Things

written by: Angie

“People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. The confusion in this world is that people are being used and things are being loved”.  unknown

Minutes after my mom passed away, we said our good byes and shortly after they came to take her body away. I sat there in her tiny apartment on the couch and little did I know I was about to have one of the most profound moments of my life.

As the burley dark haired men picked her up and wheeled her away, I sat as I watched her leave every earthly possession she owned behind. Her collection of grape designed trinkets, her old leather chest full of memories, her movie collection, her bed, her kitchen, her couches, tables, linens, and clothes. You know what? She didn’t take a single thing she owned with her. Not one thing.

I am a business owner with my husband, so I feel a large responsibility as well as my husband to provide for our children. Sometimes at night I dream of the material things I would want, like a huge tree house, or an amazing pool with a giant rock slide. Yeah, I’m not one for purses or diamonds. 😉 But, I am quickly reminded that I have everything I need. Do you have a list of things you want? Do you often think “I will be happy when………”? Think of the material things in your life that are stressing you out right now. What are they? Is your living space too small? Is your car too crappy? Do you hate all of your clothes? Do you wish you had this or that, because you know it would make your life easier or you’d be happier?

It’s true some material things do make our lives easier. The thing is, they aren’t important. I think we all deserve success and should 100%  have financial goals and try to meet them. The problem arises when those goals become your first priority in life. When family gets pushed behind, when you become mean and competitive with friends, when all of your relationships become broken, because of the want or obsession for material things, success, power, and glory. It’s easy to get wrapped up in wanting these things especially if our friends or neighbors are purchasing fun new toys, cars, houses etc. It goes along with my sisters post regarding “The Jones”. We get so caught up in out doing each other with money and things of this world we sometimes forget we might be hurting or disregarding the ones we love.

Here are some tips that have helped me, when I get caught up in my pride and the “things of life”.

Stay off Pinterest and don’t cruise the internet. When I see all these amazing houses, clothes, accessories etc. I want it all. Take a break from it and go for a bike ride with your family.

Be very aware of your words. If you find your self saying “Well, when this happens I will be happier”. Try to replace that statement with “I am very happy in my present moment”.

Try taking a break off from work and spend an entire day or afternoon with the ones you love. Give those closest to you, your every attention and forget about the “things” in your life that you want right now.

Have genuine relationships with others. If you are using someone to get you further in life or your business know that in the end karma always comes around. It is important to associate yourselves with successful and uplifting people, but make sure those relationships are healthy and genuine.

Love is almost always the answer and in this case it is love for each other, not for material things. Try being very conscious of each moment this week with those close to you. Practice loving, respecting,  and honoring them with your time and attention.

Sometimes we want things to fill a void in our life. If this is the case, then try some self awareness exercises and see if you are are trying to replace something in your life that might not be as wonderful with something material. Many of us have been guilty of this. When I am stressed I eat. 🙂 Some people instantly go shopping to deal with stress. It is okay to use that as a stress reliever, as long as it is done responsibly and not habitually.

I want you to know it is perfectly okay to want things. Things are an awesome part of life. They make the mundane fun and life exciting, but simplicity is also a joyful way of living. In the end, your possessions will not join you. You will leave them all behind. In the end your life will be remembered not by your possessions, but by the way you loved and treated the ones you possess.

Hope on. Journey on.

Angie

Balance

written by: Angie

I love this photo that my husband took. As I looked through these photos of this talented ballerina, I am amazed at her ability to balance on any surface under any circumstance. It got me thinking about our lives and the ways we can get balance back into this busy world.

