SIMPLE INSPRIATION: Planning



I am a planner, a very detailed planner, but rarely do I ever follow my own plan. My Plan A always fails, but probably because my plans are way too strict with astronomical expectations.  For example, my fitness plan has me in the gym every Tuesday morning at 7:45am.  When I showed my plan to my husband, he chuckled under his breath then encouraged me to go for it.  He knows that I am not a morning person.  Why in the world did I think it would work?  Well, I thought that I could overcome my morning aversion because fitness is important.  I ended up feeling like a failure and giving up completely. Total overreaction, I know.  Lesson learned:  Know yourself then make a plan that supports you.

When Erin from Living In Yellow invited people to join her in the #1800MinuteChallenge, I thought I can totally get on board with this.  The concept is simple and completely doable. Complete 1800 Minutes of physical activity during April and May.  That's it.  I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.  Walk the dogs for 15 minutes one day and hike for two hours the next.  Whatever, it all counts toward the goal. It is much different from the rigid schedules I usually make and I like it.

Here are your hosts:

Erin from Living in Yellow  // Alissa from Alissa Circle,
Emily from The Freckled Fox // Alycia from Crowley Party

Here's what you need to know:

1. You will want to sign up to be a part of the challenge just so the hosts know who is joining in on the fun (and so that you have a chance to win the amazing grand prize at the end of the sixty days). You can register here.

2. Starting April 1st, you will be responsible for tracking your own progress. Don't worry, Erin's gotcha covered. After signing up for the challenge, you will receive a spreadsheet via email which will allow you to quickly track and total your minutes!

3. Throughout the challenge use #1800MinuteChallenge on Instagram or Twitter so that those of us also participating can follow along and cheer you on. Make sure to follow @livinginyellow, @alissamcircle, @thefreckledfox and @alyciagrayce for occasional workout ideas, their favorite playlists, and extra tips + tricks on how to get your 1800 minutes in!

4. At the end of the challenge (May 31st) those of you who have completed all 1800 minutes will email Erin your spreadsheet [livinginyellow@gmail.com]. On Monday, June 9th one winner will be drawn to receive the #1800MinuteChallenge grand prize. It's still a secret on what you will be receiving but don't worry, they will fill you in on the details as time goes on. Keep in mind that the best prize of all will be how great you feel and look at the end of the challenge. The prizes will just be the cherry on top ;)

Who else is in?

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Relationship Lessons From the Most Loving Cat Ever

Lessons from my cat

Hi, I am Shadow! I just want to tell you that I love my mommy so much.  She is the best. She is almost better than when I steal beef jerky or play fetch.  Every morning when I hear the alarm go off I start calling her through the bedroom door, but I don't understand why she won't let me crawl all over her pillow and run in circles while she sleeps.  As soon as that bedroom door opens (usually by Dad because Mom is not a morning person) then I dart over to the bed.  Sometimes Mom still has her eyes closed and ignores me, so I kiss her on the nose until she acknowledges me with a "Good Morning, Kitty".  Next, I like to paw at her arm until she lifts the sheet so I can crawl into bed too.  I lay right up next to her and always close enough to give her more kisses.  We lay in the bed for a long time until Dad complains and Mom gets up.  I follow her to the bathroom and sit on the counter while she gets ready for the day. I like to interrupt her by leaning and pawing at her until she picks me up. For that she gets more kisses.  What comes next is the worst.  She leaves for what must be a year.  When she finally gets home I am usually asleep, but as soon as I realize she is there then I jump up and demand her attention some more.  Well, gotta go knock things off the countertops. Bye!
   
Man, that bratty cat.  He is always demanding my attention.  Isn't being loved so terrible? No, seriously, he has taught me a lot about how to love.  So, here we go...

FOUR LESSONS OF LOVE MY CAT TAUGHT ME

LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY
No matter how grouchy I am in the morning, Shadow always comes back the next day.  He immediately forgives me for knocking him off the bed or shooing him away.  However, he expects the same from me.  I can pop him for knocking my drink off the table and he will be back in my lap five minutes later.  This is the most common lesson learned from pets and definitely worth it.

GIVE WHAT YOU WANT TO RECEIVE
When Rory and I were newlyweds, I used to get so upset that he wasn't giving me as much affection as he did before our marriage.  I would get mad and sulk (Because, you know, that makes a man want to be close and hug you, right?).  If only Shadow had been there to give me advice.  When Shadow wants my attention, he gives me attention.  He doesn't sulk and wait on me to come around.  He finds me and makes it happen.  Honesty moment:  I hate to admit it, but on a daily basis if you add it all up Shadow probably gets more attention than Rory.  Rory gets enough, so he doesn't mind.  This lesson isn't just for relationships, but it is also true for friendships.  All my life I have listened to "Friend A" complain that "Friend B" never calls her to talk or asks her out to lunch.  Funny thing is that "Friend B" has the same complaints.  If you want to talk to someone, just call them.  If you want to go to lunch with someone then just ask them.  Let's not overcomplicate things or be too sensitive... just sincerely give to others what you want to receive in return.

