Personal Growth

Thoughts on a Mindset Shift to Quality over Quantity

What does quality over quantity mean?

Choosing quality over quantity means prioritizing a few key items over lots of most times mediocre things. It could refer to belongings like clothes or even friendships. For belongings, it also means that maybe you spend more money on a few really classic pieces that will last forever versus buying a bunch of cheap trendy pieces that you’ll get sick of fast or that won’t hold up as well.

For friendships, maybe you focus on the few people in your life who make you feel the best, who show up for you and love you unconditionally versus having tons of casual acquaintances in your feed. It’s about being picky with who we decide to use our energy/time and spend our money on.

Quality Clothing and the Benefits of Minimalism

To illustrate the concept of quality over quantity examples, I’ll take you back to the eighties. I was a kid growing up in eighties America and one of my best friends’ parents divorced and her mom moved her back to France. She would come to visit her dad every summer, so we were joined at the hip the whole time. I had tons of colorful clothes with hearts and stars and patterns that I’d change multiple times a day and she would always be in the same grey dress or white shirt. My bathing suits were two piece and glittery with ruffles. She had a blue speedo that she wore every summer.

When she got $200 one summer for helping out at her dad’s shop, she went out and bought a pair of black pants, a crisp white shirt, and a new sweater. My 13-year-old brain did not compute. But she said these are quality pieces that I can wear for years. The French mentality vs. my American teenage brain were on opposite sides. There is no right or wrong in this scenario but it just illustrates the difference in perspective. Years later she told me she was always jealous of all my fun and colorful clothes.

It always stuck in my brain even though for years I still continued to be a clothes and shoes horse, especially vintage fun and wacky pieces. For the last decade or so though, I have embraced a mostly minimalist approach to all of my belongings. Focusing on quality pieces, the ones that make me the happiest, and feel like a true expression of me. It just so happens that my color palette has somewhat muted and most days I prefer neutral tones because it’s easy and makes my mind feel calm.

In fact, I wrote an article on “8 Awesome Aspects of Creating a Capsule Wardrobe to Energize your Routine.” The article includes all of the benefits you can experience by simplifying and creating a minimalist wardrobe. And if you’re looking for some suggestions, this article from Durability Matters includes some of the clothing brands that I look to.

But my absolute favorite for saving up money on super quality, well-made, thoughtful, and gorgeous clothes is hands down always TOAST. I’m in love with everything they do and stand for. If you haven’t heard of them, please give them some love.

Here are some great quality over quantity quotes to inspire a shift in mindset:

Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles. – Steve Jobs
A bad investment is going for quantity over quality. If you’re trying to be careful with your wallet, especially with the economy right now, you have to choose staple pieces. – Christian Siriano
We measure genius by quality, not by quantity. – Wendell Philips
It is quality rather than quantity that matters. – Seneca
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. – Henry Ford
Quality, not quantity, is my measure. – Douglas William Jerrold
Quality is the best business plan. – John Lasseter
Being busy does not make you better or more successful. Quality, not quantity is what is important. – Tamara Taggart

Quality over quantity relationships

Now back to the friend front, I have a few super important friends in my life that I nurture my relationship with above all others. These are friends who have seen some of my worst moments and say, well you think you’re the only one? Welcome to the club! They are the best people I know who have no objective other than loving each other and being there when we need to laugh, vent, cry or whatever is coming up in the moment.

I would rather have 1 amazing best friend than 100 decent regular friends. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. – Connor Franta
You don’t need everyone to love you. Just a few good people. – Charity Barnum

For people who are introverts and highly sensitive, it can be very rewarding to focus on a few key relationships and it also helps to temper social anxiety and overwhelm. That’s not to say that you cut out friends or only have a few. I have tons of fabulous friends and acquaintances in my life who I love to spend time and connect with. And I’m so appreciative and grateful to have so many people in my life. I just know the few calls I’m gonna make more regularly because I just miss my few closest buds if too much time passes.

So if you’re wanting to save some money, save time and energy, feel less scattered, then it’s worth exploring how you’re prioritizing these things in your life. It’s a gentle reminder to explore your perspective and see if there’s a desire and space to make shifts in your thinking.

