Finding the Courage to Stand Alone

I used to be a hopeless romantic, but due to circumstances of my own personal life I chose to become a more practical romantic.  Love is a subject that I am often speechless on because I know that it is experienced in so many different ways.  We all have a story; we all have a timeline; we all have a place that we’re trying to get to in love.  Love is greater than anything I’ve ever known in my lifetime, so powerful that at times I’m fearful of the ramifications of it; it’s just a book within itself, and the pages are seemingly endless.  I was inspired to write about love this morning, because I wondered to myself… Does it all really just revert back to love?  I mean everything we do, all the strides we make and the work we’ve accomplished….is all that enough to keep us going everyday, or is it only worth while if we share it with someone we love?

Ladies I believe that real love does exist, and it’s not impossible to find.  I know there are plenty of times when we run into road blocks and experiences and we ask ourselves “why does it have to be this hard?” I think that , as women, we often focus on our wants, and most often we want the things we can’t have; within the same breath we can attract the things we don’t need. So how do we approach this mentality, and change our outlook on living and loving in our lives?  Believe it or not we have to start by looking in the mirror—ask your self what you mean to you?   Maybe sometimes we have to be in a relationship with ourselves first, and learn a few things about our capabilities in love before we can share our hearts with another.  I truly believe that we are visible treasures of the world; although we are seen by all, our talents cannot be detected by just any.  It's ok to set standards, and it's ok to want more in life.  The person who is right for you, and loves you whole heartedly, will be the luckiest person because they will be loved by you in return.

Have a great day ladies!

Music Is My Therapy "Feel This"

I love this song, and I wanted to share it with you all. I first heard it while watching an episode of One Tree Hill (which is one of my favorite shows by the way), and it just stuck with me.  Music is my platform.  It’s my self approved version of therapy simply because of the way it soothes me.  No matter how many times I’m captured by the rhythm and beat of a song, there’s nothing like the feeling of falling in love with it all over again through the lyrics; trying to distinguish the undertone of the Artist and comprehend the meaning behind the words.   I know that we all interpret things in our own way, but when I hear this song I literally get the feeling of someone coming back to life—emotionally. It’s like the feeling you get when you know you’re ready to overcome a strong sadness, but you’re still kind of weary; insecure; unsure.  It’s like putting your heart on the line, giving the best of whatever you have left, but not knowing what the outcome will be.  It’s a battle of the self, nothing left to give but yet seemingly you know through all the fear there is a hope of reassurance that whispers to you. 

Today I feel exactly the way the lyrics describe…

“feel this, can you feel this…my heart beating out of my chest”

“Feel this, can you feel this…salvation under my breath….”
...."let go and believe"

Among my feelings, emotions are: excitement, nervousness,  anxiety and fear of failing, BUT knowing I have the salvation of peace of mind that I'm working towards something.  I want to let go of the fear, and believe in me.  Stay inspired ladies.

   

Hope you all enjoy the song!

P.S. Don't forget about the IFTL "SPOIL YOURSELF PINK" FREE GIVEAWAY!!!

Have a GREAT weekend!



Exposed by a Six Year Old...

 

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Lately I have been very lazy when it comes to cooking, well to be honest I just flat out dispise cooking these days, and it's been about two weeks and I can't get back into the flow of things.  Give me the shortest route to a meal and I'll take it, and now to make matters worse my laziness has been exposed by my son.  Yesterday I grilled burgers for dinner, nothing else just burgers on the bun, and my son turned to me and said "mommy we only eat snacks for dinner; how come we don't eat real dinners anymore?"...my mouth dropped.  At first I was frustrated, but then I asked myself "Could there be some truth to what he was saying?"  Of course we all know the answer is Yes! I just haven't felt like cooking and I think it's because I have lost the creativity behind the meals.   If it was just me, then perhaps I could convince myself that it's ok, but I'm responsible for another little belly. So with those words out of my baby's mouth, I have no choice but to force myself out of this lazy cook coma.

