much more. Go for a gentle deep clean, no matter how dry or oily your skin is. Also get a good scrub for use every couple of days. Also a good oil free moisturizer should be applied every single night after you wash your face. Have one with SPF for mornings so you can shield those UVs. Now sometimes you need a little more than that, so maybe once or every other week its a good idea for a full fledged face mask. A good cucumber peel is necessary but s nice homemade face mask is a good idea. Something soothing like cucumber and honey and cinnamon. It can calm redness and inflammation. Avocado oil is full of vitamins A, D and E, these are essential to skin health. So mash up some avocado and let it sit all over your face for about 10-15 minutes. This can revive your tired skin.

Not just your face gets beaten up. So a good sugar scrub is just what it needs a couple days a week. My favorite is brown sugar, sea salt, olive oil, a bit of honey, and vanilla extract. Another great one is sea salt, white sugar, olive oil, and lavender and eucalyptus essential oils. But you can google DIY scrubs and find a ton.

Eggs. Crazy right? I'm serious. Whisk some warm eggs and a tad of olive oil together and slather your hair in it and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then wash your hair and let your conditioner sit for a couple of minutes and rinse. It sounds crazy but really revives dry hair.

A good mani and pedi, professional or done by your or your friend is a must as well. Who doesn't love the look of fresh nails?


So I have given you the steps to the superficial side of being positive in a negative world but lets be honest thats about 30% if even of the equation. Next up? The mental side. You can change a books cover a thousand times but there will always be the same words. So, it's time to rewrite the story.

Stay beautiful!

Love,

GITGB

Finding the Positive in a Negative world Post2a: Look Good, Feel Great!

There will be a second Look Good: Feel Great post tomorrow! I just couldn't cram it all into one without writing y'all a novel. so here is 2a. Look Good, Feel Great!

Now we all love to slip into that hoodies, leggings, and sneakers pattern. then the weather changes after a few weeks those cute sweaters and boots look unappealing to a cozy (... Frumpy...) hoodie and leggings. Suddenly we are dressing like we are about to take a nap everyday. Without knowing it this laziness can lead us to actually feel lazy, dull, and grumpy. I mean who wants to do anything productive when you feel like you're about to crawl into bed? My advice? Stay away from the hoodies and leggings. Every once an a while it's fine, that Friday that you have three exams two essays and a report due I totally get it. Everyday? Break the habit Honey. 

Now this doesn't mean dress to the nines every single day, I means just try to put a little effort into your outfit each day. How? Well...

1. Find a favorite dress.
There is nothing at all easier than a cute dress thrown with some boots or flats. Its a premade cute outfit! So go find one appropriate for fall and there you go!

2. Find a favorite neutral sweater.
One those days you are cold, and exhausted a sweater is just as easy to throw with some leggings or skinnies is just as easy as a hoodie and twice as cute!

3. Arm candy.
Accessories can make your outfit. Find a set of bracelets that are easy to throw on and spice up any outfit!

4. The Best Bag.
So not for school but A cute bag can make any girl feel like she's walking 5th avenue in style.

5. (Not Shown) A great pair of jeans.
Find a pair of jeans that fit and flatter you like no other! Not everyone looks good in boot cut and not everyone looks good in skinnies. Just find a pair that look great on YOU! They go with pretty much everything!

Remember girls, I get it! It's easy to be lazy! But its not that much harder to put a little thought into your outfit and it will give you a boost of confidence! This will make you feel better than just grabbing the frumpy hoodie.

Helpful Tip: Pick the outfit the night before, this saves a lot of time the next morning and is a lot less stressful!

Look forward to tomorrow's Look Goo, Feel Great!

Love,

GITGB

Finding the Positive in a Negative World Post I: Healthy Mind = Happy Life

Todays post is all about how your lifestyle can affect your state of mind. When you put good into your body you get good out, no one can be positive if they feel negative.

I mean of course food is important right? But how important? When you eat healthy your digestive system works more efficiently which in turn allows for toxins and bacteria to be flushed form your body more quickly. When you eat heavy, fatty things they sit in your digestive track since the lipids in fats cannot be broken down as efficiently. By eating fresh, non processed foods like fruits veggies, yogurts, milks, and non processed meats your body doesn't have to work around all the preservatives and additives. This means for an over all healthier digestive system and body. Drinking a lot of water also aids in moving your digestive system along. It plays a huge role in expelling toxins. This can increase your metabolism, your skin, and can decrease bloating. By adding lemon or lime it is a refreshing boost mid day. 

