Anchored in Hope

During my meditation this morning, I read a devotion from one of my Lydia Brownback adornments. It was entitled, "A Pure Woman Hopes." I want to share a quote with you that really stuck out to me:

"... if conformity to Christ were our greatest hope. We'd run toward it, embracing everything God allows into our lives, knowing that all he does with us is working toward that great goal [becoming like Jesus]."

Reading this quote reminds me that sometimes life isn't going to be fun. In fact, sometimes life will be quite horrible and sad. But even in those times, we have to trust that God knows what he's doing and take comfort in the fact that someday the pain will end.

Aspirin Mask

I just heard about this today for the first time, and it's so simple and cheap! I bought a bottle of aspirin from Target and tried it right away. I just dissolved three aspirin tablets in my hand by adding a little water (it took only seconds for it to dissolve!) then I smeared it on my face. I let it dry for about 10 minutes, then I rinsed it off with warm water! My face feels very soft and looks much better!

I am going to be addicted to this, maybe I will use it every other night. It's best to use after cleansing then followed by your moisturizer.

UPDATE: [the morning after using the mask] -- my face has never felt so amazing!!! This mask is exactly what I needed to add to my routine!

Perfect Morning Routine

A morning routine and positive mindset is vital to having a healthy day. My wakeup time is 7am, and I usually have to be ready by 8:30. Let's see what I can fit in that time span!

#1 Drink Water
The first thing to do when you wake up is to replenish the body. You haven't eaten or hydrated for the past 8 hours, now your body needs something to refresh and wake up! Drink a glass of water immediately upon waking up, and your body will thank you for it. This takes all of 5 minutes to do.

#2 Exercise & Stretch
Get that metabolism going! This workout is perfect for the morning and can be done daily. It's simple and easy to remember.

20 squats
20 pushups
20 crunches
20 jumping jacks
REPEAT TWO MORE TIMES

After the initial exercises (which takes less than 10 minutes), now it's time to stretch. Spend one minute doing each of the following:

twists: arms in air like you are going to box, twist side to side
side stretch: one hand on hip, other hand in air reaching across your head
feet reach: sit on floor with legs straight in front of you, touch your toes
hammies and quads: grab knee, pull towards chest. then grab foot, pull towards butt
arm stretch: grab wrist behind head, pull to opposite side

#3 Meditation
There are many things to think about in the morning. After working out, it's a good time to relax and focus the mind. If all is going well right now, it should be about 7:30am. Read a devotion. Visualize how the day ahead of you will be a success. Say a prayer. Maintain perfect posture for the duration of your mediation. This will only take about 10 minutes.

#4 Healthy Breakfast
Now give your starving body the fuel to start your day. Eat some fruits and grains and possibly some dairy! Have the breakfast prepared for a few days in a row so you can save time in the morning.

#5 Wash Up & Get Dressed
Now that it's about 8am and I have only 30 minutes left before my scheduled day begins, it's finally time to let my hair down and put on my face. I like to shower in the evenings, so in the morning I'm just going to wash my face, brush my teeth, and make myself look and smell as pretty as possible! An easy way to style long hair in the morning is to use pillow curls. This takes some time the night before. Here is a good site to find instructions!

Now that I have curly hair, a clean face with rosy cheeks and my signature winged eye liner, I can choose my outfit, spritz on perfume and I'm good to go! What a great morning!

Printed Word pt. 2

I know I'll give into E-Reading eventually just like people are choosing streaming movies rather than physical discs. But I love a good solid book with many pages and using my pretty bookmarks. That's not exactly what this post is about though! It's about my desire to keep up with reading on a regular basis. I want to keep a book next to my bed and read for about an hour every night before I go to sleep.

So if I am able to get into bed by 10pm and start reading, I should be able to fall asleep by 11 and get my eight hours of sleep by 7am. That's the plan. I cannot stress how much I want reading to be a priority of mine. It's so wonderful to get the mind off all the business of life and just get lost in a good book and then have pleasant dreams about stories from another world.

We'll see if I can do it!

Beauty Sleep

The next lifestyle change I want to work on (and this is something every human should do!) is getting the right amount of sleep every night.

As you probably already know, adults need about 7-8 hours of sleep every night on a regular schedule. I'm thinking a pretty decent schedule I can keep is 11pm-7am. However, I'm a hypocrite because as I write this right now it is 1:06am. :P

My goal is to make this a lifestyle change. That means no going back, and neither should you!

As an update from my earlier post, I finished the book. It was fantastic. I was supposed to only read one chapter a night, but I spent the entire day Friday reading until I finished the whole thing. Oops. But it was so good I couldn't put it down! Next I'm going to read the Hunger Games series!

I Pledge to Read the Printed Word

There's something about a physical, printed book with paper pages and ink. It has a welcoming scent and comforting feel. Ever since I can remember, I've loved stories and reading.

Sadly, I've fallen away from my normal reading routine where I end every night with a chapter from a new or favorite book. My desire is to go back to that. My first book in attempt to become an avid reader again will be "The City of Ember."

Personal Posts

I want to be successful in the sense that I can become exactly who I want to be. This post is about who I want to become -- what I strive for today. And I think the following posts will each be about a different part of who I want to be.

So today's post is about myself in general. I need to make a big change, because I don't like myself right now. I'm too introverted. Being introverted is not bad, but being TOO introverted is. I need to find a nice balance in life where I can enjoy the presence of others as well. Also, I need to take more initiative, have more energy and passion, and seek motivation and inspiration. These are the terms of my overall goal. And I want to be all these things in time for summer.

So here goes all I have!!!