i just came back from vacation in Texas. i went to visit my family and i can say i woke up this morning feeling renewed and ready for my day. i have been doing daily meditations on youtube but decided to change it up. today, i have chosen to join Deepak Chopra & Oprah on this 21 Day Meditation Challenge. today’s meditation and mantra is “abundance flows freely and easily through me”
if you want to join the 21 day meditation challenge..please click the link https://chopracentermeditation.com/
although the past couple of days i have been soooo alone,helpless and vulnerable but when i think of what my SSS stood for..i feel empowered…i feel empowered bc she would want me to be happy..she would want me to do what i am passionate about..she would want me to continue to inspire…continue to love and face all my fears.
this is what i remember when i miss her….she inspired me and i thank God for the opportunity of knowing someone with her spirit.
Goodmorning ….It is currently 10:32am in Atlanta,Georgia. I am sitting in my own office at the company I work for. Yes!…I received a promotion over 2 weeks ago. I was promoted to Public Relations & Advertising Coordinator. I am very proud of myself.
When I look back at my short/long term goals I set for myself on June 21st..I can say I have made progress.
My short term goals are:
To see that I have been making progress is a huge jump for me. I have still been applying for positions within other companies because the growth process at this current company is too slow for where I would like to be in 3 years.
I will keep you guys updated with my progress. I have also joined AIGA Association(American Institute of Graphic Arts Association. I am happy to announce. I am still living with my sister. One downfall is that I haven’t been saving any money for my emergency fund. If anything I have been spending too much. Last month I spent over $400 on non-essential items. I have been snacking like crazy. I have noticed my spending has increased and I am trying to understand why and what is influencing it but I know I need to STOP if I plan to move into my own place by May 2014.
That is all for now my amazing people. I hope everything is well with you and you’re making the progress that you wish to make.
Sending peace, light and love.
Amanda
i couldn’t help but run home and jump on my laptop after a morning of grocery shopping. As i made my way through the aisles of Kroger, i decided to detour down the magazine aisle. guess which magazine gazed me right in the face? OPRAH”S “O” Magazine. On the front cover I read ” DREAM BIG”-unleash your power and claim your blessings.
![IMG_0051[1]](https://whatsyourmuse.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/img_00511.jpg)
it stood out to me like a sore thumb. i flipped through the pages and instantly felt empowered after reading stories of amazing women who have chased their dreams and conquered the world despite obstacles. i continued to flip through the pages to find about the hoopla of “dreaming big and empowering yourself. after reading the 7 steps to self empowerment and claiming your blessings.
step after step offered advise, as well as, personal stories of women who have pushed the envelop and have overcome adversity. i never really understood what was getting in my way of chasing my dreams but now i realize it has been me this entire time. i have continue to make excuses and fault others as to why my life isn’t the way i felt i deserved. i continue to make myself the victim and not take responsibility for my actions. i find myself settling and living life on auto-pilot. well, guess what? i am fucking tired of being on autopilot. i am fucking tired of just settling b.c if no other day..this article inspired me to CHASE my DREAMS and EMPOWER WHO I AM.
before i get off into a tangent …the article proceeds with Step 1, of course..go figure!
1. Recognize Where You Are
We all have strengths and weakness in our lives and that is pretty normal: no one is perfect.
Recognize the areas in your life that needs improvement..be it personal finances or improving your self confidence. Determine where you stand and reevaluate those areas. Eliminate things, situations and people that are toxic and is no longer serving your true purpose.
Your Assignment: Does thinking about your credit score, your health or relationship with your partner energize or drain you? If its the latter, then that is the part of your life is in breakdown and needs your attention.
2. Rate Yourself
this is the area i was cautious about starting bc i am forced to take a realistic perspective of my life but it is definitely needed b/c here is where it all starts. you can’t improve anything until you know where areas needs improving .
Sit down with a piece of paper and listen seven environments of your life: relationships, finances, connection to nature, professional network, physical environment, health and spirituality.
Your Assignment: On a scale of 1(its unbearable) to 5( you love it!) rate how you feel in each area.
Ask yourself: is it okay for me to live life this for the next 10 years? If the answer is yes, then its a 4/5 but if you’re simply tolerating an area of your life, then that’s a 3- it may not be in the ICU ,but it’s in the waiting room of the ER.
The goal is to move every single area of your life from breakdown(1-2) and toleration(3) to absolute joy(4 or 5)
This is my ratings
Relationships:(4) i am currently dating this amazing woman but my communication skills suck so i definitely need to work on how i communicate with her. i am also spoiled with a sense of entitlement and believe things should go my way and when it doesn’t…i get an attitude.
