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Positively Weightless

A healthy life not only means physically healthy, but mentally as well. Healthy eating, healthy exercising habits, and a positive attitude are all important and help maintain balance in life. I decided to combine my love of writing and my positivity to change the world in hopes that any reader can also become positively weightless, and lead them to a healthy life.

I honestly have a bit of writer's block today. Now that I am updating this page every week, I am needing to come up with more topics for posts more often. I actually have many plans in mind, but most of those I need more time and work dedicated into before I can post about them. One example is the next book review I want to do. I am so close to finishing the book and will review it as soon as I do, so I obvioulsly couldn't do that this week. I also have a few ideas for recipes and meal posts as well, but those also need a little more preparation.With all that being said, I thought today would be a good day to write about goals.

Goals can come in many shapes and forms. For example, the different topics I have in mind for posts are goals. Each post idea I have is one small goal for my writing and for this page. The obvious goal to cover on this page would be weight loss goals. Another goal could be being more positive. Getting a certain project for school or work done by a certain date is another. I really could go on and on. I have set myself a number of goals in my life, and I have learned some lessons along the way.

First let me talk about weight loss goals specifically. Back when I first lost the weight, my main goal was to get down to a healthy weight for my height. Between 170 lbs and 150 lbs is the weight I should ideally be for my height, so that was my goal and the entire time my aim was for that number. I find this problematic now that I am a few years older and I suppose a bit wiser. First of all, it focuses on the number on the scale rather than health. Sure those numbers are a "healthy" weight for my body, but when getting healthier focusing too much on the number on the scale can be detrimental to your journey. I found myself weighing myself far too much. It became a habit to check the scale at one point almost daily. I am better about this now. The second reason I think this was not a good goal to set was because it was such a big goal to set for someone just starting out on their journey. This time around I decided to set myself smaller goals through this path, and that is not just for the number on the scale.

My first goal I set for myself this time around was to lose 30 lbs. This would put me under a certain weight and I thought this was a reasonable number to aim for at first. I am just about 10 lbs shy of that right now. Once I reach this I will set another goal for myself to reach. Another goal I set was to continuously go to the gym 3 days a week every single week. That started with just cardio and 20 regular squats as a warmup. I then set the goal to add weight training. After I met that I set the goal to do 40 sumo squats as my warmup. Now I am doing all of these things together, and I am going 4 days a week instead of 3. This is a perfect example of my suggestion in setting goals. Start with a small goal and slowly build on that. Sure I am struggling a bit to get to my first 30 lbs goal, but I know I am on the right path. All these goals work together to eventually line up so you can achieve the bigger long term goal. I know that if I stay on this path and keep doing what I am doing while fixing the things that still need work, I will eventually reach the original goal I set for myself a few years ago.

Setting goals of course does not only apply to weight loss and health related goals. Set goals for yourself for your job or your relationships as well. Small goals that will help you eventually achieve a bigger goal. Maybe start working on that big pile of filing you have been putting off at work day by day. Maybe call that family member or friend once a week until you can build back up the relationship to how you hope it can be. Maybe it is school as well. You could take fewer classes than you have been in order to concentrate more on less so you can boost your GPA. I mentioned positivity goals as well. If you are looking to be more positive, start each day with a positive quote and say it out loud to yourself. I am guessing that will eventually influence you to be a lot more positive. You are on your own personal timeline, so do not be in a rush. 

I started this blog in 2014 and hardly ever updated it. Last year I decided I wanted to write more. I love writing as you all probably know, and I loved writing for this page, but I also did not want to bite off more than I could chew. I vowed to update every other week and that worked out for me. So much so that I now am aiming to update every week. Right now that is my goal and who knows maybe in the future I will build on that even more. 

Set goals in your life. If you have something worth working for and something to look forward to, working everyday to get to that will have a hugely positive impact on your life. Set small goals for yourself that are achievable rather than seemingly impossible. If you build on your goals one day you just may achieve what you think is impossible right now.
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I think it is safe to say that it is not always easy to be positive and happy every single day. It is very normal to have days where we just wake up on the wrong side of the bed, feel bloated, are not totally feeling how we look, and many other things. I honestly think that is just part of being human. Sure my page here is all about staying positive in life especially while trying to live a healthier lifestyle, but of course even I have days that I am not as positive as usual. I have a bunch of small things I do frequently, and especially on days like this that help me stay positive. I thought sharing them on here would be fun.

