*PUSHING PAST COMFORT*

DISSATISFIED! There are seasons in my life where I consistently feel unsatisfied. There has to be more to life! I have come to the conclusion that when I am most discontent is when I am most comfortable. I do not like being comfortable, it gets boring so quick, I seek thrill and new adventures. Yet I fall into my comfort level so quickly... For most we strive to achieve a level of comfort in life, to be at ease and in control. Some things that can provide that comfort level are; making good money, the purchase of a home, having a family, a retirement plan, etc... 

But are you happy? I constantly come across people that have achieved everything on their list to be comfortable and most of them are unhappy and unsatisfied with their lives. Don't get me wrong...Yes I want to own my home, Yes my family is important to me, Yes making good money & having a retirement plan is important. Those are all comfortable goals, what risk are you taking? What happens after you have accomplished all of that? What other goals are there in life? I think what we all really seek is purpose, and we get so caught up in being comfortable we forget that we wanted more out of life and in turn become unsatisfied. 

If you're not happy with where you are than its YOUR responsibility to change it. Start with adopting a growth mindset, become a self expert (what makes you come alive? What are your natural gifts? What are your God given gifts? And which careers or positions align with those things?) These are all things I'm working on myself... Become comfortable with taking risks and embracing the adventures that come along with it. At the end we only regret the chances we don't take and I don't want to look back at my life and say I wish I would of done that.  

I've been encouraging myself more and more to pray, plan and prep for what's around the corner. Life can be thrilling if you let it. I don't want to settle for a good life, I want a great life and I want to be intentional in my pursuit of GREAT! I also want to enjoy the journey, take risks,  and not become complacent in my own comfort zone.

   In a Funk?




It's been a while peeps, almost a full year! But, lets jump right into it. This past year has been good, full of fun, some goals met, changes made, growth and some exciting things pending, etc. But what I want to talk about today is NEGATIVITY. I've dealt with a lot of mental negativity this year and mostly my own doing. I've let different sources influence my way of thinking...

          Gossip- the he said, she said or the "I heard's"
          Social Media (the worst)- there is so much negativity here I cant even begin!
          Music- all of a sudden i'm hood lol (I got a little in me tho)
          TV- There's plenty here too that can really adjust your way of thinking: be it in marriages,                           parenting, what defines you as successful, how you should be living life and more...
          Work- The constant complaining (that eventually rubs off on you), bickering, foul language                            (used so regularly that you are now bringing it home)
       
Negativity is literally everywhere!!! And its hard not to feed into it.

Overall I'm a pretty neutral and happy person. But all the negativity was starting to weigh me down and causing me to have a not so pleasant attitude along with a negative outlook on pretty much everything. It was also starting to rub off on to those that are around me all the time. The more negativity I fed into my life, the more unhappy I became. I was not a fan of who I was becoming and I'm usually always my biggest fan :)

So.... I made some changes...

I cut back on my social media use, started listening to positive music, barely watch TV and try to tune out as much negativity as I can. Along with praying about a lot that I usually try to handle myself and now I am trusting God with. This has made a huge difference for me!!!!

We have control of who or what we feed from... and if you're in a funk or struggling with negativity ask yourself what or who is influencing your life? Whatever is taking up most of your time is probably your answer.

I'm no philosopher and in no way am I trying to tell anyone what to do. I'm just using this blog to speak about my personal life experiences and what has worked for me. This is my way of being transparent...

Till next time ♥

GETTING RID OF THAT DEAD WEIGHT

Let it go...

I came across this picture on the internet two days ago, and it has pierced my heart ever since. Have you ever held on to something or someone for so long you haven't even noticed how heavy the burden has become? How long is too long? How much more can you carry, before breaking? As human beings, we try to work things out on our own as much as possible. Maybe a pride thing so we can say we can handle it and not seem like we've lost control (control freaks maybe lol). But there comes a point in our lives, where things are really out of our control and its simply best to let go and let things pan out on their own. Reality is, if its sucking the life out of you, is it really worth hanging on to? Could there be more or better if you simply let go? You will never know whats next or on the other side until you can move past your current situation. I'm seriously talking to myself here, for far too long I have tried to hang on to my comfort zone. I mean who doesnt like being comfortable? But as much as I've enjoyed being comfortable, there is this sense of dissatisfaction. As if there is more for me out there... So without risk, there is no great reward or fail. But if I fail, I will have learned a great lesson on what not to do and try again. As the saying goes... "Do what you always do, and you will get what you've always gotten". With this new season coming, I will be trying my best to let go of the old, break some barriers, and try try again. Is there anything that you have been holding on to, that could possibly be holding you back or weighing you down? Could there be more for you? 

These are just my thoughts...But... 

~Freckled Marie

Summer Time Fun ♥

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Thankful to be Free...

