Does Multitasking Help You or Hurt You?

This is an important topic that should be evaluated for each business owner, entrepreneur, or worker for that matter. We all have so many things to do on our list and sometimes we don't know where to start. But before we tackle our list, we need to ask ourselves some questions. 

• When is the best time of day that you are most focused?
• What items on your to-do list have a high-value importance?
• Can anyone else on my team assist me with these items? Can I get some assistance?
• How many items on my to-do list can I get done within a 3 to 4-hour period?

So let's answer some of these questions hypothetically. The best time of day that you are most focused is usually after you wake up. This is the best time that I can get things done for myself and for my business or for my clients and usually, this is the time that I use to get the most important things done. Once these tasks are completed, my stress level is diminished quite rapidly. Now let's say I have chores to do, breakfast to prepare, business proposals to complete, or emails to answer - I will usually ask my husband to help with some of these tasks so that I can complete everything promptly for that day. His response is usually, I will prepare coffee or breakfast because he supports me in all that I do. I support him and he supports my endeavors. But we are a team and for us to be successful, you have to know when to ask for help. If I can at least complete three or four big tasks, this will help me jump on one task for the next day to get me ahead. This creates a better focus on what I am doing at the moment instead of trying to multitask. Multitasking isn't suggested when focus is important. 

Distractions That Can Help with Focus

So working throughout your day can be tiresome, especially if you are working six to eight hours a day. Have you ever re-read the same sentence over and over because you lack energy or don't feel awake? This is me sometimes when I do not take a break. Let's take a look at some tips that will help to get you rejuvenated. 

• Get some fresh air or go outside to help with renewed energy.
• Usually, after any physical activity, focus levels will rise. 
• Try to remove distractions such as social media, and receiving text messages and/or calls during high productivity.

I hope this helps and gets you on a step to continue making things easier when planning out your days. 

Please share this with someone who could benefit from this information. 

Love Shell

Where Am I Now...

Hello Everyone! 

How are you all? I wanted to take this time to let you know how things are going. Some days are a struggle with trying to get things done and others are a success. But, we have to remember we am building habits for ourselves. One of the best things that I have started doing is when I jump out of bed, I go straight to the shower and get revived with a warm or hot shower. This is my time to stretch, wash up, and allow myself to wake up to get going. I usually like to pop my neck or back when I am in there. It makes me feel good. This is my highlight of the morning. I have started stacking habits together, this helps! So my habit I stack with getting ready is taking my daily vitamin after I get my clothes on. On the mirror of my vanity, there is a blue sticky that has my daily affirmations. The location of my affirmations and getting ready is all part of it. This is why these are associated together with my morning routine because of the location of where I am getting ready. Successful habit stacking I call it! Below you will see how the morning prayers kind of gets lost during the morning routine, so I will continue to work on where exactly should I put it so that it becomes a successful habit. 

Daily Morning Routine:

• Get Ready
• Take Vitamin
• Affirmations
• Prayer
• Coffee 
• Breakfast
• Start My Day

Then, I try to evaluate if this habit is part of what I am trying to move towards, if is it aligned with my goals and the realities of my successful routines. And if it isn't, then it is time to determine whether it is worth my time. Sometimes, I choose not to do things every day or sparingly (possible three to four times a day) to prevent burnout. I do want to talk about my progress of putting more photos into my home than leaving them on my cellphone. What a fabulous idea! 

I have finally displayed some photos in my home that were taken in January. This was such a great idea! Now when I see these photos, I am constantly reminded of these precious moments that I love! What a great way to show your guests and visitors this type of art! The good thing is that I got these photos uploaded and printed from FreePrints.com. Here is my coupon code:

speshlakai7140

That is all I have for this week! It is good to talk about things we are working on and what needs improvement. I am constantly a work in progress.

Have a blessed week! 

Love Shell

Emotional Roller Coaster and Grief

I'd like to talk about how I got to where I am today. About 18 years ago February 16th, (which is in a few days), my father passed away. So, I am dedicating this blog to him and my goal is to help others who need some guidance in tough or dark times. I will tell you that this has been the hardest road that I have ever had to travel just to be able to function as a normal person. Healing was not easy by any means, but if I did it, you can heal too, as long as you are patient with yourself. 

