Re-Decorizing Update

I didn't update my re-decorizing as much as I hoped. Life got in the way, but here I am because I also hoped to writing this with exciting news. That didn't happen. I submitted photos of my apartment with the hopes that it would be entered into a contest. Well the voting ends next Friday so at this point I'm thinking my apartment will not be selected. I found out about the contest with less than a week to enter. Despite that disappointment I thought I'd share the photos here  because I love my apartment and at this point I am finally satisfied with the results. Well, I still want a new comforter, but I haven't found what I'm looking for yet. So enjoy and let me know what you think.

It's Ok to Be Ambitious

I saw that quote a while ago, wrote it on a piece of paper, and stuck it to the outside of the Toastmasters manual. I'm in Toastmasters because I wanted to feel more comfortable as a public speaker. For years during my job review my mangers would say I needed to talk more. I was shy and didn't like talking to people. Toastmasters has helped me feel more comfortable. I also started doing YouTube videos which helped me feel more comfortable talking about random things. Doing videos has helped me to talk more to people about what was on my mind.

Back to the quote, it's OK to be ambitious. Being ambitious can be scary. It means stepping out of your comfort zone and bringing attention to yourself. It means being judged. No one likes that, but sometimes it does help you become better at what you are doing. I try to challenge myself because I want to be better. At one point of my life I felt like all I did was sleep, eat, work, and watch TV. I wasn't learning anything new or meeting new people. I felt like my life was pointless. To change that I started doing things and telling myself that it was OK to do what I enjoy. I took a web page design class. Then a screen printing/wood blocking class. I go to art demos and learn new techniques for free. I venture into stores I hadn't been to before. I now have experiences that bring me joy and ideas.  Ambitious ideas. I realized and accepted my dream to showcase my art and designs one day. I'm making plans and taking steps to help me get there. In Toastmasters I've decided to run for president of our club. This is major for me. A part of me hopes I get it and another is so afraid I want to freak out. This is a 12 month commitment, but I can learn a lot about myself and meet more people. It can be a stepping stone to helping me put myself out there more.

We all have dreams and goals that we hope to achieve. We have to learn to sell ourselves and that we are worthy of the happy lives we deserve. So go ahead. It's OK to be ambitious.

The Hair Up There - Now What?

I mentioned in a previous post that I am natural and I was considering doing long term protective styling. I like freedom and wearing wigs is  really getting on my nerves. I feel I cannot be myself while wearing a wig. One of the worst feelings in the world is not feeling authentic to who you are.

That being said, I love my natural hair. I've wanted to be natural for years. I'm not sure if that was out of pure laziness (I thought natural hair was carefree, NOT) or because I thought it would be great. I love curly hair, but I hate rollers. Also my hair is so thick  it would take forever to roller set, dry, or use curling/flat irons. Either way hair period is too much for me right now. I do like it short. Short hair is more carefree whether relaxed or natural. Lately I've been missing my short relaxed hair so I'm considering going back to relaxed.

Right now I am not sure what I will do, but I need to do something because me and my hair is not the best of friends right now. We might be getting a divorce. How do you handle your hair frustrations?

A Break Through

We had a speaker today at work event. The title was Living on Purpose. This intrigued me and though I had to walk 15 minutes to the other building to attend I felt that it would be worth it. I see a few blog post and even YouTube video's from people I follow encouraging everyone to follow their passion. I always think about the Bible passage about the talents. The owner had three workers that he'd given talents to. Two had invested in their talents and made profits. One was afraid of losing the talent and so he buried it. When the owner returned he asked each how they did and rewarded them. The one who buried his talents was punished and his talent was given to the one who had the largest return. I may not have this story exactly, but when I think about it I'm reminded that we all have skills and things to offer to the world. Things we are good at that needs to be shared with others. Even if there are other people who has done or is doing something similar to what we are doing we should still do it. What you do may be different enough to help the right people. We also all have our own path of getting to our goal. Everyone may not be able to go to college to get the skill, but when you have passion and it comes naturally college may not be necessary.

During this event I stepped out of my comfort zone and volunteered myself when requested. I am so happy I did. As far as finding my passion I felt like today was a breakthrough. I am ready to take at least three steps toward my goal. Some I had started previously, but for some reason I stopped. I am ready to pick them back up again. You never know the moment that will propel you into finding your passion or being ready to pursue it, but you have to be open to that moment when it comes.