Finances:(2) i have 60K in student loan debt and currently back in college for Visual Communications. wtf is this about. i have other debt that desperately needs to be paid off. i have currently moved out of my downtown apartment and moved into my sisters home for a year. my short/long terms goals are:
Connection to Nature:(4)- i have never really had a problem with becoming one in nature. growing up i was always that tomboy that ventured off into the wilderness….escaping to see what my next big adventure would be.
my sister lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia right in the midst of the Chattahoochee River and mountains..i wake up to birds chirping and leaves bustling in the Forrest. i make time a couple of times a day to spend some alone time outside in the midst of nature. it helps cleanse my soul of stress and it calms me.
Professional Network:(1)- can you say needs desperate improvement and almost on death’s bed in ICU? because my lack of professional network connections, i found myself at a job i do not like. i work as a administrative assistant at a technology company. i have been with the company for 2.5 years and seem not to be going anywhere. When i question my boss about my growth..his response.. “we just don’t have any room to move you around in a different department” while he continues to hire candidates for director positions. I hate liars! i have a flair for all things artsy. my spirit is whimsical and free- So, to improve- i promised myself to attend 2 networking events a month to connect with other creative mindsets to inspire.
My short term/long term goals are:
Physical Environment: (3)-as stated, i am living with my sister and sharing rooms with my niece…everything i own can fit in one walk in closet(did i say I was simplifying my life). i am working on eliminating on tangible items i do not need. when i helped my ex move i decided that i didn’t want anything that reminded me of our relationship since it is obviously over.
My short-term/long-term goals are:
Healthy & Spirituality:(3) I am giving this a 3 because i have been meditating for 2 months now. i have also included yoga sessions for beginners into my morning regimen. i wake up at 6:30 each morning and start my meditation/yoga.
regarding health..i am so not a runner and i like oreos..so that tells you where im at. i have made a commitment to visit a gym twice a week. i will also stop going to bed at midnight.
My short-term/long-term goals are:
3. Get Clear About Whats Driving You
Are you running towards abundance or trying to outrun failure? I thought this was a though-provoking question. The article states a fear-based motivation will not last; move towards possibility, instead.
this made me think of my current relationship? am i with her because i do not want to be alone? my ex and i broke up 2 years ago but she moved away in Nov of last year. I have been dating since Dec. Am I jumping in one relationship to replace the other? hmmmm..it’s obviously i have some thinking to do.
Your Assignment:
Ask yourself the following: am I making relationship choices that result in amazing love or so that i won’t be alone? Am I working this hard to build my financial dream or to avoid being broke? Am I saying yes because i love to help or because i want to be liked? B
4. Unpack Your Fear
Think about a dream you wanted to chased but found yourself crippled with anxiety and the “what ifs”… But if you start chasing those dreams..what’s the worst could happened? What’s the worst that could happened if you didn’t? Focus on the amazing possibilities my throwing caution to the wind and believing in your own power.
Your Assignment:
Write down a desire that makes you anxious each time you think about pursuing it. Now write down four of the worst things that could happen if you move forward on this desire.
5. Make An Already Done List
It is so easy to think about the things you want to do and not celebrate all the things you have accomplished.
Look at the past 3,5 or15 years. What you are most proud of? What have you already done? Instead of analyzing and beat yourself about what you haven’t accomplished…start the celebration.
Your Assignment:
Write this heading ” I have already…and then finish that sentence wit your accomplishments
Here are mine
6. Keep the End in Mind
What would success look like in each of the seven environments of your life? Picture it. Break it up into milestones.
Write that down. Your goal may be to live in prosperity, but you are deeply in debt. Set yourself up for micro wins and throws grow in maco wins.
Your Assignment:
To shore up your finances , identify tasks. One may be to develop a working budget that trims your spending. Another may be to negotiate your debt down by calling up creditors. The only way to tackle the large goals is to do one task at a time while leaving the worry about the overarching goal in the distance.
7. Shift Your Mindset
Pay attention to your thoughts and conversations about each area of your life. Your mind set- what you think, repeat and profess out-loud- will become your reality. Ask. Believe.Receive.
Your Assignment:
Replacesyour old belief with a new Proclamation.
Here are some of mine:
I hope that you are inspired…
Today is my first day of starting this “Journey to Self Empowerment. Will you join me?
I look forward to hearing your own stories of empowerment.
Remember, follow your bliss-Joseph Campbell
–whatsyourmuse?
a journey of discovering who I am 