Yes, you can be your most vibrant, happy, shining, best self!

Why a photo of the beach? Well, that is where I feel like my best self. It is where I feel the most carefree, happy, safe, and grounded.

For a couple of years now, I've really focused on becoming my best self. I read self-improvement books and take in all the content related to it. I focus on starting my day strong to help set the tone for the rest of the day. I write down my goals. I talk positively to myself. I've really been working on myself and let's get real... the work never stops.

It is so rewarding to do the work on yourself, though. I believe that I am happier and more positive than I was years ago. I live in less fear than I did before. I am kinder than I was before. Each day, I am becoming better and better.

There are a few simple ways to get started on working on yourself and I wanted to share a few tips with you today.

Surround Yourself Around Joyful People

Joy is something that is needed in order to reach your full potential, but it’s hard to really soak up when you are surrounded by people who are not so joyful. If there is anything that you take away from this article, it should be this. Find joy and make sure that you surround yourself around joyful people so that you do not have trouble keeping that joy in your life. You are who you spend time with and if you spend time with those that bring you down, you are no better than them.

Make Sure You Love What You Do

Finding a career that you love is extremely important. You spend a good chunk of your life commuting to and from work AND spending time at work, in your office (or in the field). Because of this, you need to make sure that you love what you do. Your job has the potential to make or break each day. It affects you as a whole and has the potential to turn you into a positive or a negative person. If you are leaving work in a bad mood each day, you might need to rethink some things. Not only is that affecting yourself, but it is affecting the people you come home to, or go out to dinner with, as well. 

Never Settle

Another great point that I want to make in this article is never settling in all of life's facets - especially when it comes to your relationships. Maybe this means that you need to work on your relationship, you need to get over your ex (from an unhealthy relationship), or you need to build your own self-esteem so that you can give your all in your current or future relationship. Whatever this means to you, just make sure you are never settling. You deserve an amazing relationship!

If you need help to get there, consider reaching out to Pure Hypnosis | Sean Wheeler. Sean is known as The Heartbreak Hypnotist® and has proven his methods and skill on both the radio and TV shows. He is extremely well-known in the hypnosis world and is also extremely talented and effective when it comes to his work. He is most commonly known for his work helping people with relationship issues. He can help people move on after heartbreak, get over their ex, get through a divorce, build self-esteem, have more fun dating, attract ideal mates, end destructive relationship patterns, overcome shyness, and more.

You can check out the Pure Hypnosis YouTube channel to get more information on him and Pure Hypnosis. He is Atlanta’s best-known and best-reviewed hypnotherapist. He has a five star rating on Google, which is amazing! You won’t find a bad word written about him. If you are looking for hypnosis for weight loss in Atlanta, hypnosis for smoking, heartbreak, and more, reach out to Pure

Hypnosis! I know it might not be the most conventional thing, but sometimes just stepping out of our comfort zone is the best thing.

Find A Way To Live Simply

When you don’t need (or want) much, you can really find your full potential. Instead of finding happiness in things, you will begin to find happiness in the simple things and in making memories with the people that you love. Getting back to the basics is a great way to find your full potential in life. A simple life definitely has a different meaning and also a different value for each individual person. For some, it means eliminating everything but the essentials. For others, it means getting back to the basics in some aspect of life, but not others. No matter how you choose to live simply, that’s all that matters. Getting rid of many things so that you are able to look past the things and spend quality time with those you love is important to me, but that is a personal opinion. Getting rid of the clutter so that you are left with only the items that actually bring you joy is a great place to start for a lot of people. But, keep in mind that getting back to the basics and finding a way to live simply is all but simple. It is definitely time consuming and it becomes a journey. There will be times where you will move two steps forward and then four backward. That is okay! As long as you are progressing and finding a way to do the best for yourself, that is all that matters.

Try New Things

And finally, in order to be your best self, never let yourself become complacent. Fear of change is your enemy. Instead, you should always welcome change and push it on yourself, no matter how scary it might be. I urge you to regularly try something new and unexpected. Push yourself to reach new limits and be adventurous. Consider doing things such as scuba diving and skydiving. Scary? Maybe. Fun? Probably. The new things that you try do not have to be scary, though. You could always try something that you’ve always wanted to take up such as watercolor or photography. No matter what it is, set aside time to try new things, take up new skills, and learn more about what you *might* like!

It is always a great thing to surprise yourself by pushing yourself outside of your bubble, your comfort zone. Not only will it increase your happiness, but it will also make you feel more confident and allow you to explore sides of yourself that you might not have known existed beforehand. Trying new things might sound scary sometimes, but it will also allow yourself to have fun and relax from the daily stressors that life throws your way. Downtime gives yourself a time to recharge and doing things outside of your comfort zone gets your mind off of stressful situations. No matter what you do, remember to embrace life and try something new that you might like each day!

xx,

Amanda

"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness." 1 John 2:9

Sleep is so important and so is what you sleep in.



