I'm going to be honest right now. Becoming completely dairy free has been a pain in the booty. It doesn't seem THAT hard, until you see someone eating that ice cream or having that cake. Ugh. It has definitely been a challenge. Sometimes, I think that I can handle just one small piece of cheesecake or one bite of cheese bread until about 30 minutes later when the pain hits me. And trust me, the pain is NOT worth that piece of cheesecake. My sister is always telling me "Megan you don't NEED that stuff. You need to learn some self control." Ha! Those of you who know me really well, know that sweets ARE MY OBSESSION. It's a horrible obsession but they are just too freakin tasty. Needless to say, I have never had a 'self control' when it comes to sweets.
Anyways....my point here is that I am now teaching myself to be disciplined. I can't have dairy. It's not a choice, it's a fact. Unless I want to be in pain constantly (which I don't). For the first little while, I would get really frustrated. Jackson and I would try to go to a Mexican restaurant and I would go down the menu saying "Can't have that, can't have that, hmm a burrito, oh wait, can't have that either." There is very little I can have in the Mexican food world anymore. Upsetting? Very much so. As all of you reading my blog know, I am working on my personal development. I was starting to notice how negative I was being with the non-dairy situation (which really doesn't sound like a big deal, but I was making it a HUGE deal).
Luckily, I was around my sister Nicole and friend Erik for a while during this time. They both don't eat dairy, and would make AMAZING meals without dairy! I was shocked. I didn't think it was possible to eat dairy free and have it taste amazing. Since I am trying to become a very positive person, I started to flip the situation around. Instead of having the negative thoughts about what I can't have, I started thinking about what I CAN have. And quite frankly, there is plenty I can still have, and pretty good substitutes for what I can't have. These past couple of weeks I have started to embrace the situation, and make the best out of it. I have been trying to look for the bright side of my situation. And guess what? It's working. For example, my little brother had a birthday this week and everyone was eating cake and ice cream. I knew this was going to happen, so I ran to Harmon's and picked up some Coconut Bliss. Coconut Bliss is the closest I'm going to get to ice cream. It's a non-dairy frozen treat make out of coconut and coconut milk. It's delicious! Doesn't really make me miss ice cream at all. So while everyone enjoyed some cake and ice cream, I enjoyed some chocolate hazelnut Coconut Bliss. I made do. On another positive note, I am LOVING coconut and almond milk. I have never been a milk drinker but let me tell you, I can drink this stuff like it's nobody's business.
So, as you can see I have been having to make some adjustments. If you were to ask me now how I feel about being completely dairy-free I would tell you I am excited. I am excited to find out what recipes I can make dairy free, what new milks I can try, new cheese, all of the above. I said bye-bye to the negative Nancy who was pissed about being dairy free. Here's what I learned from the whole experience: Take your challenges and embrace them. Don't battle WITH your challenges, it only makes things a heck of a lot worse. Embrace your challenges and turn it into a game. Ask yourself, "Ok, what I am supposed to learn from this challenge? How can I better myself because of this?". Trust me. It will always work. There is always a lesson to be learned to BETTER yourself, and become a stronger person. So, take your challenges and run with them. :) Beat them to the punch.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Power of Positivity (Part 1)
It's 11:36 and I'm not the LEAST bit tired. So I thought to myself, why not write a post for today? So here goes nothin'.
