MONDivation: Finding Yourself

My life has definitely gone in directions I couldn't have predicted.  And though I am happy with where I am at this point, I always have that voice in my head asking me... Where are you headed?  What does the future hold?  Are you on the right path towards achieving your goals and dreams?  Will you be "OK" in the future?

Modeling was something I wanted to do since I was a child and the fact that I now do it full time and spend my days traveling and meeting all sorts of new and artistic people in all sorts of places is thrilling.  But I can't help but think about the fact that it is a job with a deadline.  With the way the industry is changing I can hope that it is something I can do for longer than just my 20's... actually, I'm fairly certain I can, but I know I want to do even more than just being a model.  I want to do something that I can really use my personality, creativity, and people skills to the fullest.  I want to be a host.  I want to have a talk show. I want to be able to help people achieve their own dreams.  I'm sure I'll "want" many more things.   I wouldn't say I'm completely lost by any means but I would say I am in need of some restructuring and re-prioritizing in my life.

I think it is important every now and again to step back and analyze where we want to go and how we are going to get there.  It is easy to get distracted by all that is happening in our lives but even if we don't know exactly where we are going, we can at least focus our energy in the general direction and trust that we'll get there eventually.

Happy Monday!

MONDivation: Good At Heart

I do.  Like really.  I think that we can all be influenced at one time or another to believe, behave, or just be a less than ideal version of ourselves.  But amongst it all, I think kindness and goodness lies within the roots of each and every individual.  We may act out of fear or worry or just plain confusion on occasion, but when it really comes down to it, I believe we have a true desire for goodness.

As I move along in my life and have the pleasure of building new relationships with fascinating people, I have realized just how truly generous human nature can be.  The desire to help others achieve their goals, to wish happiness on those around us, and to support each and every person as we'd hope to be supported.  I am constantly reminded of this by the wonderful people I call my friends, and even those I have never met.  We are all guilty of becoming jaded or selfish at times, but I don't think it ever stems from an evil place.  I wake up every day excited to be alive and eager to learn more about myself and all the wonderful people whose paths I am privileged to cross.  I think that if we all can look deep down and recognize that there is true goodness within each soul, then the world will prove to be an even more beautiful place to live.

Now Be Good.

MONDivation: Part of the Story

We all remember the way we are treated and the way that other people make us feel.  I will never forget the name of the boy in 5th grade that called me "fat girl" or the time I was 14 years old and riding my bike in my bathing suit when a car full of guys shouted out the window "Go back to the beach whale!".   I am grateful at this point in my life that I am now able to recognize the insecurity in the kind of people that go out of their way to hurt or harm others.  I take a moment and feel sorry for them and I go on with my day.  I just wish we could all support each other a little more often instead of tearing each other down.

We've all been hurt before and we've all hurt others.  I try with each day to be even more of a woman of character and goodness, and though it can be hard for anybody to do, I strive to be a positive influence and experience in the life of anybody whose path I am fortunate enough to cross.  We are all human beings and we're all searching for love, acceptance, answers, and more.  It is our own choice to decide the kind of person we want to be, and I am doing my very best to be a smiley face at the end of each person's sentence :)

Have a beautiful week and try your best to bring others up with you!

MONDivation: Going Places

I think daydreaming is one of the most underrated past times.  I could sit and imagine myself in different future situations for hours.  On the cover of Vogue, with my own talk show making people laugh, helping others achieve their dreams, being surrounded by tons of 300 lb dogs, having a massive closet just for my size 11 shoes, drinking champagne all day and not being hungover... I could go on.  And because I'm a HUGE believer in visualizing the things we want to achieve and places we hope to someday be, I think it is absolutely a wonderful use of one's time.

I absolutely love this quote and I think anybody can relate to it.  He or She, and whatever place you are at in your life.  Having the knowledge that we can always be improving upon ourselves and working to better our situation gives us the freedom to dream up anything we could possibly want... and go for it!

I feel like this a lot.  I feel like there are big things coming for me.  Huge positive changes.  New and Inspiring people.  Bigger and Better goals to achieve.  And I have no idea how I will get there or when they will occur... but by God... they are coming!   And I think as long as I believe that (which I truly do)... then what will be, will be.

Have a wonderful week!

MONDivation: Do Your Best

I tend to be really hard on myself when it comes to my expectations for just how much I can get done.  The last few weeks have been hectic and I needed a little down time for myself.  Some time to online shop, browse pinterest for hours, turn on the TV for the first time in months, and just relax with friends.  I did it at the expense of some of my usual responsibilities, and when I realized I hadn't produced blog posts, answered emails, and cleaned my room in days, I began to beat myself up a little bit.

