Go with your GUT!

So lately I have been learning that it is best to go with your gut feeling when it comes to making decisions. I mean the feeling wouldn't be there if there wasn't a valid reason right? Our bodies tell us how we feel even before our mind realizes it, so why not listen? Whatever it is, do it. Got something to say? Speak up! It only ends up happening the way it should have anyway. Like that night I really wanted pizza for dinner. I fought the urge and made some soup that ended up tasting TERRIBLE! I then went out and bought a slice that made me feel wonderful, but wasted 2 hours trying to decide. I should have literally gone with my gut! From now on I am NOT going to ignore that feeling!

Day ONE

Well Day one went well. I resisted the brownies and cookies that were right next to my desk at work and drank some water and ate an orange instead. It was NOT easy. I tried to justify at one point and say "well...brownies aren't a snack that comes in a bag like chips." LOL. I am going grocery shopping this weekend to stock up on fruits, veggies, and healthy snacks so that if I do get the urge to eat, I'll have a good healthy option.

My middle school team won our game yesterday, 20-14, to make our record 8-0. The most frustrating thing about coaching is that no matter what you teach or tell the players to do, you cannot go out there on the court and do it for them. I definitely see progress in most of them though since the beginning of our season (November) and know that my time and energy has not been wasted. **pats myself on the back**

It was also Valentine's Day today and though I was not sure how the day would go, let's just say I was happily surprised by the end. :-)

Sacrifices and Commitments

So today marked the beginning of Lent; the period of fasting, meditation, and prayer before Easter. Every year Lent seems to sneak up on me and I have to rush and think of what I will choose to give up during that time. Sometimes I pick things that aren't really much of a sacrifice or I end up slipping up and breaking my promise. This year I am committed to making a change and actually sticking to what I decide.

I decided to give up alcohol and snacks (chips, cookies, wafers, etc.). Having a desk job it is easy to munch on multiple bags of snacks every day. Sometimes I am not even hungry, but decide I need a snack along with doing my work. Giving up these things will also hopefully help me to lose a few pounds (yes I think I need to get more fit).

Along with giving these things up, I have decided to commit to some actions as well. I will write a blog post every day during Lent. I have been frustrated with different parts of my life lately and forgot that I have outlets to let it all out (I haven't posted here in almost 2 months). Thoughts have been consuming my mind and I need to free up some space for positivity and innovation. So you can look forward to my frustrated rants, outfits of the day, hairstyles or just random things that happen in my life (I really think it is a movie!).

The second action I will commit to is based on this Under Armor ad I remember seeing a few months ago:

I will commit to being active every day. I pretty much do this now between running practice with my basketball team, refereeing at night, and playing on an intramural team at Penn, but I want to step it up and continue this even on Fridays when all I can think of is what party/gathering I am going to for the night. I will also be recording what activity I choose to do during my daily posts.

This is not going to be easy, but I am committed to making it happen so that I can improve my spiritual, mental, and physical health. So you can follow me along my journey here and give me some words of encouragement if you wish. :-)

Fresh, Fly, and 25!!

"I'm the type to say a prayer and go get what I just prayed for" - Meek Millz

My 25th birthday was last Wednesday and I am already feeling like this is going to be a great year. Here is an update of what was left of my 25 goals:

25 things before 25:

1. begin a healthy romantic relationship/cut off meaningless male relationships
9. figure out career plan

10. see asthma specialist

15. talk to financial advisor about loans/savings

18. help out with dad's business (ad campaign, sales)
19. learn to be on time!!
22. buy a car
23. apply to grad programs/grants/scholarships/fellowships

25. make/stick to a budget

I completed 22/25 goals before turning 25! I missed a few, but at least for those last 3 I have been taking some steps towards them. I plan on making an appointment to see an allergist/asthma specialist when I get back to Philly in January. While I am home for the holidays I will put together a business plan with my dad and about this whole being on time thing...we'll have to see about that. :-)

I have begun what I consider to be a healthy relationship and have a really good feeling about this. I did have to break a few hearts which was not easy, but in the end I have to do what works for me. It is still very new and fresh, but I am looking forward to seeing where this can go. :-) I have realized that I am not satisfied with my career if I am not directly impacting youth. The desk life is not what I am about and need that interaction with young people to feel happy and satisfied. In that frame of mind, I have applied for another position within my organization that is supporting a number of our students. I find out next month if I have been chosen, but I am confident that I am the perfect candidate for the job.

I BOUGHT A CAR!!! After so many months of just talking about wanting one and complaining about public transportation in Philly, I decided to actually just go and see what this whole car thing is about. I went in to the dealership just curious and ended up driving off the lot with my new baby! My life has been so much easier this past week now that I don't have to run for trains, wait in the cold for buses, or worry about getting home if it gets late. The investment is definitely worth it. Along with this new investment, I researched some information about money and loans so I would know what I was getting myself into with this car/insurance/gas/registration thing. I decided to put together a budget since I now have a ton more expenses. Hopefully I will stick to it so I won't be Broke Betty at the end of each month.

I finished all of my grad school applications and am just waiting for my recommendation letters and transcripts to arrive at the schools. This definitely was not the most difficult process, but did take some motivation on my part to complete everything while working 2 jobs and coaching. The next step once I hear back from the schools is to figure out how the heck I am going to pay for this next degree. 

All in all 25 has been great to me so far and I can't wait to see what more is in store for me! I am thankful for life, health, family, and love and no one can take this happiness away from me!

Put a ring on it!