The Top 10 Best Self-Help Podcasts You Need To Listen To

Are you looking for some awesome podcasts to help you grow and learn how to be better at life? I’ve got you covered.

Here are 10 of my absolute favorite best self-help podcasts that I listen to on the regular. These are podcasts that I’ve gained so much from personally by listening to multiple episodes on my commute when I was commuting in The Before Times and when I’m cleaning. I love to listen to podcasts when I’m cleaning because it makes the process of cleaning more fun plus there’s the added benefit of learning something new that will help you at the same time.

So without further ado, here they are! All of the links to the podcasts I’ll share will be to Spotify so you can easily click and listen. The podcasts range from tried and true voices like Oprah all the way to some young emerging voices in the self-help arena. I love that so many young brilliant women are taking on the podcast world by storm and making it happen.

Super Soul

“Awaken, discover and connect to the deeper meaning of the world around you with Super Soul. Hear Oprah’s personal selection of her interviews with thought-leaders, best-selling authors, spiritual luminaries, as well as health and wellness experts. All designed to light you up, guide you through life’s big questions and help bring you one step closer to your best self.”

Personally, some of the very first episodes and series are some of my favorites with Brené Brown, Paulo Coehlo, and Deepak Chopra. Brené Brown’s two-part interview is all about how being more vulnerable can make our lives more meaningful (Part 1) and how to move past shame (Part 2).

The second episode is one of Oprah’s famous “aha-a moments.” Paulo Coehlo’s was power. If you’re wrestling with the meaning of life, check these two episodes out. I mean, everything Coehlo writes hits me in the soul spot. They talk about why you’re here (on earth in this life experience), what’s your personal purpose here, how to keep the faith on your journey… It’s just so sweet. Here’s Part 1 and Part 2 in Spotify.

Unlocking Us

“We are hardwired for connection, and connecting requires courage, vulnerability, and conversation. I want this to be a podcast that’s real, unpolished, honest, and reflects both the magic and the messiness of what it means to be human. Episodes will include conversations with the people who are teaching me, challenging me, confusing me, or maybe even ticking me off a little.”

And of course Brené Brown has her own podcast, Unlocking Us. I loved the episode with Dolly Parton. I’ve heard a few different interviews with Dolly Parton and they are always super interesting. She’s such a profound songwriter and her attitude towards life’s challenges always blows me away.

I love the bit especially about the power of truth-telling.

Limitless Life

“Chances are, you’ve been sold a version of success that isn’t actually yours. It often sounds like: follow the accepted path, get approval from other people, and evidently, abandon the truth of who you are. Hard pass. With a lovable blend of wisdom and humor, Limitless Life™ is here to realign you to your inner guidance, self love, and infinite possibility.”

If you’re in the blogging world, you’ve probably come across Melyssa Griffin’s work. She’s a freaking ray of positivity that everyone needs in their lives. Think of her as your life cheerleader to be the best you there is and who will cheer you on to do what you were made to.

I follow her on Instagram too and her stories and posts are always so full of good vibes and real honest experience and authenticity. I’m not even sure where to start here, but some good episodes to dip your toe in include the one with Ashley Stahl on creating a career you love, accepting yourself through compassionate awareness with Alyssa Nobriga, and choosing wholeness instead of self-abandonment.

Whew, yes, please.

Highest Self

“Author Sahara Rose @IAmSaharaRose is the fresh young voice for the modern spiritual movement, called “a leading voice in the millennial generation into the new paradigm shift” by Deepak Chopra. She shares how you can tune into your unique gifts, find your purpose, fulfill your mission, live in your Dharma and blossom into your highest self.”

Sahara Rose’s podcast has been on my radar to check out for a while and I’m just now getting into it. What’s nice is that she’s got some shorter episodes that are like 15-30 minutes and then some meatier ones that go to an hour and more. So you can get a taste of her style and see if it resonates with you. I tend to like starting from the beginning because I’m just linear like that with organizing. So a good place to start is her first episode from 2017 where she gives a nice intro into the podcast and what she’s going to talk about.

