How To Love Yourself

STOP ALL CRITICISMS.  Criticism never changes a thing. Accept yourself as you are. Everybody changes, and when you criticise yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.

DON'T SCARE YOURSELF. Stop terrorising yourself with your thoughts. Find a mental image that gives you positive pleasure and immediately switch your scary thought to lovely positive thought. 

BE GENTLE, KIND AND PATIENT. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking.

PRAISE YOURSELF. Criticisms break down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Tell yourself how you're doing with every little thing that you have accomplished. 

SUPPORT YOURSELF. Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to those who love you and allow them to provide support and encouragement. It shows strength to ask for help. 

BE LOVING TO YOUR NEGATIVES. Acknowledge that you created them to fulfil a need. As you find new, positive ways to fulfil those needs, you can release the old negative patterns. 

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise can you enjoy? Cherish and revere the person you are.

MIRROR WORK. Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking in the mirror. Talk to those who have hurt you by looking into the mirror. Forgive them too. At least once a day, tell yourself "I love you."

DO IT NOW. Don't wait until you get well, or lose the weight or get the new job or the new relationship. Begin now - do the best you can and live the happy life you want to live

1/365 (It's 2015, it's a new year)

Tomorrow (01.01.2015) is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.

As you reflect on the events of last year, remember the storms that you have encountered has only made you stronger. You are wiser, more alive and headed for victory!

Be encouraged today because no matter what is happening in your life right now, you have a chance for a new beginning. Choose to leave the old behind; leave behind old behaviours, old thinkings, old words, old mindsets and embrace the new by faith. Trust that He is leading you and this year, it's going to be your year. Declare His word and embrace the blessings that He has prepared for you.

"This Is My Year" by Rawn ft. Shaytards

Lyrics:

Yeah I spend so many years inside this frustration

It's time that me, myself and I had a conversation

I'm losing patience living life with all these limitations

There's a big ole world outside my mind's basement

But it seems that every single time

I take a step in the right direction

Another daunting obstacle

Seems to redirect my attention

And all of a sudden the wonderful feelings I had

Just pick up and walk away

And I'm just left with fear

So I put it off till another day

And another day, and another day

And another day goes by

And eventually I believe it's too late for me

So why bother to even try. But

That was the old me!

Time for the new me!

I make the rules see

There's no way I'm losing

Yeah I'm facing up to my fears!

I'm drying up all these tears!

I wrote my life a new script!

And this is my premier

I don't care if you see me fall

I'mma pick myself up wiser

I'm a lover, I'm a fighter

Fight for love like a tiger

I'm hopping out the back seat

I'mma be the driver

Switch it into high gear

Cause this is gonna be my year!

Up down don't slow down

Gotta pick yourself up

Make your family proud

Up down don't slow down

Gotta keep it moving

Better get your head out the clouds

You gotta sweat

Sweat!

You're not there yet

But if you push it to the finish

Then you'll never regret

You gotta just

Breathe

Suck it up and release

It takes a lot of guts to wear your heart on your sleeve

Get on up

Make your own motivation

Get unstuck

I think it's time to change the station

How much can I rest

When this life is just a breath

I can erase regret

If I just put in my best

I'mma pound it into my chest

It's time to be a warrior

This bird is leaving the nest

Flying away to a new story

I got wonderful visions of future time

But you gotta start now in the present right?

I'm 'living a life' not 'living the past'

Life is a school and I'm passing the class

Not coming in last, I'm running as fast as

My two feet can take me

Here I am! You cannot break me here!

This is gonna be my year!

Get on up!

You gotta move, you gotta move

You gotta get on up!

You gotta move, you gotta move

You gotta get on up!
No excuses, gotta move

You gotta get on up!

Get on up!

As I live these dreams

Sometimes I feel alone.

And I wonder why

I started this at all

But before I give up

Before I give in

I look to my friend in the stars

And He said

You gotta go,

You gotta get up and go

Before you get anywhere.

Up down don't slow down

Gotta pick yourself up

Make your family proud

Up down don't slow down

Gotta keep it moving

Better get your head out the clouds

You gotta sweat

Sweat!

You're not there yet

But if you push it to the finish

Then you'll never regret

You gotta just

Breath

Suck it up and release

It takes a lot of guts to wear your heart on your sleeve

"This Is Going To Be My Year!"

HOME

People say that home is not a place, it's a person. But what they fail to realise is that home isn't human nor is it tangible. Rather, it is a part of us. It is every place and every person and every thing that we've touched and has touched us. Buildings crumble and people leave but we can always return to our memories. Home is the voices of my love ones; my family. The theme song of my favourite cartoon. The feeling of my guitar strings against my fingertips. The sound of laughter when I'm with my family. The smell of home-cooked food. You know how everyone says that home is where the heart is? Well, they've got it backwards. My heart is where my home is.