So lately there has been an epidemic taking over facebook! What's that you ask? No not memes, engagements! It seems like every day I log on someone else I know has a picture of a diamond ring and facebook conveniently flashes me an announcement. Now don't get me wrong, I am by no means hating...I do not want to be anyone's wife at least for the next 5 years (In high school, my ex and I had planned to already be married by now. Oh how life changes.). I am just trying to figure out if I've reached the age where everyone starts to begin their lives with a mate, or if there is some kind of marriage fever going around that I have the vaccine for.

Speaking of marriage, relationships in general seem to be the topic of discussion when my cousins and I meet up. The older, married with kids ones always seem to get around to ask us young, single, childless people who we are currently dating and we begin to tell these "hard out here" stories that last all night. Is it really that hard out here? Or are we just too picky? One last resounding statement one of the "elders" did say, was that it is never going to be perfect. I guess she meant that at some point you realize this person is not going to be everything on your checklist, but he suits the majority of things you want in a companion and the things he does not meet up to aren't as important as you thought.

I am not sure where I stand in that equation though. It seems I find someone who I feel fits perfectly with me, but oops, he's not ready for a commitment! Then there are the guys who really don't scratch half a bullet on my "list", but they sooo want to make me theirs! Sometimes I do wonder if I give a guy too much of a hard time, but then again am I not supposed to have standards? I guess I'll just keep doing what I do, and prince charming will dance his way into my life. Maybe he'll be disguised as a frog!

One month to 25!!

Be the president of your life! So I saw this post from Happy Black Woman on election day, but did not read it until 10 minutes ago. I was not feeling as enthusiastic about the election and all the hoopla in the weeks leading up to it. I did not post anything on facebook or any other site I am glued to every day, but somehow was feeling a little guilty about it. That post states exactly what was going through my mind. While I did vote, I just could not help but think that my life would be exactly the same the day after the election. I mean, there would probably be changes nationwide in the long run, but the result would not directly impact my day to day life. I would still have student loan debt, be at the same job, worry about applying to grad school, and my asthma and allergies would not magically go away. 

All that being said, after I read the post I wondered why I had not just read it that day. She makes some really good points. No president is going to make my life change for me. Obama is not going to complete those applications for me, nor will he help me figure out what I want to do with my life! I have to be the one to have the motivation to take the steps to become who I want to be and accomplish what I want to do.

This conversation in my head made me think back to my very first post on here, 25 things before 25. I am exactly one month shy of my 25th birthday and I am not sure I have actively been achieving these goals. Here are the things I still needed to complete:

25 things before 25:
1. begin a healthy romantic relationship/cut off meaningless male relationships
7. join basketball league/team/play regularly (play 1-2x a week)
9. figure out career plan
10. see asthma specialist
13. develop braiding/twisting clientele (not many but yes)
15. talk to financial advisor about loans/savings
16. paint/write - creative art (did my first painting during sandy)
18. help out with dad's business (ad campaign, sales)
19. learn to be on time!!
20. learn about US politics (I read a lot of information during the election)
22. buy a car
23. apply to grad programs/grants/scholarships/fellowships
25. make/stick to a budget

I did knock off a few things I had left, but still have a ways to go. I guess I really have no control over #1 so I may just count the 2nd half of it as completed. I do have plans to discuss a business plan with my dad when I go home for Thanksgiving in a few days so I should be able to put some ideas into motion before my 25th. I am going to look for cars this weekend as well and had set a deadline of Dec 1st (that is probably NOT going to happen). I am almost done with my applications, so they WILL all be submitted by Dec 19th! I am going to use my extended weekend to work on the other items on this list so that some progress can be made by next week. I really want to do this! It is time to start setting goals and actually sticking to them! I have got to be the Obama of my own life!

What makes you happy? PART 2

As I am sitting in my room awaiting Hurricane Sandy, aka Frankenstorm, I decided to grab my paint, brushes, and a blank canvas and get to expressing myself. I also started thinking about my happy list since tomorrow is a "snow day" and I get to sleep in (2 things on the first half of my list) and thought I should finish posting it.

100 things that make Mandisa happy (#51-100)
51. natural hair
52. whispers in my ear
53. kisses on my neck
54. juicy Gala apples
55. chicken - baked, fried, grilled
56. snickers bars
57. braiding hair
58. free ANYTHING
59. food samples at stores/in the mall
60. chubby funny looking kids
61. forehead kisses
62. being told I am missed
63. being held by the waist by a nice man
64. nice white smiles
65. being told I did a good job
66. feeling appreciated
67. SUNNY DAYS
68. SUMMER
69. seasoned food (food in general)
70. learning about different cultures
71. LOVE
72. seeing love around me
73. my crazy friends
74. sleepovers with friends I haven't seen in a while
75. dancing as I get dressed
76. the smile on someone's face when I surprise them
77. late night phone convos until I fall asleep
78. having an event I planned go great
79. a clean kitchen
80. the smell of clean laundry
81. a cute bathroom
82. talking to my mom
83. driving
84. the sun in my face in the morning
85. eyeshadow
86. cute nail polish and designs
87. compliments on my hair
88. my hair the day after I wash and style it
89. surprise visits
90. sweet random messages
91. seeing a child understand a concept
92. sexy dresses
93. live music performances
94. musicals
95. GLEE!!
96. the idea of having my own family
97. waking up to a nice face
98. sleeping on his chest
99. God
100. LIFE

Here's my first finished painting. 'Sankofa - Untitled' for now.

Inspired by this quote I saw on Pinterest: "I emerge from the ignorance of my past to pure overstanding of my present."