I know what you’re thinking, “Oh my god it’s Thanksgiving and this crazy psycho isn’t thankful?!” Now just wait a minute, don’t judge a book by its cover:) I got your attention huh? Let me explain. I AM VERY THANKFUL today, but not just today, each and every day I wake up and take a breath I am thankful. I am thankful for family, a good career, a world of new opportunities and experiences, choosing to be happy, and the list goes on and on. I see so many people only showing and demonstrating thanks on this given holiday and then tomorrow it’s back to complaining about each and everything in their life. From jobs to not making enough money, from being overweight and thinking you’re fat, to flipping off the jack ass who cut you off in traffic then dwelling on it the whole day. From wishing you had a better life to bitching about the fact you didn’t get a $400 60 inch plasma at Best Buy. My career has allowed me to open my eyes to exactly how god damn lucky and blessed I am, this particular job especially. I work with the older population and yesterday it was heart breaking to me how most of them don’t have families that come and see them, or they are medically unable to leave the facility. From the old man in the wheelchair who was ecstatic to take 3 steps after not walking in 6 months, or the young woman who had a stroke and finally was able to stand up for 30 seconds. These people are THANKFUL. Yet today, someone around the world will complain and be pissed off about the fact that the Cowboys lost the game in the last-minute. Four of my co-workers are from the Philippines who have some form of family effected by the typhoon and lost everything. Those people would be thankful for a piece of food or clothing today, or to have that family member they lost. This is the first time in 29 years I will not be with my family for Thanksgiving, and yes I miss them tremendously, but I am so blessed and honored to have an extended family in California whom I can spend this day with because I know many people have nowhere to go. Everyday is not perfect. I have bad days and have to catch myself complaining about stupid shit a lot as well, but the change I’ve made is always thinking how much worse it could be. I don’t have all the money, the looks, or perfection, but I have a damn good life and am grateful today, tomorrow, and everyday moving forward. I love and appreciate everything life has given me as well as my family. So please, tomorrow when Thanksgiving is over, don’t change your thoughts and feelings you have today. I will still be thankful tomorrow for the same things as today. Carry them over to each and everyday of your life. Wake up and live everyday like it’s Thanksgiving and PLEASE choose to be awesome dammit. š
Abby 
life
One week of no social media…Can you do it?
1 week of no social media. Sounds easy enough right? I will admit that I am somewhat addicted, no not even somewhat, I AM addicted. Facebook and Instagram being the two major culprits.
I am challenging myself to slowly decrease my time on social media to make time for other important things in life. That shit pulls you in people. And let’s be honest, is it really relevant that we check our Facebook’s every 10 minutes because we might miss something important? Come on, tell me that last important, had to die for information you got from Facebook? That your best friend’s brother’s cousin is no longer in a relationship with someone you don’t even know? The more I think about it, I’m not really sure what the last important thing I saw on Facebook that absolutely was glad I didn’t miss! Instagram is even worse for me. I’m not sure why I continue to check that damn thing every half hour only to see another shout out from another account trying to get more followers, or another picture of someone showing me what the hell they are eating, or another ego driven individual taking a half-naked selfie (which they probably took at least 10 times to get the right pose and right lighting). Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done all these things and posted these things but does anyone really care that much? Probably not. I have to ask myself, “Why does this shit intrigue me?” And honestly I cannot give you an answer as to why I continue to be drawn in by all of it. It is now just a habit I’ve formed and I’m wanting to change it. Now, social media definitely has its place. I do enjoy seeing what my family members are up to that I don’t get a chance to see often, and I also think that social media is great for businesses to network and for promotion as well, I’m just saying I have a problem and an addiction to it! I am starting with an hour a day and will slowly decrease time from there to eventually where I can find a balance:) Each week I am trying to break or change a bad habit I have and also to start a new habit, a good one. The first quest is to start limiting my time on social media each day and make room for areas in my life that I feel are much more important. I feel I’ve wasted too many hours of really nothing and now it’s time to change that! If anyone is up for the challenge with me let’s do it! I am challenging myself weekly to be better and improve different areas of my life, and I challenge everyone to do the same. If you feel like you are spending hours on social media but making excuses of why you can’t do other things in your life, let’s change it. I will update you every few days of my challenge to see how things are going:) Here is my first plan of attack and it starts today:
1-I will only check social media during my lunch and allow myself 30 minutes at night.
2-During this time is the only time I can post something on my accounts.
