Fortunate Fridays: Just Keep Swimming edition

Hello my loves,

Welcome to another edition of Fortunate Fridays! I am exhausted today but working away. The grind wont stop cant stop. I went out last night with some friends and didn't get home until 4 in the morning (the horror!). Thankfully this only happens once in a blue moon and I did have a great time.

So anyways, as I do every Friday-- I am here to share the top five things that happened this week which I feel fortunate for.

1. Zumba with my best friend {and a new found love for the workout}: Last Saturday my friend Christina invited me to join her at her gym for a Zumba class. The dancing started off a little slow at first but then things got "serious" and I absolutely loved every second.

Last (and only) time I attended a Zumba class was a long, long time ago almost close to the time when I first started this blog. Come take a ride with me down memory lane and check out that post here.

Anyways, I enjoyed this last class so much that it even made me consider becoming an instructor. Is that crazy? If there are any Zumba instructors out there, please email me. Would love to learn more about it!

2. A busy week working in what I love: This week I was off from my part time job at the kids center so I worked full time in my consulting business and I loved every single second. I was busy (and still am) the entire week and it really made me realize that a life pursuing our passion is possible and doable. There are some initial rearrangement and 'sacrifices' that must be made but is totally worth it and I know is part of the process. Thanking the one above.

3. Reconnecting with friends and making plans: A friend of mine I haven't seen in a few month reached out to me to catch up on life and we made plans to hang out soon. Cheers to friendships!

4. Family visiting from Dominican Republic: One of my favorite cousins and his family is visiting from my mother land so I've been spending some time with them reminiscing about the old days and just doing the 'tourist' thing in New York City. Lets see what adventures we pursue this evening.

5. Dinner and frozen yogurt with co-workers: My co-workers and I decided to plan a sushi outing for yesterday and it went great. We met up at The Jintan in the city and had a good time enjoying some sushi and just talking away. The place was super crowded so our waiter was a little slow with bringing us the check at the end of dinner and with serving us water, etc. But it was totally understandable and he was really nice. Oh! one thing I didn't like was that, although delicious, my shrimp tempura rolls were huge! Please serve me something I can fit in to my mouth. No one wants to sit there cutting sushi in half. Thank you.

After dinner we all went and had some frozen yogurt at Sixteen Candles:

6. Bonus: free access to Dropbox This is a bonus because it was a life saver for me this week. After spending wasting about 1 hour at a Kodak picture kiosk, I was unable to upload any of the pictures from my DR trip because after I finished sorting my pictures the store manager and I realized the Kodak kiosk was broken. Anyways, I came home upset but one of my friends recommended I use dropbox and it worked out perfectly! I was then able to upload all the photos on Shutterfly with ease and shared the album with all the attendees of the wedding. So glad that's finally done!

***

And that's all for today. One last thing I want to share- you may be wondering why is the theme for this post "keep swimming"? Well, there is something in the back of my mind, a situation with a certain person that has threatened (and succeeded) to make me miserable and upset in the past. However, I have grown up and learned enough to know that I control where my mind goes and where my mind wonders and I am no longer allowing negative thoughts to take over my life.

I have come to the realization that "whatever will be will be". So, I have made the choice to indulge fully in the things that I love, that make me happy, that keep me going and active and Ive decided to leave everything else to God's will. Sometimes in life we need to stop trying to control every aspect of a situation and just let the situation fly and take the course it is suppose to take. would you agree?

Anyways, that's all folks. thank you for reading and have a great weekend!

Tell me, have you ever used DropBox before? has it made your life easier?

Love,
Mabelle

What I know for Sure Sundays: The Choice to resurrect in our own lives

I wrote this post about 12 hrs ago on the blogger app but didn't post. My apologies for the delay.

Hello all!

I am happy to say I was able to attend early mass with my mom and heard such an incredible message about the meaning of resurrection.

I was inspired for today's "what I know for sure Sundays" post.

In today's word, it was explained that "the cross" can be a metaphor for many things-- sadness, depression, hardships, overall hard times. We have to remember that just as Jesus had to carry the cross as he was forced to make his way to being crucified; he eventually freed himself from it- from all the pain and hardships- and came back stronger than ever before. 

Hence: moral of the story; when facing hard times, remember all is temporary and everything comes to an end (something I've mentioned many times here on the blog because I know this for a fact).

Work hard to free yourself from that cross. Keep a positive mentality. Is not an easy task by any means! I know this is easier said than done, but make a conscious effort and take it one moment at the time if you have to. Walk towards freedom. Walk towards a better present and future. The past is done. Is dead.

Leave it behind and start fresh with each step going forward.

With that said, what I know for sure is:

"If we have the privilege to be alive in this wonderful world; we have to remember that from time to time we will have to face hardships (our cross)- however, we'll ALWAYS have the choice to prevent the cross from damaging us and instead, choose to resurrect in our own lives". 

And that's all my loves. I will keep it short and sweet today. Happy Sunday and happy Easter.

What hardships can you start resurrecting yourself from today?