Self-Helpless

“As featured on Conan and The Tonight Show, Self-Helpless dives into all things self-improvement with Type A comedians Delanie Fischer, Kelsey Cook, and Taylor Tomlinson.”

Who doesn’t need a little self-help comedy in our lives?

There’s a tendency in the self-help arena to be very serious and I find myself doing it in my writing sometimes. There are times when the last thing you want is to continuously read about the self-help positivity tropes and just want some real shit. While these ladies are funny AF, there is real substance in these episodes.

I’m an adult child of divorce (parents split when I was 2 and there were multiple marriages and divorces after that), so I resonated so hard with this episode on adult children of divorce with Nishima Gupta. I appreciate the fact that they play off each other and don’t shy away from talking about hard topics like sexual abuse and sobriety.

Almost 30

“We dive deep into topics like modern spirituality to health and wellness, aliens to entrepreneurship, social justice, and self development. With every episode, our mission is to empower you, expand what you think is possible and, make you laugh – a lot. We are honest, open, and above all, human. We are committed to learning right alongside you in real time so we can all find growth in every moment together.”

Just having cracked my 40’s last year, it’s refreshing to listen to Almost 30 because Krista and Lindsey are so fun to listen to and they’ve achieved so much at a young age. Listening to them makes me feel like embracing my youngness at heart. They are so frank, funny, and it feels like you’re chatting with your girlfriends, the ones who you really love in your inner circle.

I just got done listening to their episode about leaving LA because I live in LA and have been lusting over the greener grass of the country and having a yard again. It’s interesting to listen to their explorations of spirituality and perspectives on life changes.

Optimal Living Daily

“I read you the best content on personal development, minimalism, productivity, and more, with author permission. Think of Optimal Living Daily as an audioblog or blogcast where the best blogs are narrated for you for free.”

ODP is great for a quick few minute listen (episodes range from 7-10 minutes) for daily lessons and reminders about things like setting healthy boundaries, creating a self-help routine, how to meditate anywhere at anytime.

Justin Malik basically just reads other people’s blogs on personal development and related topics. It’s a little bit dry at times because of that. It also doesn’t have a conversational and more engaging vibe like a lot of the others, but it’s got some great quick tips. I also like that the material comes from a host of different authors.

The Self Love Fix

“The self love fix podcast is a podcast all about helping WOC delve deeper into self love, self worth, personal development, self esteem and self care. Here on the self love fix we get relatable, we laugh, we cry, we heal, but most of all we learn about the truth of who we are and what we deserve.”

Beatrice Kamau is the host of the Self Love Fix podcast and is an inner child healing coach. It’s great to see a woman of color supporting other women of color to cultivate self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem. I really got a lot out of this episode on abandonment, re-parenting, and relationships.

The traumas we experience in our families of origin are some of the most impactful factors that influence our journey through life. I love her focus on the inner child and delving into healing and peeling back the layers to look into ourselves.

Mindful in Minutes

“Short, weekly guided meditations to help you find mindfulness in simply minutes. Join Kelly Smith, founder of Yoga For You, for simple and grounded meditations that help you with real life issues like anxiety, insomnia, self-esteem and manifestation. All meditations are 20 minutes or less bringing you what you need to find mindfulness in just minutes.”

Mindful in Minutes has some great short episodes, including some great meditations. But I really love some of the longer episodes, like this one called self-love freeform. Kelly is the host and she shares her self-love journey and gives fair warning about triggers and for me, is super relatable.

Sometimes when I was listening to her it was like hearing myself talk. I resonated with how she just laid her soul out there and shared her personal experience. It’s interesting because she talks about how alone she felt as a kid, which Nishima Gupta talks about in the Self-Helpless podcast linked above.

Emotional Badass

“Emotional Badasses are survivors, thrivers, seekers, and healers! Expand and awaken to your higher purpose, be more present and authentic, find strength in spirituality, quiet the monkey mind of modern society with meditation, and connect deeply with yourself and safe others.”

