Influence

There was a time in my life when I surrounded myself with people who brought me down. I focused more on attempting to increase these individuals' self esteem and happiness than I did my own.It took me years to realize how unhealthy and unsuccessful this was. Hours of complaining, negativity, and drama finally led me to contemplate the health and meaning within these relationships. Reality set in-these relationships weren't healthy, and either was I. I then did one of the hardest (but most influential) things I've ever had to do, let go!

Since then I have strived to surround myself with people who inspire me to be a better a person. I surround myself with people who are positive and grateful, the people who encourage me, and people who respect themselves and others. This has allowed me to become a more healthy person, establish and maintain meaningful relationships, and focus on serving others. I could not be more grateful for the harsh lessons learned from unhealthy relationships.

I truly believe one of the easiest ways a person can increase their own happiness is to surround him/herself with the right people-the ones that make you want to be a better person. 

turning negative into positive

It has been awhile. School and work has got the best of me, but I still saved some time to doodle. Here is what I came up with:

I'm trying to get into the habit of turning negative energies into positives, by doing something that allows me to still express my concern but on a positive side. For example, instead of being disappointed in myself for spending a day doing something that I don't enjoy and then complaining about, I decided to reflect on the quote, "What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for." I could either continue to complain about my awful day, which really wasn't that awful. Or I can think the affects of wasting time and energy being negative has on my day. It doesn't do any good wasting time on people or things that drain the positive energy out of you. Turn it into something good. 

Doodle of the Day

Week Three of Crafting on a Budget: Fun with Words!

For this week's craft, all you need is some paper and a fine point pen or marker! While doing my daily Pinterest browse I was inspired to have some fun with letters and words, so I thought I would do some hand lettering. Here is the result: 

It's my first shot at it, but I will certainly keep practicing. It can be useful for card making, scrapbooking, and eventually addressing envelopes (that is my next task)! Happy Crafting!