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Happy Easter!

Good, quality sleep is hard to come by these days this late in my pregnancy.  It’s been weeks, many weeks, since I have had a good stretch of shut-eye or downtime.  This lack of sleep combined with my primary requirement to take care of my toddler has forced me to shift my day and schedule around.  Some of which is disappointing to me and while others I am more forgiving in its change.  Below are a two things I find fascinating about this transition.

My schedule may have changed but my priorities have remained consistent. 

At the beginning of the year, I did some work to really understand what it was that I wanted in the next year out of my life.  What was it that I dream of each day?  What are those nagging visions in my head, if only I could make it better?  For me they included living healthy, living with financial understanding and comfort (something I am clueless about), living by giving back and inspiring women, and living with gratitude and inspiration.  In this list, there are challenges, places where a lot of learning needs to happen, and places where I simply dream of something nicer.  To me, my well-balanced priority list takes a lot of work yet in my sleep-deprived-just-enough-energy-to-get-by world, I still tackle each item nearly every single day.  Is it hours upon hours of work? Not necessarily, but I do something.

Being easy on myself is far better than not.

I absolutely think that people are simply too hard on themselves, especially women.  I run into it all the time and I am constantly re-assuring people that their efforts and thoughts are not only enough but strong enough.  Thing is while I talk a good game, I have my own inner struggles of what I wish I could do better, easier, stronger.  I think it’s also human nature if not a part of our culture (to think this way).  One of my girlfriends always ends our conversation with “be easy on yourself”.  While most of the time I want to “yeah yeah” her, I am disappointed in my “shift in my schedule”.  Yet, I have to know “it is for the greater good”, “what’s important will prevail” and “that life will take you off course”.  I have taken the attitude of “do what I can”, “don’t sweat the small stuff”.  (How many little life quotes can I throw in here?? Ha!) Point is: being easy on yourself and allowing yourself to work with the schedule and commitments that are reasonable to your situation is not only more than okay but also makes for a nicer day.  What am I accomplishing by doing so otherwise?

These are two things I have been thinking about. It’s fascinating to me how:

• What’s important stays important and

• How little good comes from being too hard on yourself but great things come from being nice to yourself.  

Have a great weekend!

XOXO,
Ashleigh

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Little Sleep Clears Things Up! 2 Fascinating Thoughts

Any one of these will sure get your week started in the right direction!

via what’s not to love?

Post from: confidence for women

Monday Morning To Do List + A Little Humor

It has been a long week with minimal sleep and I am dreaming of a beautiful weekend.  I hope you have one too!

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Have a Great Weekend!

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Confidence for Women: 2 Things

I believe this – whole heartedly.  If you advance confidently towards your dreams… they will happen.  Period.  You may be a rabbit, you may be a turtle, but it will happen.

Have a great weekend!

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Confidence for Women: An HDT Offering

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Confidence for Women: Hope

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
― Apple Inc.

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Apple’s Words Worth Reading…

My mother used to say everyday was kid’s day and that is why you need a Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June.  Now that I have children I kind of agree.

I also think of each day as Women’s Day!

Who else could be a woman, wife, girlfriend, mom, girl friend, boss, co-worker, teammate, officemate, home-maker, housekeeper, chef, stylist, advisor, caregiver and sometimes Barer of Bad News??

Surely, not my dad, either of my brothers, my guy friends, FIL or the HB – respectfully.

Continue on Ladies!

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Confidence for Women: International Women’s Day!

I've been thinking about change...

I have been thinking about what is required to create change.  In my experience, change is easy because I know it as a process.  Yes, it takes hard work but there are necessary elements required to create change.  I have several opinions around this but simply put there are 3 Cs that could change everything!

“True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” ― Leo Tolstoy

Change.  You have to believe in it before it can happen.  AND really believe.  At my lowest of low, I knew I still had to do something, anything, to get out of the funk I was in.  It didn’t matter what I did, I knew that doing enough somethings would help me find the change.  Change.  In order to have it, you must believe it is possible.

“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.” – Anthony Robbins

Commitment.  So many of us try and think – well “I tried” once they fail or fall.  When I look at my toddler, this little one that has eaten “it” so many times.  Some falls are harder than others but she is committed.  Committed to getting up and trying again. New Year’s Resolutions often fail because we never really think it will take a year to lose those extra pounds or make that change we “so” desire.  After a month, maximum!, we recognize that hard work is required and we stop and go back to our typical routine.  Being committed to the change is also half the battle.

“Invisible threads are the strongest ties” ―Friedrich Nietzsche

Connection.  As women, we are driven to connection.  The baker loves that others enjoy the cookies of her happy childhood.  The chef loves the feeling of bringing good food to a family.  The decorator loves the joy of bringing beauty into that couple’s home for them.  I love being able to give people peace and time as if it were tangible.  It’s the connection that we love however we find it.  

I invite you to think of these three Cs as you go on your day.  What connections are you making?  What is nagging at you to change?  And what will you commit to?  Adding any one of these things into your daily life will have a great impact.  Imagine if you added all three??

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Confidence for Women: 3 Cs That Could Change Everything.