Speak Now

5 Ways to Appreciate You

{this photo was from my high school graduation several years ago. My parents helping appreciate me}

Graduations are either just beginning, or just ending, depending on where you live, but in Knoxville, TN they are just coming to a close. At all of the graduation festivities one of the more popular conversations I’ve heard are people talking about “what’s next?” Now that you just accomplished something remarkable everyone is already trying to figure out what is the next outstanding adventure you will begin. One of my friends remarked, “I can’t even celebrate finishing 13 years of school before people start jumping down my throat about the rest of my life.” And it dawned on me, that she was right. We don’t take enough time to recognize people’s achievements. We all just continually ask what MORE are you going to do?

So whether you are just finishing a major milestone in your life; or you are just counting down the days to summer so you can check off one more year of schooling; or maybe you’re out of school and the days are beginning to run together… Here are 5 Ways to Appreciate Yourself and Your Achievements.

{1} Stop running around and take 15 minutes to do something YOU WANT to do. And don’t feel guilty about it. Maybe it’s going on a walk with a friend (or furry friend) or it’s reading a magazine or a good non-school related book. But take a few minutes for yourself.

{2} Find a way to commemorate your accomplishment. Whether that is framing a photo from this event, or if there hasn’t been a major milestone lately, find a way to commemorate the hard work you are doing right now to reach that milestone. Maybe you put you're A+ exam on the fridge at home, or if you have a full time job you go out to dinner to celebrate your hard work!

{3} Make a list of 5 things you are proud of yourself for. Everyone can do this no matter the season of life they are in! I am confident that we are all beautiful, talented, and successful women with plenty of things to be proud of.

{4} Take the time to appreciate the people who have helped you reach your goals. Send a thank you card or give a small gift as an appreciation for their hard work. Without them you wouldn’t be where you are. When we take time to appreciate others we are recognizing our successes just as much as theirs.

{5} Lastly, spend some time focusing on your life as a whole. Not just this moment of excitement, or this milestone, or the middle of this journey that you are in. But look back on all of the successes you’ve had so far and realize that you are blessed! That everyone has something to be proud of and ways they’ve succeeded. Sometimes we need to look back and see everything to really remember how wonderful we really are!

Cheers!

Sarah Moog

Meet the author > >

Which Way Do You Lean?

In the movie, "The Lorax", the Lorax makes a comment to Ted saying, "Which way does a tree fall? Where it leans. So, be careful where you lean."

That piece of advice pierced my heart. As I observe people carry out their lives, I see this advice unfold to be true. People's lives tend to be a collection of daily habits and routines--the way we lean. So when something major happens to impact peoples' lives it probably has something to do with the way they lean.

We recently had a couple that we have known for years end up separating after almost 30 years of marriage. Someone commented that they were surprised. My response was, "Oh, I'm not. I have seen that coming for years." Because of the way the couple's habits, daily interactions, and the unintentional pieces of their relationship - they way they leaned in life- I could see where their marriage was going to fall.

But the opposite is true as well, you can tell by the way a person acts if they will be successful in their goals. A student who studies constantly, stays on top of homework, doesn't cheat, and tries their best, is most likely going to go far in their academic career. It's the way they lean.

So ask yourself, where do you want your life to end up? Then, do everything you can to lean in that direction with your habits and daily routines; so that the accumulation of those habits and routines will get you closer to where you want your life to fall.

Hugs,

Kim Moog

Caring For Our Bodies {Part 2}

To jump back to our regular schedule of blog posts, after the fantastic Link Up that took place last week, I felt it was important to post about something we can all relate to. Food.

A couple weeks ago we posted about how to be beautiful we must also be healthy! This means that we have to focus on our health first, and our image second. Feeling healthy is just as important as feeling beautiful; and fortunately the healthier we are the more beautiful we are! We last talked about the importance of being active. To read about some ideas on how to be active, check out that post here. But this week we are going to talk about our diets.

Now eating is a sensitive topic—Especially for women--but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it. I think food is one of the best things on earth; but I am fully aware that for some, it might in fact be their worst enemy. So today I want to focus on having a healthy, and happy relationship with food.

If you are someone who struggles with a diet, whether that be too much or too little, I want you to know that you are not alone. If you are someone that fears food; or hates it; or can’t get enough; you aren’t alone either. In fact… this is one of the MAJOR topics we discussed in our Link Up. I strongly encourage you to go and read all about what our lady bloggers said. This is such a major issue; and as women, we are standing together to talk about it!! But even after the link up there are still things to discuss...

You need to be eating correct portion sizes and to be eating the right amounts of food. Too much OR too little, can harm your body and make you unhealthy. There are many ways to make sure you are getting the perfect amount for your body. There are charts, scales, measurements, and more. One of the easiest ways is to use the size of your fist as a portion size for meats & the size of two fists for vegetables. Take the time to make sure that your body is getting everything it needs

Make sure you are eating the right types of food. I am ALL about cheesecake, lava cake, potato chips, and buttery popcorn, and there is plenty of room in a healthy diet for treats such as these. But there is a bigger portion of your diet that needs to be filled with delicious fruits, vegetables, and the proteins (whether that’s meat or nuts depending on your lifestyle). You need to be watching what you eat and how much! There are food guides, meal planners, and more to make sure you are eating from all of the essential food groups.

Lastly, you need to make sure you are happy about your food choices. Ladies, this is the most important part!! It is necessary for you to take the time to find out what makes your mouth water, what makes you look forward to meals instead of dreading them, and how can you cook or eat out to enjoy your meals. As my own personal piece of advice, grab a friend and a new recipe, turn on some awesome music and have a great night just cooking away!