  Possible Solution: I am going to try to incorporate some new recipies in our dinner flow in an effort to kick this laziness I have been feeling.  I want to be able to enjoy making our meals, not walk away from the kitchen like I just came off a mandatory cooking shift.  I want my son to smile when I set up his plate, not frown at the site of another night of frozen corn on the cob on the side.  I don't know if any of you have run into the same problem, but this is a my current SOS...if you know of any quick, tasty, fun meals that I can try please send me the recipe.  Hope all is good in your kitchens; I'll keep you posted on mine.

Tonight: yellow rice & peas, with baked pork chops topped with asparagus.  Sounds good huh? let's just hope I can complete the meal.  I sure wish I could afford a personal chef...LOL!

Have a great one!

PS Don't forget about our 1st IFTL "SPOIL YOURSELF PINK" FREE GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Spoil Me Wednesday: Spoil Yourself "Pink" FREE Giveaway!

It's the first IFTL Giveaway, and I'm tickled Pink about it!

First of all, I am so grateful for all the support and feedback that I have received for the blog.  My family and friends have always supported me in anythng I've wanted to do, but sometimes you, yourself, can be be a hindrance to your advance.  Writing the blog has truly been an inspiration to myself, knowing that there are so many people out there who share the same experiences and feel the same emotions that I do.  Special shout out to Franny C, Author and Creator of The Frenzy TV, it was through reading her daily blog that I remembered what it was like to be passionate and truthful in the pursuit of your purpose, and chose to revisit my own blog which was sitting dormant. I remember Franny talking about how she admired Oprah, and wanted to be that "beacon of light" for people around her; what she didn't realize is that she was already functioning as that beacon by putting herself out there and exposing people, like me, to her hopes and dreams; reinforcing that it is all possible.  At that very moment I felt so blessed and honored in realizing how many lights that had already been shining for me....all I had to do was step into the illumination and allow those beams of love and support to guide me.

Ladies, we all have the power to inspire.  We all can realize our dreams and cross the finish lines of our goals, we just have to stay motivated in keeping our paths lit.  Believe in yourself and the love of  the people around you.  Surely, the rewards of self improvement and accomplishment will be worth the efforts put forth.  Hopefully, IFTL will inspire you all to stay positive and focused in everything you do....2011 is your year, and the rest will be History.

Ok now down to Giveaway business...

As you all know by now, Wednesdays are my "Spoil Me" days, and today I want to share that with you.  By Next Wednesday one of my readers will be shopping at Vicki 's on me (LOL).

Follow these 3 steps, and you can be chosen to win a Victoria Secret gift card valued at $25

(images via)

1. Become a follower of the IFTL blog

2. Leave a brief comment on this post about what you do to spoil/pamper yourself

3. Like IFTL on Facebook (link on side bar)

The giveaway ends on Saturday 2/25/11 @ midnight;  I will announce the winner on Monday 2/28/11

*This give away is not gender specific; anyone can enter to win, fellas VS always makes a nice "Thinking of you" gesture.

Good Luck!

Hope you all enjoy a fabulous Wednesday!

Ahhhh.....Nothing Manic About This Monday!

Most of us have the day off today, so I hope that you're utilizing this alloted time to the fullest.  As the month comes to a close I will be working on wrapping up a few projects, and preparing to transition into new ones.  I hope that you all are staying focused on your goals; I can't stress to you more the importance of consistency and positivity.  Also, I wanted to make the recommendation of keeping a journal.  Ladies, you don't have to be a writer to keep a record of your days, and it's done at your own pace and flexibility.  If you don’t already have one, it is indeed one of the easiest ways to be able to go back and measure the progress of your growth.  There's no specific outline, just you, your thoughts, pen and paper.  I think most of you will find that a journal can serve as a road map of your journeys, brining into recollection specifics such as: dates, times, when, where, who and why. etc..  Of course, along with the good is often the bad, but don't fret about the finished product, the goal is to focus on positive prospects and learn from the negatives.  So if you think you may want to try journaling, I definitely support the decision.

Last but not least, I appreciate the emails that you all have sent, and the feedback on the topics that I’ve talked about so far.  I’d like to think that this is going to be an exciting week on the blog, so make sure you all check in this Wednesday for a very special “Spoil Me” edition.   I am excited, and hope you all will be too.

Have an AWESOME day!