Menu
At first this was supposed to be a regular post on my instagram, and I did put up a post about it but there was so much more that I wanted to say. Honestly when going into this I didn't realize that it would be such a crazy experience, there were so many things I forgot about from 2017 and I got to relive all the good memories. Before I go any deeper into this let me explain exactly what my blessings jar was. At the beginning of the year I put a little slip of paper in my jar every day with a blessing from the day on it, no matter how small the blessing seemed to be. Unfortunately I stopped around June, but the memories that the little slips of paper brought tears to my eyes. I forgot how lonely, broken and insecure I was at the beginning of 2017. I relived moments with friends that meant so much to me, I found moments of accomplishment that were huge for me. Days like January 14th when I wrote "I thought for myself that I looked really good and was happy for just me" remind me of the person I was back then; so so insecure, unhappy with where I was and who I was and very very broken. And they encourage me for the future, because I'm not that person anymore, I'm so much more confident in myself, and I have a lot more days that I'm happy with myself. I never would have realized my improvement had I not seen this. Another day that struck me was February 17, "I have friends who want to spend time with me and care about me". Back then I thought no one liked me, I thought I had no friends. I remember feeling so lonely and insecure about the person I was. By the end of the year I've found amazing friends, people that I care about and that care about me. I feel like I've found such a fuller appreciation for them thinking back to how I felt at the start of 2017. There's one more thing I wanted to share before I finished this. I entered 2017 with a back injury that felt like it controlled my life. Everything I did depended on my back, this jar allowed me to remember the high points of my recovery. I wanted to share them to show you that whatever you're facing, time will heal. I remember how discouraging points of my recovery could be. But these papers reminded me how much I learned from my injury. On January 3rd I did an MRI without having a panic attack. On January 5th we found a doctor who was able to diagnose me and I found out my back would heal on its own, with time. On January 7th I did jumping jacks and squats with out my back hurting for the first time in six months. On January 14th I was able to go on the treadmill for 15 minutes for the first time in seven months with out pain. Although these only cover one month they remind me of the overwhelming satisfaction of healing after being in pain for so long. And though these accomplishments may not seem like much, they meant the world to me and brought me closer to healing step by step. All in all I'm so happy I did this blessings jar for the first few months of 2017 and I definitely plan on continuing in it 2018 (hopefully for the full year this time!) I can't wait to see the change from the start of 2018 to the end. I highly highly recommend trying this for 2018!
Happy new year and God bless!
0 Comments
With the new school year approaching I think we're all preparing ourselves for the stress that comes along with it. Stress can be both a good and bad thing. For one, it motivates us to get stuff done and helps us cram in those notes the night before a big test! But there's no denying stress has a lot of negative effects like headaches, stomach aches, insomnia and it can even cause you to get a cold or infection! For me the first step for handling stress is taking a deep breath and realizing that all of this is for a greater goal; whether its getting a good grade or passing a class. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". In other words remember that the stress that your facing is temporary and is helping you to become better in whatever you're studying! The next thing I do is pray, remember that God will calm your heart and lead you even if it's something as simple as solving a math problem. Praying to Him will help you remember that you aren't alone and you can do this! Romans 16:20 says, "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you". This is a reminder that God's peace will overcome your stress and He can defeat whatever you feel like is attacking you. Next, I break apart my work. If get an assignment on Friday and it's due Monday I make sure I do a little bit every day so I'm not up until 2 am on Sunday night. Even though it seems like you have the WHOLE weekend to get something done Sunday will sneak up on you before you know it! Also, remember to take breaks! It's not good to constantly work for hours and hours! Get up and stretch every once in a while and maybe even go for a walk. Remember throughout this whole process to take deep breaths and remember that a bad grade doesn't mean the end of world! Do the best you can and your report card will reflect the efforts you put in! Good luck in the new school year and God bless!
Hello everyone! For this collaboration I thought I would talk about how to follow God's will. As you probably know this can be quite difficult at times. Imagine how it would've been for Jesus, trying to follow God even when He told Him that He had to be nailed to a cross. Following God's will even when I don't agree with it is something that I struggle with on the daily. I wish it was easy to just do what God says, but truth be told it's not. In order to beat this need for self control all we need to do is what Jesus did; pray. I know, I know, easier said than done. Sometimes I know that when I have my heart set on something I tend to be very stubborn. But prayer is so important to get that stubbornness under control. It's what Jesus did and it's what we should be doing in every conflict we face. The truth is that God's plan will always be better than our own. His ways are always higher and He always wants what is best for us. Sometimes when things go wrong we tend to lose sight of that promise. Our faith gets foggy and confusion takes over the strength we once had. I know that I personally had way different plans for how my life was gonna turn out. I thought I knew what was best, and I had a plan. I didn't want any interference, even God's. And then life got really really hard, and instead of realizing my own faults I blamed my pain on God. This typical human error but not how we should live. As human's we are imperfect and flawed, but instead of using that as an excuse we should strive to be more like Jesus. Living with faith through persistent prayer.