I’m writing this post a few days before Mother’s Day and it’s perfect timing with Nikki Eisenhauer’s latest episode on Mother’s Day and family trauma. It’s especially poignant for people with painful or challenging relationships with their mother or father for that matter. Her content is so thoughtful and cuts right to the real real of fucked up family dynamics. I am going to text this episode right now to all of my friends and family who need to hear it. 👨‍❤️‍👨 On a related note, if you’ve made it to the end, you may be interested in my post on 10 powerful emotional self-care practices to get stronger.

If you listen to any of the best of the best self-help podcasts for the first time and find a new resource or connection, let me know in the comments. Also, if you’re looking for some good self-help reads, check out my posts on some of my favorite self-help books here and here. 📚

10 Powerful Emotional Self-Care Practices to Get Stronger

What is emotional self-care?

Emotional self-care is to be conscious of and name your feelings, sit with them, feel them in a way that honors you and emotion and builds emotional intelligence through self-reflection.

Emotions will come out in some form 100% of the time. If you sit with them and allow yourself to feel the feels, versus running away or ignoring or suppressing, you are giving yourself the chance to work through the emotion so that you, versus it, are at the controls.

Why is emotional self-care important?

Emotional self-care is critical to enjoying life’s experiences. A healthy mind with well-developed emotional intelligence can experience the same event as a mind struggling with mental health through a more grounded perspective.

Why is that so powerful? Outside events have less power to push your emotions around. Think of the difference between a sapling and a tree when a strong wind blows. The sapling whips all over the place while the tree sways gently back and forth.

We’ve all heard that the mind, body, and spirit are connected. Modern Western tends to prioritize taking care of the body, which is 100% critical. But taking care of the mind is equally important. For someone who has had mental health struggles, I’d argue it’s even more so.

You can be super physically fit or not, you can have no physical disabilities or have a disability – and you can be emotionally fit in any of those scenarios or a complete mess. Regardless of your physical reality, your emotional perspective will dictate whether you are content, satisfied, miserable, or ambivalent.

“How is it that we spend more time taking care of our teeth than we do our minds?”
-Dr. Guy Winch

After you’re done reading, scroll back up and take 15 minutes to watch this super powerful TED Talk by Dr. Guy Winch on practicing emotional first aid. It is worth more than the time it will take to listen to!

What are examples of emotional self-care?

Below are ten simple intentions to practice emotional self-care in your everyday experience:

Create boundaries for yourself

Protecting ourselves from others’ energy is critical for balancing our emotions, especially if that energy is negative or triggering.

Other people may not even realize that their energy or needs affect you.

It can also be hard for friends or family to get used to you creating healthy boundaries for yourself, and they may even take it personally if they’re not used to it. You don’t need to explain yourself, but you certainly can let them know that your boundary doesn’t mean you care about them any less, that it’s about you taking care of your needs.

Say no to being busy

The following quote from Courtney Carver says it perfectly.

I don’t say no because I am so busy. I say no because I don’t want to be busy.
-Courtney Carver

See my post on 365 Quotes for Every Day of Your Bullet Journal for more awesome inspiration!

Saying no to things is a way to protect your time and space. It gives you back time and space to focus on what you want to do with your time. But it also helps you to remember that you have choices.

Just because there’s an expectation for you to do something does not mean you have to.

Work on managing your stress

My husband and I just got home from a hike, and I talked about how stressful my job is (again for the 100th time).

Sometimes, depending on our life circumstances, there will be periods that are more stressful than others. Right now, my job is the most stressful thing in my life, with lots of deadlines, huge expectations, lots of people watching, and plenty of opportunities to make mistakes.

But, I have the choice to leave whenever I want and seek out another job that requires less of my mental and emotional bandwidth.

So, every day that I choose to do the job, I know that is my decision and what I focus on is how to manage the stress better and better wherever I can. It’s not always easy, but small changes make a difference that adds up over time.