In light of the upcoming holiday, Americas Birthday, Our independence Day - HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

For most of us we have a day off from work and are planning to attend some sort of picnic along with watching the fireworks and will be out late celebrating our nations freedom. A freedom that we often take for granted and complain about in one way or another. We often forget how blessed we are since we are born into such freedoms. 

I recently bumped into a woman who was dressed in a sari, which is a traditional piece of clothing for an Indian woman. As I'm walking by someone politely asks why are you wearing such a beautiful dress (and by polite, I mean I cant believe she asked that), what is the occasion? The woman seemed kind of bothered and began to explain that in her culture it is custom to wear saris because it provides comfort. As I walked by in my jeans and loose shirt, I was reminded that this really is the land of the free. A woman can be wearing traditional clothing from their culture and I can be wearing my jeans and still be in the same place. We are free to voice our opinions, where in many countries people are not able to do so freely. We are free to travel and take vacations outside of the U.S. (with a passport) when so many are trying to get into our country illegally only for a chance at a better life. We are free to choose our significant others instead of having an arranged marriage. There have been so many wars and so many deaths over religion, yet we are still free to choose our own religion and able to practice our faith in the U.S. These are just a few freedoms here in the U.S., we have so many more the list can go on forever! 

Yes, we are not a perfect nation, but I don't think there is one. Overall we still have many freedoms that others don't and there were many men who fought for our freedom and that is still something to be celebrated!!!

So this year, when you're sitting back on your lawn chair, eating a hot dog, and looking up at the fireworks remind yourself that you are FREE!!!!

I am thankful for my FREEDOM OF CHOICE and to reside in the LAND OF THE FREE and the HOME OF THE BRAVE!!!

Feel free to comment below and share what freedoms you are thankful for :)

~Freckled Marie

"Give a man a fish; he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime."

 

In this day and age "Quickly" is the way to live. We live in an era where things need to happen and they need to happen FAST also known as the "Microwave Era". Just a few examples: Once I cook I don't want to have to sit over the stove reheating the food again because 3 hours later you got hungry again... Use the microwave; You work out for 3 weeks and see no results so you give up, stop going to the gym, and are stuck with a membership fee; Your relationship isn't going the way you planned so you dump them and on to the next. These are just a few and I know for sure there are many more, please leave your examples below Hahaha... Seriously though, we are all accustomed to things moving fast and if its too slow we give up and move on. Were short on patience and quick to act without properly thinking things through. I've been guilty of this way too many times... Discipline, Education, Patience, Endurance, and Drive are just a few things most of us lack. The quote above made me think of my son, he was trying to learn to tie his shoes for almost 2 months. I would see him every morning before school trying to tie his shoes, getting frustrated and just giving up. I thought to myself I'm going to buy him some shoes that Velcro but that was a fail when I found none that were actually nice. I started to take the time to teach him "create two loops, wrap them together and pull" and I tied my own in front of him so that he could visually see how it was done. I noticed the more he tried the better and better he was doing although he didn't quite get it right away. But once he did, it was the greatest feeling of happiness for the both us! I taught him a skill that he can use for the rest of his life!

 

I myself am trying to teach myself how to fish (not literally) so that I can eat for a lifetime and not just for a day.

 

I guess what I'm trying to get across in this post is, if we discipline ourselves to think before we act, have a little more patience with others, educate yourself and others, practice some tolerance, and remain focused you can probably accomplish a lot of what you set out to do in life. 

 

~Freckled Marie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUGGLING LIFE...

THE JUGGLE OF LIFE

Deciding whats really important can be one of the hardest decisions to make! I used an exclamation point, because I often find myself conflicted trying to figure out whats the right choice. Regardless of what it is, we are often caught having to decide between one thing or another. As a wife, mother, daughter, employee, volunteer of my church and whatever else I am depending on the day I find myself making choices. We've all had the "You need to prioritize your life, start with whats important" talk and usually the first few things that come to mind are Faith, Family, Friends, Work, etc. But when you're being pulled in all different directions by all the things you consider "Important" how do you decide? Should we create a hierarchy chart of some sort and use that? I'll share a quick example of what I mean.... You work a full-time 9-5, have a child in school and enrolled in an after school program along with an extracurricular sport, a husband to love and take care of, have a church you love to be apart of, and amazing family and friends who at some point you have to make time for.... My head hurts just typing that... How do I decide what to do? I used to have a "Want to please everyone" attitude, but when I couldn't please everyone it was like I let myself down. As if my superwoman skills failed me! 

It took me a while to learn that I couldn't please everyone and I couldn't multiply myself to be everywhere at the same time. Saying "NO" to things was okay and less stressful in the end. At the end of the day, some things may be more important than others but they all coincide together. I truly believe there is no real solution to juggling all of life's obstacles, or if there is I obviously haven't found it. I think we should all try to do our best and that should be enough... Don't set such high expectations where you set your self up for failure and say "NO" when you have to. But remember, that all these obstacles are blessings and we really should be thankful for them. :)

~Freckled Marie