Please go check out everyone else in this collaboration's blog post! I'll list their instagrams and you can find there blogs there! @godsgracegirl @simplylovingjesus @jesus_my.everything @katelyn_dance4ever @loved.by.my.king @my.messiah.does.miracles @_lovely.little.things_ @wholeheartedlymessy @peacefulcomfort @thedifferentgirl_ (DISCLAIMER: this is not in any way meant to offend anybody, you do not have to agree with it, you do not have to read it. this is simply a statement of opinion.)
As you all know, here in the United States, we have a new president. This topic is quite touchy for some so I'll try to be as careful as I can with my words. Many of us do not agree with the man recently put into power. He has already made some bold decisions that affect many other countries beside our own. I feel like through the past years we have not stayed true to the morals of our country. I remember on my trip to New York City a few years ago gazing up at the Statue of Liberty. As I traveled along Ellis Island I saw all the places where immigrants had come in looking for hope. I had somewhat of a personal connection to this place. Both my great grandpa and great grandma had traveled across the ocean from Europe to America during the war, For so many years our country has been seen as a beacon of hope and refuge. During the election people tend to focus on 'how will the candidates effect ME?' we forget how much the chosen candidate will effect the rest of the world. I challenge all of us to think beyond ourselves. In election situations and everyday situations we have to remember how severely our actions and choices can affect someone. But above all, whatever challenges we face as a country we must remember who is truly in charge. And who will truly never fail, Jesus. So a couple people wanted me to make a post about the year of pixels chart I made. So, imma just make a post with some other different New Years projects as well! Year of Pixels chart- What you need: •multi colored pens/pencils/markers •an empty notebook page •a ruler Directions: 1.) start with the top line, decide how big you want the cubes and make the spaces that big apart. Mine were 8 millimeters but they were a little bigger than I wanted them to be. 2.) copy the measurements on a line on the left of the top line. make sure you make 31 spaces so you have a space for months with more days than others. 3.) draw a bottom and right lines then label the months and days. If you have larger handwriting I would just put the first letter of each month in the space. 4.) draw your colorful key, I used hearts but you could use any shape. label what each color means. the original one I saw had some differences in the labels so you honestly could change it to whatever you want. 5.) put on on the title! I saw some other people put a little quote under the key which I thought was a cool idea too! Just have fun with it and decorate it! Blessings Jar- This is a really cute idea that I saw on Pinterest! Every day or week you just take a peice of paper write the date and a good thing that happened that day or week depending on when you do it. It's really easy to make and at the end of the year you can open it and see all the things you accomplished and all the things that made you smile! I did a very basic version of this but you could get really creative with it. I've seen people paint the outside of their jars or write blessings on the outside of it. Just have fun with it!
I've started with a new tradition every new year. Instead of coming up with many small resolutions I come up with one big theme for the year. For 2017 it is self-cleanse. Everyone knows that 2016 was a rough year, I felt as though I was dirtied in a way with some of my experiences. I know for a fact that I lost faith way too many times and that I strayed from God where I wish I never had. I am taking this oppurtunity of a new year to make a fresh start. This I am working on being a better person to others and myself, I'm working on cleansing myself of all negative thoughts and trying to create an atmosphere of positivity. I am going to pray more every day and trust in God with all I have. For the past week I've been working on cleansing and decluttering my whole life. Even though it seems unrelated you would not believe the effects it has had on my mental relatiolnship with myself and spiritual relationship with God. It has truly improved my life. I first started by cleaning out my room, taking old thing I never use and donating them, keeping my room in a good condition really improved my state of mind. Being in a clean, neat space helped me think more and keep my mind centered. Next I worked on decluttering my social media. I unfollwed negative or toxic accounts that don't work on self improvement, I decluttered my feed so I could focus more on what God on wanted me to see. Next, I cleared out my phone I deleted old pictures, apps I never use, old notes and reminders. It felt good to turn on my phone and know that everything was where it needed to be. Doing little things like these really helped me to center myself and focus on whats important. My prayer to you is that you also work hard on your resolutions. Don't only do it halfway, nobody's perfect and there will be days you fail, but don't give up. Don't expect things to get done if you only put half your energy into it. Work hard and you will achieve anything you want. Good luck in this new year! God bless!