And with all this newfound time to think, I realized that as long as I do my best, then that is good enough.  I can't expect myself to work 18 hours a day, every day.  I can't expect to release original content that I am passionate about day after day without getting burnt out now and then.  I can't be mad at myself if everything doesn't get done right, right now.  I do my best with the time and energy I have... And that is enough.

Have a wonderful week!  Do what you can do and when you're done be pleased with what you did get accomplished rather than what you did not.

MONDivation: Be That Person

I think we all know at least one person in our lives that this is the case for.  That person who is consistently kind and genuine and doesn't say a bad word about anybody else.  Even if that person wasn't there to defend themselves from a negative comment said against them, you would know the truth of the matter without any need for further explanation.

I think this is truly such a wonderful thing to aspire to and I am so glad to see it put into words.  I will 100% be printing this and putting it up on my wall (my real wall... but probably my facebook one also) to remind myself daily to strive to be this person.  I know life can be tough and people can disappoint us and let us down but if we remind ourselves that everybody has bad days and nobody is perfect, we can look past all of our own, as well as other's imperfections, and speak and act with nothing but an honest, positive, happy heart... And people will certainly take notice!

I will definitely start striving more to be that person.  Have a beautiful week!

MONDivation

One of my friends, Dustin Farivar, was in town for a day this week and as usual I learned more from him in a few hours then I usually do in weeks.  He has taught me so much regarding social media, branding, and building relationships, and is no doubt somebody to pay close attention to.  I wake up daily to an inspirational "morning quote" in my email box and usually a few articles that are relevant to my goals and interests.  One of the many things we discussed during this most recent visit was the idea of setting goals for ourselves and knowing where we want to end up, even if we have no idea how we will get there.  I truly believe that if we want something badly enough, and we put it out into the universe, that we will both subconsciously and consciously do whatever it takes to move closer to that goal.  Dustin compared it to a GPS system.  We have to know where we specifically want to end up but we don't have to know exactly how to get there.  There are many different routes we can take, some longer than others, but they all will eventually get us there if we know where it is we would like to be.

I've been very fortunate in life but there have certainly been many times where the odds were far from being in my favor and I somehow beat them anyways.  Just because something hasn't been done before, doesn't mean it can't be done.  In my opinion, it actually makes it more appealing to achieve.

I have wonderful parents who taught me that I could be anything I wanted in life and I credit them for the amount of drive and passion I have today in whatever it is I am doing.  No matter how many people are telling you that you can't do something, always remember that if you want something badly enough, your opportunities are endless.  The only person that needs to believe in your success is you!

I hope everybody had a great weekend and that you spend this week beating the odds!

MONDivation

My girl Eleanor R. is speaking my language. Something I am not short of in life is goals for myself.  Unfortunately it's hard to tell if I really believe I can achieve them.

I'm quickly realizing as the years pass and I watch my "Life Goals" list change and develop, that it's ok to set goals without knowing how the hell we're going to accomplish them.  Actually, come to think of it, it's even better than limiting ourselves to the realm of what seems possible.  I officially started my list on October 19th, 2009, and though it now has hundreds of future achievements, I wanted to share some (not all) of the very first things that came to my mind almost three years ago.

I want to focus on #3.  I wrote this goal in 2009 and I didn't begin modeling until early 2011.  I put this goal on my list with no idea how that was going to happen or if it was even possible.  All I knew was that it was a lifelong dream of mine and it didn't hurt to put it out into the universe.  Just two and a half years later, I now live that dream every day.  And better yet, that dream allows me the time and means to work towards many of my others.  I love how I can see the hesitation and doubtfulness as I crossed off the word "super", then achieved the goal of being a model, and then added the word "super" back again when I realized I was selling myself short.  At some point it was something I thought I couldn't do.  And if my dear friend Mrs. Roosevelt is correct... which, let's face it, she's pretty legit... then I guess it is something I must do.

As for the rest of those goals, and the hundreds more that are on my list today, I'm realizing more and more that a lot of the things I thought I couldn't do are proudly being highlighted.

I definitely have a lot to learn in life but I have never been more certain about a statement as I am with this one.  Start setting unrealistic goals for yourself.  And start achieving them!

Who's with me?

