No Stress!

Who would have ever thought life would be so busy!?!?! At times, we find ourselves trying to juggle numerous activities and we tend to get stressed out.  However, stressing does not get the job done... it only makes the situation worse than what it really is. In the past couple of months, I have had to write essays, research, complete stacks of paperwork, attend meetings & workshops, work to meet deadlines, continue to be a mother and wife, and the list goes on and on...With all of the demanding tasks that take priority in my life, I have learned to prioritize my activities.  So, I am going to leave you with a few helpful tips to help you remain stress-free even when you have a ton of things to do.


1.  Meditate - Learn to just take a step back from all the demands of your life and just focus on serenity.  That doesn't mean neglect your responsibilities.  It just means to put yourself first so that you can have a sound mind in completing your responsibilities.
2. Exercise - I know, I know...You just don't have extra time.  However, it is important that you find time.  Exercise can be something as simple as standing in place and doing squats while you are on the phone handling business, stretching before bed, or running in place while watching t.v. Just make the time to take care of your body, because your fitness plays a role on your state of mind as well. 
3. Just do what you can - Realize that you are not going to complete every single task in one day.  I remember a time when I would get to work early and stay late just to catch up on tasks. It never worked! Remember that you will always have something else to do once you finish each task, so work sensibly.  Learn to say "no" to tasks that do not carry a true purpose.
4. Prioritize - Get the most important tasks completed first.  Work according to deadlines. Try to even work ahead of deadlines so that you do not stress about getting the job done at the last minute.
5. Focus on YOU - Once again, put yourself first.  Do something nice for yourself throughout the day.  Eat your favorite snack, take a nice bubble bath, or do a hobby or activity that you have been neglecting. Just do something that relates to you and makes you feel happy and helps you to forget about the stressors of life.

Remember to stay inspired!

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Image from:
http://youknowwhereyouare.com/expert-ways-to-help-tackle-stress/

A Night To Remember

I thought I had experienced lots of things in my lifetime, and not much more would be able to excite me...Man, was I wrong!  Let me start from the beginning (I will try not to be long-winded with all that I would love to share). 

A friend of mine has always talked about this elite dance group located in New York since I met him three years ago.  I never seemed interested enough to Google the name or even think about researching the company.  My friend kept track of this dance theater's events and noticed that the group would be performing in our town.  He somehow ended up persuading me to act interested enough to attend... I told him that I would only be attending for the sake of my daughter since she likes to dance. 

I only had 2 hours to get from work, get myself & daughter dressed, get dinner, and head back to the other side of town to catch the performance.  On top of all this, it was a school night, and my daughter can be very cranky when she doesn't get enough sleep.  I thought about the time that it would take to get ready and started thinking about whether or not it was worth the trouble. An hour before the performance, my friend called to make sure I was getting ready for the event, which helped me to change my mind yet again. Somehow, I ended up getting everything done and got out the house in enough time to meet my schedule.  However, I had to turn around, because I had forgotten my ID and money!  I still decided to go even though I was now 20 minutes behind schedule.  On the way, I got lost and had to be redirected setting us even more behind schedule. Upon arriving at the venue, we were informed that the show was sold out and we would have to wait until the first intermission to be admitted to any available seats. By this time, I was getting upset because I felt I had wasted my time and gas to get there when I could have been doing something else.  I spoke with a nice man who let me know that he had extra tickets! Things started to look up for us at that time.  We were seated and saving seats hoping that my friends were able to find tickets to enter.  Thankfully, they found us after the first intermission.  My daughter's eyes stayed glued to the stage for the entire 2 hours! She was mesmerized by the dancing, lights, and music.

After the show, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to get pictures with the dancers.  Obviously many other people were thinking the same thing, because they waited around after the performance.  After waiting for about 20 minutes, people started leaving due to impatience.  Needless to say, we stayed.  We waited until we saw the dancers exit the building and head to another building for their private reception... Do I even have to say what I did next??? I told my friends, "Let's go", and we followed them into the reception.  Thankfully, we were not asked to leave.  Everyone was very friendly.  From there, the ultimate experience began. We were able to take pictures, talk to the dancers, understand them as individuals rather than performers, and my daughter was able to dance for them! Awwww! I was so excited for her!  No matter how many dance classes she has taken, this was her first real experience as a dancer.

