Monday Motivation: Attack Your 2014 Goals With a Plan

Happy 2014! I hope everyone's holiday season was amazing and filled with lots of love, joy, and laughter. Didn't it seem to pass by really fast? Like, there was so much commotion before the holidays with all the crazy sales, white elephant and ugly sweater parties, and Christmas dinners? And then boom, it's the December 26th and everything is done? Yeah, that's how I felt.

Anyway, now with the new year in full speed, it's new years resolution time, right? Really, we can make resolutions any time we please, but the new year makes it much more exciting and motivating. So, I've started drafting my 'official' list of goals I will accomplish (notice my word choice there), and I noticed one major thing: I needed a plan. This is why most new years resolutions, or goals for that matter, don't get accomplished-- because there's no plan of attack! How are we going to set a goal, but not have a way to get there? We must make a plan.

For instance, one of my goals is to read one book per month. My main excuse is that I 'didn't have enough time', which is complete BS because I definitely had enough time to watch Scandal, Real Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Boardwalk Empire, Homeland, etc. Ultimately, I found productive free time while I'm commuting to SF every day-- duh! I found while I'm on BART or casual carpool, I have 15 minutes each way to dedicate to reading. That's at least 30 minutes of reading each day for 5 days a week. Surely I can finish one book per month.

So when you look at your list of things you will do this year, ask yourself how you're going to get there because that is your ticket for accomplishing your goals. For a plan of attack for goal setting and accomplishing, I really enjoyed Refinery29's post by Gretchen Rubin. Click here to kick 2014's ass.

Monday Motivation: Get Excited!

I used to dread Mondays. I would even get sad on Sundays because Monday was right around the corner. What a terrible way to start the week, right? Right. So how did I turn this around? I started to get excited about what was approaching in my near future: girls night out, my favorite gym class, date night, Scandal, etc. The more I focused on what got me excited and happy, the less I thought about the long commute to work and the job in general. It even taught me how to get excited about the things I really liked about my job so I wouldn't even focus or dread about the tiny things that really urked me at work. Heck, the more excited I got about my favorite things and upcoming events, the week flew by even faster. By the time I actually looked up at the calendar, it was already Friday!

Adjust your focus. Stay excited!

Happy Monday!

Mid-week Motivation: Stop Comparing Yourself

Yes, I hate it when I do it that to myself. It's so annoying, utterly counter productive and just really makes me feel poorly about myself. As I change gears and position my focus elsewhere from my sad and pitiful feelings, I came across an awesome blog post on one of my favorite sites, Pick The Brain. I'm really digging this particular point it makes:

"1) Your own situation at hand

Are you constantly wondering, “Dang, I wish I was at the bar now” or “I sure wish I was watching the game now”?

Wish all you like, but what you’re actually doing is comparing your situation at hand with an unreachable state.

Continue with this comparison, and you’re just going to increase your boredom or even make you dread what you’re doing.

It simply cannot be helped if you stuck at work or well, just doing something else!

Think about it: If you’re washing the dishes, you’d definitely, without a doubt want to be somewhere else (unless you really love washing dishes).

Is there a point thinking about it? Not really.

Be present at your moment instead. Quiet your mind. Eliminate distractions. Get the work done and be on your way!"

For the full read, click here. Enjoy!

Mid-Week Motivation

Start your day off thinking happy thoughts right when you get out of bed. The slightest shift in your morning mood can have an amazing impact on the rest of your day and it all begins on what's goin' on upstairs in your head. Try it— you'll probably have an amazing day (if you allow yourself to).

Monday Motivation: Love List

This little mama has a long 'like' list in her daily affirmation. It goes on and on and on. Yours should be too. Notice how happy she is when she's going through her list in the mirror? When we think of the people, things, and places we love, we tend to crack a smile because they make us feel good. Get a good feeling on and go through your 'Love List', 'Gratitude List' or whatever-you-call-it list. Do it right now! Maybe you won't physically smile immediately, but you will in your heart.

Happy Monday!

Mid-week Motivation: The Last Push

Oh, man! If I'm not feeling the pressure of the last two weeks of this quarter in my grad program! So much so that I can feel the pressure press upon my chest, the anxiety run through my mind as I try to grab at least 5 hours of sleep and scribble down items to-do on my never-ending list that has a tight deadline of September 19th (or else I'm screwed!). 

As I'm wishing for more hours in the day and kicking myself for procrastinating until the last hour, I must remind myself to keep pushing. I have to set it in my mind that I cannot fail and look for daily, hourly moments of motivation to keep swimming upstream. Whether I'm counting down the days dreaming of my upcoming 10-day trip to Puerto Rico on the 20th, finding moments of celebration by grabbing a drink for happy hour with classmates after finishing a project, I find moments of relief and even a boost of energy to get my shit done! 

So whatever it is that you need to finish, find motivation (it's around somewhere!) and quick moments of celebration to keep yourself going— and then get back to work til it's done! You know what to do after ;)

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation: Motivation From Strangers

For those of us that ride public transportation, we're used to hopping on and sticking to ourselves, immersed in our own worlds by playing Candy Crush on our phones, blaring Justin Timberlake's new album via earbuds, reading Elle magazine, and the like. Rarely do we ever engage in conversation with the strangers we sit or stand next to.