As The Sun Rises.....

As the sun rises

It’s full of surprises

It gives new hope

It brings new life

Start of a new beginning

With new people grinning

Tough obstacles you’ve overcome

I’m so proud of who you’ve become

As the sun rises

Life presents a new prize

To change and grow

To strengthen and glow

To gather your scattered dreams

And sew back the seams

To put them back together

Never giving in to surrender 

As the sun rises

Life give advices

The best of a journey

Your life is worthy

CONFIDENCE, IT'S A KEY

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stay focus on you. You are totally unique
2. Smile more. You'll find that life is worthwhile if you just smile
3. Relax. Go with the flow and do not stress the little things
4. Love yourself. You are a gift from God. Nothing would be the same if you didn't exist. You are special
5. Be positive and look for the good in every situation
6. Always find the time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive
7. Do what you love. Life is too short to waste your time doing anything otherwise; anything you hate
8. Affirm yourself daily, even if you don't believe it, that you are special, that you are incredible, that you are strong. It'll definitely make your day a whole lot better, whatever the circumstances because you have yourself and you are good enough
9. Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people instead of those who always put you down

7 Basic Rules For Life

1. Make peace with your past so it won't disturb your present
2. What other people think of you is none of your business
3. Time heals almost everything. Give it time
4. No one is in charge of your happiness. Except you
5. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them. You have no idea what their journey is all about
6. Stop thinking too much. It's alright to not know the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it
7. Smile. You don't own all the problems in the world

Reminder To Self :)

Open up your eyes. You are not made up of those words that hurt you, or that number on that scale, or the expectations you feel you will never meet. You are made up of nothing more than you. Simply beautiful, wonderfully, uniquely you. You are a lovely and complex soul. An individually fascinating combination of thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions. No other is as beautiful as you. Look past the mirror, look at your soul. Only then you will see yourself as you truly are. Beautiful. So smile and don't forget to love yourself

Forgiveness

Let's take Joseph, for example (from Genesis 37-45)..... Joseph is one of the youngest with 10 other half-brothers. They planned to kill him but the oldest brother convinced the others to simply throw Joseph down a well. They ended up selling him to a caravan of Ishmaelites who were on their way to Egypt. Joseph became the slave to Potiphar but is a hard worker and is trustworthy; soon Potiphar gave his household and land to Joseph. Potiphar's wife gets the hots for Joseph and asked him to sleep with her but Joseph refused saying that he won't betray his master's trust or sin against God. She had a temper tantrum and falsely accused Joseph of attempting rape. Potiphar then put Joseph in jail...........

Let's take a moment to reflect on how Joseph feels... 

If there's anyone who has a reason to seek vengeance and hold on to resentment, it would be Joseph; from being sold by his brothers to being falsely accused and then sent to jail. But forgiveness is the act of letting go of the need for vengeance and releasing negative thoughts of bitterness and resentment. 

If I were Joseph, I would probably have a serious grudge against my brothers who sold me away. Yet, Joseph is the agent of God's grace and kindness towards his brothers. They were to take a long time and this is often the case even for us today; to appreciate and to fully receive the transforming loving-kindness of the Lord into the very depth of their beings. Joseph understood that beyond and above the foul schemings of his brothers, God was in control. It is the Lord himself that gives and reveals the ultimate and true meaning to history.

To forgive is to offer mercy to someone who has acted unjustly.
In the Bible, forgiveness is primarily the act of God by which he graciously takes away the obstacles and barriers which separates men from him presence.

The New Testaments word for forgiveness means "to send away." Forgiveness does not excuse or minimise the hurtfulness of the other persons act. Rather, it says, "Yes you did hurtful things to me. You did wrong." But forgiveness is then acting mercifully and saying, "I choose to not hold it against you. I am sending away that grievance."

We often have difficulties in forgiving others. Sometimes we think we have forgiven when actually, we really haven't. Sometimes we think that to forgive, we must act as if the hurt never happened. Offenses are not forgotten, but when forgiven, they should not be brought up again. Other times, we think we can only forgive after the person who hurt us has suffered or made restitution. Revenge requires suffering and restitution, not forgiveness.

Letting go of the right for revenge has real benefits. It can lower blood pressure, reduce free-floating hostility associated with elevated cardiovascular problems, help you feel less stress, fearful or depressed, and restores you spiritually to a better relationship with the Lord. When the Bible talks about forgiveness, it's not just about restoring relationships between people, it's not just about modelling God's behaviour; the one who forgave us even when we didn't deserve it.., it's also about our OWN well-being.

Whatever grudge or resentment you've been holding on to, it's time to let it go. It's time to let go of the need for vengeance and justice. It's time to choose not to hold things against people, even if you've been wounded deeply.