Now for Sleep. We all know it's important to eat healthy and sleep well but seriously, in all honesty who actually gets 8 hours ever single night? With exams to study for, essays to write, and sports practice it's very difficult for me at least to get to sleep before 10-11 and with school starting at 7 am I have to be awake 7-6 hours later. An hour or two lost, that's not bad right? Well not if it's ever once in a while but if you are only sleeping 6 hours or less every night you are not becoming rested. This can make you grumpy, irritable, and well negative. Also it weakens your immune system so you become more prone  to getting sick. Sleeping too much can be bad too. Just because its a weekend doesn't mean it's a good idea to sleep until 2 pm. Ever once in awhile those late snoozes are perfectly great but every single day off from school? It messes up your sleep cycle and leaves you less rested than if you go to bed a little earlier and wake up a little earlier. 

Working out is super important to. When you work out your body releases endorphins which give you a feeling of euphoria. This of course makes you happy! Of course this wears off but after working out even hours later, who doesn't still feel good about themselves? Feeling good about yourself is the first step to feeling good about the world! Sweating is also a good way to expel those nasty toxins!

Stress can make us all a grouch! So when you get stressed (I am the queen of stress so I know!) close your eyes (if you aren't you know walking or driving) and take a deep breath counting to ten, do not exhale until ten (if you can't get to ten just as far as you can) and do this ten or so times. Wait what was I stressed about? Exactly (; Also as silly as it sounds dancing to something silly (I am saying like silly like 1D and Cher Lloyd... really silly haha) and throw your arms in the air and shake out the stress. I promise if you make an effort to be silly, you will feel much better afterwards! Going for a walk with your dog or by yourself can be extremely relaxing. Don't text or tweet or instagram. Just walk for a while and let your mind wander. We all close our minds off to troubling subjects so this is a good time to let it wander and sort through those issues. You will feel very refreshed after. Even going with a trusted friend or parent can be rather helpful to just talk it out. So 5 on that list is go to bed earlier, if you don't have a ton of homework don't use that as an excuse to stay up late watching TV, go to bed even 30 minutes earlier! There is so much chaos around us it's difficult to stay focused on what we can control. We all like order so it's easy to find ourselves struggling to control things out of our grips. It helps me to write down the things I am stressing over. What I can fix I write about ideas that can help me fix it, what I can't? I scribble them out. No use in holding onto them. It's easy to forget the good when bad surrounds us. If you're feeling down look at old pics or call a friend, it can really put you in a better mood. Feeling down? Go to a trusted friend, sibling, or parent and just ask for  a hug. This will make you feel loved and it will tell them you might be down and led them to helping you out. We all hit road blocks, there is always a moral to every story! Find that and let yourself grow from it. Most of all, it's easy to get so focused and serious you forget to smile. So just try to remember to give a good smile a couple times a day. 

We all love sweets but they can be bad for us and eventually make us feel down. So a healthy sweet snack is the best of both worlds! My favorite are smoothies. PB and banana are my favs but that tropical one looks delish. 

Most of all, don't beat yourself up. So much is out of our hands and even what is in our hands we sometimes drop. thats what they made brooms and dust pans for Honey. So sweep up the pieces try to patch them up, if they aren't able to be fixed move on. Everything happens for a reason and there is no reason to hate yourself for your mistakes. The important thing is to always learn from them! So be kind to yourself and you'll be kind to the world... and it will be kind back!

I hope this was helpful! Stay smilin' beauties!

Love, 

GITGB

Tomorrows post: Look and feel beautiful. 

So Much More than a Motivational Monday

This is the first in the series I'm going to be doing over the next week called: Finding the positive in a negative world. Now No one likes to admit they are grumpy or negative every once in a while but let's face it we all are. There is always that day when your car stalls or you can't find a parking spot and you're late to class and it starts raining so your curls are ruined and then there is a pop quiz and your forget your english essay and of course that's the day you are assigned to work with your crush and of course thats the one day your hair is flat and clothes are rumpled. There's always just those kinds of days. If you aren't careful that negative and grumpy attitude can become more than a mood and more of a habit. Then suddenly you are miserable everyday and become just another tile on the mosaic of the negative world around you.

Bad habits die hard of course, it s a multi step process pulling yourself out of a funk. So I am going to do a series which highlight the steps that you can take to pull yourself out of that negative mind set.

So why now? Well, because it's super easy to get into this mind set with the weather getting gloomy and the school load heating up. We all love fall, sweaters, boots, and cider! We all hate it though when that lovely crisp weather that is perfect for a picnic turns dark and stormy on a dime and forces us inside. Then with teachers pushing us towards exams and midterms and essays we start loosing sleep, eating bad, and becoming grumpy. So, there is no better time for a little self improvement!

I hope y'all enjoy!

Love,

GITB

Tomorrows the first day of the series: Where to start? Lifestyle.

Oh my goodness!!

I'm so sorry! I haven't blogged in so long! I didn't have Internet then my gmail got hacked! So I've finally gotten that all sorted out and have Internet! Yay! So I'm gonna do a super fun accumulative post later this evening! Again, so sorry!

Love,

GITGB