Love isn't Complicated

It was never intended for us that love be complicated, or filled with expectations and grandiose plans on one particular day. We were meant to love each other unconditionally every day as He first loved us. Here are some simple thoughts for your day.....

 "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." ~Romans 13:8

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."

~1 John 4:7

Today hubby and I are relaxing, having a low-key kind of day and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine's Day surrounded by those who love you. :)

Here's what I was up to the past few years on Feb.14th. Check it out by year: 2011, 2010, 2009. Last year's post was my favorite, a story told in pictures.

XO

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Behind Every Gentleman is a Lady

As Valentine's Day approaches I've been thinking about love and relationships. Some say that we get what we give in life while many are convinced that we attract what we are. Others like Oprah and Maya Angelou through experience have learned that, "We teach others how to treat us". I believe these are all true statements.

How we communicate with those around us (in particular the men in our lives) shows them how we would like to be treated. It also provides a clue as to what we value (and if we value and respect ourselves at all). While it is not our responsibility per se, as women I believe our actions & behavior prompt a man's desire to be more chivalrous and refined. If this is true, we hold great power with our actions and words to positively transform a large population of men who have forgotten what it truly means to be a gentleman. 

What do YOU think? The image above is what I posted on Facebook today and the comment/question that I posed, I've never seen so much feedback in just one hour! Pop by and see for yourself. Now, I'd love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences by leaving a comment below or feel free to join the conversation with us on our Facebook Page.

I don't know about you but with the man in my life, I've learned that when I shower him with love, I get it back; when I show an increased level of respect, I receive more in return; when I make time for him, he sets aside some time for me also; when I demand more of myself to be my best for him, he raises the bar for himself also to be his best for me. Of course the opposite of this is true as well. Ladies, let's be leaders because behind every gentleman is a lady, whether it be his wife, mother or girlfriend.

 

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week! :)

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Take Chances to Make Advances

My husband's motto in life is, "If you don't take chances, you can't make advances". You see he's a risk-taker, he's the kind of guy that REALLY puts himself out there and isn't afraid to make mistakes. I love that about him, in fact I wish to be more like him in that regard. We're wired a bit differently. I'm the Type-A who likes to plan trips by making lists and crossing off each item as it goes into the suitcase, organize CD's alphabetically and lining all my ducks perfectly in a row while he's all about figuring it out along the way, he'll cross any bridges while he comes to them . In terms of work opportunities I like to over-analyze and plan for a whole slew of possible outcomes, obstacles and scenarios. This analytical mind of mine can be a wonderful thing sometimes but many times it is the very thing that holds me back too.

Lately, I've noticed in several areas of my life, whether it be re-decorating my office or preparing for a meeting that I spend way too much time trying to plan to have things run perfectly smooth and avoid mistakes that often times I never get the project off the ground and when I do it isn't always in the most timely manner. In life we cannot plan for everything, and dare I say that is the very JOY of life-not knowing how everything will turn out in the end!

Last week I got a call about an opportunity that was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking all at the same time. Thinking of the possibilities made me giddy knowing that it could be potentially life-changing but taking a big step into an unknown world made me feel fearful and I caught myself trying to find a way out of it quickly as to avoid any possible failures or unpleasant outcomes. I kept thinking, "what if I'm not what they thought they were getting", "what if I don't perform in the way they had hoped for" and then I came to my senses and reminded myself that I didn't go looking for this opportunity, it came knocking on my door. All we can ever do is our best by preparing in advance and being ourselves once we're there and forget about the rest. When we live that way we can never lose in life. Two summers ago, I wrote this post, clearly I was a little more fearless at the time!

As much as I sometimes fight with my mind over taking such chances, it is when I embrace them wholeheartedly and put myself out there and try something new that I'm most proud of myself. Even if it doesn't go exactly as planned, taking a big leap in life is half the battle. These are the past successes that tend to stand out in my mind when reviewing the previous year in preparation for the next. I truly believe that the greatest rewards in life come from taking the biggest risks.

This year, although it's not going to be easy for me, my focus is to live outside of my comfort zone. I don't want another year to go by and wonder what more I could have accomplished or at least attempted had I not let fear get the best of me. It's really about mind over matter.

