This book is getting my life together! I’m actually becoming a little more comfortable with being 20 something and all the craziness that comes with it. What I once thought was dumb, annoying, frustrating and unnecessary is now normal and human.
You can purchase 101 Secrets For Your Twenties
by Paul Angone here.
I’m a sap and I LOVE love. Since Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, I had to share my thoughts on love with you. How do you feel about it? Share with me in the comments below.
I believe we have to see it, to believe it. Now some may think the opposite. But if you have the power to see it, to SEE the life you want, you’ll believe it, and you’ll go after it. Thoughts here and I’d love to know your thoughts as well! What is your vision? Meet me in the comments below.
With love,
Diamonde
Challenge yourself this weekend. Step outside your safety zone. You know the saying, “Where there’s risk, there’s a reward.”
It always seems like the beginning of the year is the most hectic. We’re adjusting to new schedules, new goals, and it can honestly be just plain difficult to adjust getting back to work after a couple of lazy days and turnt up nights. Believe me, I understand this. Either way, we somehow have to manage to pull it all back together so we can get started with our year.
A good friend of mine asked me the other day, “Girl, how do you stay organized and productive when you have so much going on?” It’s funny because I never think about it that way. I just know what I want to do and what I have to do to get what I need to done. However, it hasn’t always been like this. I remember the days of trying to REMEMBER everything. You know how far that got me? It got me to Target to buy an agenda and then to figure out some more ways to get it all done which I’m going to share with you:
1. Write it down. Period. If there’s something you need to do, whether it’s an appointment, a conference call, walking the dog, or even going to the grocery store. WRITE IT DOWN. You can write it in your agenda, type it in your notes on your phone, put a sticky note on your mirror, either way, it should be in your eye’s view. We’re bombarded with a wealth of information daily so that little visual reminder is undeniably going to help you remember what you need to do.
2. Add it to a schedule. With work, school, school and work, we like to think we’re too busy, but we have the same 24 hours as our girl, Bey, so in real life, we have plenty of time. We just have to organize our time in a schedule. Maybe you need to make 5:30p your designated time to walk the dog and then allot 6p for you to read that book you were supposed to finish last year. (GUILTY) You almost have to schedule everything, even your down time.
3. Work your hardest during your peak hours. I’m a morning person so I’m my most productive when I first wake up. If you’re a night owl, create a schedule that allows you to do your best work, household chores or whatever it may be, before you go to sleep.
4. Meditate. Sit in stillness for a few minutes or just have a moment where you’re literally just sitting there, thinking. Gather your thoughts. Take a deep breath. Just be for a moment. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to get back to work. (You’ll probably have to add that to your schedule, too lol)
5. Mark off what you’ve completed for the day. At the end of each day, reflect back on what you’ve accomplished. You’ll be able to gauge how productive you were compared to how productive you planned to be. Once you see that, you can plan how you can better utilize your time.
With love,
Diamonde
2014 – you came so fast! I wasn’t expecting you so soon. Time really does fly when you’re having fun or maybe it’s because I’m getting older? Either way, 2014 is here.
I spent part of my New Year’s Eve in church with my friend, Fatiana, and before service began, we reflected on our last 365 days. We talked about personal triumphs in our careers, in our love lives (currently – non-existent), our spiritual development, Pledge To Be Bella and so much more. All we could really do is smile and laugh. We’ve come a loooooooong way since 2012 and it feels REALLY REALLY good. Thinking about the fact that we’ve actually done many of the things we said we were going to do is such a proud moment.
As I prepare for 2014 with the mindset of living more intentionally, I wanted to make it a point to have a theme word or phrase for this year. So I decided on the phrase, “Challenge Yourself & Finish”. This year, I want to be challenged. I want to continuously push myself past my perceived limits. I want tougher work outs, better content, better videos, more quality events for Pledge To Be Bella and more complex recipes to cook. All of these things pose a challenge for me being that I’m going back to school and will also be working full-time. But I want the challenge. Better yet, I need the challenge. Not only that, I want to carry out all my plans. I want to finish what I start. I’ve battled for a long time with starting projects and not finishing them. However, this year, I’m challenging myself to finish.
