MY ENERGIZER MORNING ROUTINE

Being a busy mom of three kids ages 6 and under, it is absolutely important that I carve out time for myself. My "me" time has now become my morning routine and I absolutely love it. This routine keeps me energized throughout the day, not just physically but mentally as well. 

This is what my morning looks like:

1. I am an early to rise type of chick. My best wake up time is 4am- I find that I am clearest and most creative early in the morning.

2. I worship which involves reading my bible and praying. This allows me to be more centered, clear in my head and spiritually focused. 

3. I exercise even if it is just for a few minutes. Exercising gives me the feeling that I can conquer any and everything. 

4. I read - I recently heard an author say that he makes sure he reads a book about parenting or marriage every morning prior to reading anything else. I'm definitely going to be incorporating this into my morning routine. 

5. My absolute favorite part of my morning is breakfast. I almost always eat the same thing everyday; oatmeal, blueberry, banana smoothie made with almond milk. I have began adding more proteins into my morning like sardines (hubby says yuck!!!) or eggs (or Turkey bacon-my cheat meal) Yum!!!! I find that having breakfast latest 7am keeps me satisfied until noon.

What rituals do you have in your morning or throughout your day that puts you at ease or sets the tone for your day or night? Please share by leaving a comment. I would love to learn from you.

Can a Sistah say!!!!!

One Love

Danni

POSITIVE VIBES IN 2021!!!!!

I think there are two types of people in life. People who view the cup as half full and people who view the cup as half empty. And for most of us depending on what side of the fence we fall, we tend to attract our kind. It is covid season and for many of us in the north it is winter so those two combined will do a lot in decreasing our positive energy and making us feel drained. Here are a few tips to get you moving towards the position spectrum.

1. Eat healthy meals- Yup I said it. Food literally goes inside of us and ultimately becomes apart of us, so making your nutrition a priority is the first step in making you feel good on the inside. In addition to that, just the thought that you are making a positive decision in your diet will make you feel good about your choice and good overall. 

2. Stay hydrated- Our bodies are made up of mostly water, so keeping it hydrated also has the benefit of making us feel good on the inside improving our overall feeling and thoughts about ourself. 

3. Exercise- I am not a member of a gym, neither do I have a chiseled sculpted body. What I'm talking about are simple changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a little further away from the stores entrance. Taking an evening or early morning stroll also puts the mind at ease. 

4. Play with your kids- this is such a hard thing for me to do as a mom. I'm always making myself unnecessarily busy. But the fact of the matter is that playing with our kids are big deal items to them and puts us in a relaxed state. If you do not have kids getting engaged in a sport is a great way to reduce stress. 

5. Spend time with a friend- reach out to someone (a cup half full friend please) and engage in a positive uplifting conversation. 

As we literally close the chapter on 2020 and walk humbly into 2021 and its unknown challenges let's get ourselves in a positive state. Stay connected to your inner self and most importantly to the higher power.

One Love

Danni

FACEBOOK IS KILLING ME

 Have you ever gotten into a social media rabbit hole? That's when you go on social media when you have a little "down time", you begin scrolling through peoples posts and pictures, and a minute turns into an hour. 

So many of us have found ourselves in the social media rabbit hole and eventually when we catch ourselves and muster up the will to log off we begin mentally chastising ourselves for time lost. 

Time is one if the things many of us claim we wish we had more of. But the cumulative time spent on social media is eating away at so many important things that we could be doing. Yes catching up with friends and family is important, but truth be told, the people whose pages we are viewing on facebook or whatever site we are on are not close friends. If they were, you would be catching up with a phone call or by texting.

The emotional impact that social media has on us is also powerful. For example, I got into the social media rabbit hole this week. I was minding some other girls business by perusing her facebook page and scanning her lengthy post and pics showing her trips around the world. There I was in my quarantine bed pulling myself apart for not being a jet setter. 

So what do you do when you get the bug that will lead you down the social media rabbit hole? Well before getting that bug you want to identify a hobby that has the ability to keep you occupied and disciplined. If you're chronically addicted to the rabbit hole then mere will power may not help. But for the casual rabbit holers like myself who find it easier staying away finding something more productive instead works. 