At one point, I turned to a counselor, because I was depressed. I had to rely on medication because depression was affecting my day-to-day life. Some of the easiest daily activities became difficult for me to do. Healing is not easy, but things can get better as long as you allow yourself some time. Here are some tips that have helped me get better mentally, emotionally, and physically:

• Talk to someone like a counselor or a therapist about your mental health during this difficult time. Let them know where you are mentally and where you want to be.
• Reach out to other people like friends or family who have been in a similar situation and ask them how they were able to cope with the death of a friend or family member. 
• Remember the good times and memories about time spent with this loved one and talk about these times with friends or family members. This helped me heal and I love talking about my father and the person he was and how life and passing impacted me as a child into my adult life. 
• Give yourself grace and keep in mind that everyone copes differently. Remember to be patient with yourself. There is no timeline that it takes to get to a good stable place. 
• Pray! Prayer helped me tremendously.
• Lastly, keep in mind that it never gets better with grief, but with faith, it does get easier to deal with in life. 

I love my parents and am grateful that I still have my mom and glad I had good times with my dad when he was here! My mental health has improved because I know he is in a better place and is not suffering. I do miss him a lot, though! I know I will see him again one day and this helps me talk about it without crying which tells me that I have healed. I am so grateful to God for this.

I hope this helps someone and please share with someone that could benefit. Thank you!

Love Shell

Communication is Key!

Communicating is something we take for granted, whether it is related to work or hanging out with friends. Using verbal cues is crucial to how we get our point across indirectly whether we mean to make them obvious or not.  Have you ever walked into a store and the lady at the counter says, "Hello, what can I help you with?" or how about, "Hello, hi there! How are you today? I love that shirt you have on! Rolling Stones is my all-time favorite band! What brings you in today? Is there something I can help you find?" Which person would you like to do business with? Or who would you like to engage in conversation with?

This brings me to what I learned back when I was 16 years old as a sales associate for Just For Feet and Finish Line. You have less than three seconds to address someone when they walk into your business or when you have an agenda to accomplish. This can be done with grace or take a turn for the worse. So let's just be kind and see where this will lead us. 

Communicating with a sense of understanding someone regardless of whether it is related to us or not, is how it all starts just by listening. This can make or break a conversation with someone if you decide to not listen to them. 

My question today is: why are some people hard to deal with or simply unwilling to cooperate? Their behavior may be complicated, frustrating, or downright terrible, but the reasons can be quite simple. It may be caused by past traumatic experiences: struggling with something in their life, or a previous abusive relationship, which can include emotional, physical, mental, or verbal abuse, causing emotional pain that can't be seen. This leads me to believe that they have not completely healed and until they do they hurt others as they have been hurt.

My previous experiences with abuse were not pretty by any means. I had to undergo counseling and turned to my church as well. However I did this for myself, and not for anyone else. I did not want to continue to take my hurt out on anyone else. It wasn't always clear to others, but it was necessary for me and a benefit that I would be able to share with people later on. I believe that forgiveness is the foundation of being a Christian. Without this ability, can we really be strong Christians? We are all human and continue to make mistakes. 

My advise is be kind and give each other grace as God does to all of us! 

Love Shell

Scatter Brained and Worn Out...BLAH!

So we just started the year, where do you find yourself trying to meet a portion of your goals to set you up for the next month. I think sometimes I need to scale myself down a bit and remember that I can wear myself out or tell myself to take a break. We are all there once, twice, or multiple times throughout the year. So what do you do? Here are a few things that I like to do when I get overwhelmed. 

• Take a bubble bath, get a facial, get your hair done, get your nails done, and/or get a massage. 
• Go out to dinner with friends or family. 
• Go get a coffee with a friend and have a treat.
• Meet a friend in a place that allows you to chat, share your situation, and gain some advice.
• Take a nap.