MONDivation

It's often hard to realize that some of our failures or struggles are actually blessings in disguise.  More often than not I have noticed that in order to improve ourselves and our lives, we often have to let go of certain things, in hopes we will gain more from whatever may take its place.  We have to make a lot of choices in life and the answers are not always clear as to what choice is best.  I think the greatest thing we can do is follow our gut and our heart, and it will lead us to wherever we need to be.

So start making that lemonade or I'll just continue throwing lemons at your face!

I also have to give an honorary mention to my friend Caitlin who shared what I thought was a genuine and refreshing perspective on how we often compare ourselves to others.

It's important to remember this when we look at media, magazines, social networking sites, and even the strangers around us in our everyday life.  All we need to be is the best versions of ourselves.

Hope everybody had a fun weekend! I know I did!  Happy Monday!

MONDivation

Lately I feel like my life is moving at a rapid pace.  I love this as I truly get pleasure from working and if I'm working it means I am busy making progress towards some of the many goals I've set out to accomplish.  I've been feeling that there are never enough hours in the day and any minute wasted tends to disappoint me.

That being said, one of my best friends had her Bachelorette Party this weekend and we spent Friday evening thru Sunday morning at Lake Havasu.  We stayed at one of her family friends' home and it was a huge, beautiful, desert oasis.  Complete with massive guest house, perfect lake views, and the coolest man-cave/garage I'd ever seen.  I know the word "Bachelorette Party" doesn't normally go hand in hand with the word "relaxing" but this trip was just that.  We spent time floating in the hot sun on the lake and riding around on the pontoon boat, eating home-cooked meals, and watching movies that involved Ryan Gosling in any way possible.  It was the first time in a while I let myself just hang out and do... nothing.  It was so refreshing to just relax and spend time with good friends and to shut my computer and brain down for at least a few hours.  I'm going to try to force myself to slow down more often and just enjoy the little things in life.  I am trying to remember that doing something good for myself and taking a break now and then is far from wasted time.

Here are some pictures from Lisa's Bachelorette weekend in Lake Havasu, Arizona...

I hope you found some time for yourself this weekend like I did!

Happy Monday!

MONDivation

When I was thinking about what I wanted to use for this Monday's Motivation, I originally skimmed right over this quote without even reading it.  This image used to be the screensaver on my computer and it has come to be so familiar to me that I forgot the message entirely.  I'm glad I reread it though as it couldn't be more relevant for me right now.

I am constantly trying to improve myself in all aspects of my life.  I'm a bit stubborn in that I tend to set goals for myself and cannot stop until I achieve them.  I am really happy with the place I am currently at, but I know I am destined to do much more and I've begun taking the appropriate steps to get there.

I think it is incredibly important that we never stop improving or wanting to become better versions of ourselves, and this often means stepping out of our comfort zones.  Success takes hard work, passion, and drive.  If we're not willing to exercise these, then we'll remain exactly where we started.  And thats just... well, boring.

Take a step towards something you've been wanting to achieve today.  The only way to fail is if you don't try.

Happy Monday!

MONDivation

I have a bad habit of talking about the things I'm going to do rather than just doing them. I think I tell people because it gives me a sense of accountability but I've learned that action trumps all of that.

I've told many people that I am going to start blogging again.  That I will soon launch my new website.  That I am a writer.  That I will one day be a top plus size model.  That I will have my own talk show.  That if I give myself a voice and use the talents I possess, that it will only help me to further achieve the goals I've set out for myself.

And so I've forced myself to start.  And I have no doubt in my mind that I will look back on July 9th, 2013 and be happy I started.  You can hold me to that.

Happy Monday!

MONDivation

I'm a big believer in positive energy and the idea that we have the power to draw things to us if we truly want them.  Some may think it's cheesy but I have a vision board with some of my favorite quotes, photos, and anything that inspires me, and I read it daily.  Mondays are always a little tough so some weekly Monday motivation seemed like a great routine to start, and I know exactly the quote I want to use.

When I recently decided I needed to get back into writing/blogging again, I had gone through several month of what I guess I would call neutrality.  I was happy and things were good but I found myself at a place where I wasn't quite sure what my next step should be towards achieving the many goals I've set out for myself.  After what felt like ages of contemplation and brainstorming, I started writing and building content for my new site, and one by one, things started clicking into place.  I've started taking Hosting and Improv classes, moved to a great new apartment just steps from the beach, am taking efforts to grow my modeling career, and finally feel like I have an avenue to truly express myself.  I feel inspired and passionate and I know the road ahead is bright.  I've never been so excited!

Whatever your rare talent is, take it for all it's worth and be a ROCK STAR!

Happy Monday