Today was a magnificent day. Today I got another confirmation that things always work out how they should. It has been a some-what stressful process...this whole planning a wedding on a shoe string (and by shoe string I mean a REALLY short shoe string). I have constantly been worried about how I am going to pay for my dress, Jackson's suit, the photographer, flowers, you name it! It just hasn't been the easiest task. Until about a week ago. As the days have gone by, blessings have been hitting me in the face ALMOST knocking me down. It seems like EVERY DAY some kind of charge falls off of my budget. Somebody knows somebody who just happens to be a seamstress. Or, who just happens to have a million strings of white lights. Trust me, I don't have any idea how this is happening. Ok wait back up.....I do. I know that God blesses us for doing what's right. He is very mindful of each of our specific situations and is eager to help us with everything. I've noticed through this process that He has been helping me every single day, and that to me is a sign of His support. I just can't believe it. It seems like when things are going our way, it is a lot easier to be happy and positive. However, when we are struggling or going through trials THAT is when it is most important to try and stay happy. I have learned a lot from my better half Jackson about looking on the bright side of things. Here is a big THANK YOU to him for that. I am becoming more and more aware and thankful for all the many blessings I do have. Cause let's face it, I have a lot. We all do.
On a different note, I had a very happy moment at the mall tonight. I was at the mall with my sister Briana and Jackson (who was currently in a different store than I was) when it FINALLY hit me that I am getting married. WOW. I am getting married!!!!! And in 7 1/2 weeks at that!!!!! I can't explain through this computer screen how filled with JOY I felt at that moment. Wow. I'm getting married. It's really happening. Not only is it happening, but I am getting married to my favorite person of all time. My soul mate. My best friend. My better half. My inspiration. My Jackson. I can't express my excitement for July 20th. Please come quick!
Okay, sorry for the ooey gooey tangent but I was just so unbelievably happy tonight in realizing what is going to happen in a matter of weeks. Back onto the topic of thankfulness and positivity. I can honestly say I have been making a conscious effort to try and stay positive. Granted, we all have those days where it seems like a big dark cloud is following us, but for the most part I have been doing pretty good! I have been going through some rough situations in the past couple of months, and it was SUPER important that I stayed positive through it all. Honestly, I have always had the tendency to freak out and be upset about situations, so this has been and IS a process. Lately though I have been noticing differences in my attitude. Good differences that is. :)
Positive thinking has to start the minute you wake up. This is where I started. Usually, I wake up around 9:00 thinking to myself "Ugh I am so tired, it's so early, I'm going to be tired for the rest of the day and not have energy to get stuff done."
-Hi. I'm Megan. And I am the perfect example of how NOT to start your day.
Really though, it has made a HUGE difference starting off the day on the RIGHT (not left) foot. I have been teaching myself how to start my day with positivity. I now wake up, wash my face, get dressed, and grab my planner. I write my entire day out to make sure I am making good use of my day. Because guess what? I am never going to get that day back again. If you start with the little things like training yourself to wake up in a good mood, and planning your day, the bigger stuff will be easier.
This post is getting a bit long, but there will be more to come on the topic later. :)
Today was a magnificent day. Today I got another confirmation that things always work out how they should. It has been a some-what stressful process...this whole planning a wedding on a shoe string (and by shoe string I mean a REALLY short shoe string). I have constantly been worried about how I am going to pay for my dress, Jackson's suit, the photographer, flowers, you name it! It just hasn't been the easiest task. Until about a week ago. As the days have gone by, blessings have been hitting me in the face ALMOST knocking me down. It seems like EVERY DAY some kind of charge falls off of my budget. Somebody knows somebody who just happens to be a seamstress. Or, who just happens to have a million strings of white lights. Trust me, I don't have any idea how this is happening. Ok wait back up.....I do. I know that God blesses us for doing what's right. He is very mindful of each of our specific situations and is eager to help us with everything. I've noticed through this process that He has been helping me every single day, and that to me is a sign of His support. I just can't believe it. It seems like when things are going our way, it is a lot easier to be happy and positive. However, when we are struggling or going through trials THAT is when it is most important to try and stay happy. I have learned a lot from my better half Jackson about looking on the bright side of things. Here is a big THANK YOU to him for that. I am becoming more and more aware and thankful for all the many blessings I do have. Cause let's face it, I have a lot. We all do.