Here are just a few of my mugs that have a positive
message on them. Shoutout to Steph for the 
"Hello Love" mug and to Gina for the "Change
the World" mug. I bought the "Good Vibes
Only" mug at Target.
It is pretty amazing how such small things can really put a smile on your face or completely turn around your mood. If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, my first suggestion is to make your morning beverage in a mug with a cute and/or positive saying on it. I have quite a few mugs like this. I honestly have a problem with mugs (just ask my mom). I see one I think is really cute, I buy it. I just love starting my days (more specifically my weekend mornings) with coffee or tea in one of these mugs. It puts a smile on my face and its a little positive note to start my day with.

Another little positive item I love to have is items you would use in a morning or night time routine with uplifting words on them as well. Bath and Body Works has so many products with cute little names. I love the "Happy Vibes" body wash in the shower, and something about seeing that "Hello Beautiful" body cream on my dresser every morning really puts a smile on my face. Small little reminders like this are so great to surround yourself with. I truly feel like having positive things around you and seeing these messages on a daily basis sticks with you and you eventually start to reflect them as well.

Something I think everybody should do is make a playlist of positive songs you love to listen to on bad days as well. I personally love cranking up the music and singing along every day on my way to and from work, but on bad days it just helps a bit more. I actually do have a playlist on my phone all with songs that have messages of positivity, independence, and all around self worth. Listening to those lyrics and singing along to them is very therapeutic and singing always puts me in a better mood personally. Listen to it while you are driving, at work if you have the type of job that you can, working out, etc. 

Books are great tools to use when needing a positivity boost as well. I recently wrote a book review for Heart Talk by Cleo Wade being a great book to have on you if you need a little pick-me-up. There are plenty of positivity books that would be great for this as well. If you can find a small one to carry on you that is great, or even a small one on your nightstand to read a passage in the morning as well. I recently found this positive journal that you can write in for a few minutes every day. Even your favorite book would work for this. If you are having a tough day and need a little mood boost, grab your favorite book and read a passage/chapter or two.

Young Living oils from left to right: Inner Child, Envision,
Lavender, Surrender, and Bergamot. 
The last tip I have to mention is essential oils. I know these are becoming more popular now, and for good reason. I use Young Living Essential Oils personally and I took this picture to show a few of my favorites to diffuse when I need a mood boost or some emotional support to get me through a tough time (Envision was great when I was job searching last summer). I also have a Pink Himalayan Salt lamp that helps me as well. I loved this lamp as soon as I tried it out. It really just has a calming effect in the room especially if used along with the diffuser. I will sometimes use them both in my bedroom at night as well to help me sleep. I truly feel like these oils help calm me and I love diffusing them when I need a little extra mood boost.

I hope some of these tips help you out.. These of course are tricks that work for me and help me stay positive and in a good mood, so I encourage you to find your own as well. I would love to hear any tips and tricks you may have as well! I highly recommend you to find something that works for you and try and make it a habit for  the days you are just not feeling so happy and positive. Add these into your routine and I promise you will not regret it.

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I tend to do a lot of my best thinking when I am driving. I am of course paying attention to the road as well, but I have found that on occasion an idea for a blog post comes to me on the way to or from work. This post is no different. I was thinking one morning about all the changes in my life over the past year or so. Most of these changes were great things for my life, some were not so easy, but were for the better as well.

I really got to thinking about all of the good things I have going in life right now and I realized the pretty obvious common factor. As soon as my mindset changed, so did my life. I know this has been a common theme in my posts already. I have mentioned having a positive attitude and outlook on life being the key to changing your life before within the posts on this page, but I thought it would be nice to dedicate an entire entry to it.

I can tell you first hand that as soon as I started looking at life as a beautiful thing rather than a drag it truly started to change my life in pretty profound ways. Believing in the positives in life really helps give you a confidence boost and that definitely is reflected to the people around you. I have mentioned this so many times that anyone who frequently reads my blogs here is probably sick of hearing about it, but this positive outlook truly helped me on my job search last summer. Four years ago when I was looking for a job fresh out of college I was a nervous, stressed out wreck because I was just so worried about my student loans kicking in soon and knew I needed a job to pay for them. I am sure that reflected into how I came off in a job interview. I was looking for work for almost nine months that time around. This more recent time it was only three. Yes, I did have more experience this time around, but I do truly believe the confidence I had and mindset I was in helped a lot too.