Ways that I manage my stress every day are to:

Delegate tasks where I can
Making sure I communicate clearly
Set boundaries on my time
Listen to my body when it’s sore and tight from sitting all day and moving
Eat well to fuel myself with health energy and push me forward
Go easy on myself when I start to lay on the judgy vibes

Create and lean on your support system

If you don’t have a support system in place, that should be top on the list of your self-care needs. My support system includes my therapist, a women’s process group that meets every week, my husband, mom, and some of my closest friends.

Knowing that there are people to reach out to for help when you need it, whether it’s to get together for some laughs or talk through something challenging, gives a sense of confidence that you can handle whatever life throws your way.

Ask your support system for help right when you start to feel overwhelmed.

We all need support at different points, and you’ll probably be able to return the favor sooner than you know.

Stop saying how are you; try saying it’s nice to see you instead

I recently heard Sah D’Simone talking about this, and it resonated. If you haven’t discovered Sah yet, get ready for some positivity and love and just all the goodness. I highly recommend binge-watching his IG feed.

Asking how someone is can feel like a “verbal filler.”

Next time you ask someone how they are, think about whether you want to know how they are. Most of the time, it’s just something we say to fill the space as a nicety. And most of the time, when it’s asked of us, we say okay, or good, or some vanilla answer to return the social gesture. But what if instead, we try saying it’s nice to see you.

Let it be okay to let things be and not over-explain your actions

Sometimes I still struggle with this one, especially in work settings where you’re dealing with power dynamics.

If something you said or did makes you feel like you need to go back and explain yourself, take a breath, let it rest, and take some time to think it through.

This happened to me the other night when I got done with a meeting; I thought something I said offended one of my colleagues. When we got off the video call, I immediately started to text him and ask if anything was off. Then I talked with myself to put the phone down, and it was probably fine, which it was.

Remember, you don’t need to explain anything to anyone else.

Do what you feel is right for yourself at the moment. If you would have made a different decision in retrospect or handled it differently, you will do it next time. That’s how we learn and grow. Every day we have the chance to be a better version of ourselves, for ourselves. Which, by the way, is not a reflection of our value.

Feel your emotions without judgment, shame, or uncertainty

Emotions are beautiful and what makes us human. Just look at how many emotions there are on the “feeling wheel.”

As much as you can, don’t be hard on yourself for how you feel or what you feel. Our experiences shape how we process emotion. Much of what happens around us shapes how we think of ourselves, even though it is not who we are.

We learn as we grow how to feel our emotions, especially those that may have caused us to feel uncomfortable, judge ourselves, feel shameful, guilty, or uncertain in ourselves. All that said, it’s not like there’s a switch that you can flip to be able to start being a master emotion feeler, so take it easy and give yourself the grace and space to learn how to be open to your emotions, whatever they may be.

The feeling wheel is a super useful tool to better understand more accurately what you’re feeling. For example, feelings of sadness can mean different things.

Are you feeling stupid, inadequate, or apathetic?

Once you can zero in on what you’re feeling, you can start to figure out what’s causing it, why it’s making you feel that way, and how you can make shifts to feel better.

Discover how to appreciate your own company

For some of us, this has always been easy, myself included.

I’m an introvert and homebody, so entertaining myself has never been a problem. But I have plenty of friends who find it hard to be alone with themselves.

If you don’t enjoy your own company, why would you expect anyone else to?

Plus, if you learn to be comfortable with yourself when it’s quiet and still think of the feeling of calmness and grounding, that would allow you to feel.

Express your feelings in a safe space and in appropriate ways

It is so essential to express your feelings, especially when something is bothering you, or you can’t quite figure out how you’re feeling. The more you share with others, the better you’ll know who you can share with in different situations.

I think back on when I leaned on friends and family to help me figure out challenging mental health issues. They were happy to support me and try to help, which was everything at the time. But now that I know I can call my therapist and have a weekly group call to share and get feedback, it’s given me a whole new sense of confidence in my self-resolve.

Sharing does wonders to normalize so many things we go through and feel so strongly about. Sometimes the feelings are so powerful; you forget that you’re not the only person on the planet going through life. We’re all out there doing our best!