Yes, I work hard some days that I forget to take a break. You see a goal and you work hard to get to the end result. It can be tedious and nerve-racking but we have to remember that we are human. We have to learn that it will be there tomorrow. Our families and overall health are more important not only to ourselves but also to our family and friends. So get up and walk away from the computer! I forget to tell myself this from time to time. It is okay. We learn that after our backs hurt from looking at a screen for nine hours straight. My husband tells me, "Shell, get up! Get away from the laptop and come eat a snack." So with that being said, I am guilty of this too! 

Tips to Prevent Burnout:

• Set Clear Work Hours For Yourself. Do not work during the other hours that are set for family time, cleaning chores, dinner time, doing the things that you love, exercising, or even the time you set for preparing to go to bed. This all has to be a good balance in your life. 
• Try Not To Answer E-mails or Phone Calls During Non-business Hours. What I mean is exactly what I am saying and that is don't answer your business call during dinnertime. I understand that there are extreme situations such as emergencies but do not make this a habit. Because you will find yourself not ever leaving work and you will eventually burn yourself out. Now if you feel that you need to address that email, make sure you pre-schedule it to go out the next morning during business hours. Not everything is urgent and you need to make clear that your clients know that you have set hours of operation.  
• Find a Time to Manage Your Weekly Schedule. This means that each Sunday or pick another day that works for you, take time out of your busy schedule to see what meetings you may have that are important. Do you have this blocked out of your calendar so that no one sets up any other appointments during this time? By doing this, it prevents from having conflicts. This is a win-win situation not only for yourself but your client or anyone else that you are meeting. I think this is very important and sets you up as a very professional business person. 
• Make Sure You Are Taking Vacation. Many years ago, I would cash in my vacation days thinking that it would help me get ahead. Boy, was I wrong! Taking time away from work to go on vacation was the BEST way to go! This time helps you to re-group, relax, getaway, and remember that work will be there when you get back. 

Honestly, my experience with burnout is what helps me balance all the things that I choose in my life. I am still building my routines and figuring out what works and what doesn't. Balance is what helps me stay where I need to be. I am a work in progress and life is constantly changing. 

Love Ya 

Shell

It is Time to Re-Evaluate!

 Hello Everyone! 

It is time to re-evaluate your goals. Here are some questions that I use to ask myself, "How am I doing?" 

• What is working for you and what is not working for you? 
• Are you keeping a record of what you are doing and what you are not doing? 
• How is your day going? 
• Are you able to get things done within a day? 
• What part of your day are you most productive? 
• Are you trying to accomplish too many things at one time or are you trying to rush through your tasks? 
• What tasks are valuable to who you are trying to become or is it not worth it?

All of these questions help me determine how I am doing. This is an important process when it comes to finding out how things are going with your goals. Without this process, you could be setting yourself up for failure or discouragement. So make the time to keep a record of your daily process and how it will affect you accomplishing your goals. 

While goals can seem appropriate at the time of setting them primarily, sometimes after re-evaluating how you are doing this could make them seem vague. What I mean is your goals need to be more specific. Here is an example:

My goal is to get out of debt. What exactly are you doing to do to get out of debt? This is a vague goal and many things could be done to accomplish this goal. But, how long are you giving yourself to attain this accomplishment? What tasks will allow you to help meet your end goal? So let's re-write this more specifically.

Specific and Timely:

My goal is to increase my credit score by 50 points to get it past 800. This goal will take me about six months and some tasks will include paying my credit cards at least less than 20% or in full each month. I will try to pay my balance three days before the due date or as soon as I can when the money is available. 

This is more attainable within the time given and you know what needs to happen. Tracking your payments each month, re-evaluating your tracking process, and having more specific goals allow your accomplishments more successful. This all works hand-in-hand for you to become the best you! So with that, go set some goals and set yourself for success.

I hope this helps! And, I hope you have a blessed day! 

Love Shell

Photos are Important!

Hello Everyone! 

I want to talk about photos today. What purpose do they serve? How does it impact you to look at previous photos from previous years? How does it make you feel to see one of your friends or family members who aren't here with us today? Is this art or how does it impact your living space? How do you feel about memories and is it important to personalize your space whether it be your home or even your work space? 