Through challenges, we grow. We get smarter. We become wiser. We make better decisions. We learn. Isn’t that what life’s all about? On the other side of that challenge is a better you. When I work through these challenges, on the other side, will lie a better me. That’s the motivation.
Now it’s your turn. All you need is one word (or phrase) that can become the theme for your amazing 2014. Think about it. What’s something you want to do more of this year? Whatever it is, make that the theme for the next 12 months. When you figure out your theme, hang it up in your room, add it to your vision board or write it on your mirror, in case you need a quick reminder. I’m interested in knowing your word (or phrase), share it with me in the comments below!
Happy 2014!
This year has truly been my best year. I’ve had a job, lost a job, created a growing community, lived the single life, but most importantly, I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned some of the most important lessons, I feel like, a 20-something-year-old can learn in her 20’s and for that, I am grateful. Here’s my 13 things that 2013 taught me. Let me know what you think.
Do we have some things in common? What did you learn?
It’s okay to procrastinate on some of those things on your to-do list. Especially things you don’t particularly like to do. I HUGELY procrastinate on putting my clothes up after I’ve washed them. Most of the time, my clothes just lay on the floor until it’s time to wash again. L I’m working on it! I really am. But one thing I don’t understand is procrastinating on your dreams. Why? Why are you putting the things you need to do in order to live a fulfilled life on the backburner? Why are you waiting until tomorrow just to be upset at for waiting? Why are we complaining about our life when we have the ability to control it? I have so many questions that need answers! (I know not to ask Sway, jk)
I’ve heard of few people around me talk about who they want to be, where they want to go or how much money they want to make, but I’m not seeing any true steps forward in an effort to make that happen. I see people get overwhelmed by their dreams and let that stop them from fighting for the life they want. It’s heartbreaking. We’ve got to stop getting overwhelmed by the bigger picture and focus on the smaller steps. I had dreams of going to college, but I first had to pass twelve grades one by one. I had a dream to start a women’s group but I first had to define what’s the purpose of the women’s group, start a website, have an event, spread the word. I had to do all of that a little bit at a time. Oprah had dreams of having her own television show, but first became an anchor and became the best anchor there was.
“The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.”
Those steps could only happen because we stopped procrastinating and made it happen. We could only achieve our larger goal, by achieving our smaller goals because we stopped procrastinating. We stopped letting the size of our dreams scare us, and start letting it fuel us. We stopped thinking about the destination, and focused on the journey. We focused on the how. It’s okay to have BIG dreams, matter of fact, you should have BIG dreams. But don’t let them overwhelm you, don’t let them stop you from getting started. You’re only hurting yourself.
Are you procrastinating? Are you letting your dreams overwhelm you? Today, I encourage you to stop. Stop procrastinating and focus on the smaller steps you can take. Focus on the one thing you can accomplish today. Go ahead and purchase that domain, today. Email your mentor in your head, today. Go to that gym class you’ve wanted to go to, today. Today, right now, is the best time to do it.
It’s always beautiful to see your visions come to life. Pledge To Be Bella’s #EatThinkBecome dinner was a HUGE success. I could not have asked for a better panel, a better location, better food, better attendees and of course, a better team. If you ask for it, He will give it to you and then some. #EatThinkBecome is true proof of that. I asked God for a place to bring women together so they can learn from each other and bond over a beautiful meal, and He made it happen! He gave me the vision, the tools, the people and the confidence I needed to bring this to life. Ahhh, He’s just so good.
It’s been a year since I started Pledge To Be Bella and it’s been such an incredible first year. I went from just myself to a team of 6, to a lot of supporters in a matter of months. Thank you all for believing in Pledge To Be Bella. It means so much. 2014 is going to be AMAZING. All of this is just proof that you can have whatever you want and do whatever you want to in this world as long as you work hard for it, believe in it and carry it through. If you feel like giving up, don’t. It will be worth it. Again, I’m proof.
the real diamonde 