Determine to forgive yourself

We all need a little more grace these days. Work on giving yourself the permission to make mistakes and not beat yourself up if things don’t go as planned. You are not the same person you were yesterday, never mind the year or five years before. The person who made that decision back then is not the same one in the mirror today. Today, you may make a different decision thanks to the time and experience that has taught you more each day. If you can master self-forgiveness, watch out, world!

Thanks for making it to the end. If this post resonated with you, please stay in touch and watch out for new posts as they come out! If you like this post, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Self-Care in 2021.

How to Use Affirmations and Examples for Confidence, Self-forgiveness, Self-love and Money Mindset

Affirmations are a powerful tool to support achieving your goals, build a habit of thinking positively, develop confidence, show yourself love, and achieve success in love and money. Before starting out on your affirmation journey, it will help to understand a bit more about what they are, how they work, and what it’s really all about. So let’s get into it.

What do affirmations mean?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines affirmations as “emotional support or encouragement.” Affirmations are a short saying or sentence that you say to yourself for encouragement or inspiration. An affirmation example is, “Each day that I wake, I give thanks.” Affirmations are also intended to state the truth, especially your truth, as the root verb of affirmation is to affirm or to tell the truth. So each time you say an affirmation, you are reinforcing your belief in the truth about who you are and what you want in life and combating negative self-talk.

How do affirmations work?

You may be asking, “Do affirmations REALLY work?” The answer is yes.

Just like building any good habit, affirmations work by regularly self-affirming your values and integrity and building a positive mental muscle. It’s just like when you establish a steady exercise habit, it becomes easier to do the thing. It may feel corny or silly at first to say affirmations out loud, but there have actually been studies on the effectiveness of affirmations, based on the self-affirmation theory. The theory says that we have the motivation to maintain self-integrity and see ourselves as competent, stable, good, and trustworthy to ourselves.

It reassures us that we don’t have to be a super mom, or the smartest person in the room, or the most successful business entrepreneur; we only have to act in alignment with our own values and be true to ourselves.

Do you need to say affirmations out loud?

You should say affirmations out loud because it forms an auditory link in our memory. Think about a time when you said something you wish you hadn’t, and you keep hearing it over and over in your head. The same concept applies here.

Imagine that you wrote down and then said out loud, maybe a few times, “My voice is valuable and my opinion matters.” Maybe the next time you start to worry about something you said, this more positive and affirming statement coming from your own voice will remind you that what you have to say matters. It’s a mental muscle memory that starts to embed in our subconscious mind.

The more you affirm your values out loud, the stronger they will resonate.

Are affirmations permanent?

The results from affirmations can be permanent if you are consistent, just like developing an exercise habit or a healthy eating habit. It takes regularity and mental training for your thinking patterns to shift and for them to strengthen over time so they stick. An important part of the practice for lasting change is to reflect on whether the affirmations you choose are tied to deeper issues. If that is the case, then other interventions may be warranted to really get to the root of the matter, like journaling, talk therapy, or joining a process group.

I am not a professional, but what I am is someone who has tried all of the above over the last couple of decades. If it feels like there’s more to what you’re working on, BetterHelp is a good resource to explore.

How long do affirmations take to work?

If you regularly practice, training your mind to think positively and believe the truth of who you are, you can expect to start noticing a shift in your thinking in about two to three months. That range is based on an often-cited study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology which found that it takes about 66 days on average for new habits to become automatic. The exact amount time will vary person to person, but 2-3 months is a good benchmark to work from.

Affirmations Lists

Powerful affirmations for confidence

It is well studied and documented that there is a confidence gap between men and women. Evidence shows that women are less self-assured than men-and that to succeed, confidence matters as much as competence. This article in The Atlantic is a fascinating study on the confidence gap.

The authors also have this confidence quiz if you’re curious about how confident you are based on their rankings. I took the quiz and based on my answers I have a medium confidence level and they included useful tips on how to improve your confidence with the test results.

The point in sharing this is to support the fact that the truth of who you are as a good, worthy, important, valuable human being does not change based on if you believe it. It’s a fact and it’s true. Saying affirmations is only a reminder to yourself of that fact. In other words, the purpose isn’t to convince you of something just to make you feel better, but it’s really to remember the truth that you are enough just by because you are here, period.