Hate, anger and unforgiveness will eat us up from the inside if we don't release it. It sucks the joy out in life.
It's time to live a joy-filled life, and that means walking in forgiveness :)

Time Waits For No Man, Make Every Second Count

To realise the value of ONE YEAR,
ask a student who failed a grade and has to retain back another year.

To realise the value of ONE MONTH,
ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

To realise the value of ONE WEEK,
ask a terminally ill patient who is only given few weeks to live.

To realise the value of ONE DAY,
ask the person who was born on the 29th of February.

To realise the value of ONE HOUR,
ask those families who are only able to see their husband/father very rarely due to them being deployed.

To realise the value of ONE MINUTE,
ask a student who is sitting for a major examination.

To realise the value of ONE SECOND,
ask a person who just avoided an accident.

To realise the value of ONE MILLISECOND,
ask the person who won a gold medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have. Every moment spent with someone special, spent doing something you like; treasure it. Time waits for no man, make every second count.

"Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present"

-Audrey J-

lovemeforme-perfectlyimperfect

Never Been Told, Expected To Know

1. Never give any kind of pleasure to a boy/girl that you wouldn't give yourself

2. Loving someone that doesn't give a damn about you isn't sexy; it's misplaced energy, also known as self-destruction

3. Don't treat anyone like a refugee from a civil war; they will come back from battle and leave you as wounded as if you were the one who had been paid for military service

4. Forgiveness isn't putting the weapon down; it's learning how to kiss the person pulling the trigger

5. Never trust a boy who already has a pack of condoms ready in his pocket before he even asks your name

6. When the world tries to break your back with its weight, get a stronger spine

7. Stop treating your body like currency; don't pay anyone who doesn't deserve it. Save yourself for someone who will show you that you are their world

8. Never "give a man permission." You shouldn't have to and he shouldn't ask. Respect your body

9. Your virginity is precious. Once taken away, you can never get it back. Don't fall for the "If you love me, you'll give it to me" or "Don't you love me anymore?" crap. If he/she truly loves you, they wouldn't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Heck! They won't even bring it up. They'll truly respect you if they love you

10. Life is like a fight and in that fight it doesn't matter how hard you hit or how well you fight. What matters is how hard you can receive a hit and keep on fighting

-Audrey J-
lovemeforme-perfectlyimperfect

Be Your Own Happiness

"Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers." Don't rely on someone or something to bring you happiness. Cause what happens when this something or someone walks out or disappears from your life? Be your own happiness. You control your happiness. Not anyone else, but YOU! You have the power to make yourself happy. You have the power to let yourself feel whatever you want to feel. Do what makes you happy and be the person you want to be. Don't let haters bring you down.

No matter what happens and no matter how bad your day went, at the end of the day, it's all up to you to choose how you want to feel. You could choose to let whatever happen get to you, cause you to over think and let it eat you up or you could choose to push whatever happen out of your mind, start afresh and be HAPPY. A bad day doesn't mean a bad life. And if you look closely at your bad day, there is something good in them. It could be something small like a smile someone gave you. But HEY! Every little thing counts. Haters will kill to see you fall so why let them? Why let them get the best you? Push these haters out of your life. Don't let them be the reason for your happiness to disappear. Happiness is your choice of feeling. Make that choice. Be happy. Be your own happiness, plant your own garden

Audrey J
lovemeforme-perfectlyimperfect

There's Nothing Wrong With Loving Who You Are.... (Doodles)

 SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME
THAT OUR GOOD TRAITS ARE ON OUR BACKS

SO WHEN WE LOOK IN A MIRROR

WE NEVER SEE THEM

BUT WE SO OFTEN SEE OTHERS TRAITS

AND THINK WE DON'T HAVE ANY

"I DON'T HAVE ANY GOOD TRAITS," YOU SAY

"I HATE MYSELF."

DON'T SAY THAT

IT'S THERE

EVEN IF YOU DON'T SEE IT

BELIEVE ME

Made by: AJ

lovemeforme-perfectlyimperfect

*all hand drawn*

All Rights Reserved

10 Ways To Become More Confident

1. Smile :) Not only will it brighten up your day, it will make others around you smile too. Smile not only because life is full of reasons to smile but because your smile itself is a reason for others to smile.

2. At the end of each day, write down something you think you did well, for example: My teacher praised me for getting full marks on a test or I stood up for a friend who was being bullied; and put it into a jar. From time to time, look through all the bits and pieces of paper you have put into the jar and you will see how much you have accomplished in life.