PRINT THEM

We are in a time when we take photos and never print them out. They stay in our phones or never get printed to hang up or put in a frame that sets as a reminder of what we need to be grateful for daily. I have decided that I am changing this to print out photos when given the chance. I will have a basket of photos that my family and friends will get to look at when they come over. Some will be hung during the holidays and some will be placed into frames on a shelf, I know that I will do this more often because I want to see their beautiful faces. I am going to do better this year.

ART / PERSONALIZE YOUR SPACE

Many times when you have a photo taken by a photographer, he or she takes their camera and captures and communicates emotionally through their artistic talent. This is clearly art because it is what the artist exemplifies in their photograph. I have taken many photos and I always see photos that need to be made into black and white or a sepia colored photo. By personalizing my space, this helps me remember what is most important to my life. This provides a clear mind to help me remember what my goals are. 

These are just a few of the reasons why I will be making more opportunities as a way to print out the photos that are most important to me. I hope you take this time to do this too. Let's not keep our photos on our phones and keep them lingering in our homes and personal spaces. Time is precious and we are not promised tomorrow. 

Love Shell

 

Happy New Year! Happy 2024!

Hello, 2024! 

Let's talk about what will we be doing this new year. Will we be progressing, changing your daily or monthly behaviors, or are there goals that you are trying to attain? Not everyone will see that this is something that fits within his or her life and that is okay. It is possible to set goals, build a plan, and assign weekly tasks to help you accomplish the big goal. But, the most important thing is that you have to want it so bad that you are tired of being unaccomplished, having not enough money, wanting more out of life, or desire to not have to worry about money. 

One of the things that prevented me from setting daily habits is that I was always worried about not being accomplished enough or that my habits would soon die away only since I would get distracted or have tendencies of wanting to be lazy. This is all normal and thought am I the only one that feels this way, no! That is everybody! So I lowered my goals since I do get tired and distracted with life. Things do happen that prevent me from staying on task, and this is completely normal for all of us. I try to leave one day out of the week to get off task and usually, one day to catch up on things that I have not done during the week. This has helped me tremendously! So cut yourself some slack and remember it is okay, it will be okay. 

Next, something that I will be implementing in my life as far as goals is to be a vessel to help those who want it or need some direction in their life. I hope that my passion for planning, building tasks and processes, writing, and just being helpful touches one heart in the world. I have written some goals for myself and what I will be working towards. Here is an example that I built for myself to give you an idea. I will use an app on my phone to track this daily. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

BODY / HEALTH - Goals: To be lean, slim, healthier, comfortable in my own skin, be more clear-minded, have clearer skin, take care of myself by planning my meals, and eat better. 

General - Exercise 3 times a week

• Lose 35 lbs in 5 months
• May take 19 weeks ~ 5/11/2023

Plan 

• Lose 2 lbs every week

General - Drink more daily

• Drink 80 oz ~ Drink 20 oz AM, 20 oz before lunch, 20 oz after lunch, 20 oz before dinner, 20 oz after dinner
• Track daily

General - Eat healthier 

• Prepare meals every Sunday for the week
• Prepare my weekly meals and shop for the ingredients to prepare meals for convenience 

General - Get enough rest

• Sleep 6 hours nightly
• Start laying down at 10 pm without electronics, put on sounds, close your eyes, and be asleep by 11 pm
• Rise by 5 am

General - Implement more self-care

• Take a bubble bath at least once a week in the evening to help wind down
• Get a facial at least once a week 

__________________________________________________________________________________

I hope this helps! I wish you a Happy New Year and much prosperity! 

Love Shell

Christmas Has Past! New Year Here We Come!

Who is ready for the New Year?? 2024, here we come!! 