On a different note, I had a very happy moment at the mall tonight. I was at the mall with my sister Briana and Jackson (who was currently in a different store than I was) when it FINALLY hit me that I am getting married. WOW. I am getting married!!!!! And in 7 1/2 weeks at that!!!!! I can't explain through this computer screen how filled with JOY I felt at that moment. Wow. I'm getting married. It's really happening. Not only is it happening, but I am getting married to my favorite person of all time. My soul mate. My best friend. My better half. My inspiration. My Jackson. I can't express my excitement for July 20th. Please come quick!
Okay, sorry for the ooey gooey tangent but I was just so unbelievably happy tonight in realizing what is going to happen in a matter of weeks. Back onto the topic of thankfulness and positivity. I can honestly say I have been making a conscious effort to try and stay positive. Granted, we all have those days where it seems like a big dark cloud is following us, but for the most part I have been doing pretty good! I have been going through some rough situations in the past couple of months, and it was SUPER important that I stayed positive through it all. Honestly, I have always had the tendency to freak out and be upset about situations, so this has been and IS a process. Lately though I have been noticing differences in my attitude. Good differences that is. :)
Positive thinking has to start the minute you wake up. This is where I started. Usually, I wake up around 9:00 thinking to myself "Ugh I am so tired, it's so early, I'm going to be tired for the rest of the day and not have energy to get stuff done."
-Hi. I'm Megan. And I am the perfect example of how NOT to start your day.
Really though, it has made a HUGE difference starting off the day on the RIGHT (not left) foot. I have been teaching myself how to start my day with positivity. I now wake up, wash my face, get dressed, and grab my planner. I write my entire day out to make sure I am making good use of my day. Because guess what? I am never going to get that day back again. If you start with the little things like training yourself to wake up in a good mood, and planning your day, the bigger stuff will be easier.
This post is getting a bit long, but there will be more to come on the topic later. :)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
the start of something new.
Well, here you have it. Believe it or not, I am going to start blogging again. This time...with a different purpose. What's the purpose you might ask? To teach. To develop. To prepare. To inspire. To uplift. Not only for myself, but for anybody that happens to stumble upon my quaint little blog.
Let me start out by asking, or stating the following:
Do you ever get the feeling that you are just going through the basic motions in your life? Or the feeling that you have way too much on your plate? (I'm not talking literally, but figuratively speaking.)
Trust me, if anyone get's this feeling it's me. (19 years old, running my own business, getting married in 7 1/2 weeks AND paying for my whole wedding etc. etc...) When we feel like we have so much to do, and so little time it's hard to not get complacent with where we are in life. I get thoughts in my head that sound something like this..
"I mean come on, you can't expect me to do more than I am already doing..my load is full for a 19 year old." I know I know, it might seem crazy that I feel like I have a lot on my plate, but everyone is at a different point in their lives. That being said, the purpose of this blog is to make me realize, to make me think, and to make me see that I CAN be doing more than I am doing. That I WILL be doing more than I am doing. I am determined to improve myself, and help others with their personal development.
I have never been a goal setter. If I have been, I am not very good at keeping up on my goals. This is the main quality about me that I want to tweak a little bit. I want to become someone who IS a goal setter. Who sets goals, keeps up on them regularly, and REACHES them. Goals are the key to success in every aspect of life. I became a Shelf Reliance consultant to be able to reach my ultimate goal of becoming completely self-reliant. I want to help others be prepared, save money, save meal prep time, and build their own home store. I also want to help those looking for some extra money OR a business opportunity to get started. I signed up because it is a business where you spend your time helping others become more self-reliant. I took on this challenge, and am currently still taking on this challenge, to be able to show myself and others that I CAN do hard things and that I WILL succeed in this business. Like I said before, I've never been one to take on anything 'extra' so this is a huge step into unfamiliar territory for me. I can't wait to see what the future holds and what God has in store for me on this new path I've chosen. It truly is in His hands. I am going to work my very hardest to become someone who REACHES their goals, and not just sets them.
Wish me luck!
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