Ever been inspired or touched by the actions of a stranger? If you did, did you get that feel-good, tingly, happy sensation that lit up your face? Well, I sure did when I read a post on The Bold Italic last week. Check out the video below of a BART (Bay Area Regional Transit) rider who greets the train every morning-- it's really touching! For the full read, check out the post here.

Happy Monday!

Monday Motivation: Keeping Calm and Carrying On

As much as I believe this lil' saying is way over saturated in all corners of the world, it's completely true. "Keep Calm and Carry On" sounds simple, but it can be quite a brutal tennis match in your head telling yourself to calm down and restrain yourself having a nervous breakdown.

This weekend was a real test of keeping my cool. My boyfriend and I headed up to Rollins Lake for a camping trip with his family. On our way up there, our 'trusty' GPS took us up a crazy back road to the campsite, where we shouldn't have been four-wheeling in a Ford Focus. The next day we realized that we had a flat tire. Womp, womp, woooommmpp! Instead of having a hissy fit and bitching about it, I took a deep breath and realized how grateful I was that I had a whole family to help and a spare tire to swap out. After the trip was over, I could only drive a maximum of 50 mph on the freeway to the nearest auto place open for business on a Sunday-- 50 miles away! I knew I couldn't make the situation any faster or easier so I just sucked it up, turned on the cruise control and hazard lights and slowly cruised in the right hand lane. Finally, we arrived at Big-O Tires and walked in, we were greeted unenthusiastically by the manager. I could tell it was busy in the store and that he may be taking a little bit of his frustration out on me, but I wasn't going to react to it because I needed my damn tire fixed so I could head on home. I kept my calm and suddenly the manager softened up, threw in a couple jokes and even gave me a free tire rotation. It pays to be nice sometimes, I guess.

The moral of the story is, that I could have made this the worst weekend ever had I chosen to make a big stink out of every bad bump in the road. Heck, things actually turned out for the better.

Happy Monday!

Monday Motivation: Getting Back On Track

I love my friends. They know how to keep me on track. So, when I get texts and emails saying, "Where the hell are my Pumps and Lipstick posts?", I get the picture-- crystal clear. I can blame not having enough time during grueling and demanding, yet eye-opening grad school sessions at FIDM or training for a half-marathon or traveling here and there to be my reasons for not blogging as frequently, but I'm not. It's clearly poor time management on my part. And this can relate to many other practices and goals as well such as working out, spending more time with friends and family, reading more books, studying for the GRE, GMAT, EMT or any other lengthy tests out there in the world with long-ass acronyms. Instead of procrastinating and lying to myself by saying, "I'll do it later", I say, "No, bitch. Get it done now and figure out a plan to get it done more efficiently in the future." Be firm with yourself because you're the only person who can control your life and what you want to do with it. If you aren't, who will? Once you start doing what you're supposed to be doing, you'll be done and feel great about yourself for accomplishing it and crossing it off your 'To-Do' list-- just like how I feel right now :)

Happy Monday!

I thought this was so appropriate for this post and all my blogger friends.

Images via heartifb.com, vintagelawrence.com and justjule.blogspot.com

Monday Motivation: Friends Promote Friends

Whenever a friend of mine has accomplished something small or great, I feel like that one super loud person in the crowd with a handmade sign, wildly jumping up and down, screaming, "That's my girl! Way to goooo!" I get so excited and happy to see them on their way to success and surpassing milestones. 

One of them is my friend of eight years, Jessica Linehan, founder and artist of Bobbi J jewelry. If you've been reading through my many blog posts, you've probably seen her name, face, and jewels about a dozen times. Less than 24 hrs ago, she just dropped an uh-maaazzzinnnggg video directed and created by our friend, Alisia Perez, who also directed my 'About Me' video as well. I can't stress enough, how proud I am to be their friend and to be able to surround myself with such awesome, original creativity that is nothing less than DOPE.

To view the vid, click here. Enjoy!

Monday Motivation: How I Plan to Get Over Last Night's Game of Thrones Episode

It's been over 12 hours since episode 9 of Game of Throne's third season aired and I'm still in utter disbelief. I'm feeling so many different emotions at the same time and most of these emotions contradict themselves. I'm furious, shocked, hopeful, sad and as I'm typing these emotions, I'm somewhat upset that a TV show has this much control over my life!

So this is how I'm going to turn myself around: distraction. I must stay busy, busy, busy to keep my mind off, you know, the most shocking episode of the damn season! Please pray for me as I hunt for hours for the funniest animal videos on YouTube, scrub every tile on my kitchen counter, bury myself in trend forecasting and merchandising homework until my brain can't take it anymore, and afterwards...drink! After all the distraction activities, I should be A-OK. At least until Sunday for the season finale ;)

On a serious note, distraction is key for changing your mood for any type of situation. By simply turning your attention and focus to something else, you will be amazed to find how quickly you can get over something that's been on your mind for hours or days on end.