I love Christmas, but it always comes and goes really fast! I usually love listening to the last few days until New Year's Eve of Christmas stations until the New Year; because it just isn't long enough for me at least! Our family does a White Elephant only to make it more fun to steal, take, or grab a new gift that hasn't been taken. This really makes the holidays less stressful and we really get to enjoy the food, time together, and napping on the couch from being full. My job is less stressful and I love this as a family! We still buy presents for our littles and it makes it fun for them. This makes my heart happy that all of us adults get to watch them get excited opening presents from Santa! It really does take a village to raise children these days. I believe this so much because all of us in our family help each other and work together to accommodate our little ones.  I really got the time to talk to them about how we should be more grateful and the importance of saying, "Thank you" or just writing a thank you note or even drawing a photo of thanks to someone who did something nice for you. They loved this idea!

With all of this talk about spending time together, I decided to really make the photos that I take from my phone and display them in my home. I took this advice from a person that I admire dearly and it spoke so much life into my heart. What a great idea! 

I love my family and want the best for them! I think this is a great reminder of how grateful I really am as a person. Life is too short and we aren't promised tomorrow. So with that being said, I will work harder on being better at organizing photos for them. My grandmother did this and my mom does this. 

This New Year, I have many goals, and trying to organize my life seems so challenging at times. With this being said, I have an organizational way of putting these into general topics to allow you to be more specific. Let's jump right into this:

• Spiritual - Just use two to three examples that you want to improve in your life for each one. 
• Family
• Mind 
• Health 
• Relationships 
• Personal Development 
• Work / Career 
• Finances 

I think that a little progress is better than none at all. So let's start something new ~ what are your goals and dreams?

I would like to wish everyone a most prosperous and Happy New Year! Have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a great 2024!

Love Shell

Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love the scents of cinnamon, pomegranate, and vanilla! All of the things that I love to do when getting ready for Christmas are making sure that my candles are where I want them when trying to put me in a great mood and having Christmas music in place as I prepare my meals or get food ready for our parties. The candlelight and music are what I love to create when in a room in my home. Everything else really comes together while preparing meals or decorating during the holidays. How about you? 

I love to create new dishes and make all of our bellies full! This makes us happy and we love our space as we get to be creative! This holiday season has been really busy with all the things that allow me to stay productive. I am pushing through making new decisions for the new year on what is most important for my family and myself. Have you thought about what your New Year resolutions will be this coming new year? I have tried to sit down and be more intuitive about what is most important for us. Sometimes it can be difficult to be clear about what your needs are and what is at the top of your list. Here are some pointers for thinking most clearly when it comes to goals: 

• Specific - Be clear and specific about what it is that you are trying to achieve. 
• Measurable - Is it measurable? 
• Achievable - How long do you think is a reasonable amount of time to achieve your goal?
• Relevant - Is the goal that you have decided on, relevant to what your business is related to?
• Time Bound - Will the time be sufficient for you to be successful? If not, allow yourself a good amount of time to get off track or re-circle back towards your goals.

I learned these in school and have always used them to help me get back on track. This is not for everyone but it helps me to focus on what is important for myself. What helps you? Please share with us.

I hope you all have a great holiday this year! 

Merry Christmas! 

Love Shell

Happy December 1st!

It's that time of year! It's December 1st! Time to get all of those things together that help you prepare for the holidays. Tell me what are some things that help you get ready for your family to celebrate Christmas! What are some things that are important to your family or family traditions that you make sure to pass down for generations to come? Here is a list of things that I do to help us prepare for the holidays:

• Decorating your home, putting up the Christmas tree.
• Prepare a menu for Christmas dinner or brunch (we are doing brunch this year).
• Make a list of what you need at the grocery store before hand and right before preparing your meal.
• Focusing on the elements in the room that I am decorating for that room, for example, candles are important to me and I love all the smells of Christmas and the ambiance it gives. 
• Make a gift list of all the gifts you need to purchase as well as your Christmas cards.
• Within two weeks prior to Christmas, mail your Christmas cards to friends and family, start wrapping gifts, and make sure all Christmas photos are taken. 
• Plan things to do with the kids such as decorating a gingerbread house, or any type of Christmas crafts. I usually love to make cookies with the kids for Santa so there is enough time and we aren't rushing during this time.
• Prepare Christmas brunch and set up the table.
• Enjoy Christmas brunch and have fun spending time with family.