The name of this awesome company is the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  We were able to enjoy a show from the Ailey II group.  These individuals gave a stunning performance that I will never forget (and I am sure my daughter won't either)! I will be sure to keep track of their performances to see when they will be near the area again, because this is a group that I would not mind watching multiple times.  Now, to make a long story short...This was an amazing experience that I am so glad I took the time and energy to attend this event. Most importantly, I am glad that my daughter was able to enjoy it.  The moral of the story is that even when things do not seem worth it, it is okay to venture out to figure out the worth on your own.  You may just come out wealthy.  In this case, we did not come out financially richer, but we were able to gain an experience that will last for a lifetime.  Don't be quick to dismiss ideas.  They may be better than you think.  It is okay to take a chance on something that you would not usually do every once in a while. 

Success -vs- Failure

The difference between success and failure is continuing to fight even when you're tired.

It's Yours!

If there is ever anything that you want, go after it!

Do not allow others to limit you.

Do not allow fear to hold you back. 

The most successful people are the ones who took a risk.  If you believe in something enough...go for it.  Your dreams are just that-a dream; until you get up the courage and make your dreams come true.  Make calculated moves when taking a risk.  Don't do anything that can jeopardize you or your family's well-being.  However, work towards what is rightfully yours.  You deserve to be satisfied, happy, and successful.  So, just go for it because it's yours!

Life is...

The Truth

Inspire 2 Be Inspired

Maintain A Balance

Work, school, family, cleaning, errands, and the list goes on and on and on...
After a while sanity begins to get questioned. We need to learn how to juggle our time so that we have time for ourselves. We are so busy taking care of everything else that we forget about ourselves. It is sad but true. We tend to put ourselves on the back burner, because we think taking care of others is more important. However, we need to ask ourselves this:

"How can I take care of someone if I am not doing well?"

The answer is that we can't! We must first take care of our own needs... Now, by no way am I saying neglect others to be selfish. I am only saying FIND A BALANCE.

As an educator, I am expected to be able to put in extra hours from Monday-Friday and sometimes on the weekends just to have a successful week in the classroom. However, is that fair for me to put in all that time with other children when I did not put forth the same effort with my own child??? As a mother, I am expected to make sure all of my child's basic needs are met and educational goals are reached. Is it fair for me to put all of my time in my child without focusing on my relationship with my mate??? As a working mother, wife, and friend I have had to find ways to make time for myself. I have noticed that if I did not put time into doing things that I enjoy, I would eventually "burn out" and begin stressing over things that are not worth the stress. What we need to do is find a hobby, a quiet place, and quiet time to do something that we enjoy every once in a while. I have recently gotten into arts and crafts. I have never been a crafty person, but I am taking the initiative to learn new things. More information on some of the things that I am working on are soon to come with pictures. Until then, here is a list of things that you can do to destress and take care of your needs so that you can be able to take care of someone else's needs:

1. Go window-shopping or even just buy yourself something that you haven't been able to buy in a while.

2. Treat yourself to a meal without the family.

3. Find a hobby that doesn't require a lot of time.

4. Take a class of your interest. Many arts and crafts stores provide pretty inexpensive classes.

5. Go to the gym. We must try to find time to stay fit.

6. Get a manicure and pedicure.

7. Get a full-body massage.

Try to make your own list and choose something that you would like to begin with. Continue adding ideas to your list and choose something from it every once in a while. If you have any ideas about taking time out to take care of yourself, please leave a comment. Many people struggle with this and would love to hear some ideas. Until later, continue to be inspired.

A nice relaxing day at the beach. I love the natural sounds of the waves hitting the shore.

Welcome

Hello to everyone who comes in contact with this blog! I am very glad that you have even found it! I have lots of ideas, thoughts, admirations, wants, and needs in life which mostly come with the feeling of wanting to inspired others. When I inspire others, I get inspired. It is a win-win scenario. There are lots of topics that I would like to discuss with the world and this is only the beginning. This is the introduction of me. I am inspired by my family. My family inspires me to continue inspiring. Be expected to hear my thoughts and opinions on various topics ranging from family, friends, relationships, children, money, education, community, creativity, and anything else that may arise. Come back to visit!


"Before you can inspire someone else, you must first be inspired." -D. Johnson

You can be inspired by someone or something. Find it, ponder it, and use it as your inspiration.

My greatest inspirations!