PLAY TOGETHER
Firstly, you are never too old to play and have toys.  Let's just get that out of the way. Shadow will be nine years old this year which is like 52 in human years and it hasn't slowed him down a bit.  He loves to sit on the back of his favorite comfy chair and grab people (and dogs) as they walk by.  Even after all these year it still makes me jump and laugh.  Shadow also loves to play fetch and attack mirrors.

This was supposed to be an Instagram video, but it had an error. I thought it was lost forever, but luckily Google auto-backed it up as a gif thus the weird play symbol in the middle. I am just glad I have it.  It took a really long time to catch him doing this.  As you can see once he looked at me in the mirror and realized I was watching then he stopped. 
Sometimes he will chase me through the house and lick me when he catches me.  He makes me laugh and he loves it.  Playing together definitely adds to the bond.

LISTEN EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IS BEING SAID
Yes, I talk to my cat.  According to this site, cats can understand 25-35 words.  I think they know more than that, but don't let on the way that dogs do.  I am very consistent with words and intonation when I speak to my pets.  For example, I use "get down" when they are somewhere they are not allowed, "Out" to leave the room or area, "drop it" when they have something they shouldn't, etc.  Yes, cats can be trained and they do listen. Sometimes mine act like teenagers by back-talking and staling, but ultimately they do what I say.  Occasionally, the crazy cat lady in me comes out and I say more than commands.  I don't think I have ever "confided" in my cat (not judging if you do) but I do talk to him.  And, he actually listens.  I know that he doesn't have a clue what I am saying, but he turns his ears to me and sometimes will come nuzzle me.  Rory likes a lot of nerdy things that I just don't know anything about.  Over the years, I have learned more about comic books than I ever cared to know.  Regardless, I listen because comic books are something that he cares about.  Lately, I have been racking up bonus points by asking clarifying or follow up questions! Yes!

Do you have any lessons to add?  Most importantly, I want to see pictures of your kitty cat(s)!  I might just have to do a follow up post to share all the cuteness! Please leave your links below.

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Getting on the Bandwagon: 100 Happy Days

100 Happy Days I am not one to follow trends or jump on bandwagons.  Actually I am usually the opposite. If it's popular then I have a natural aversion to it.  I guess that is the hipster within. Moving on... The hashtag #100happydays kept popping up in my Instagram feed.  I didn't know what it meant, but I was glad they were happy.  Then Elsie from A Beautiful Mess posted that she was going to start the 100 Happy Days challenge. I was thoroughly intrigued.  So, I looked it up.

100 Happy Days is a challenge to help you "to appreciate the moment, the environment and yourself in it".  I can get on board with that.  According to the website, people who successfully completed the challenge claimed to:
 - Start noticing what makes them happy every day;
 - Be in a better mood every day;
 - Start receiving more compliments from other people;
 - Realize how lucky they are to have the life they have;
 - Become more optimistic;
 - Fall in love during the challenge.

SOLD!  You had me at "better mood".

Honestly, I am hesitant to start this challenge.  In college, everything made me smile from the birds to the clouds to the shirt I was wearing that day.  Life happened and the natural pessimistic emerged and I am having trouble putting it away.  Also, I am extremely task-oriented and am concerned that I will just flat out forget to take a picture of whatever made me smile.  According to the site, 71% of participants don't actually complete the challenge.  That's a big number.  But, guess what?  If it were easy then it wouldn't be a challenge.  Obviously, I need this.  I start tomorrow!

I would love for you to join me on Instagram.  To start your own challenge, go here and sign up.  It serves as extra accountability. Plus, you will receive a 100 page book with your 100 photos when you finish.  It would make me happy to see what makes you happy!  Please comment below on your choice of social media platform with your username.  I would love to follow along in your challenge!

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Simple Inspiration: Consistency



Consistency is a major struggle for me.  On one hand, I am super organized and like to create routines and plans.  On the other hand, I have problems sticking to those routines and plans.  I like variety. Sometimes, I like to be random.  However, there are just some things in life where consistency is necessary for success.