Christmas is a great time with family in the past and I really love it! 

Let us know what you do to plan for the holidays. 

Love Shell

Let's Celebrate Zackary!

 

Hello everyone! 

I hope you are recuperating from all of the time spent in the kitchen preparing meals for your families. What a great time was had! What was your favorite dish of Thanksgiving dinner? Mine was the turkey and the dressing, for sure! I think the time we spend with our families is what sets the example for generations to come that our children will spend with their grandchildren one day. I hope that the time that I set for my children will be enough to have them understand that I love them always. As mothers, we love our children unconditionally and will be proud of them. We teach them to do right, but sometimes they may choose to not listen. This is the love that when we try to point them in the right direction it doesn't go as planned BUT tough love isn't always the easiest. At this point, whether good or bad, it is our duty to love them and help them grow. We push them, so they can continue to learn from their mistakes. 

So now, I want to share a little bit of the glory of my middle grandchild, Zackary. He has struggled in the past with his speech and other things however, we still help him grow every single day. My daughter does a great job with him and supports him continuously. Well, with that he received the title at school of "Student of the Month" for the month of November! We are so proud of his accomplishments! He knows his ABCs, sings in such great pitch, and is a sweet boy! He looks up to his sister Natalya and loves school! This is such a prime example of why we should continue to support the children of the next generation. They are our future! His teacher let us know that he is such a great helper in his class and is so sweet to his classmates. What a fantastic boy! 

I believe teaching children at a young age discipline and deep core values are crucial to their success in the future. Discipline means explaining to them why they are getting in trouble and explaining to them how they can do better. Kids do not get enough credit these days and they are really smart. As parents, it is our job to show them and be the example they are meant to see. 

Have a great day! 

Love Shell

A Time of Thanks

Hello Everyone,

I want to wish you all a "Happy Thanksgiving!" This is one of my favorite holidays, because we get to spend good quality time together as a family. Time to eat, watch football, pray, and just be grateful for having each other as a family. We love just eating and lounging around together in a place we call home. I hope this is the time you get to enjoy your family and love on each other. Tomorrow is not promised and we need to make sure we enjoy this precious time. 

This year I have planned a wholesome meal for us all and each family member will bring a dish that we all get to participate in cooking for each other. Our dinner will be a fantastic Turkey and Ham with dressing and gravy, Homemade cranberry sauce, Homemade mashed potatoes, Green bean casserole, Waldorf salad, Classic fruit salad, Mac n' Cheese, Garlic Herb Cheese Bombs, and a Thanksgiving Punch added garnish with oranges and apple slices, and cranberries. I am so excited! What have you planned for your family? Please share with us. 

Have a great Thanksgiving from our family to yours! 

Love, Shell

"Sometimes Distractions are a Gift from God..."

Distractions are always happening. It is like someone always told me, "Life happens." But, who knows distractions better than myself? But here is my question, is it really a distraction? Or is it God preventing harm or keeping me safe from something coming up? Well, this is not easy to just allow what is coming and say I will leave it to God to put me on the right path. As I have endured life experiences, I have allowed myself to leave it in his hands. It is not easy, but what can I really control? I know that I can only control myself and this is something that I have learned to just allow. Distractions are usually illnesses that pull you from your daily routine when we least expect it or when things are building momentum at work or a business, a death in the family or a loved one, an accident that you did not plan, and when you get that call from the school of how your child is acting up. 

I can remember a time when JT and I  were on our way to a show in Fredericksburg. As we were driving there, it seemed we were in a time crunch to be there soon. But, it seemed that life was about to happen whether we were ready or not. It was stressful but the wreck we were going to come up on was about to change our perspective about the situation. As we were in our cars, the line of cars down the highway was like playing a waiting game that would put us into a stressful situation. So let's talk about this...was this really happening? Was it a safety move on God's part? As we grew near the accident moving slowly in our car, someone's life had been taken at this time. It was such a sad scene to be experiencing! This was a moment of relief and a moment of gratitude. God is good and God is good all the time! 