After I had my daughter, everything was out of balance. I was not in a good place. I will go into detail in a separate post, but it was Paisley’s birth that brought the anxiety, depression, and some pretty dark and scary days into my life. A few months after giving birth I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome and my Dr.  pretty much forced me into counseling, which I am forever grateful. I think everyone in the entire world needs counseling, it was so therapeutic and I learned so much about myself, and why I feel certain ways at certain times. I want to talk about balance and how we can achieve a balanced life. This is one of the biggest and greatest lessons I took from my sessions. There are a few major components to living a balanced life, they are Physical Health, Mental Health, and Spiritual Health. I like to add a couple of my own components to make 5 total. My additions are Self Worth and Relationships. In fact, you can add your own additional components that you believe will help you with a balanced life. The wonderful thing about balance and happiness is it comes from within and we are all different, therefore happiness is different for each of us. It’s really a simple choice that we all have each day.

Physical health, how is yours? Are you tired all the time? Do you have energy to accomplish all your daily tasks? How do you feel? Do you get sick often? Do you realize what a blessing it is to get out of bed each day on your own? Many people can not do that. To have mobile bodies, to be able to drive, cook your own food, and take your own shower. These are huge blessings that are taken for granted every single day. If you have a body that can exercise daily, then you better get up and start exercising. I don’t care if it’s 10 minutes a day. You owe it to your body. Your body spoils you, give it some love and take care of it. The second part of this is healthy eating. I’m a huge believer in balance when it comes to food. I eat everything {other than chocolate} in moderation. I’ve never been successful at completely giving up anything for good. I went a year with out sugar when I was 20, and I gained 15 pounds,  so I gave up the idea of getting rid of things for good. Food is such a delicacy. It’s gorgeous and so pleasurable! It is also the fuel that makes us move. If we look at food in a different way, than it is easier to make wise choices when it comes to food.

Here are a couple tips for healthy eating:

1. Try juicing. The benefits are endless. Juice gives you energy, brightens your skin, and its packed with vitamins and nutrients.
2. There are loads of recipes and healthy eaters online to follow. Check out these ladies on instagram and try a few of their recipes; @goldfenger and @bigcitydreamerblog.
3. Find healthy foods that you enjoy eating. Just because kale is healthy and the rest of the world is obsessed with it,  doesn’t mean you have to eat it. I hate kale unless it’s in my juice. Find foods that are healthy that you actually enjoy eating, and then find recipes with those foods.

Mental health. How is yours? Are you constantly feeling low? Do you feel alone or do you feel like you don’t get the support you need from those close to you? Do you feel scared often? Are you constantly putting yourself down or saying negative things about your finances, career, friends, body, spouse, etc? If so, you need to work on the garden of your mind. Here are some ways to balance your thinking.

1. Read a positive quote each day. Sounds cheesy I know, but it helps to start your day of with something positive.
2. Clear your mind of negative thoughts with affirmations. I do these throughout the day, each day. Depending on what your going through and what you need mentally you can start with affirmations such as; I am worth it. I am living a life full of purpose. I am patient. I am full of love, etc. Affirmations are an incredible way to not only change your mind set, but to quickly change your mood and attitude. Just by saying words like peace and serenity in your mind will calm you down.
3. Meditate and do yoga. Go outside and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as you concentrate on only your breath and nothing else, but the air flowing in and out of your lungs.
4. If you are feeling these feelings daily, then I recommend getting counseling. You won’t regret it and you are worth the expense and the time.
5. Write a gratitude list. I keep mine on the phone and add a little to it when ever I think of something I’m grateful for. Whenever I am down, I look at it and I am quickly reminded of how blessed life is.

Spiritual Health is a huge part of you, wether you believe in anything or not. Spirituality lives inside us all. Here are some tips to balance your spirituality.

1. Pray. I don’t care if you pray to the stars or if you pray to God, just pray and pray hard and often. It will bring you peace, joy, enlightenment, and direction.
2. Worship whomever or whatever you worship with all of your being. Don’t be on the fence with your beliefs. When you dedicate your whole heart to your belief system great and miraculous things happen.

Self worth. I added this one, because when I feel like a loser, my chain gets a major kink in it. Here are some ways to assist in your self worth.