My goal by the end of this week is to have my social media time down to only 1 hour per day. I’m going to find other things to occupy my time and let’s see how productive I can be without as much social media in my life:)
I leave you with this article explaining why Facebook is similar to crack…And remember, this is my life, my choices, and I choose to be awesome. Always be you.
Abby
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judson-brewer/social-media-addiction_b_4079697.html
1.15 Billion Dollars of pure Awesomeā¦..Jerrasicpark aka AT&T Stadium
Last night I decided to do one of the top things Iāve had on my bucket list for years. Being a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan (donāt judge me) Iāve always wanted to go to a home football game. When I took a contract in Dallas I knew that if I did NOTHING else while I was here, I had to go to a game, and that I did. Now, I donāt care if you are or are not a Dallas Cowboys fan, if you ever have the chance to visit the stadium, take it. In one word. Unbelievable. From the 2,100 inch HD screen, to the site specific artwork, and the various live music throughout the venue, there is much more to see than just the action on the field. Mr. Jerry Jones outdid himself I must say. The venue is like a damn amusement park. An all out party! Iāve never been to any sporting event where each level has a live band playing the ENTIRE game. Not to mention the fans who paid to not even have a seat at the game but a āstanding room onlyā party pass. Truly one for the record books. Here are some of the pics I took before my phone died last night.
Iāve decided that whenever I complete an item on my bucket list, Iām going to share it, review it, and blog about it. I will try to have an exciting life and exciting things to write about, I promise. š Maybe I should do things other people have on their bucket list, you know, in case they never get the chance I can do it for you…sort of kidding but not really. Now thereās an idea! Hmm..may have to ponder on that idea for awhile.
As always, live awesome.
Abby
Just because Iām alone, does not mean Iām lonely
Since I started this travelling gig, I have learned to be alone. I have learned to go into unfamiliar places and to depend on no one but myself. I go into a city not knowing a single person. I have the ability to make friends and talk to people no matter where Iām at. I have the ability to put myself out there and discover new things. But sometimes, I want to just be alone. Am I depressed? Lonely? Sad? Nope..I just want to be alone! At 29 years old, I am finally starting to figure out the person I am, but I will never stop learning or discovering things about myself. Life is always a journey. For those that donāt know about me, I have been divorced over a year now. I basically took a huge leap of faith and completely changed my life. So far, itās been the best decision Iāve ever made. Back to my point, I will put it to you this way, I actually like being alone. It doesnāt scare me and it doesnāt bother me. I honestly think that people donāt spend enough time alone, reflecting and learning to grow as a person. Now, do I think as humans we need interactions with others as well? Of course I do, but I think that there is no shame in wanting to spend time with yourself. I know it has allowed me to become a better person and truly discover what I want in life. I donāt have to be around people all the time. I can go out by myself and experience things without the need of someone else. Sorry, but Iām not missing out on something in life because I donāt have anyone to do anything with. If you truly want to live a happy life, you have to be dependent on yourself, trust yourself, and not look for the dependence or approval of others for things you want to do. Happy Sunday everyone.
Abby
Be a āDOERā dammit
Ā
Reaching and achieving a goal is one of the most awesome feelings in the world. Am I right? Whether itās a weight loss goal, education goal, family goal, career goal, etc. Finally achieving something you have set your mind to and accomplished feels awesome. Many times however, there are dreams and goals we feel like are so far out of our reach. At the first sign of defeat we quit, and never fully see the potential or basically give up on our dream or goal. Iām here to tell you that if you want something bad enough, you will figure out a way to do it. No matter how long it takes. It may be something that will take years to accomplish, but at the end of the day it doesnāt matter how long it takes us to achieve a goal, what matters is that you achieve it. In order to reach a specific goal, there needs to be action that will have to take place. You ABSOLUTELY cannot achieve anything if you donāt put in the work to get shit done. There are a lot of ātalkersā in this world and not enough ādoers.ā Let me explain.
Talkers-The people that have big, beautiful plans to do this and do that. They will tell you their brilliant ideas, and talk about them all day long. Yet you never see them putting forth any effort towards their goals. I know many people like this. I used to be one of them. In fact, I will say that I still portray some traits as a talker, but am slowly coming out of that world. You can talk all day long, but no action means no results. Everything looks good on paper.
Doers-While the talkers are wasting their time just āsayingā their goals out loud and how they will achieve them, the doers are actually putting in the time, effort, and work required to succeed. The doers of the world are on top.
Tips on becoming a doer:
- Come up with a goal and an action plan.