Monday Motivation: Perception of Obstacles

Obstacles: those bumps in the road, the scary monster in our way and the bully that's trying to stop us from getting to where we want to be. With everything we try to do, there is going to be an obstacle-- guaranteed. What may hinder us from winning is our perception of how we view these barriers. Are they small? Kinda big? Ginormous? Scary? Puny? Do they scare you away from your dream? Make you reconsider whether it's worth all the trouble of blasting through the great wall of fear? Or do you want to achieve your goal so bad that you don't give a you-know-what and will stop at nothing to get there? All in all, the choice is yours and you have the power and choice to change your perception of these obstacles from the size of Mount Everest to the size of an ant hill. Believe that you can do it and that you're strong enough. Trust that there is an end to the hurdles before you cross the finish line! Know that the reason why there are obstacles on each course is to test how badly you want your goals! If there weren't any barriers, would it even be worth your time? Absolutely not.

So, take a look at some of the things you want to do in your life and envision your path to your dreams. Do you mostly see the obstacles or your goals?

Happy Monday, everyone!

Monday Motivation: Earth Day - Find the Natural Beauty Around You

Not only is today my beautiful mom's birthday, it's Earth Day! Now to be honest, I don't particularly do something extra for the environment on this day, and maybe I should take my personal, daily, environmental duties to the next level, but I like to take a step back and look around at the natural beauty. In my previous posts, one can tell that I like to take snap shots of flowers, plants, landscapes and the sorts and also part-take in outdoor activities on the regular. Observing the amazing and free beauty in this world truly makes me happy. Whether it's spotting a hummingbird buzz around from flower to flower, watching the fog roll in over the mountains, or noticing how large my rose bush has grown over the last month, it sure takes my mind off all the negative BS. So whenever I'm in a foul mood or if something's bugging me, I just take a quick moment to look around and find something beautiful.

On that note, go outside and take in the scenery! Celebrate this wonderful world we live in!

Happy Earth Day!


Image via levistrauss.com

Monday Motivation: Start Doing

That thing you keep wishing for isn't going to appear out of thin air unless you start doing something to make it appear. It's closer than you may think so, get a move on!

Let's kick ass this week! I know I will :)

Happy Monday!

Monday Motivation: Oakland Half Marathon Edition

Yesterday, I completed the Oakland Half Marathon with my dear friend, Emily aka Shorty. I cannot stress how much motivation plays such a key part in accomplishing this goal. Even though this was my second time running a half, I was still psyching myself out a couple days before the big race. On and off throughout the days before I would question myself, "Did I train enough? Am I ready? Can I do it?"

Team Hella Fast: Emily Esguerra & Xiomara Rosa-Tedla

Monday Motivation: Surrounding Yourself with Inspiration

Over a year ago, I partnered with a new company and started my own business from home. It was extremely exciting in the beginning— as most things are— and as soon as the gates opened, I ran, ran, ran! I experienced many successes in my business. Although, with success, there are guaranteed obstacles that every person is will face. This can easily discourage a person from pursuing their goals because "it's too hard" or they get "tired" of the work. I know because I said and felt the same exact feelings of disappointment, low confidence, bla bla bla. Working from home, by myself, I needed inspiration to keep me going, to turn that frown upside down, and remind myself of my goals and why I pursued the business in the first place. So what did I do? Hung up inspirational quotes on every wall of my home so, that I could look anywhere and find uplifting motivation to press on. I also posted photos of vacation spots, cars, homes, and checks that I wanted to receive. Til this day, they're still posted on my walls— some have switched out because I had already received them!

I encourage you to do the same! Here are some inspirational quotes to give you an idea of what to hang around your home or office:

 

Happy Monday!

Monday Motivation: Live In The Moment

Here are some quotes from some of the greats to help us stay present, in the moment, and enjoy life at this very second:

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” 
― Maya Angelou

“Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.” 
― Walt Whitman

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.” 
― Benjamin Franklin

Hakuna Matata

"It means no worries, for the rest of your days!" Timon and Pumbaa had it right. Going to adopt their problem-free philosophy!

Happy Thursday!

Monday Motivation: Laugh More

It's Monday people-- the beginning of a new week and full of opportunities and adventures! None of that blue, depressing humdrum sayings like, "Boo it's Monday. I hate Mondays. Bring the weekend back. Is it Friday yet?"

Monday Motivation: Live in the Present Moment

One of the many quotes I have posted around my home is, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." (Buddah) I mounted this quote in particular because, like many, I tend to dwell in the past and worry about my future. Sometimes my mind gets filled with phrases like 'what if this happens', 'I should have done that' and 'I wish blank happened'. Feelings of anxiety, doubt and sadness shortly follow these negative thoughts. This is why I have that quote posted: to remember to be grateful for what I have at this present moment, to acknowledge that the past is done and over with and to be excited for the blessings that the future holds. By redirecting my thoughts, I put my mind at ease and recognize all the blessings in my life. For more helpful tips, check out a great site I stumbled upon here.

Happy Monday!