1. Write down all of your accomplishments. This could be anything. I consider growing a successful garden a huge accomplishment or even just getting the kids dressed, fed, and out the door on time. Be creative with this and don’t cut yourself short. You are constantly doing great things, so acknowledge all the awesomeness that you do.
2. Look in the mirror and I say “I love you”. Even if you have to pull a Stuart Smalley and say “I’m good enough”, “Im smart enough”, and doggone it people like me”, then by all means do so. 🙂
3. Thank yourself for all you do. Sometimes we don’t get thanked as often as we feel like we should. Your spouses, kids, friends, and co-workers might take advantage of all the wonderful things you do. Well, thank yourself and treat yourself to some chocolate. Give yourself a pat on the back for all that you accomplish today, it will feel good.

Relationships. This is a big one for me, when my relationships are out of whack it sort of throws everything of balance. Here are some ways to mend as well as strengthen relationships with the ones you love.

1. Forgive and ask for forgiveness. This is a toughie for us all and it’s tough on both ends, but it is crucial for successful relationships. Forgiveness is what makes any relationship continue, because it will always be needed.
2. Do nice things for those you love and give them your full attention. Turn off the phone and give your kids and your spouse some quality time. Erase your social media apps off your phone for a few days and revert back to living in the present moment with the ones you love most.
3. Enjoy life with your friends and family. Spend time exploring this gorgeous earth. Be adventurous and get some dirt on those knees. Your kids will love it and your loved ones will always remember those adventurous moments.
4. Write notes. I love sending and receiving hand written notes. There is something so inviting and warm about them.

Finding balance is a life long journey. Life is awesome.  Life wants us to be incredible, and life will always find ways for us to witness the incredible and to be challenged. Thankfully we were made to be challenged and we were also made to kick challenges in the bootie. You are awesome and I love you. Not even kidding when I say that. You are my brothers and my sisters and I love you.

Hope on. Journey on.

Angie

Nature’s Healing Power

written by: Angie

My six siblings and I sat around my mom as the Dr. looked at us and regretfully said with a tremble in her voice “I am so sorry, there is nothing more we can do for you”. “Really?” I thought to myself. How could there be nothing more they could do for my mom? If somebody would have told me a month prior to this day that my mom was going to die with in weeks, I would have told them they were straight up crazy. My moms death can not be told in a single blog post. Her death started with the day she was born and maybe someday I will be able to write that story. For now, I want to share what we did on the day I found out my mother was going to die, and how it changed my life.

We sat motionless. The tears streaming down our cheeks brought the only movement in the room. There stood 7 adults that suddenly became heartbroken little children as we looked at our Mother’s eyes. I had never seen the eyes of someone who knew their time on this earth was about to come to an end, until I looked across the small room and saw hers. The sorrow is indescribable. The pain was unbearable.

The mood was solemn and I had little to say, even though my mind was talking a million miles a minute. My mom had a request. A request that was no surprise. She wanted to drive to the lake so she could find some solace in nature. We drove to her favorite little lake just minutes from her house. Passed the tall dark green pine trees lay the quiet waters. The lake stood still and glistened as we watched the sun set on the horizon. I went for a small stroll to gather my thoughts. As I walked back to the car I watched my mom as her eyes found joy in the beauty that surrounded her. I held her hand as I started to sob like a small child. “Please Mom, please, don’t die,” I was begging her, as if she could stop it. Here was this beautiful woman who was just told that she is going to die and the peace in her eyes I will never forget. “Bo, I will always be with you, I promise”. I made her swear. As we looked out into nature, the colors became bolder. The lake became a place of peace and the trees became a source of power. I have always loved nature, but in that moment nature became a mighty tool for me.

To use nature to heal anxiety and depression is very simple. There are two things you need to do when you are using nature to heal. Listen and feel. Do you know what I do when I feel powerless? I hug a tree. Yes, I am a tree hugger and will be forever. I’ll say it loud and proud. I love trees. They are powerful, they are old and wise. They have such purpose. I am so inspired by their strong roots and how firm they stand in their foundation. They withstand forceful winds, floods, and storms. They are so strong, yet so giving. They give us nourishment, shade, homes, paper goods and so much more. Trees are simply incredible, and I take from them their lessons daily. I came across some of the best advice from a tree in Hawaii last summer.