But be smart, aware, excited, and happy about your diet. Because that is what health is all about!!

Bon appetite!

Meet the author >>

Dreamers + Lovers + Doers Unite

I'm Ellie, a regular around these parts.

This little corner of the internet, is my creation. Alongside some of the best + brightest, this movement is my village.

The Speak Now organization is geared towards the empowerment of women internationally.

I would like to take a moment to welcome all of the new Speak Now friends who are likely here from yesterday's link up + giveaway.

{Pssst...If you've haven't linked up, you're not going to want to miss the biggest online event in Speak Now history. Click here!}

After my faith, family, and sister-friends....

Speak Now is a close first priority.

Me deep rooted belief in other's worth stems from my inability to find my own worth for most of my preteen years.

It's hard to believe but next year- I head to college and those years are long since forgotten.

Today, I want to share my belief in your worth.

Today, I want to invite you to join my community.

It is my hope that you have a passion for the empowerment of women.

Perhaps a passion for the empowerment of yourself, a sister, a friend, a daughter.

Whatever it may be- the Speak Now team needs help to spread our purpose.

It's Speak Now time + we need you.

| Ready | Set | Speak

Take a button, dear one. Leave us a sweet comment letting us know you have.

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I AM BEAUTIFUL LINK UP, giveaway, + surprise!

Happy May Speak Now friends, both new and old!

Today is an exciting day for Speak Now

Today, some fabulous ladies have teamed up to link up and tell you that you're beautiful.

Speak Now is all about beauty from the inside out.

We believe in your dreams + passions. We believe in you.

Today we want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you're beautiful.

Identify what makes you feel beautiful. Make this feeling an obligation in your life.

Today we are here to remind you that you can do anything.

Today and everyday, you are lovely, you are perfect, you are bold, you are unique.

Today and every day- you are beautiful!

Speak Now is a women empowerment organization

built around the philosophy that self-love, self-respect, + self-confidence will make you beautiful.

We empower. We create. We educate. We inspire.

Link your blog up to connect with other bloggers who believe in the empowerment of women and help us spread awareness about the importance of women empowerment!

Once you link up, no community experience would be complete without a little welcome gift!
We are giving away a $100 visa gift card and any piece of beautiful jewelry from the Speak Now shop!

So link up, enter our giveaway, take a look at some of our blogging friends, and share our mission with your friends, family, and fellow blogging community.

We are an online community designed to believe in you.

Today, we want you to join our movement.

_________________________________________________________________________________

HOW TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY

& win a $100 visa gift card and a custom jewelry piece from our jewelry store

MANDATORY TO ENTER:

****MUST FOLLOW SPEAK NOW ON EITHER FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR INSTAGRAM TO ENTER*****

*****MUST LINK UP BLOG BELOW TO ENTER*****

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
+1 for each // Follow Speak Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - COMMENT FOR EACH + 1 for each // Follow via GFC, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for any of our co-hosts - COMMENT FOR EACH + 1 // Share Speak Now's I AM BEAUTIFUL May link up with your FB or twitter friends - COMMENT FOR EACH +1 // Spreading the word via status/tweet/instagram post- COMMENT FOR EACH
COMMENTS ARE OFF ON ALL WEBSITE'S CO-HOSTING THE EVENT SO YOU CAN HEAD ON OVER TO SPEAK NOW'S WEBSITE AND COMMENT TO ENTER!
{ WWW.WESPEAKNOW.ORG }

A very special thanks to Aunie of Aunie Sauce, Casey Wiegand, Keri-Anne Pink, and Salena Lee for sponsoring our link up!

What Courage Looks Like

Everyone understands what the word courage means, but not everyone carries the same picture of what courage looks like.

For many years, I had a quote taped to my computer that says, “Courage is the small voice that says, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’"

Even as adults, some days are better than others. This past few weeks at work I have been literally dropped into an environment that is totally new to me—surgery rooms to be specific—and expected to perform as if I have done this every day. It is a very overwhelming situation where lives are literally at stake. I am so grateful for the opportunity to prove myself, but it is still very overwhelming.Yesterday was a bad day. I was being yelled at by a surgeon during a surgery with several people watching. Yes, I could have thrown in the towel; quit & said that it was too overwhelming to handle. Instead, I am choosing to be courageous and try to get better tomorrow.

There will be days in life when it seems like everything gets thrown at you all in the same day. Don’t try to fix everything all at once; it will overwhelm you. And remember that today is just one day out of the many you will live. Like Ellie said last week, high school is just a portion of our life. Or this job I am in is just one small chapter in the book my life will write. So cling to the small voice inside you that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”

Hugs,

Kim Moog

SPEAK NOW ANNOUNCES SOMETHING BIG

We are a women empowerment organization. This spring we are calling upon you to help us empower.

It's time, to raise awareness about an issue that has been going on too long.

Take a look at the facts.

facts and information via

Body image issues, lack of women empowerment, + self-esteem issues go unspoken.

Mothers hold their breath as their daughters grow.

Jean size becomes a measure of success.

Words like regular and average fill our screens and magazine.

Mirrors are avoided.

It's time to Speak Now

Speak Now is on a mission to spread awareness about the inner and outer beauty that every women holds the power to.

WILL YOU JOIN US?

On May 8th, 2013 25 women bloggers are speaking out against women empowerment struggles.

Link Up your blog, spread the word, and tell your community about Speak Now.

Take a button. Spread the word. & get excited for the BIG surprises in store for May 8th

It's an internet event you're not going to want to miss.

We can't wait to hear your voice Speak Now.