I am allowed to take up space
I am confident and powerful
I radiate confidence, self-respect, and inner peace
I love and respect myself
I am in full control of my life
There is nothing I cannot overcome
I am successful in everything I try
I am smart enough to make my own decisions
I am a good person
I do not need validation from others
I am becoming more confident each day
I deserve all that is good
My voice is valuable and my opinion matters
I believe in my capabilities
I am in command of how I react to others
I am smart and able
I am beautiful
I am enough

Affirmations for self-forgiveness and healing

We are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up for our past actions and obsess over how we could have said something better or done something differently. At least some of us, especially women, are professional self smack talkers.

It can be a lifelong practice to be gentle with ourselves and normalize our life experiences. This is one of those areas I have to focus on regularly, as I have a healthy dose of perfectionism and a dash of imposter syndrome.

I am human
I forgive myself
I am allowed to make mistakes
I acted in the best way I was able to at that moment
My past is not a reflection of my future
I have grown as a person
I am grateful for improved insight and the chance to make a more desirable choice from now on
I accept _________ about myself
I permit myself to be at peace with ____________
I consciously release the past and live only in the present

Morning affirmations for self-love

Starting your day off with powerful morning affirmations can frame the rest of the day with a positive mindset. If you are someone who likes to do morning meditations and using prompts, I linked a great 10 minutes meditation video with lots of morning affirmations for abundance, self-love, positivity, and spiritual connection below.

The world needs me
Today I choose happiness
I deserve to be happy
I choose peace
I believe in myself
Today is a fresh start
Today is going to be a good day
Every day is an opportunity to learn
I will succeed today
Today I will be my best
I choose to stop apologizing for being myself
I love my body and all it does for me
I choose to be grateful for all that I have
I attract wonderful people into my life
I am creating a beautiful life
I am worthy of love and attention

Powerful affirmations for money

Positive thinking around money is such a loaded issue. So many of us are stuck in this mind trap that we either don’t deserve wealth, or that there’s something “bad” about being rich, or that it’s impossible to imagine a reality where we don’t have to worry about money. That’s where the opportunity lays though in starting to shift our mindset to one where we can use the law of attraction in our affirmations for money.

If you don’t think you can achieve something, then you won’t set goals and steps to achieve those goals. Starting a mental exercise of thinking positively about growing abundance, building wealth, and having a healthy relationship to money is where it all begins.

I deserve to flourish in life and be well-off.
Money is a means to transform my life
Money can expand the possibilities of my life
I commit to spending my money sensibly
Having money doesn’t make me a bad person
I control money, it doesn’t dominate me
I can be financially independent
Money flows to me easily
I have a plan of action so I am clear about my finances
I am deserving of a stable financial foundation
I can handle any barriers to achieve my money goals

Takeaways on practicing affirmations

Starting a practice of saying affirmations regularly can create new energy in your life in areas you want to grow in. There’s literally no downside to giving it a try and see how your thought patterns improve over time. If there are affirmations you have tried that have made a difference in your life, share them in the comments.

I hope you benefitted from reading this article and it inspired you to give affirmations a try.

3 Tips on How to Create a Vision Board to Manifest Your Dreams

The point of making a vision board is to dream big, without any societal or logistical limitations. It changes your mindset because it is playful and doesn’t have to be grounded by reality, or your perception of reality.

So your heart is free to open wide and add any goal or desire without fear of being judged. And once you’ve allowed the inspiration to flow out of you and manifest in a physical form, you can put somewhere you’ll see it regularly to stay inspired and be motivated to take actions towards the vision you created.

You have permission to think up whatever you want and put ideas and images that represent things in life that inspire you or that house you always dream of or the trip you think of when you’re stuck in a Zoom meeting.

When you’re in the moment of finding words and images to add to your board, you have the space to get excited and allow yourself to loosen up and throw ideas on that most tend to squash because of your own judgments, or what society tells us are right or acceptable.