Trees look to the light for growth and comfort and I too look towards the sun. When I am having emotions such as low self worth, discouragement, or sadness I go to the earths light source for energy. I love the sun. Yellow has always been my favorite color and the sun is an energy source that I love to draw from. Sitting outside for just 10-15 minutes in the sun is such a huge mood lifter for me. I lie on my back, close my eyes and let the warmth of it’s rays soothe my skin and let the Vitamin D soak right in. I imagine the suns powerful rays soaking right into my energy source just below my ribs and above my naval. I continue to think of its beautiful light as it energizes my body. I continue to breathe in and out through my nose as if I was doing yoga. This is such an easy and quick technique and it’s so powerful. The next part to this technique is to pay attention to the rhythm of the earth. Have you ever heard it? It’s quite beautiful. The wind as it wisps pass your ears, the grass as it whistles in the breeze, and the leaves as they bounce off each other. God is definitely a musician and the earth is constantly playing His sweet song. If we can silence our minds, we can hear it’s melody. It is peaceful and it is always playing on repeat. It’s a song of joy and love. We only need to go outside, slow down, close our eyes, hear it, and feel it.

Hope on. Journey on.

Angie

The Worth of a Smile

Non smiling selfies, straight faced models on the runway, couples holding hands facing the camera with a blank stare. Is it the vintage obsession? Are we trying to emulate the early age of the photograph?

                                                         

Not sure what it is, but social media bombards me daily with what I like to call “I’m a model” face. Guilty? No worries, most of us are. Are we afraid of getting smile lines? Is smiling not cool anymore? Im trying to figure it out and it’s got me thinking. Where have all the smiles gone?

                        When it comes to smiling, Buddy the Elf gets it.

                                            

I got my first “self help” book from my Mom when I was in Jr. High, called “The Worth of a Smile”. The pages are old and tattered as I have reverted back to this book time after time over the years.

One of my favorite parts of the book is this paragraph below.

“A smile, to be effective, should come from within. And once initiated, it can spread an unending circle of uplifting influence. A smile only takes a moment, but it’s memory can last forever”.

Think back to the first time your love smiled at you. How about the first time your child had gas and that cute little gas smile twinkled back at your face. Remember when you met your best friend and his or her smile beamed from cheek to cheek knowing they found their new shenanigan buddy? It is a simple and free way to spread some love and attract positive people into your life.

There are so many benefits to smiling and I’d like to cover a few.

Smiling reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. If ever I am feeling sad, I start to smile. I will even go to the mirror and smile the biggest grin I can pull out. Just seeing my happy reflection paints a beautiful picture of happiness in my mind. Take this an extra step and just start laughing. I promise it helps. Studies have shown that people who are stressed and uptight that start to smile have a healthy decrease in heart rate. Smiling also releases endorphins, the bodies natural chemical that produces feelings of happiness and well being.

Smiling is contagious and personally this is my favorite thing about smiling. How often do you smile at someone and they smile back? It’s pretty full proof. Even if they are just mimicking your expression at least they smiled back. Perhaps their endorphins will kick in and that will change their mood for the day. Want to pay if forward? Just smile.

Even if you are feeling awkward, non confident, and down right out of place if you force a happy grin on your face the situation will feel less intimidating and you will seem more confident. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a party or get together acting like I own the place with a giant smile on my face, yet I know very little people and I am slightly intimidated. It’s proved to be successful in many situations. Slowly, I get more comfortable and it’s easier to talk to people and meet others. Studies have also shown that smiles are welcoming and can make the person trustworthy as well as approachable. I definitely feel like I can confide in someone who has a pleasant look on their face as opposed to not.

What ever you do please don’t smile on social media how ever, that will definitely decrease your credibility. Im only kidding. Unless, you are a model then I don’t recommend smiling ever. Still kidding.