Sometimes when I am taken off track on my goals, I try to say, "It is time for a small break." God is saying, "Go, now! Do something for yourself!" I have to set smaller goals on a daily, even weekly basis. This allows me to stay productive and to be more accomplished. Another tip to keep in mind is to practice being grateful. We have to be grateful for the small things in order for God to bless us with the big things. I am still learning this one to this day. And lastly, I have to make sure I get enough rest every single day. This helps me stay focused and it helps me improve my overall health. If I feel good, then I can help others to do the same! 

I hope this helps someone and if you feel that you know someone it can help, please share with one person. Thank you! Have a blessed day! 

Love ya! 

Shell

Daily Grind, Goals, and Depression with Ermie

 

These past few weeks we have been talking about purpose in life, goals, how things can interrupt our routine, and how these can impact us regularly. Today, I want to talk about my dear friend, Ermie Garza Madrid, RN, and how life interfered with her daily grind, goals, and the toll it took. Here she is my friend, Ermie! She graduated in 2008 and began her journey as a Critical Care Nurse, and has worked as an Emergency Room Nurse. She currently works for a Fortune 500 company doing many things that she loves. We'll talk about her goals and how it could affect the people in the community that deal with diabetes and educating them in selfcare. Ermie talks about her daily grind, and one of the things that I love is that she gets the opportunity to work from home. One thing people who work from home forget is dressing appropiately not pajamas, LOL! But, she tells her secrets as she gets up and gets herself ready even putting on her makeup. I LOVE THIS! I asked her about what has interfered with her life most recently. She tells me that she was recently in a terrible car accident in Colorado, rolling over on an icy day, and that Monday is the one year anniversary of her nighmare. It touches me to hear the details of her accident as she fought to keep her eye and learned to walk again. She doesn't realize that she has already impacted, inspired, and given people hope. She feels this humbling experience helped her grow, develop, and overcome, through grace and her support system! Wow! What an experience! She is forever grateful for all the things that have lead her to who she is today! Thank you for sharing! You can hear our interview in the link below: 

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/listenwithshell 

Ep 3 Daily Grind, Goals, and Depression with Ermie

          Here are some photos of her road to recovery and the process.

Purpose in Life ~ by Shell

How are these things helpful? Why are you deciding to do this? Who are you trying to be? Why? - Well, these are the most recent questions that I get from friends, family, or others. Let me see if I can address these questions. 

Many years ago when I was very young, I was playing on the playground at McDonald's.  I was probably like five years old. I remember this so vividly like it was yesterday. She was being pushed around by a little boy who was playing too. I just remember getting upset and being very protective. I told him, "Stop that, she's a girl and you're a boy!" He just looked at me with a puzzled look. He ran away and she was crying. I comforted her and told her it was okay. I will never forget that feeling. I am the oldest of the kids, very protective, and a sense of being responsible. I try to follow the rules but sometimes rules are meant to be broken on certain occasions. This kid needed to understand he was wrong, and sometimes fear is set aside to make sure he knows the truth. Who would have thought? Fast forward to my adult life, trying to figure out how life works. 

I appreciate life and all the struggles life has brought so that I am able to help others. I was a single mother for some years and had no choice but to be a strong mother. This has given me the opportunity to really think about the things I worked so hard for and decide that I could do them for myself too! As mothers, we do the best we can for everyone even our children. At times we can be so hard on ourselves, but in the end, we have to say, "WE did the best we could with what we were given during that time!" 

So here I am on this journey to at least help that one person if possible, I am here if you need anything please let me know. We are here to help with tips and all the things that help us maneuver through this thing called LIFE. You will see things about being a mother, a sister, a wife, a friend, tips to a better me in personal development, a travel advisor, my trips, my journey through life, an organizer, and a healthcare professional. Happy Halloween! We love you! 

Love, Shell

https://d3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net/staging/2023-9-21/352150314-44100-2-3eb0d3a9bc992.m4a 

Introduction: Hello, my name is Shell! Introducing things to come....Join us in this new journey! Can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us! 

