The fine art of "NO"

Your mom needs you to run to the store. The hubby needs his dry cleaning picked up. The kids are bored. Your friend needs advice. Dinner needs to be cooked. The floor needs to be mopped. The dishes won't clean themselves. Your assignment is due. The boss wants to know where your report is right now!

And all you want to do is run and hide!

The thing about being overwhelmed is that it makes you not want to do anything or better yet ... FACE anything. For fear that there is more to come. That the demands will never stop. The truth: they won't. Some-one will always need some-thing from you, just as you will always need some-one for some-thing. It's the way of the world, we're all co-dependent at our best. The trick is in prioritizing what's important and learning to SAY NO to whats not.

Telling someone you love or care about that you WON'T be able to meet a request of thiers may make you feel like a bad person, but I like to think of it as doing that person a favor. Seriously, I'm not joking! Consider this: If I say yes to something that I either really don't have time to do or really don't want to do, how good of a job am I really going to do?! Not only that, when it doesn't come from the heart it looses its effect. You become resentful and have an "attitude" about the task and/or person and nothing good comes from that. You feel like the person "owes" you something and when it's not reciprocated for whatever reason, your resentment grows. Or you spread yourself so thin that even though you don't mind helping out, you're tired and cranky ... and it shows. Either way, it's best to just be honest about what you are really feeling. If you have room for more on your plate and you don't mind helping, go for it! But, when you start to feel overwhelmed or better yet, once you know you're at the capacity of what you can handle before you start to feel overwhelmed, let it be known. You'll save yourself the stress, you'll save yourself time, and most importantly you'll save your relationships. People have no choice but to respect honesty. They may not like it, but if they choose to maintain the relationship they will respect it and it will free them up to be more honest with you as well. They have probably come to you in the first place because they know you'll do a good job ... why jeopardize that rep by performing below standard because you really didn't have time to focus on the task?!?!?! A good friend or family member will understand that you'd do anything for them under normal circumstances. You have to take care of yourself or everyone suffers.

Mom can ask your brother that sits in his room all day with his headphones to head to the store, and maybe Hubby can pick up his own dry cleaning since he's out anyway. The kids can bust the suds if they don't have anything better to do! While, you breeze through your assignment and the report with ease due to your clear mind and relaxed state!  Okay, maybe in a perfect world but you get my point. Somethings can be worked out and once everyone is on the same accord the ship will run much more smoothly. There will definitely be more family-fun nights versus family-vent nights!

♥ Cc

Do you have a Plan?!

Do you lead a life filled with all the things you love - including relationships, the career, the hobbies - with energy to spare?! Do you manage the office and the household?! Are you a single girl making it happen for yourself?! Are you doing what you love and loving yourself in the process?!

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are indeed Every Woman!

Being Every Woman simply means that you take on many different hats to fulfill whatever goals you have for yourself and your family. You stop at nothing and allow nothing to block you from living a life you truly love!

So often, we set out to do all the things we love and soon realize that some element suffers, usually ourselves. It doesn't have to be this way and I can show you how you can do & be it all ... and still have time for yourself!

What's Your Plan?

Seriously, take a moment and answer that question. Do you know what it is that you want out of life? Do you know how to go about getting that? Do you know how to organize and maintain everything else in your life so that you actually have time to do & get what you REALLY want?

No? Well then, how do you expect to get what you want? I got this one ... you don't.

It's really very simple. If you have no idea of what you want or how you can get it, chances are you won't get it. It will continue to feel like a dream. Something that you have to be asleep to actually enjoy or even believe in. What you should know is that absolutely A.N.Y.THING that you want in life is possible and the necessary second step is to believe it. When you believe it, you expect it. When you expect it, you align yourself with everything that comes with it.

Notice whats missing yet? ... "IT"

In order for you to believe in something you have to know exactly what "it" is. You have to know that "it" is possible and the only way to do is to figure out how it can be possible.

The absolute first step in getting what you want is to KNOW what you want.

EWNAP focuses on self-love, time management, and goal setting skills to help women clear out mental and physical clutter. This is the only way to figure out and to make room for what you really want in your life!

What will you learn from EWNAP?

√ Direct instructions on how to create your very own Life Plan!

√ Simple tips to erase clutter & chaos from your mind, your home, & your life!

√ An essential cleaning guide & tips for any woman caring for a family & a home!

√ Daily rituals & routines that take the high out of high-maintenance without forfeiting results!

√ A workbook that guides you through the thought process to Loving your Life!

√ Much, much more for the Woman that wants to do & be it all!

Pre-Order Your Copy of Every Woman Needs a Plan Today!

Back to Me.

With all that goes on in the world, it's very easy to get caught up in what everyone is doing and has going on. Easy to lose yourself in the process. My free time today has me thinking about all the days I spent, years ago, just getting to know me. Writing journals and reading books. Just doing me. I am sadly, so far away from that now. I'm way too busy to write a daily journal. I barely make a weekly blog post on here! Think about it, how did you get to know your mate? How have you gotten to know your friends? By talking and spending time, right? So how will you ever really know yourself, if you don't have time for a conversation? I'm not talking the '10 minutes from being admitted' kind of talking to yourself. I mean a conversation for your soul. The kind of writing that leads to answers to questions that will lead to a better you. Life has definitely been on auto-pilot for awhile for me. And while I've recently set out to 'get back to me', I have to be honest with myself - this will not be easy. Back in the 'good old days' I'd stay up till 6 the next morning {on a school day} writing about what ever was bugging me. I'd write until I found the answer ... and it never failed me. Not once. Always left me feeling grounded and safe, because now I knew that I had an answer and I would be okay. It's different strokes for different folks. Writing is for me. If you feel at peace when you dance, then dance. Or when you're singing, sing. Or when you're painting, paint. Or even when you're crunching numbers, grab a calculator. What ever it is for you ... do it. Because it's much easier to recognize that gift when you continuously cultivate it. It's hella hard once you decide to take a detour, thinking life will lead you back to you. It won't. Letting life lead the way will get you stuck with no gas on the turnpike ... in your hooptie. Trust me, I know these things. Writing has always been what keeps me sane, but life kind of gets in the way. You wake up and you have errands to run, a job to go to, a job to actually do. Then you get home and you have a family to feed, a house to keep, a man to please. You get me? Should I write once everyone is off to sleep long after I should have been in bed myself since I'm the only one getting up at 5 am to start my routine all over again??? That was a trick question, because even though it sounds like the answer should be 'hell to the nah' ... the answer is yes. Because if I don't, then I lose me ... and if I lose me, I'm no good to anyone. You see how it works? If you don't do what makes you essentially happy, you will lose yourself. And once you wake up and realize you're lost, you'll be on one hell of a search and find mission because you won't feel right until you're back home. Back safe. I need to get back to me.