One Love

Danni

FINDING AND USING YOUR PURPOSE

My six year old is a talker. We call her our little Nancy Pelosi (the speaker of the house). She knows how to argue her self out of any situation. Speaking is her gift.

Have you ever thought what your gift is? Well you may assume gifts have to be something big and extraordinary. The truth is, your gift is that thing that you do effortlessly and find much enjoyment in doing so. It may be cooking, entertaining or encouraging others. Take inventory of yourself by asking yourself this question; what is that thing that I enjoy doing that I would do continuously if I got paid for it? During covid time many people are unemployed; is it possible that your gift could become your source of income? One of the major lessons I have learned from covid is never to have only one source of income. I believe in finding and utilizing our gifts to make income. 

After determining what your gift is, begin finding ways to improve on that gift. If there are classes you can take to advance yourself take them. Almost every training is free on youtube. Spend time practicing and honing  your skills. The bible states, your gift will find room for you. 

One Love 

Danni

AM I THINKING WHAT I'M THINKING

Have you ever stopped to listen to your thoughts? Are you aware of what you are thinking? Famous self help author Napoleon Hill states that " thoughts are things and powerful things". Even though we know this, many of us tend to not spend time paying attention to our thoughts. But our thoughts are what drives our personality, our character, our actions and inaction and ultimately our success or lack of success. 

Here is one cool method that I use to get myself thinking about what I'm thinking; it's called the WHY method. The WHY method is done by continuously asking yourself why until you get to the real bone of what's driving your decisions. For example; you have a project to complete and you keep on delaying. Ask yourself why am I putting this off? Be very aware of your answer or write it down. Then to that answer ask yourself why do you feel this way? To every answer ask yourself why until you get to the real reason behind you delaying. 

The next time you find yourself with a negative thought or feeling afraid, continuing a habit that you desperately want to change or failing to start an action that you want to make a new habit, begin asking yourself the WHY question and write your answers down. You will unearth your biggest insecurities and hopefully taking steps to quieten them. 

One Love

Danni

Regaining My Grit in 2020

 This year for most people worldwide has been filled with too many negative emotions. So it not strange to lose our grit and find it challenging to move on. Here are 4 simple steps that will take you back from being in that slump to running your race to the finishing line.

1. The bible states, " write the vision and make it plain" which to me is telling the importance of not just writing and or rewriting our goals but placing them in an area where they become visible to you. I also encourage committing your goals to God. 

2. Set the restart date and stick to it. I would encourage setting the restart date to be now. Putting things off for a later date only allows us to push it further away. 

3. Get rid of your distractions. If you have an abundance of fear determine what's the reason for you being fearful? Verbally talking yourself into taking action when your fear is prompting you to be inactive works. Also thinking about the repercussion of not taking action also helps to drive us towards action. 

4. Visualize your end goal. What is the purpose of this goal, what will it look like when the goal is accomplished? If you are a very visual person having a  vision board to remind you of what the accomplishment of this goal looks like will help. 

Now is the time to get back on track if you have fallen behind.

One Love

Danni

THE PURPOSE AND THE PLAN

"You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die." Will Smith

Most of us have great admiration for athletes. Which is why we spend hours watching football on a Sunday or basketball during NBA season. I believe we are smitten by the fact that these people are able to defy the odds and break barriers. Most of us attribute their success to talent. However, if you have ever sat and listened to athletes being interviewed about their success you will hear them speak of the hours spent on the court when no one else was watching, executing the plan that drives their purpose.

Talent means nothing these days. Almost anything we desire to excel at can be accomplished if we do one little thing, its called putting in the work.

Each time I write there is a little voice in my head reminding me that I am not a great writer. But if I stop and listen, I would never complete a sentence. Each time we practice, each time we rehearse, each time we become laser focused at completing the task we set out to complete, we become stronger, better, more skilled.

Never allow the thoughts of your limitations to step into your driver's seat. We tend to underestimate what we are capable of achieving. Design a strategy, put your plan in action, let's EXECUTE!!!!

One Love

Danni