Positive decisions in your life tend to go hand in hand with a positive mindset as well. Do what is best for you and only you. Yes, helping people and being there for them is a wonderful thing, but that can also drag you down at times too. I think one of the hardest things about having relationships with people is learning when you need to let go. Accepting that it is time to move on is very important as well. Having a positive mindset goes hand in hand with the people around you and the situations you are in as well. Letting go is not a measure of your worth by any means. I am not saying to break up with your significant other after one fight or to cut ties with someone in your life over one disagreement, but try to recognize when a person and your relationship is starting to bring you down. I know I have mentioned this in previous posts before because I truly believe in it. If somebody is a negative influence on your life you are not a failure or a bad person for wanting to put some distance between you and that person. A very important part of being positive is recognizing when something in your life has a negative or even toxic influence, and it is especially important to know when you need to step away from that. Having a positive mindset is all about making everything around you as positive and happy as possible. 

Once you decide to stop dwelling on the negative things and focus on the amazing things in life I promise your life will start to reflect that. It truly almost is like magic. Make it a habit to brush off the negative thoughts and expand the positive ones. I know I have random days where I think about blowing off the gym but I buckle down and just go. Going to the gym four days a week is a habit now for me and positive thinking was very similar as well. It wasn't an overnight thing. It took work and time to finally look at life as sunny and beautiful especially on the rainy days. It took a lot of work to realize the losses were going to be wins in the long run. I strongly encourage you to do the same. I am in such a good place in my life right now and I truly and fully believe it is because I completely changed my mindset on life.

I decided to take a break from updating my beauty blog. I am not sure if I will go back to it because I just did not have the same enthusiasm for that page as I do for this one. I am seriously considering just updating this page weekly instead of every other week in place of the beauty blog. I have so many ideas for this page that I am excited about, and I think dedicating more time to writing for this page will be the best thing for me (see what I mean about letting things go to keep a positive mindset?) because I love writing for this page. I love the idea of potentially helping someone grow from a negative person into a happy positive person just like I did. I hope at least some of you enjoy reading this page as much as I enjoy writing it.
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I was not expecting to be writing a book review on this page any time soon, but I am so excited to be writing one right now! I am sitting here literally at 12:30 in the morning just because I was so excited to share this book with you all.

Last Friday I went on a random Target run (and by random I mean my weekly Target run). I was off of work using a vacation day which was much needed after the busy weeks I have been having at work. I decided to go to the book section not really looking for anything specific. I didn't really want to get too invested in a fiction book, so I wandered into the non-fiction section. I can't even explain why, but the book Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade caught my eye. I picked it up and started flipping through it. Just by reading a few short lines from this book and I was tossing it in my cart.

Heart Talk was such a lovely book. I honestly cannot think of any other word to describe it. The words on these pages reflect so much of the positive thinking I already have running through my veins, but in such a beautifully simplistic way. It is such an easy read and I probably would have finished it in just a few nights if I didn't have such a tight schedule and such late week nights. I found myself easily reading 40 pages at a time and taking in every word of it. I found myself smiling and even nodding when I particularly agreed with some of Wade's words. Before I go on too much, however, I should probably give a little more information on the book itself.

Heart Talk is a book full of positive thoughts and poems all about self love and self worth and even some important life lessons. I loved reading through all the positivity within its pages that I have grown to embrace so much within my life already. There are free verse poems, lines of thoughts and encouraging words, and the author even filled in little annotations here and there to emphasize her points even further. I actually really loved that. It gave it the feel that I remember so well from buying a used book for college only to find the previous owner had marked up its pages. Being an English major, I saw a lot of that in the many used novels I purchased. Sometimes the notes in these college texts were useful. Sometimes they were even entertaining. They never failed to make me smile in the middle of class. The fact that the author of this book added those right into her published work was such a new and fun idea and it brought back those similar reactions. It was clearly very nostalgic for me. 

Just a fun example of how different of a setup 
this book has.
One of my favorite things about this book as well was the fact that it wasn't really one big novel. Instead, the book was made up of small thoughts and themes that all had a common purpose. To me because of this, I felt this book could more or less be used as a positive handbook of sorts. If you are having a rough day and need to be reminded to love yourself and need a reminder of how great you really are, simply pick up this book and read a few pages of it. It doesn't need to be a lot, just take a minute or so and just read and absorb the words. The poems and prose both offer some lovely feelings of self worth and positivity that I just absolutely love. 