For example, I am terrible at consistently caring for my skin.  It's embarrassing to say that, I know.  My intention is to use sun-blocking moisturizer every morning and to apply my skin-clearing products every night. (Yes, I get adult acne.  Actually, my acne is worse now than it was as a teenager. Again, embarrassing.)  If it's early in the morning, I'm tired and rushing.  If I get to sleep in then I am usually excited to tackle something.  At night, it's pure laziness because I am tired.  (Plus, a husband calling out "How long does it take you to get ready for bed?!?  Yes, he gets grouchy when he's tired.) I am usually successful two to three times per week.  As a result, wrinkles are starting to appear right next to my pimples.  Ugh!  Face, you need to decide if we are 14 or 40.  Yes, Face, I know. I should do my part, too...  I know to successfully prevent wrinkles and to rid my zits I need to be consistent.  Does anyone else struggle with this skincare issue?  

Robert Collier, a self-help author, said "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."  There are two key aspects to look at here:
1 - SMALL
2 - DAILY
Often, we are "go big or go home" but that leads to burn out amongst other things. Collier emphasizes small efforts.  This makes the goal manageable and easy to do.  Plus, if you measure it in small efforts then you will feel more accomplished.  Secondly, he states to repeat them daily.  If the efforts are small enough then it should not be difficult to repeat them on a regular basis.  Back to my example, to attempt to conquer my skincare conundrum, I am on the search for products that do double duty to make my efforts smaller.  Do you have any suggestions for products?

Of course, this outlook can be applied to all aspects of your life.  In regards to Simply In Bold, I am going to make small efforts to write for 30 minutes per day.  It is my "plan" that this will manifest into a post here at least every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday going forward.  Come here on Mondays for inspiration and Thursdays to grow as an individual (they will be more how-to related).

Where do you struggle with consistency and what small efforts can you take daily to overcome it? 

Background photo credit: Creativity103

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How to Set Your Life Goal and Reach It - Inspired by "How I Met Your Mother"

I was actually inspired from watching How I Met Your Mother. (That makes all those wasted hours worth it, right? Yep, we will go with that.)  It was the episode where you get to know the mother, "How Your Mother Met Me" (Season 9, Episode 16).  It originally aired January 27th.  Yeah, I love my DVR and I tend to hoard episodes of shows and then binge watch.  Anyway, I won't get into the details of the episode since it was only the following conversation that spoke to me. 
The Naked Guy: What is it you want to do with your life?
The Mother: I want to end world poverty.
The Naked Guy: Great. Then every decision you make from here on out should be in service of that. 
Whoa... Despite the fact that her answer was beauty pagent-esque (world peace, world poverty... whatever), his response made me stop and think.  Do all my decisions support my end goal?  Wait, do I even have an end goal? 

Then yesterday a friend asked what I wanted in regards to my career.  She wisely said "You have to know what you want in order to get it." Another whoa.  She is so right and it spoke to me on a deeper level than she even intended.

I have known for a while that I am approaching this crossroads where I need to make larger life decisions.  As soon as I saw this intersection approaching I let up on the gas pedal.  Honestly, I have knowingly been driving towards it for the past six months and I am no closer to an answer now than I was then.  If I don't make a decision soon then I am going to end up sitting at a self-made stop sign at this crossroads.  Stop signs are no bueno.  Once momentum is lost then it is difficult to get moving again.  Nerd moment:  In physics, we learn Newton's first law, the Law of Inertia.  Basically, an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force.  What does that mean for me?  If I stop at that stop sign then it will take a force to get me moving again.  In other words, no matter what keep moving forward in life!

What do you do when you want to do everything and want to wear thirty hats at the same time? I don't have room for thirty hats in my closet (metaphorically and literally) so I need to narrow it down. How?

How to Set Your "Life Goal"

1 - Go to your core. What is the ONE most important thing to you?  Let your gut finish this sentence:  No matter what happens in my life, I want to ____________________.  What was your answer?  I imagine we will get a lot of "be a mother" answers rather than "end world poverty" answers like The Mother said.  Just know that whatever you said is perfectly fine.  It is personal to you and we are all different.  No judgement here.  You may not like or understand my answer and I am perfectly fine with that.  What was it?  "be an entrepreneur"
Next, take a moment to really think about your answer.  The answer you gave should touch your soul.  You should see evidence of having this want throughout your life.  It might be more developed now, but chances are you can see touches of it even in your childhood.  When I was seven, I went around saying I wanted to be a CEO.  All I knew is that person ran the company.  At ten, I was creating business plans for imaginary companies.  By 18, the dream became a "maybe someday".  By 24, the dream was lost and I resorted to the notion that working for someone else was a way of life. Now, I am reclaiming my desire.  Can you see evidences of your answer throughout your life?