3. Listen to songs that makes you happy, not ones that makes you want to shut yourself off from the world and cry all by yourself in your room. Listen to something upbeat and lively :)

4. Believe that you're in a confidence bubble. Kind of like you're wearing an invisibility coat. Try to block out all the negative thoughts thrown at you. Treat the confidence bubble as if it's your shield. It repels back all the negative words thrown at you.

5. Love what you wear. When you look good, it changes the way you feel about yourself. This will make you confident with presenting yourself to the world. Dress good to feel good :)

6. Walk with a purpose. Believe that you have a reason to be in this world. Walk with your head up high, shoulders straight like you have got somewhere to be.

7. Make eye contact with the person you are talking to or are talking.

8. Next time you're at a party or social gathering, meet someone new. The girl/guy sitting by himself in the corner looks like a good person to start with. When you are able to make new friends, it helps with boosting up your confidence.

9. Clear out the clutter in your life. A messy room equals a messy mind. Coming home from school/work to a clean room is much more inviting then a messy, depressing room. A clean room gives you the opportunity to clear out your mind.

10. Stop comparing yourself to others. No one is made to be like one another. Everyone is unique and different in their own way. Weight and height is all just a number. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Focusing on your positive qualities, rather than comparing yourself to others, is a great way to boost up self-confidence.

Written by:
Audrey J
lovemeforme-perfectlyimperfect

Count The Little Things

Do you ever feel as if nothing good ever happens to you? Well then buy a jar and at any time something good happens to you, no matter how small or how big, whether it be you got a good grade on your paper, got a job promotion or went out to the movies with close friends, write it down on a piece of paper and place it into the jar. Do this for a whole year and at the end of the year, open up the jar and look at how all the small things that happened in your life adds up. We always judge our life by all the big things that happen but what we forget is that the big things are made up by all the little things in life.

-Audrey J-

YOU

Nobody else is like you, and you aren't like anyone else. You have your own proteins to create a beautiful eye colour, face shape, hair colour, along with your own skin and bones. You have a laugh distinct to your voice, and a gorgeous smile to pair with it. Your fingerprints are merely a physical example of how unique you are to this world. You have your own talents, and you are beautifully made as intended. Your DNA is set to you, your body strives for you to live. You are made to be YOU, and no other can compare.

Home Rules

Always Be Honest - PROVERBS 12:22

Count Your Blessings - PSALMS 34:1-3

Forgive And Forget - MICAH 7:18

Be Kind And Tender Hearted - EPHESIANS 4:32

Comfort One Another - 1 THESSALONIANS 4:18

Keep Your Promises - ROMANS 4:21

Be Supportive Of One Another - ACTS 20:35

Be True To Each Other - DEUTERONOMY 15:11

Treat Each Other Like You Treat Your Friends - MATTHEW 7:12

Love One Another Deeply From The Heart - 1 PETER 1:22

Marriage Box

Most people get married believing in a myth that marriage is a beautiful box that is full of things that they have longed for: companionship, intimacy, friendship, love, loyalty, etc. The truth is that marriage at the start is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take anything out. There is no love in marriage. Love is in people and people put love in marriage. There is no romance in marriage. You have to infuse it into your marriage. A couple must learn the art and form, the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising and keeping the box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty

-Audrey J-

Time Waits For No One..

Imagine that there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance that you failed to use during the day. So what would you do? Draw out every cent before the day ends, of course? Each of us has such a bank. Its name is time. Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as a lost, whatever of these that you have failed to invest to a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you and each night it burns the remains of the day. If you failed to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, love and success. The clock is running, make the most of today and every day of your life.

-Audrey J-

Miss being a kid.....

I miss being a kid. I miss birthday parties in class with goodie bags and getting golden stars and smiley faces when I score full marks in spelling tests. I miss being able to run around playing freeze tag all day without getting tired then getting home to a nice bubble bath and finally putting my head on the pillow at night and knocking right out with no worries or cares. Or better yet, falling asleep on the couch and waking up on the bed the next morning. I miss eating however much I wanted without a thought about getting fat or being made fun of, and curling up on the couch with a good story book and getting lost in the world of fairytale; just letting my imagination carry me where it wants to go. I miss running home to watch my favourite cartoons on the tv and waking up early just for morning cartoons. I miss not being stressed, when everything was pure and simple. But what I miss the most of all, was the time that seemed to never run out. Now I feel as if I'm just growing up too fast

QOTD

1. It hurts to like someone and not be liked in return. But what is more painful is to like someone and never growing the courage to let the person know how you feel. 

2. A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who means a lot to you but only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and you just have to let them go.

3. The best kind of friend is the kind which you can sit with, never saying a word and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

4. It's true that we won't know what we've got until we lose it. But, it is also true that we won't know what we're missing until it arrives.

5. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go and be who you want to be. It's because you only have one life and one chance to do what you want in life.

6. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Written by: Audrey J
All rights reserved =)