Books: Salt. by Nayyirah Waheed Spaceships by Robert M. Drake Beauty: Beach wave hair Bleached hair Grav3yardgirl x Tarte Swamp Queen Palette Tarte lip paint Urban Decay liquid liner Youtubers: Conor Maynard Roman Atwood Rhett and Link Zoella Madilyn Bailey Cimorelli The Gabbie Show Ricky Dillon Artists: NF Ed Sheeran Lauren Daigle The Chainsmokers Halsey twenty one pilots Pentatonix Songs: Satisfied by Jordan Feliz Roses by Shawn Mendes Final Song by MØ 11 Blocks by Wrabel Pretty Hurts by Beyonce Colors by Halsey Ghost by Halsey Still Breathing by VERIDIA Until You Were Gone by The Chainsmokers This Town by Niall Horan Rock Bottom by Hailee Steinfeld and DNCE Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara Brother by needtobreathe Fighting for You by Tenth Avenue North I Just Wanna Know by NF Let's Hurt Tonight by OneRepublic Apps: Phonto We Heart It Snapchat Spotify What are some of your 2016 favorites? 2016 has been an incredible year. While most choose to remember the negatives of this year I can't help but think of all the great things that happened. I came into this year with an extremely positive attitude not knowing what to expect. I was faced with so many challenges this year that I could never have expected. Although I still face them as I leave 2016 I am stronger because of them. This year has also brought on many exciting surprises. I came into the year with a dream and left with it accomplished, I don't know how much more I can ask for than that. I can only hope that 2017 brings the same success. I agreed, in the summer, to start taking vocal lessons. This was honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've always loved singing but I'm a generally shy person so I never thought I could do it. Little did I know I ended up loving singing in front of people and I do it nearly every week in church now. To be honest, it doesn't feel real. Walking into this year I thought it would be the same as the first 14 years. But, God had such bigger plans. While I wish I could change some things, I feel like the positives far outweighed the negatives. I'm leaving this year feeling positive and happy about the choices I made and things I accomplished. My next biggest thing in 2016 was hitting 1000 followers on my instagram. I never could have dreamed of reaching that many followers when I first started. I've met so many incredbile people through it and making that account was one of the best decisions I have ever made. If I'm honest that account has helped me make more friends offline, it really broke my comfort zone which helped me in a very strange, but real way offline. I've made some of the best memories this year, and I will never forget them. I'm leaving this year in a very good place in my life. I'm very happy, which feels really good to say. I don't know if I could have said that coming into this year. Now that I've addressed all of the positives, there is one struggle I want to touch on. In late June I had a fall and injured my back pretty badly. I had to attend physical therapy and many different doctors before they could fully diagnose what was wrong. As it turns out I have fibromyalsia. Luckily, it's not too serious, but it is something I wish I could leave in 2016. While it is a very big part of my life, I try to keep it under control. It's very easy to let the negatives over power the positives. But, this struggle has had many positive outcomes. I can leave 2016 knowing that I've worked very hard to beat this and that one day I'll be able to do all those things I used to do. I'm really proud of myself that I've got through all my blood tests before the new year and that I have a lot of people fighting for me as well. Believe it or not, this struggle has brought out the best in me and helped me realize who was there when I needed them. All in all, I could not be more grateful for all the amazing things this year has brought. There is nothing left to do but praise God for all that He has given me. I wish the best of luck to you for the rest of the year and for the new year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
God Bless, Maddi 2016 is almost over can you believe it? 2017 is right around the corner! How many New Year Day's have you spent writing down your resolutions and promising yourself this year will be different; only to quit one week in? I know this has happened pretty much every year for me since I've started making resolutions. I know how disheartening it can be to give up on something you really wanted to get done. Well, how about we both make this year different? How about we make 2017 our year? This year we won't give up. Now obviously that's much easier said than done. But, I've composed a list of a couple tips and tricks to help you keep your resolutions for more than a week this year!
Keep Your Resolutions: 1.) Break it Down- It's very easy to dream big but not always as easy to follow though. So, many people drop their dreams thinking it's impossible. Here's a little trick to make your dreams seem less intimidating. Break them into little goals. Take it one step at a time. Write in a notebook at the top your overall goal for the year, then write your game plan to get there. You can use boxes, or numbers to write the steps, whatever floats your boat, but make sure you have a plan. Everytime you feel discouraged make sure to just focus on taking it one step at a time. 2) Keep Your Motivation Up- It's easy at the end of the year to find the motivation to achieve all your dreams, but as soon as it gets hard to follow through with you lose that motivation. It's this aspect that always holds me back personally. So, I've come up with a little trick to keep up the motivation. Write down every goal you have, It doesn't matter how tiny it is write it down. Once you complete it check it off write away. Once you start to loose motivation look back on what you've already done. Once you seen how much you've done you'll start to appreciate those little milestones even more. And you'll realize how much you are actually capable of! 3). The Backup Plan If your anything like me sometimes writing down my goals still doesnt help keep me motivated. So, here's your chance to phone a friend. Have your friend call or text you a couple times a week to make sure you're keeping up with your goals, Set reminders in your phone to send before you wake up so that's the first thing you see every morning. if you're really dedicated you could put signs all over your house with inspirational messages and motivation. 4.) Take it Easy Resolution can be hard! Don't work yourself to the point of exhaustion. After all, your health will always bemore important than any goal. It's important to work hard for what you want but, make sure you get a good amount of sleep and hydrate yourself. It's important to give yourself a break sometimes, I like to set up 2 or 3 "cheat days" per month. "Cheat days" are basically days where your restriction or resolution doesn't apply. There's no rule for cheat days you could pick a day of the week for your cheat day or you could choose just a couple days from the month to cheat. For example, you could pick all dates with a 9 in them are cheat days. That gives you about 3 cheat days per month which is a good amount to make sure you're still getting work done, but also makes sure that you're staying healthy. Well, that's it! I really hope you enjoyed those tips and tricks and I hope they helped! Let me know in the comments what your resolution for 2017 are and what you're most excited for in the new year! |
Archives
April 2017
Categories |