- Write down your goal, read it daily, and visualize achieving it. Writing an action plan (which I will go over on future blog) which includes the steps necessary to achieve the long term goal.
- Make time to achieve your goal.
- Set aside time each day to progress towards the goal you want to achieve. The time spent is up to you, whether itās 2 hours or 30 minutes, make SOME time which is better than no time.
- Come up with reasons of why you can instead of why you canāt.
- Quit making excuses or saying you donāt have time. Remember, if your goal is important, you will make time.
- When you fail at something, think of a different way.
- Doers will fail time and time again. What makes them different from talkers is that they will find a different way instead of quitting. Remember, there are a million ways to skin a cat. Maybe not a million, but you get the idea.
Letās put this into action. One of my goals I have wanted to accomplish for a while is to learn Spanish. I wonāt lie, Iāve been ātalkingā about learning a second language for months now. I bought a beginner course about 2 months ago and it still sits on my desk unopened. Now Iām ready to take action and learn! My action plan to achieve my goal is to set aside 20 minutes per day to study. In my future blogs I will elaborate more on the steps of becoming a doer. I could write all night on goal setting, achievement and steps for success. There is no better feeling than self-fulfillment and accomplishment. With that being said, always be a doer, and always live awesome.
Ā
Abby
Wasted Timeā¦
Ā
So, this week Iāve been experimenting. Often times we find ourselves saying, āI’m so busy, I canāt find the time to: Workout, start a project, clean, cook healthy, call a family member, do this, do that, and the list goes on.ā I, myself, find that I tend to say I donāt have the time to do certain things. I wanted to see how true this really was. Each day I marked down how many hours of wasted time I spend during the day. What do I consider wasted time? Well even though I like doing some of these things, I actually do consider them to be a waste of time knowing I could be doing something more productive. My list included:
- Facebook/Instagram/Social Media-Yes I know I know, but trust me, the world will not end if I canāt get on Facebook for one hour to see whoās life is miserable, who hates their job, what someone ate today, what someone looks like at the gym, or the latest post of someone I have no clue managed to get on my friends list because I have no idea who they are.
- Television-Yep Iām guilty. I watch the drama filled lives of others on Reality TV and live vicariously through Housewives, the Big Brother House, and others.
- Napping-I donāt take a nap every day, but sometimes if I get the chance and Iām in a position to do so, I will nap. However, I tend to take longer naps than I probably should.
- Surfing the Web-This does not count social media. There are some things I need to look up to find out information for, but I also tend to wander the web and find myself at very interesting places to say the least that really have nothing to do with me or what I was attempting to get on the internet for anyways.
- Sleeping-This does not included napping, this includes that extra hour or two in the morning I hit the snooze alarm 50 times when I could have just gotten my butt up out of bed and had a 2 hour start to my day. OR the hour or two I spent tossing and turning and unable to fall asleep when I could have been doing paperwork or getting something productive done.
These 5 things I thought where my biggest time wasters this week. After a week of this I figured that on average I wasted roughly 4 hours per day. When I actually looked at this on paper and realized each week I could be wasting 28-30 HOURS! Are you kidding me!?!? Thatās a lot of time I could be doing things that I love, exploring new passions, getting little projects done, knocking things off my bucket list, learning a new skill, calling family, reaching my goals faster, and the list goes on. Itās incredible when you really look at all the time we āwasteā during the day, but then later mention that we just donāt have the time to do certain things. Now with this being said, Iām not saying I will stop getting on Facebook nor give up my dose of Housewife drama, but I will decrease the time tremendously that Iām doing these things and set aside specified times for those certain things as well.
Be more aware of where your time is going to. Try my experiment for a week.Ā Write down what you feel are ātime wastersā and how much time per day you spend doing these things. Take a look at the list after a week a then I bet you canāt say to yourself, āI just donāt have time to work out, I donāt have time to go back to school, I donāt have time to visit or call my family, etc.ā I learned through this experiment that in fact I DO have the time to do a lot of things I say I can’t, but it’s about MAKING the time. My question to you is, do you REALLY need to get on Facebook right now for 30 minutes when you could be working out? Do you REALLY need to watch the latest episode of reality television on FOX instead of doing your school work? Ā I promise that when you start to FIND the time to do the things youāve been putting off, you will feel more accomplished, you will feel a sense of freedom, and your goals will get reached MUCH faster, and life will just be much more awesome!
Abby~
Living Awesome Project 