"Create your own finish lines. Let there be as many as you want, and let there be many." (pg 75)

Clearly I loved this book. I read it fully in about a week, and am already planning to read it again or to even put it in my purse to read here and there when I have a moment. Positive thinking, self love, and even some life lessons are at your fingertips whenever you need them. It is definitely set up in a different even abstract way, but I found this gave the book charm. If you are someone that is struggling with self love and positivity the way I was not so long ago, I highly recommend you purchase this book for yourself. The words within its pages had such beautiful meaning to me, and I know they can for you as well. I would have loved to have a book like this back when I was full of self hate and negativity, so I am so happy to share this with someone who may need it in the same way. 

I have a handful of more books to review for this page. I am currently reading the first of two books that based on their titles seemingly would not fit on this page, but something tells me they will once I get to the end. They are written by a Youtuber I absolutely adore, so as long as they fit on this page well, I will be so excited to share them here and give him the recognition he deserves. I absolutely love writing for this page and look forward to updating it every single week on my posting schedule. I am still updating the beauty blog and I enjoy that, but it just isn't quite the same as this page. The words I write for this page truly come from my heart. They are so easy to write that I sometimes find myself struggling to find a place to stop. Thank you so much for reading, and I do hope you look into reading this wonderful book for yourself.
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So many things in life take patience and so many of us are lacking in it. I know I have a problem with patience sometimes. When I am stuck in traffic and just want to get through the next light. When I am really hungry after a workout and my meal still has to cook. When I buy tickets to see Niall Horan 9 months before the concert and we are still months away(ugh)! Just silly little things in life like that cause us to be impatient, but I think there are plenty of big things in life that need patience as well, and many of us lose patience when waiting for them to happen.

Weight loss is a really big example of this. I know I would love to be down a little more than I am right now. I have been working hard, going to the gym 4 days a week now, eating as best as I can (but not perfectly of course, my diet still needs some work but I am working on it all the time), and am only down about 20 lbs since the beginning of the year. A lot of people would have gotten frustrated at this point and given up. Many people would have fallen right back into their old ways and habits simply because they are not seeing the results they want at the pace they want and think they should. I have been guilty of that in the past I will admit. If you find yourself in this place and mindset you need to take a step back and realize that things take time. Everyone's body is different and you will lose weight at the pace that is right for you. Be patient. If you are doing the things you need to in order to be healthier, the results will come to you if you stick through and be patient.

Patience isn't only important in weight loss either. So many aspects in life take patience. All of the great things in life do not come to us easily and a lot of the time do not come when we really want and expect them to. Rewind to about 2 years ago and I was very new on my positive journey that I am still on now and in a very different place. I was working a different job that at the salary I was making could not even consider moving out on my own. Back then I was really wanting to be in a relationship and finding love. I saw people my age around me doing all these things and was getting frustrated because I couldn't have them. I finally found patience and positivity. I am now on the road to finally moving out on my own. Buying items I will need first and have a solid plan for myself to do so. I have a plan in motion so I am fully ready instead of just rushing to be out on my own and struggling. I now also know that love can't be forced and that the right person will come along right when he is suppose to. No sooner or later than that. I have realized that my life is my own and I need to be patient in order to live the happiest life. I am being patient and waiting for my life to go exactly like it is planned to be.

Your life is entirely your own and all the things you want will come to you at the time it is suppose to. Stop reading statistics on weight loss and realize that your body will lose it at the pace that is right for you. The best things in life are worth waiting for. Stop letting the jealousy you feel for what others around you have affect all of the thoughts you have about your own life. I know some things are very hard to be patient about (trust me I still get very impatient when I am stuck in traffic on my way to work) but the big things are more than worth being patient for. They will make the reward that much sweeter in the end, and you can look back and realize you knew this great life was exactly what was coming for you. Instead of rushing and settling, you had the patience to wait for just what was meant for you.
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Not too long ago I wrote a post about the beautiful influences in our lives. The people in our lives that influence us in a positive way and the ones we have a positive influence on as well. While I was driving a week or so ago I got to thinking about all the people in my life that I should thank for one reason or another. Some for very obvious reasons but others for surprising reasons. I wanted to dedicate this next post to all of those people. The ones I want to thank for so many different reasons. Think of it as the Thank You Notes that Jimmy Fallon does on his show, but not in a comedic way.

First of all thank you to all of the people in my life that have stuck by me no matter what. No matter who you are, life has its ups and downs. The people that stick around during the downs make celebrating the ups even better. In my case, I have both friends and my family that fall under this category. I am very lucky that I have such supportive parents and a sister that has my back no matter what. I won’t drop any names but there are also friends that have been by my side during thick and thin as well. It is easy to be a friend to a person during the good times, but it is never easy to stick by them during the bad. Thank you to those that have. Thank you to my family that has as well. No matter how nuts we drive each other sometimes, I know we'll always have one another to depend on.

