1 Way to Go to Sleep Faster: Have an attitude of gratitude.

I'm trying this new thing. Expressing Gratitude.

I attend a Small Business Expo last weekend, and a speaker urged that if we didn't already have one, then we should all start a Gratitude Journal. It'll change our lives.

Before you go to bed at night write down (I chose to list at least 3 things) something that you are grateful for from that day. It can be simple, and it can be monumental. But it makes you acknowledge the good in your life and once you put that out into the atmosphere, the universe has no choice but to bring you more to be grateful for.

For example, last night I was grateful that I got to eat lunch with my whole team at work (and it was on the company). I spent some quality time and reconnect with some of my cousins. And I was offered a position over the summer that I'm really excited about. I'm grateful.


It's a beautiful thing to go to sleep realizing how blessed I am and it does wonders for my spirit when I wake up. This activity relaxes you and puts your mind, body, and spirit in a place that's ready to rest.

Try it. And see what changes in your life.

Guest Post by Ashley Wilhite: How to Face Your Fears and Make Big Things Happen

A lovely piece by a brilliant women. Ashley wrote it specifically for my blog, and it's great. I read it once and immediately felt inspired. I've read it five times and it continues to encourage me. Enjoy the wisdom.                                                                                                                           ♥ Britt T

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How to Face Your Fears and Make Big Things Happen

There's a perception of people who make big things happen and go after their dreams, especially on the internet. We tend to think of them as being fearless, braver than the rest of us, and never having any doubts.

When we go after our own big dreams, we feel insecure, overcome with fear, and saddled by self-doubt. We wonder why we ever thought we could do this in the first place because we don't have what it takes. We tell ourselves we'll never succeed, we'll never make it to end, and we shouldn't have even tried in the first place.

But we are all human, which means we all have doubts from time to time. We all have insecurities and we all wonder if we're going to fail and embarrass ourselves.

Sometimes these fear are crippling and loud. They overpower any drops of confidence left inside you. They leave you in tears, hiding under the covers, unwilling to face the world. They leave you feeling shattered, thinking the world isn't fair and you can't possible keep going.

Sometime the fear are quieter, like small whispers you can barely hear. "This is going to be really hard work, you know. This is going to take some guts and determination. Are you sure you're up for that?"

How do you face your fears? 

You keep going.

You pause and listen to what the fears are telling you. And you move through it.

You can cry. You can curse. You can talk about with your friends or spend hours caught up in a New Girl marathon. You can go for a run or write in your journal.

You can listen to your fears and self-doubt for as long as you'd like, but eventually you have to carry on.

That's how you make things happen.

That's how you write the book, finish the race, start the business, have the conversation, book the vacation, and accept the job. There's no secret.

When you're feeling scared, you get up anyway. You brush your shoulders off, smile, and keep going.
You can do it.

Bio:

Ashley Wilhite is a Life Coach who helps courageous women break free from expectations, create radical change, and begin living a bigger, bolder, more radiant, super awesome life.  Whether you want to move across the country, backpack through Thailand, become a yoga instructor, write a book, or quit your soul-sucking job, Ashley will help you change your life, one daring adventure at a time! You can find Ashley at Your Super Awesome Life. 

I hear a Cry for CHANGE.

I don't know about you, but sometimes you just feel things changing. Maybe a sting is getting more painful or a dim light seems to be growing a little brighter. I would say that's the cry for change that we should acknowledge. Today, in my life, that sting turned into a gash and that light is scorching my eyes. It can’t be ignored anymore and it’s pushing me to take action. This morning, that cry has turned into a wail.

I recently read a book that a customer at Whole Foods recommended to me. We talked about my current job and he asked me what my career plans were. I shared with him my frustrations and my search for direction. He suggested I read a book called "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson, M.D. The title sounds crazy, right? It was a few weeks before I actually picked it up and a few weeks before I actually read it, but I was inspired when I read it. It's a short story about two mice and two little people living in a maze and enjoying their cheese. The Cheese can represent anything that means something to you and the goals you want to achieve… that job you always dreamed of having, the relationship you are in, your financial situation... One day, the two mice and the two little people woke up and headed to the spot where their cheese usually waits for them. The cheese wasn't there. Once the cheese was gone, the characters go about finding new cheese in different ways. Change occurs, and your success depends on your approach.

After reading this story, I could identify with one of the little people. The one who was slow to go out and search for new cheese. I am the person who likes to know that it'll be safe out there in the maze before I go out. Is there even cheese to be had in a different part of the maze? I'm that person who kinda wants to wait and see if maybe the cheese will reappear in a couple of days and they were just tricking me. Valuable time passes while I'm overanalyzing these things and I'm NOT setting out to find new cheese. A lot of thinking is happening, but nothing productive is getting done. The goal is cheese. The cheese was moved. WHY AM I WAITING, with no cheese, FOR CHEESE TO COME BACK TO ME WHEN IT’S IMPERATIVE THAT I HAVE CHEESE NOW? GO FIND CHEESE. New and scary cheese out there is better than no cheese in here. After that clear picture was painted, I realized that I have to learn to adapt to change more quickly. "The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese." I would be able to realize change is approaching if I paid attention to the subtle changes. There are always hints, inklings, signs, and sometimes there are verbal cues that tell you to get on your toes because change is acomin'. I just have to notice it and be ready to move with the change. Don't let the sting turn into a gash, don't let the light burn your eyes, and don't wait for a cry to turn into a wail. I'm going to try harder to heed these warning signs and get an edge on inevitable change. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a beautiful surprise waiting for me out there.

To The Better Days:
Isaiah 40:29-31                                                                                                   ♥ Britt T







   * Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.*

I'm ecstatic and honored to be a delegate in our Democratic Caucus :))