Traveling with Friends

How many of you have traveled with friends or family? We may have similarities or differences regarding this being a good idea or bad idea, however, I say it is a time that you can share life with them easily. We tend to talk more freely about things that are happening in life and this usually gives us a close connection with the time spent together. I have traveled with friends, my significant other, and my family especially in which we all have shared many things during these occasions. I love them all especially drinking a refresher or an adult drink of some sort with the views to die for! Who doesn't love a great view especially like Jamaica, Cancun, Croatia, or even Las Vegas! So if you are on the fence deciding whether to travel with that friend or family member, take the time to share things together in a new destination and have some quality time together. I have laughed and cried with my loved ones making a connection of a lifetime! I would not change it for anything in the world! It has been such a great time to make the memories of a lifetime! 

For whom in your life, are you most grateful?

Oh! This is very easy! I am most grateful for my mother, Reyna. She is the person that I look up to, who I admire, who I call when I need a shoulder to cry on; a person that I can ask for advice, someone that I know will give me the truth about who I am, who will put me in the right direction if I go off the road, LOL! She will argue with me if I am wrong and I admire that in her. A person that truly loves you will give you the truth and tell you that they love you no matter what! She will never feed me with lies, deceit, or disrespect. I love her so much! I am proud to call her MOM!

What makes a person a good candidate for this description? Are they there physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually? Do they give you the truth? How do they help you on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis? And lastly, what do you do for them? These are all things to think about when you decide on who is the person you are most grateful for in your life.

I am curious. Tell me what other characteristics help you decide on your person.

Love Shell

#grateful #blessed #mother #personaldevelopment #BeyondExpectations

Personal Development - Is there something that you keep ruminating about what happened a long time ago?

 Yes! Why certain relationships didn't work out? Why did I always think it was me that made it not work out? Why do people do that? Why was I the one that had to go through all of this?

We are about to talk about all of this. Let's go! (I take a deep breath.)

You know that saying that, "God removes people from your life because He heard conversations that you didn't hear." Well, He was protecting me! Yes, he was! I could not see it at the time, because I was so focused on what wasn't working. God knows exactly what you need and he only works things out for you in His timing. Sometimes when you feel like there is no hope, miracles happen! Yes, they do! But, here is the thing, you are only focusing on the suffering, the sorrow, the sadness, the pain, the hurt, the agony, or even the miserable heartache. I feel like we allow it, so we need to determine for ourselves, "Is this worth it?" I was naive and insecure about so many things at a young age. This was one of the many reasons why I was a good target for these types of situations. I wanted to change all of this! It became my mantra and the desire to become something that I could work on to this day. God knew what I wanted out of life and He knew that I wanted to grow my 'Personal Development'. And with this, I needed to be with someone that was strong and willing to accept me for myself. This person needed to be someone that could possibly allow us to grow together as a Powerful Couple! This is why all of my past relationships never worked out. He knew what my purpose was! Having gone through all of this, I will be able to use this to help others. He is using my experiences whether good or bad to help others. I am His and He will be working through Me!

Some of the things such as the details, the why's, the what if's, and the reasons were are things that I needed to stop the vicious cycle of trying to understand why certain relationships did not work. I needed to start with myself in separating myself, focusing on keeping myself busy with productive growth, prayers, and a strong support system. In order to get the results that I wanted, I had to change the things I was doing and create better relationships with the people that I want in my life. Transformation is a big part of my life and it can work for you too. I leaned towards my church for all of this. Foundations had to be reset and forgiveness of myself needed to be done including the ones that weren't sorry. It was a relief for myself and to be allievated of the burdens that were there.

Let me tell you something. Look in the mirror and tell me, "I am worth it!" Your family, your friends, your co-workers, your boss, and even strangers that grow to know you will be rooting for you!

Let them go! Forgive yourself! No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, whose counting them anyway! Create the life you want for yourself and quit trying to figure everything out! It isn't for you to understand the details.

I hope this helps you!

Love Shell

#personaldevelopment #growthmindset #facereality #relationshipgoals #betteryourself