You get what you want… right?

2017 has flown by! Over the last few days, I’ve been naturally reflective. I’m already pretty reflective and tend to over think, but this reflection has been free-flowing and eye-opening.

When I think about where I was last year around this time, I was deeply depressed, incredibly anxious, unsure about… everything, and unhappy. I started the year off deciding that I was going to be happy. I decided that I was going to do everything I knew how to overcome my issues and become a better me.

Well…

I lost 25 pounds. I got a new job. I increased my savings. I grew my business. I traveled more. I saw my family more than I have a long time. I kept track of weekly positive memories in a memory jar. I started meditating, journaling, and working on mindfulness. Most importantly…

I finally decided what I wanted.

That sounds simple, right? It could be. But, I made it hard. I thought it was selfish to want things for myself that didn’t necessarily positively impact other people. I made a vision board full of great things, but I was very unclear about what I actually wanted. I went through 10.5 months of this year “going with the flow” and that’s not even me. I’m a dreamer. A planner. Going with the flow makes me anxious. I’m the type to plan something that’s supposed to be spontaneous lol. I was afraid of putting what I wanted out into the universe because… what if it came true?

The crazy thing is that I know that if I want something and put it out there, it happens. So, my fear was ridiculous, but I totally get it. It’s magical. The power to get what you want is dope, but it scared me. (Don’t get all weird, y’all. We can all manifest things into our lives and often do it more than we realize.)

I’m choosing to be introverted, nerdy, quiet, reflective, solo traveling, hip hop loving, giving, huge hearted, natural curl rocking, home cooking, football loving, podcast junkie, book and article reading, kinda anxious, kinda silly, super grateful Domi. I got very clear on how I got where I am and where I want to be. I wrote it down. I read it. I looked in the mirror and told myself, “I’m ready for ______.”

I’m ready.

Do you know what you want? The first step is making a decision.

 

 

 

ANTs

Negative automatic thoughts are the negative thoughts that are elicited in people with anxiety disorders when faced with anxiety-provoking situations. (Source: Arlin Cuncic on About health)

I’ve dealt with Automatic Negative Thoughts for, probably, most of my life. I referred to it as over thinking. Immediately thinking the worst possible scenario despite all of the facts in front of me pointing to positive results.

My ANTs increased when I began dealing with depression and anxiety. As much as I read about and speak affirming statements, I still find myself struggling to turn my automatic negative thoughts into positive ones. I don’t have any desire to be negative and these thoughts seem almost out of my control.

But… I want to change them. I feel like I can put some effort into getting rid of a good portion of my ANTs.

Maybe this could work. Seems legit.

Honesty Hour

I just finished chatting with a close friend and realized how anxious I became. I am anxious about what I keep saying “isn’t that deep” or “doesn’t really matter” or “I don’t care for real” … but… I’m shaking.

For what?

Honestly – pressure. The pressure of Valentine’s Day is huge. If you do something for someone, everybody wants to know if you are getting something in return or what you’re doing today. I don’t give to get. Never have. Hopefully, never will. So why is it bothering me tonight?

Truthfully – it’s always been something that’s made me anxious.

I just acted like it didn’t matter for real. As if it is not something that impacted me or bothered me. But… it does.

So, I’m going to flip the script. I am going to stop being anxious. Right now. Why? Because I have had a great day with myself and with family. I feel better. I laughed a ton. I smiled a lot. I am surrounded by people that care and that is truly a blessing. Not to mention that I have an amazing fella around that reminds me to focus on being a better me.

Happy February 14th! Another day to share love. Because love and hope are definitely best when you share them.

Just like music…

I saw a picture on Facebook this morning that I loved! It very clearly and succinctly explains what music is and what it does for me. It shares the reasons why there is always a song in my head, in my heart and in my spirit. It illustrates what music can and does do.

Wonder what feelings sound like? Just like music…

A number of feelings can be expressed throughout one song, album, verse, 16 bars, etc. Certain music might not be your thing, your style or your forte. Doesn’t matter to me. The different types of music that I connect with are the expression of feelings that I experience, have experienced, or understand.

Got feelings? Get music.

A revelation…

I had a revelation this week that shocked me. I recognize that I need to heal from lots of things. I have even have “coping strategies” that I could try. I have an amazing support system and really no excuse for why my healing hasn’t begun.

My revelation showed me the reason that I wasn’t healing.

Fear.

Paralyzing fear. I feared something that could help me because… because I was doing just fine napping, exercising and drinking wine to forget about stuff and be positive. What could church, small group, support groups, journaling or focusing on my self really do to help me progress in the world? Where did I begin to fear things that were once helpful?

Fail.

I had some negative thinking before trying to truly dig in and heal. My revelation has inspired me to write. It’s inspired me to share. It has inspired me to stop trying to fix fhe world until I determine what I need to fix within.

The journey begins.

Work on vacation? Yep!

I rarely take a vacation and, when I do, it’s usually a max of three days at once. This summer, I am taking a full week vacation AND will take another half week vacation next week. It feels pretty good to put a vacation on your calendar and hold yourself accountable to buying the plane ticket, packing your clothes and taking the trip. What happens when you’re on vacation and you start working?

It happens. LoL!

I not only have a full-time job, but I also run a business and help people with their businesses. I get to really work in all of my areas of passion and it’s pretty darn dope! What this means is that even on vacation, I have found a way to work on my business. But it doesn’t feel like work! What did I do?

I learned about Instapage and made a pretty nice landing page for my business.

Check it out: healthandwealth4u.instapage.com

There’s nothing wrong with promoting your business while on vacation. It’s almost a natural thing to do especially when having conversations with people. I vowed to not open e-mails or talk about my full-time job this week and I have been pretty successful. Not too shabby! LoL

Today’s workout

13 minute run (1 mile)
3 sets of 15 hip flexors (on machine) with 40 pounds of weight
3 sets of quad curls with 40 pounds of weight
3 sets of 15 lunges
3 45-second planks.

With 30 second rests between sets, this workout took exactly 30 minutes. Keep following to see my other workouts.

Tea!

I LOVE tea! I’m not a coffee drinker and don’t drink energy drinks so I get my energy from teas. I bought some new tea yesterday that I wanted to share with everyone. Enjoy!

I’ve tried the Blueberry Slim Life Green Tea and I loved it! I plan on having the green tea in the morning and the Berry DeTox tea at night. I will share my results in a few weeks.

Found It!

I found my heart rate monitor this weekend! Sadly, I hadn’t used it for like 4 years… until today! It still works like new. Now, I have something to help me track my heart rate and calories burned during my workouts.

Today, I did the Drop 10 workout plus a 5 minute walk on the treadmill at 3.0 speed and 1.5 incline. 400 calories burned in 30 minutes. Thermofit is going to help me burn extra calories throughout the day.

I’m about 7 pounds away from my goal weight. Consistency is key! I’d love to be at my goal by the end of the month. 💪💪💪

2.5 Month Progress Photo

The scale hasn’t moved much, but my progress pics tell a completely different story…

I have two weeks to go on my 90 Day Challenge and I’m so proud of what I have accomplished. I can’t wait to see where I am in a few more weeks.