Because it’s all for fun, and that’s what makes it so meaningful.

Creating a vision board is easy. Even if you’re not artistic at all, you can make an awesome vision board.

How? All you need is a few supplies and you’ll be ready to dream.

What do you need to create a vision board?

The first thing you need to create a vision board is some time to play and an open mind. I have create vision boards using all sorts of materials. Here’s a list of the basics that you’ll need to get started.

Board: It doesn’t need to be fancy. Use poster board, an old canvas you don’t like, or even a cardboard box (who doesn’t have a few of these lying around). *Bonus, creating vision boards reduces waste and reuses materials that may have ended up in the trash or, hopefully, the recycling bin.
Scissors: I prefer to use Fiskars because they are so sturdy, but any good pair will do. (Check them out on Amazon; they’re pretty reasonable.)
Glue: I always use a glue stick. I like it better than using liquid glue because it tends to get tacky faster and it’s way less messy.
Magazines: Any will do, but if you have a stack of magazines laying around on topics you enjoy, all the better. But you can find inspiring words, images, even cool-looking letters you can remake into words, in almost any old magazine.
Books: I am not a fan of destroying books, but if you have old books laying around that no one is doing anything with, especially kinda cruddy old books but that may have cool images and fonts, then why not? I’ve done this before with old childrens’ books I’ve picked up at yard sales.
Markers and Colored Pencils: You can draw shapes, words, frames, or anything around images that you are gluing to your board to give it some flare or emphasize a certain image or word. One thing that is fun to do is try and emphasize the points that you’re the most excited about, so it kind of prioritizes your vision.
Photos: Sometimes adding your own photos can be a fun addition to your board. Especially if there’s an activity you used to do and want to try again, or a feeling you remember that you want to focus on that a photo captures. But adding photos is totally optional.
Mixed Media: You can also get a little 3D with it and add found objects (though you may need a glue gun depending on how heavy whatever you’re adding is). Things like feathers, small shells, little pieces of driftwood, and other small objects can be fun to add if they represent a time, place, feeling, or symbol that you want on your board.

What are some examples of vision boards?

The last vision board I made was a few years ago. But one of the reasons I’m writing about them now is I’ve been feeling like making a new one because so much has changed in that time. The last one I made was before I met my husband, and I was so ready to find true love. So you’ll see in the picture below, that love was a huge theme. I didn’t feel the need to fill in all of the spaces, which is how I like my home too.

I like leaving space to breathe.

I recently visited my mom’s house when she was moving so we went through a bunch of old paperwork and art from my childhood. I had forgotten about a lot of it, but it was amazing how all of the memories came rushing back when I saw old vision boards I created in high school and college. Here are some snippets from a vision board I created when I was about 20 years old.

I used magazines, an old piece of a note that was inspiring, stickers, photos, rose petals, ribbon (which it’s all now a bit brown), and a sketch of a girl I had done in high school. So if you do like to sketch or draw or any other 2D art form, you can clip from old work if you don’t want to keep it for anything else, especially if it represents something you want to strive for or it hold positive feelings for you.

What should I put on a vision board?

Now you may be excited to start a vision board, but not sure about what to put on it. To get you started, here are some questions to use as prompts:

Where do you want to be in five years?
If you could live anywhere, what would it look like?
What feeling do you want to have when you wake up in the morning?
If you could spend your days doing what you love the most, what would your day be like?
What does your highest and best self look like?
What is your why?
What kinds of experiences do you want to look back on when you’re older?

I’ll leave you with a video of Oprah talking about her visioning process and manifesting her dreams. It’s a quick clip but there are a few super insightful nuggets to get you on your way.

I hope you’re inspired to play and create a vision board today! It’s so much fun to dream big and give yourself permission to imagine and wonder. Visioning is the first step in making plans to get to where you want to be, and it can truly inspire and motivate you to start taking action to achieve whatever it is in life that you want. Looking for more fun activities this weekend? You may like my ultimate list of weekend activities.

Let me know if you create a vision board! I would love to update this post with your creations.

Happy visioning!