Love,

Mabel 

Manifesting True Success with Oprah and Deepak

Hello my loves,

Hope you all had a great Thursday. I had a long day and just finished eating some dinner:

*Brown rice, grilled turkey burger with mushrooms & peppers, side of vegetables*

Ready to sit back and relax for the rest of the evening. Maybe watch some television and do some light reading.

Anyways, just here to share that this Monday I plan to join yet another one of Oprah's and Deepak's 21-day meditation programs and my goal is to actually get through the entire thing. As per the email I received, this is what this particular series will be focusing on:

***

Dear Friend,

True success is something you live, not an end state you arrive at. In Manifesting True Success, you’ll learn to embody authentic, lasting success, as you discover how to:

• open yourself up to the infinite opportunities that exist in the here and now
• find freshness, excitement, and meaning in each day
• give your daily activities direction and purpose
• let go of past conditioning to start making successful decisions
• expand your awareness to make success as effortless and natural as possible

***

I have to be honest in that I've joined some of the programs in the past and would miss several of the sessions, would have to catch up several sessions at the time (with didn't necessarily feel like meditation), or would simply miss the entire thing. I want to do better this time around.

I do recall the messages being quite amazing and insightful. Here is the best part: is completely free! There may still be time to sign up. Check it out here.

I am here announcing this to my dear readers so you all can keep me accountable. I'm not saying I'll be discussing each and every one of the sessions here in the blog. However, may do a weekly recap or something like that. We'll see. Wish me luck :-)

Tell me, have you completed any of Oprah's meditation classes in the past? If not, you're welcome to join me :)

Mid Week Motivation 3: Vision Boards

Check out Mid Week Motivation 2 if you missed it.

Hello my loves,

Breakfast this morning: GF waffles, eggs, cafe

Good morning and happy hump day.

MWM series continues today with yet another tip to help you accomplish your dreams and make your life fabulous. Today I talk about my obsession with vision boards and I'd like to let you in a little secret: they do work!

Some people may be a little skeptical about sitting down with a bunch of magazine, glue, and white board ready to cut out appealing pictures, with the hope that those images may one day come true. "Vision-Boarding" (I think I just made that up) goes well beyond arts and crafts and is actually a HUGE stress reliever and a great way to lifts your spirits, envision a great life, and create the future.

I made my first vision boards back in 2011 and I still have them to this day. I can tell you that most of the items (symbolizing personal plans and dreams) did come true. 

After going through some tough times last year, I started making vision boards as a hobby. I'd grab my "materials" in the evening after a long day of work and start dreaming away. It became such a "feel good" project that I made several boards and they are all plastered all over my apartment.

I am telling you, one by one, the images I posted are manifesting themselves one way or another. I don't know what it is about envisioning positive things and putting them right in front of you that triggers manifestation.

Still skeptical? You don't have to take my word for it ladies and gents! Try it for yourself. If you are new at this, try making one during a relaxing evening when you are simply watching your favorite shows, listening to music, or just relaxing around the house. Grab some old magazines, glue and some cardboard. This is literally all you need:

• Glue stick (or any glue you have will do)
• Stack of old magazines with inspirational images (ie: Oprah, Health Mag, Shape, Glamour, Fitness)
• White board (you can find them at 99 cent stores usually 2 for $1)

Cut out inspirational images of things you'd like to see happen in your life. Put it up somewhere where you'll get to glance at it often and prepare for greatness.

If you have done this before, I'm sure you'd agree with me that this is quite magical.

...and even if you feel this may be too much work (trust me, it isn't and is so worth it) just putting up things around your place that inspire you and put a smile on your face should be enough. Here are some additional examples from around my apartment:

As always, would love to hear from you: feel free to share your vision board experiences below. Or, if you've never made one before, tell me why.

Love,

Mabelle 

What I know for Sure Sundays II: On the Topic of Happiness

Hello my beautiful followers,

Happy Sunday! As I do every Sunday, I start my day with a delicious breakfast, some reading, and then grab some tea to enjoy another episode of Super Soul Sunday (one of my favorite shows). I should be getting reading to head to church but wanted to leave you guys with today's 'what I know for sure Sundays' post. If you missed the first one from last weekend, you can check it out here.

The other day I was taking a shower after the gym and the following thought popped in to my head:

"I want to be the sole creator of my happiness. Anything else should be icing on the cake". 

Wouldn't you agree that often times we give the power of our happiness to others? I've read (and heard)  countless times that if we depend on outside forces to determine weather or not we will be happy- that is grounds for inevitable disappointment. Why? Because we don't have the power to control others. As the saying goes: "Each head is their own world". Thankfully, we have 100% power over ourselves and that is fabulous. 

I believe this quote (one of my favorites) may put things in to perspective:

"...The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.” 

― Charles R. Swindoll

So, remember this:

"....Tie your happiness to goals not people or objects" 

With that said, this is what I know for sure:

"We are the sole creators {and destroyers} of our happiness. Everything else is icing on the cake".