2 - Take a hard look at your life.  Does every aspect of your life support what you want?  It can be directly or indirectly related.  For example, Jayme wants to run her own bakery. Currently she works in corporate america which has absolutely nothing to do with baking, but she earns a comfortable living.  It is indirectly related because her savings will help her open a bakery.  If every night after work, Jayme vegged out in front of the TV to watch hour and hours of trashy shows it would not support her want; however, an hour of trashy TV to relax from the day could be indirectly related.  If it were hours of the Cooking Channel it could be directly related.  Ultimately, it is Jayme's want, life and choice; therefore Jayme's judgement call.  If you find yourself at an impasse (in situation that doesn't support your want but you can not change it today) then make a plan for change.  What steps can you take to eventually change the situation? 

3 - Make the hard decision and take action.  You know what you want and you see how you can align your life to get it.  Now is the time to make hard decisions and take action.  This is where I struggle the most.  My tendency is to gather all the details, create a thorough analysis and then make the daunting decision.  The fact that I need to accept is that rarely do I ever have the time or the resources to gather all the data.  I need to do what I can with the information I have to make a quick decision.  Other people have difficulty making decisions based on fear.  What if I make the wrong decision?  I hate to burst your bubble, but chances are that you will make a wrong decision.  If not now then in the future, but it will happen.  Here is the beauty of life... decisions can be changed!  My husband and I made the terrible decision to move from Nashville back to our little town in Alabama in 2005.  Worst decision ever... After many detours and some good life experiences we made it back to Nashville.  It may have taken seven years, but we corrected our bad decision and don't regret a moment. We made the decision to move back, made a plan, took action and here we are.   

4 - Keep moving forward no matter what.  I guarantee the road will not be straight or flat or even paved in some areas.  Most likely you will have to make some turns and adjustments to your route, but as long as you keep your end goal in focus then your road will lead to it.  

Let me tell you a little (or not so little) story: 
I have a friend.  We will call her Emma.  Emma's life goal is and has always been to be a mother.  As a child she envisioned being married by 24 and having her first child by 26.  They would be such a happy family just like in the TV shows she watched.  She would stay home with their four kids and her husband would provide for the family.  
Emma was married at age 22, so her plan was on the fast track or so she thought.  Three years and no children later, her husband finally admits that he doesn't want children and there is no way that he ever will.  This was so disheartening to her because he married her knowing of her dream to be a mother.  The next two years she spent hoping he would change his mind.  He didn't.  Then the next two years she constantly reminded herself of her vow "until death do we part".  Now she was seven years into this marriage, three years off track and in a deep depression.  The unthinkable happened.  This man she was loyal to despite his selfishness admitted he cheated AND he got his mistress pregnant.  He came to Emma stating the he needed to commit himself to his mistress for his child's sake.  Yep, I will give you a minute to let that settle.  
Obviously, they got a divorce.  It took a long time for Emma to get over the betrayal and she still longed to be a mother.  She thought about just having a child on her own, but couldn't bring herself to do it.  Finally, at age 32, she met Robert.  Robert wanted children and she got that in writing.  They had a whirlwind romance, got married and starting trying to have children right away.  Despite trying like happy jackrabbits, nothing was happening. A year of trying and nothing.  She saw a fertility specialist who confirmed she was not able to bear children.   Heartbroken doesn't even begin to describe it (you can also imagine the anger she felt because of the beginning of this story). Robert, a strong and supportive husband, immediately suggested adopting a baby and they didn't hesitate to move forward.  This year, Emma turns 40 and she is a full-time mom to three adorable children with a loving husband.  Her life certainly did not go as she planned, but she wouldn't trade Robert or those three children for anything.

Whew!  What does that long-winded emotional story show?  If you know what you want and don't stop chasing it then you will get there.  Emma had the traditional woman's dream.  Her road was rocky and unexpected, but she received her own personal version of the dream.  It is perfect for her. 

Next time, a choice crosses your path then ask yourself if it supports your life goal.  If it doesn't then it is okay to say no.  Keep focused... Oh, and please enjoy your journey!

What is your "life goal"?  How will you reach it or have you already?

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SIMPLE INSPIRATION: Happy


Every girl wants to be the prettiest in the room. Being happy and confident increases your odds by 100%.

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Simple Inspiration - TRY

This is my mantra for the week. I need to remember that we need to make the decision to try on a daily basis. We need to do what we can to regularly remind ourselves of the end goal to help us stay focused.  That may mean writing your goal on your bathroom mirror, on an index card that you keep in your purse, or even as your phone's wallpaper.  Then each day make the decision to try and try and try again.

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Simple Inspiration + Free DESKTOP download


Because some days I need a reminder... and I realized I still had the default desktop background on my laptop. There is a white border around the desktop wallpaper. You can't see it because my background is white, but it's there.  If you click on any of the links above then you will automatically download the desktop. I hope it motivates you as much as it has motivated me in the past 24 hours! Enjoy!

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