What I Know for Sure Sundays: Do what makes YOU happy

One thing I have learned in life:

Regardless of what you do or don't do people will ALWAYS have something to say-- Either you're too skinny, or too fat, or too tall, or too short, or too arrogant, or too shy, or too ambitious, or too careless, or too loving, or too dry. People will always have an opinion. Hence, do yourself a favor and make a conscious effort to always do what makes YOU happy. As long as you aren't hurting anyone, your happiness should always come first.

Remember that at the end of the day, you're the one that will have to deal with the decisions you make in life. No one else. You are the one that will go to bed at night and wake up in the morning with the consequences of your actions- or lack thereof.

Dont smother your dreams, don't smother the best in you-

Steve Jobs had some incredible things to say about this:

If you haven't seen the commencement speech he made a Stanford years ago, please take some time to watch it. You'll remember this message forever. Check it out here.

How ironic, I just realized he made this speech, the same year I graduated from college.

So, in summary, this is what I know for sure:

Everyone always and will always have an opinion. Hence, for life decisions, listen to yourself, to your instinct and follow your own heart. <3

Tell me-- have you ever done something (or not) based on someone's opinion? what happened?

Love,

Mabelle

What I know for Sure Sundays III: Commitment & Consistency

Hello everyone!

Can you believe March is here? I realized it this morning when I took a quick glance at my Ipad and the date on the screen indicated the # "1"--  took me half a second to realize "its march 1st". This means spring is almost here. One of the things I am looking forward to is nicer weather so I can start running outside again, something I haven't done in quite some time. Mother nature has been a little tough on NYC this winter.

But anyways, here we are again with another edition of "What I Know For Sure Sundays". If you missed the other two posts, check them out here, #1 and here, #2.

Today I want to talk about the power of commitment and consistency. In all my life accomplishments there's always been a common theme. And this is what I know for sure:

"I've realized that when things get challenging as we work towards our goals; keeping a mentality of commitment & consistency is what allows us to keep going and push through".

We all face challenges in our lives when we are on our way to accomplishing our goals. Things may start out okay and easy to handle but many times they may start getting difficult and complicated. There will always be opportunities for us to get discouraged and take our eyes off the prize. However, if you make a deal with yourself from the very beginning to stay committed and consistent, you will get through the difficult times a lot easier than if you give yourself a chance to give up at the first sign of trouble.

From reaching my fitness goals, to passing super difficult classes in college and grad school, to accomplishing other life goals-  I've had many opportunities to throw in the towel either because I wouldn't see the results I wanted soon enough, or because I felt that despite my efforts I wasn't getting anywhere. In the times where I kept pushing through and remained committed and consistent despite my doubts, I eventually saw the light at the end of the tunnel and everything eventually fell in to place.

The mind is a powerful thing--- it can drag you to desperation and anxiety or it can motivate you to push through and thrive. So, during difficult times, I'd choose the latter and kept my eyes on the prize NO MATTER WHAT. Eventually, I'd see my way through.

Hence-- word to the wise: don't give yourself the opportunity to give up when things get difficult. Remember commitment and consistency are the key ingredients to get to where you want to go. It's worked for incredibly successful people in this world, its worked for me, and I'm sure it works for all human kind.

Tell me, do you have an example of a time in your life when it would have been easier to give up and you didn't? What did you learn from that experience?