My point is, just smile. Smile at your spouse, your kids, your siblings, your neighbors, teachers, officers, the guy at chipotle, the ice cream man, your landscapers, smile in your next “selfie”, and smile at your interesting neighbor with the parrot on his shoulder. Be mindful of your facial expression as you go about your day and just smile.

Directions on how to smile:

Find the tip top corners of your mouth. Use your muscles and tilt them upward.

You can do it.

Smile today and smile forever.

Hope on. Journey on.

Angie

Why I am here

With out going into to much detail at this time, I’m going to tell you why I am here and why I am participating with this new venture. Over 7 years ago, I was introduced to “The Secret”. I knew of the power of thinking positive thoughts and I 100% lived by it,  but I never really grasped the idea that the way we think can lead to incredible and not so incredible things in our lives. “The Secret” was so powerful to me that I began a journey of reading, pondering, and studying the mind and the impact that our thoughts have on our lives.  I quickly put the new ideas to the test and instantly saw incredible change. Shortly after that due to some difficult life circumstances I became depressed and experienced anxiety. Both which rocked me to my core in such a way that I have never been the same. I was sick. I was sad. I felt alone and I was extremely afraid. Which all majorly sucked, and by sucked I mean the life was being sucked out of me. It was a very dark time as anyone that has ever had depression and anxiety can attest too. The thing though, it was necessary for the growth I needed and later on the depression and anxiety became one of the biggest blessings of my life. (A story I will share later on). I’m here because I want to help. I want those who fear to come out of the dark. I have been there before and I promise you, that you are not alone. The light often seems so far out of your reach and sometimes it is, but its never too far. You can and you will reach it. It took me some counseling, some medication, years of studying, prayer, and faith to be here,  but the light has come and its’ warmth covers my soul. A feeling we all deserve and can find. I’m a firm believer in prayer, meditation, believing, and living a gratitude filled life. And I know that each of these principles can easily assist you in reaching your goals and attracting the dreams that seem impossible.

I am looking forward to this blog and pray that it will be a small means of comfort and guidance to anyone who may need a little light of hope.

Since we are giving away “The Power of Positive Thinking” It seems fitting to share one of my favorite quotes from the fabulous author.

“Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only the best, be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.”

―Norman Vincent Peale

And the winner of the book is…….. Lindsey Jeppsen!

Congrats Lindsey!!!!  Email us your address to showupforlifeblog@gmail.com

Thank you to all who participated.

Hope on. Journey on.

Angie

The Power of Positive Thinking

This book has been a huge influence to us over the years and has caused some major changes in the way we think.  Norman Vincent Peale is an incredible author and we love his insight to the power of the mind and the endless possibilities positive thinking brings into our lives.

We are so excited to give this book away to one lucky reader!

Please leave a comment below to be entered! You can also, tweet or instagram the contest for additional entries! Just be sure to follow us and @ reply to @showup4life on Twitter and @showupforlifeblog on Instagram.

Winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced on Monday.

Best of luck!

Hope on. Journey on.

Hope on. Journey on.

Welcome and thank you for joining us! We are so thrilled to start this journey with you!

We have dedicated many years to exploring human nature, human connection, self love, positive thinking, balance, mental, physical, spiritual health, present moment living,  and finding peace of mind.  We are 4 sisters and we have a deep desire to assist and help others in finding hope and living a life full of the love and joy they deserve. We are not experts or Dr.’s, but we have found through our years of learning, experience, and research;  tips and exercises that have been successful for us. We will be sharing here what we have learned and have high hopes that it will be beneficial for anyone who has ever experienced those moments in life that may seem hopeless.

This blog will be a place for the hopeless to find hope. For the fearful to find their courage.  A place to find spiritual, mental, physical health. A place of love.  A place where we will share stories, inspiration, and insight. This is a place of joy and happiness. A place of safety and security. A place that we hope all who come will be enlightened and lifted.  We believe in you and we love you.

We are so excited to share our journeys, our insight, and our passions.

Hope on. Journey on.

Peace,

Krista, Jenna, Stephanie, & Angie