SIMPLE SATURDAY

Enjoying a Saturday with my best friend and fiance. Checked out a new place in Phoenix that just opened because we got a flyer in the mail for a free coffee and pastry.  Unfortunately, the customer service didn't follow the excitement we had prior to the barista looking at us like we were robbing the place when we handed her our coupon advertisement. Brushed it off and enjoyed our cup of Joe as the kids sitting next to us started with conversations of asking "why" with every reply.  Kids are so fun to be around, they are blank slates curious about the world in every crack and corner....finding happiness in things that adults pass by.  Happy Saturday everyone!

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace

xo
Mandy

CREATE A SPACE

Photo of a wood box filled with cards from family & friends

A picture I found in an alley.  You can find unique antiques in places least expected

Flowers from a loved one

Photo of my art space to be creative 

In a previous blog I talked about the characteristics needed to be successful in a career. Those three essentials were AUTONOMY, PURPOSE, and MASTERY.  All of which are expressed through the idea of natural talent and dedicated perseverance.  Everyone has "gifts" (their natural ability, intelligence, or capability)  that are not mastered to their full potential without dedication.  Two things will happen when someone has a talent that they don't commit themselves to: 1. they get better with each day or 2. they get worse each day. I started to realize it's the environment I surround myself in that makes me more or less motivated to stay dedicated to individual aspirations. 

The Google company is an excellent example of a corporation that has evaluated the key to employee success; focus on employee morale and therefor it increases customer satisfaction.  Google encourages personal and professional growth by identifying what makes people happy.  The walls are lined with dry erase boards for ideas, scooters for the hallways, climbing walls, outdoor movie theaters, napping areas, full service free gourmet food, and much more! Google started from and idea that matured into the completion of a dream made reality.  Sometimes we think that our ideas are too big for us as an individual so it stops there. Setting small goals, baby steps, to reach the ultimate mission will create the pathway to a successful endeavor. The first step...creating your space.

1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given to you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you 

xoxo,

Mandy  

DRIFTING IN AND OUT

photo taken by me in San Francisco 2012.  Bring your life to clarity, not "drifting in and out"

I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day and was caught trying to convince myself why going back to school, after eight years of college, was a good idea. "You could have been a doctor by now." she said.  I continued to explain to her that I like to do a lot of different things and getting an education in many different subjects wasn't a bad decision.  After hanging up the phone, I sat on the bed reflecting and realized I really have become the "jack of all trades, master of none."  One of my degrees is in psychology so evidently I over analyzed the conversation with my mom.  I wondered why I can't stay focused enough on one thing to get over the point of it becoming monotonous and boring to finally reaping the benefits of dedication. This question led to a self-search, discovering what motivates people and why motivation can come and go without warning.

It didn't take long and I came across a blog by Joel Runyon, called "Get Disciplined, Not Motivated."  The statements made were impressionable and relatable.  The blog allowed understanding of how an autonomous (self-governing, free) decision, leads to behavior, and is followed by dedication.

MOTIVATION
Motivation is transient, it comes and goes.  It could last only to the end of the week, end of the day, or end of reading this blog.

Motivation is situational, based on emotion.  If you don't feel like doing it, you don't do it.

Motivation is everywhere, everywhere people are trying to stay motivated.  They read, hear, or watch something and it leaves them "motivated", but doesn't preface action.  I find myself telling people I am going to do something great!  I have a plan, I spent many hours on the plan, and.... it doesn't go any further than that.

People don't need motivation...they need self discipline. Discipline to make an educated ,well researched, decision, stick with it, and thrive!

DISCIPLINE
Discipline is constant, doing it often

Discipline is habitual, doesn't just happen.  It's intentional and repeated every...single....day

Discipline is rare, no one likes discipline, it isn't fun. But, it's the only way to see results.