Thank you to the friends that are there even if we have not stayed in touch in a long time. I think everybody has certain friends that they go months and sometimes even years without talking to or seeing, but when they do see each other again it is as if no time has passed. They are always there no matter what as well and when I need them the most. I can think of a handful of people that fall under this as well. Even if we haven't spoken in a while they are always there.

Thank you to the new people in my life as well that act as if they have been around forever. The people that even though they may be newer in my life, they feel like they have been here forever. A person who pushes me to be my best no matter what no matter how long I have known them. I can think of a few off the top of my head, but one more specifically that since I have known them has always encouraged me to be my best self and strive for all that I am capable of. Not once have they ever doubted me and showed me just what I needed to see to believe in myself.

Thank you to the ones that have betrayed, disappointed, or broken my heart. This list of thank yous wasn’t going to be all good people. Even the bad ones have greatly influenced my life. These people helped teach me a lesson and even if it hurt at first, it made me realize so much. I now know what not to look for in a person that I allow into my life. I may have kept my heart guarded at first, but now it is even more open than ever before for that right person. Thank you for showing me just why you did not belong in my life, and exactly what type of person is. Any bitterness that was once there is completely gone because I now know what I deserve. Now the door for new people in my life is open even wider than it was before because I learned so much from you.

I honestly could go on and on and on with this list and this blog post. My main point is to show that people walk in and out of our lives all the time. Some stay, some go, some return after some time but they all have one thing in common. They all have an impact on our lives and we can learn so much from our interactions with them. What matters is how we learn and change moving forward from these people in our lives. All the laughs and all the tears should be used to make our lives even greater.
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I had a few ideas in mind about what to post this week, and decided the one main idea I had needed a little more time and dedication to think about. Today's topic is something that is and has been on my mind for a little while. I think it is something everybody is guilty of at some point or another, and this is making excuses. 

Making excuses can really be a major or minor thing. Maybe you are really tired or just not feeling like going out one night, so you come up with the excuse that you are sick or tired to cancel your plans that evening. Maybe you are making a silly excuse as to why you forgot to pick up milk at the store after work. For the most part, as long as they are few and far between, those types of excuses are not all that terrible. Sure, if they are happening a lot it could very well effect your relationships and such, but physically they won't do all that much damage. Making excuses when it comes to your health could become a major issue.

I know for a long time I always used the "oh I will start next week," excuse when it came to my health. I would always start my new health plan next week. I would always be going back to the gym next week. Starting Monday, I would always be meal prepping again and planning out my dinners. It was always something I was going to do come the following Monday. Well as you can guess, that Monday always became the following Monday. Week after week after week. This honestly went on for a long time as I think it does for so many people. Saying you are going to do something is very different than finally doing it. Making excuse after excuse as to why you haven't started eating right, why you haven't joined or started going back to a gym, why you haven't started planning your meals yet is a huge thing that is only going to hurt yourself.

Think about it, when people push you to better yourself, with the exception of a few bitter people, they are only doing so because they care about you. Sure, you need to be the one to make the decision and to really want it, but when people push you it is usually only a form of tough love. If you are giving them a million excuses as to why you can't do what they are pushing you toward, what is the end product of that? Who is that directly effecting? You. The only thing that happens when you make excuses is sabotaging yourself. The people that push you are only doing it out of love in most cases. I completely understand that this can be frustrating, but by telling them an excuse just to get them off your back for a little while is only going to hurt you in the long run, and honestly most times people see right through those excuses. 

It is so much easier to go home after work, have dinner, throw your pjs on and relax for the rest of the night. It is just as easy to pick up a greasy pizza instead of having to cook for the night. I completely understand that. My diet still isn't perfect, but it is getting better all the time. I hated going to the gym that first month or so, and although it isn't necessarily my favorite thing in the world to do, it is just a habit at this point, and I always feel so good after I go. My routine is not perfect by any means but I am putting in the effort to get a little healthier every day. I finally stopped making excuses about my health and decided to take control over it. I realized that I was only hurting myself and my health by constantly making excuses to justify my bad habits. That was the best decision for me, and I recommend you doing the same. Stop making excuses and take the first steps you need to become a better and healthier you. That goes for any aspect of life as well, not just your health.

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About me




29 years old. Graduate from Buffalo State College with my B.A. in English. I am just looking to hopefully change the world through my love of writing and my positive attitude.

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