For years, I slept in random t-shirts, shorts and sweatpants, and really anything baggy and random. I love a big t-shirt as much as any other lady, but I soon realized that I didn't have anything cute to wear to bed. Yeah, nobody really sees what you wear to bed, but honestly, I feel so much more beautiful when I'm wearing a pretty, feminine pajama set instead of an xxl sorority shirt from years ago to bed.

Also, because of the coronavirus, I'm working from home for the unforeseeable future, which means that I'm definitely living in pajamas.

Looking for some cute pajamas to wear to bed, too? Want to feel like a queen? I'm sharing my specifics when looking for good pajamas to make the process a little easier for you!

For a while now, I've been swapping a ton of my wellness and beauty products for better, non-toxic options.



It started with my deodorant years ago. I really only used a non-natural deodorant for maybe a year or two before swapping for something natural and aluminum-free. Over the years, I've read and researched a tried out a number of different products, slowly swapping wellness and beauty products for better, non-toxic options.

I try to be conscious of where the food I eat comes from. I want to know what the ingredients in everything from my face wash to toothpaste do and how toxic they are. For me, knowing that my wellness and beauty products are non-toxic is really important and while I know that I'm not 100% there, I feel good knowing that I'm making an effort to really focus on what I put in and on my body.

I'm not here to tell you to throw out everything and start fresh. You totally can, but I get realistically... that can be expensive. I tend to just finish what I have while I do my research and then add in the better product once whatever I've been using has been used up.

I wanted to share some of my favorite products I've been using lately that I really am loving. These work for me and if they work for you, too... then great! If not, I totally hope you do some research and find the products that work for you.



Now that I've shared some of my favorites with you, I want you to know that I'm always ready to hear about your favorite products, things, and anything else you might like to share.

What is your number one non-toxic product you're loving right now? Let me know in a comment!

xx,
Amanda

For years, I was scared to use oils on my face. That has changed.


Honestly, my mom still looks at me like I'm crazy when she sees me putting oils on my face, but it works for me, ya know?

Also... I'm writing this to you as I'm sitting by the fire with a marg in hand. The only tequila I'll drink is Villa One. The Reposado is the best. Seriously. Thank you Nick Jonas.

Okay, let's get to what this post is actually all about. Oils on your face. I haven't been using oils on my for face for all that long because honestly, I was scared, but The Skinny Confidential changed my mind and I've embraced oils on my face and I'm never going back.

Like, what was I scared of?

I'll quickly just kind of walk you through what I do every day. We'll start in the morning. Once my face is washed, I use one of the BeautyCounter facial oils. Here's what each of them do.


This product isn't necessarily a facial oil, but it is a serum that I love! For my entire life, I've had really dark circles under my eyes. I would get plenty of sleep, but still have really dark circles. Every morning, I use a single drop of the Revolution Targeted Under Eye Serum under my under eye area. This stuff has really lightened up the area and helped my dark circles!

Okay... in the evening, once my face is washed, I use Rosehip Oil. Rosehip oil has so many benefits for our skin. Here's a few benefits of using rosehip oil.

It feels like it has been an eternity since I've been here with you. I mean, it kind of has, yeah?



Let me just say that life has been BUSY, but in the best way possible. I know that I've been a bit M.I.A. lately, so I just wanted to get real and tell you all what I've been up to, how the new job is going, purchases I'm loving right now, and even a little about the most recent trip I took. I guess the photo is a dead giveaway, yeah?

This post is probably going to be EVERYWHERE, which is probably a blogger faux pas, but oh well. It is my corner of the internet and I'll do what I want.

I guess we'll start with my new job! I'm loving it so much. I'm working in news and it has been such an incredible move for me. My schedule is a bit crazy with the hours I am working there, but I truly am loving every bit of it. I think balancing this new job with this little hobby here has been the biggest struggle and I just wanted to give myself some time to dive fully into my work. I think I've found a good balance and ready to finally get back here and hang out with you.

Next up... I guess my living situation? I moved back home after college and honestly, I'll be here for a little while. Everyone is different, but for me, paying off some debt that I've accumulated is really important and living at home is the best financial option for me right now so I can really tackle this debt. I know that isn't always the best for everyone, but for me, it works and keeps my living expenses lower than it would be living on my own in the heart of Atlanta. I also love that I get to see my nephew so much. When I do move, leaving him will be the hardest part. We are besties... most of the time. He gets mad at me when I don't let him eat 1846579 Dum Dums.

I want to take a minute and talk to you guys about some purchases I've made and loving! I've bought a couple different little things that I'm excited to share with you and could do like a designated post, but I think I just want to share it here first.