Since the age of the online superhighway we see a limitless array of  motivational quotes with cool handwriting and beautiful pictures.  Like going to church, it does no good if we intently listen every Sunday, feel motivated to make a positive change, then speed out of the parking lot honking at others in anger. It doesn't make sense?  The time is NOW.  I think it's time to laugh a little more, take control of your life,  and focus on the things that matter. Get disciplined:)

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 

With Love,
Mandy

BELIEVE

As children we all dream of who we want to be when we're older.  Often it's a nurse, firefighter, or police officer.  When I was little I honestly can't remember what I wanted to be besides the Little Mermaid. At that moment in time my mind saw Fairytale as reality and if I prayed hard enough my barbies in the windowsill would come to life.  Looking back on your life, ask yourself, are you what you always wanted to be?  Who you are is not always defined by the job you have, unless you want it that way.  I believe the person you are is defined by the parent you've become, the friend, the neighbor, the life partner. Aside from my five day a week 7-5 job I am defined by how I spend my free time. What I value as important is what I spend time doing.  One thing that I love to do, and has carried with me all my life, is painting and drawing.  Some days I would spend hours on that blank canvas and others, time would go by and I wouldn't touch it. My life easily absorbed with deadlines and tasks. Sitting down to paint became something scheduled last.  Recently, one afternoon I was exhausted from writing a paper for my MBA program and as I walked down the hall to my apartment I noticed the door left open.  I scurried to the door and walked in; I was without words from what I saw.  A room filled of paints, an easel  pallet, paper, and blank canvases waiting for a story to be painted on them. I turned around and my fiance stands smiling.   

Sometimes it takes a statement from someone who loves us, put in our lives to say..."I believe in you more than you believe in yourself."

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 

PROJECT INSPIRED

Pressure, perfection, and never is enough. Nicole Weider was a young model living in Hollywood spending time with celebrities and staying up all hours of the night being seen.  She thought she was on top of the world; featured in the most well renowned magazines and seeing her face on billboard ads down the boulevard.  As her success climbed her depression climbed higher. When Nicole was 23 her mother had enough. She moved her daughter out of Hollywood and into Tucson AZ where Nicole realized life is not about her, it is about helping others. With time she came out of her depression by gaining a deeper relationship with Christ and living life in simplicity. Soon after, Nicole started an online website called Project Inspired.  The website is designed for young girls to have a "safe haven" where they can be free to grow in an understanding and purpose that is more than the glam of a Hollywood dream. She continues to make it her mission to support young girls and their discovery about the truth in living. You can find more about Nicole and what she is doing by following this link: Project Inspired (click here)

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity

Good works are in behaviors more than words alone
xoxo,

Mandy

TO MOM WITH LOVE

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." Abraham Lincoln.

A special person in my life is my mom. She has been an inspiration for me to never stop trying and to always be there for those who need a friend. Happy Mothers Day to all you special moms! LOVE YOU MOM:)

BUILDING BLOCKS WE CALL COMMUNITY

(photos not taken by Clarte, but retrieved from another source)

Living in a metropolitan city can sometimes feel like a small spec in a vast sandbox.  It is the melting pot of entrepreneurship and corporate ladder climbers scurrying past each other to get to their destination.  Growing up in a small town can initially feel overwhelming adjusting to the big city life. Through the experience of culture shock I found ways to make anywhere feel exactly where I am meant to be, wherever home is. I found there are many people in a city that want to feel a sense of community just as I have. I see the reoccurring customers at the same coffee shops, music venues, and movie stores.  There are local stores that are "bringing it back home" and opening shop with a style sense of timelessness. 

I recently was doing research online and came across an amazing store and story about a man named Steve Kang who opened Black Blue in St.Paul Minnesota. The store opened in 2009 and offers classic, locally made menswear. The apparel commonly has the brand names your grandpa wears with a new twist of sophistication. I was inspired to learn more about Black Blue because of Steve Kang's vision to support his community from the clothing to the wall art.  Places like Black Blue are an example of the community that is seen in many big cities; a recognizable smiling face that I look forward to in every experience. People helping people. 

Birdy, People Help the People (click)

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others