Tell me, would you agree with this? Why or why not? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Mid Week Motivation 1: Five Steps to a better life

Good morning sunshines,

Happy "hump day". My workday started pretty much at the crack of dawn and I was able to enjoy this delicious breakfast.

-Organic oatmeal made w/ almond milk. Toppings: Sliced almonds, PB, Cinnamon

-Cafe w/ soy milk.

So, there is this super motivational guy I've been following for years now (probably since 2011). His name is Martin Llorens and he is incredibly awesome. His content is all in Spanish so I apologize to all non-Spanish speaking followers. You can check him out on You Tube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

He recently launched a series of videos on YouTube and I absolutely love them. I took some time late last night after my day was over to really listen to a few of the videos and take note. One of the videos really inspired me. So, for this Mid-Week motivation, I respectfully want to share the incredible message: Five ways in which you can lead a more positive, better life. And here is the run-down:

1. Take one minute every morning to imagine an incredible day ahead and a minute each night to think of at least 3 things that happened during the day for which you are grateful for.

2. Every day make sure you take notice of all the positive things you do and say throughout the course of the day. 

3. When negative thoughts come to your mind acknowledge them and then let them go. Make a conscious effort not to dwell on negative thoughts nor feed negative emotions.

4. Accept when people try to help you. Be thankful for it. Understand that you do enough to assist others in your daily life so there is nothing wrong to welcome help in to your life as well.

5. Start creating positive affirmation and positive thoughts. If necessary, play a 'game' with yourself of always finding the positive and 'flipping' any negative thoughts that come in to your mind in to positive thoughts. If necessary, write affirmations and put them inside your wallet; make boards with positive images and place them around your home.

Some of these steps I've already followed for a long time (i.e: making poster boards, and keeping positive affirmations all over my apartment). Others I found interesting and look forward to incorporating in to my life starting today. I've been on this quest lately to transform my body, mind, and spirit in to the best it can possibly be. It is a work in progress and I look forward to getting better and better each day.

Tell me, who do you look to for motivation? Do you follow any coaches or motivational 'gurus'? Share below!

Fortunate Fridays {Incredibly Grateful} Edition

Ummm how is it Friday already?! 

How are you guys doing?! First of all, my apologies for missing last week's Fortunate Friday post. I was on a roll with this series and then a weekend came along when I didn't feel so "great" mostly from stress and stuff I needed to take care of. Hence, the motivation to complete a Fortunate Fridays post was not really there :-/. Don't get me wrong--- great things did happen last week. My mind was just not there to share much. I am human and my life, although I am incredibly grateful for it, is not perfect. I am sure you all out there can relate and understand.

But anyways.... I am back!

Have so much to say but I'm not sure if I call fill it all in to this one post so I'll try and make this a normal one.

And here is what I feel fortunate {incredibly grateful} for this week:

1. My friend Dana! Words can't even describe my appreciation for the fact she opened her apartment to me during my last week of the internship. She allowed me to sleep in her all-so-comfy couch. I felt so welcomed! Needless to say she greeted me with flowers, candy, and the most delicious banana bread she could find at the farmers market! How. Amazing.Is.She?!

Although after the weekend was over we just saw each other in the evening after work, we had an amazing time talking about careers, dating, and life in general. We also checked out a few really good restaurants in the process. And took one too many photos:

 

Yummy Foods:

**she also took me with her to a body pump class at her gym which was tough but super fun. That girl can lift some heavy weights!

2. The serendipitous way in which I found the topic for my final presentation at the internship (where there was a whole lot of people to impress). I was freaking out and then the perfect company "magically" appeared ;)

3. Successfully getting through one of the most nerve-wrecking presentations of my life to date and feeling amazing after.

4. Successfully getting through my entire internship this summer. Everything from pitches, to videos, to presentations, to quality time with Microsoft excel. I am walking away a completely different, much more knowledgeable person. This experience was priceless and I can't wait for what's to come!

5. All the great people I was able to interact with and learn from!

Bonus: being able to cover pretty much all "touristy" places here in DC. During my last weekend at the GWU dorms I was able to make my way to the (free) Smithsonian museums. Went to the American History museum and gave myself a nice tour.

As the foodie that I am; couldn't contain my excitement when I walked in to the Julia Child's and "evolution of food" exhibit. Great times!!!
 

...and that's all folks!

I am far more knowledgeable. I am happy, I am healthy. I am more well rounded. I know what I don't know. Understand more of what I know. I have a much clear picture of what I want. I have a more clear picture of where I am headed. of what makes me happy. I am excited for the future. Excited for what's to come. Excited for life. Feeling incredibly blessed. Thank you Jesus for all these blessings!

I am not going to lie about the fact this summer had ups and downs but the amount of ups more than made up for anything else. Also, the phrase "this too shall pass" presented itself and reaffirmed how true it really is :)

I move back to NYC this weekend and I seriously can't wait. I miss my apartment, my friends, my family; and everything else I have to look forward to!




Meme of the week goes to:

 *For some reason I came across this on instagram and it really stood out to me.

Cheers to Friday! Any plans this weekend?