How about YOU? Are you with me? Any other Type-A ladies crazy enough to make such a declaration for 2012? One thing is for sure, our lives will never be the same!  :)



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A Fresh Start

One of the things I enjoy most about ringing in the new year is the fresh beginning it provides. Every year on New Year's Eve day I reflect on my most proud accomplishments, the things I really enjoyed spending my time doing most as well as my goals that never came to be so I can figure out how to make them a reality the next time around. I think it's important to celebrate our successes but also learn from our mistakes so we can plan better for the future. As Oprah and Maya Angelou always say, "When we know better, we do better".

This year has been an interesting one, I've learned more about myself in this past year than I probably have in the last five. It is the first full year I spent alone in our home as my hubby pursued his Master's degree several states away at NYU. With that brought both challenges and triumphs as I realized many areas in which I was stronger than I knew myself to be. It also presented areas that I am weaker in and need to change my mindset on.

This year I also put my design business on hold and found full time work elsewhere to survive the struggling economy while still allowing myself to be creative with a few e-design jobs here and there. It hasn't been easy working for someone else again but when I prayed and asked the Lord 'why this job, why now?' of the many I interviewed with, I felt and heard the word 'discipline'. Apparently I needed discipline after years of working for myself from home. Sometimes in life, things happen not because of what we want, but rather what we need.

While I don't make resolutions, I do always create a fresh set of goals for myself. I've noticed over the past few years that I've created laundry lists of all the things I would love to accomplish and every year I fall short on many. I believe in dreaming big and shooting for the stars but sometimes when we create too many goals, we overwhelm ourselves and then instead get very little accomplished. So, this year I've made 3 key personal goals for myself that I believe are doable, but still enough of a stretch to keep me challenged. ;)

Like every classy woman, I'm constantly trying to improve myself and I've discovered some areas in my life that need the rough edges smoothed so I'll be focusing on those too to become a better me. One of those areas will be working to become a more patient person (with both myself and others, especially hubby). I also need to let Paul rub off on me a little more in the spontaneity department. I love to plan and organize, a natural born type A., however, I'm convinced that lightening up and trying more things that scare me will be key to enjoying life in a greater way. One of my downfalls is procrastination over things I don't enjoy and I want to change that this year. The time I spend thinking about how much I don't enjoy doing a particular task and distracting myself with something more interesting is the time I could have just completed the task in the first place. I'm not going to burden myself by expecting perfection, any progress is a beautiful thing!

What are your goals for the New Year?




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There is No Such Thing as Perfect Timing

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a fabulous Christmas celebrating with family and friends remembering to relax and take time for yourself. I'm holding my promise to you of posting more frequently than I have been.

Since we're just 48 hours away from ringing in 2012, I thought it was appropriate to share the importance of action vs. perfection. How many times I haven't promised myself that I'll get back on a 5-day per week gym schedule when I 'have more time' to commit to it or that I'll paint and redecorate our master bedroom when I have a certain amount of money saved up to do so, I have a list of other promises that sound just like these. The truth is that ALL goals consist of mini milestones, no matter how small those steps might be. Momentum is a beautiful thing, each day presents an opportunity to move in the direction of what we desire most. I love this quote above because it reminds us that there really is never a 'perfect' time to do anything in life.

Several years ago, when a colleague-friend of mine found out I had recently got engaged she insisted on one piece of advice-don't hold off on having children by waiting for the 'perfect' time. She appeared sad as she recounted the years she had put off doing that very thing herself in search of that ultimate moment when they might be ready, would have the right amount of income and size of home for baby. After spending years on this quest, the time never made itself known and after many frustrating years, she found out that her insistence on the ideal conditions had left her dream unfulfilled. Every time that I find myself guilty of heading down the same path thought-wise, I remember her advice to me.

Don't let your dreams slip away because you are waiting for the 'perfect' moment to pursue them! Start now by creating your plan of action, schedule small appointments with yourself each day or week to work towards what you want to accomplish most.

Truly the BEST is yet to come! I wish you the greatest success and fulfillment in all you do for 2012! :)

Happy New Year Lovelies! XOXO

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