Be Motivated Instead of Intimidated

                                         Hey Guys! Have you missed me?

Okay, so I know that I have disappeared for a while but classes have started and there have been some changes in my home front. It usually takes me a couple weeks to a month to really get me in the groove of my class schedule, so that has really taken up some of my time.

 And on my home front, my husband has recently quit his job to put his full effort into pursuing his Real Estate career. So with him being home it has been an adjustment period and we are now finally getting into the groove of things and will be creating a schedule.

 I have also been really been busy hosting guests in my home every week since September. So that doesn’t give a lot of time to write.

But I finally designated time to work on my blog.

Okay, so now that I have updated you on the reasoning behind my absence let me get you up to date on what is going on in my career. I am currently on the search for a photographer to get some headshots, I’ve been looking into taking some acting classes, and I have been filming and editing videos to post on Youtube. I finally posted the Introduction video to my YouTube Channel, which is an extension of my blog. So please be sure to go check it out and another one should be posted shortly.

                                         

                                            A Break From Reality #Welcome

Now I want to talk to you guys about something that I myself struggle with on a daily basis. I get very easily discouraged by other people’s success and I don’t think that is how it should be. Every day I think about what I want to accomplish, whether it be for my career, my looks, or my health , I get discouraged when I see someone out there who does it better than I do and I just end up giving up.

A prime example of this is with my Youtube Channel. I have for four years started and restarted my channel and what happens is I get super excited, come up with all these ideas, and then I start my research and look at other people’s channels and instantly get discouraged. I’d get discouraged for many reasons, whether it be my camera isn’t good enough, or my lighting sucks, or my make-up isn’t good enough, and I think you get the picture.

Recently though my thinking process has changed and I am so glad that it did. My thought is now, “Don’t be intimated or discourage by other people’s success but rather be inspired and motivated”.  All of these people that you look at that are successful in what you want to accomplish, have gotten there by working hard and not letting other people discourage them. Also remember that they had to start somewhere and most likely they started exactly where you are. So don’t be discouraged and give yourself some time to grow.

Alright, guys, I am back, so I will be seeing you next week. Until next time, Stay stress-free. 

Do It All OR Do Nothing At All

I am the type of person that gets overwhelmed very easily. For a long time, my way of thinking really kept me from being productive. When I have a large number of things I have to get done, which is typically every day, I tend to get so overwhelmed that I end up not doing a single thing. In the morning when I wake up I think about all the stuff I need to get done, like, regular household chores, school work and starting my career (not including taking care of my son).

When I start this thinking process my head begins to spiral and I start making little tasks—such as making me something to eat—into a much bigger task than they really are. I get so overwhelmed that I end up not doing a thing. Instead, I curl up on my couch and watch TV all day.

Don’t be mistaken, I take care of my son and make sure that he is fed, cleaned, clothed and entertained, but I do this because his well-being is a priority. 

Yes, I know what you are thinking, isn’t my well-being a priority? It should be… but sometimes it’s not. I tend to feel guilty or overwhelmed when I think about things that benefit me. When I think about doing one thing, I feel guilty for not doing something else that also really needs to get done.

But I recently took a step back in the hopes to find something that would help me be more productive and less overwhelmed.  I’m happy to say that I finally found the solution: To Do Lists. You may laugh at me, but the truth is I make two “To Do Lists” at the beginning of every week. One, on a regular sheet of paper with a pretty highlighter and the second, in my day-planner (which I just got from the best store in the world: Target).

This has really helped me grasp all my thoughts and things I need to get done, so that they are not all floating in my head getting larger by the second.  By having everything written down I am able to prioritize what needs to get done right away and take care of those tasks first.

The next thing I do is the major one; I take EACH task ONE task at a time. This is vital advice for not getting too overwhelmed.One of my problems was that I jumped from task to task until I felt like I was running in circles. 

Now I start and finish a task before I move on to the next, making sure to cross it off my list before doing so. And let me just tell you, I get some weird satisfaction from seeing that highlighter light up my paper as I cross off task by task.

Now, I know that making to do lists isn’t for everyone, but my advice to you is to look up ways of organizing your life until you find what fits you best.  But one thing I feel works for everyone-and I really hope it helps you is taking one task at a time. 

Also, don’t feel guilty if you didn’t get something done or you decided to take a break and watch some TV. There is nothing wrong with taking a little you time, I do it all the time. Just last week I had a few things I didn’t get done. Before, I would’ve felt guilty and overwhelmed because I didn’t get anything done and how I was being so lazy and blah blah blah.  Now, I just say it is ok. I was productive all week. I will just add these things to my “To Do List” for the next week.

So just like I’ve learned to do, I want you to remember this: life is too short to spend your time stressing the small stuff. Until next time, stay stress-free.

Also, Don't forget to follow me on:

                                           My Instagram

Pretending to be Someone You're NOT vs Pretending to be Someone You WANT to be

 Now that is the real question. What is the difference? Some would say that it is the same thing, but I would have to disagree. I believe that one is a way of improving yourself, which everyone should do. And the other is something that is self-damaging and more to satisfy others than yourself. Now, how can one tell the difference between doing something that is not you and doing something that you’re not used to doing so that you can improve yourself? 

I know that it sounds confusing but the reality is that it is confusing. This is something that people struggle with on the daily. Take me for example; I am honestly not the most positive person. However, with my family and friends, I try to give a positive outlook on situations, even though my mind is saying something different. Now some may say I am being fake, but the truth is that I want to think this way and I want to believe what I am saying is true. And honestly, I am not hurting anyone by doing this.

Another example is if someone were to ask me what I do for a living I would tell them, proudly, that I am an actress, even though I have not done a single thing to deserve that title yet.

Now these are two things that I strive to be—an actress and a positive person.  I will continue to fake it till I make it because these are things I believe will make me into the person I want to be.  This is exactly where I believe the phrase “fake till you make it” came from (people who pretend to be someone so that they can better themselves).

Now, all that I ask is that if you can’t tell the difference, just do some soul searching and ask yourself who am I doing this for. And answer honestly. If you’re doing this for yourself and it is making you a better person, then continue doing it no matter what people say. Even if they tell you that you don’t seem like yourself anymore. That may just be a really good thing. It means that you’re going in the right direction.

But now, if you come to find out that you are doing something to satisfy someone else, be it a boyfriend, a parent, a friend or whomever, I ask that you take a step back and really consider making a few changes.Real quick before you go; the reason it took me so long to post this blog is because I’ve just been getting everything together to share with you my next projects. I know I have been talking about it for a while but it’s coming very soon. So please make sure you are following me on Instagram and Snapchat to stay updated with the release of my projects.

                          Snapchat:diliamiranda21            My Instagram

 Until next time, stay stress-free.

Self-Doubt: How Old Were You?

Self-doubt… it can be a crippling thing, am I right? In my last post, Taking A Leap Of Faith, I discussed how in the many times I contemplated whether or not to be an actress and when I’d finally decided to do so I would put obstacles in my way. 

  Taking A Leap Of Faith

The obstacles stopped me from really pursuing my dreams, because what these obstacles actually were, were my own self-doubt and insecurities. These insecurities being, I am too fat, I am not good enough, or I am not good at all and so on and so forth. 

But now I ask myself when did I start to question and doubt myself? When you are a kid you think that your shit don’t stink and that you can do any and everything and there is no one or thing that can stop you. Think about it, you tell a five-year-old girl she’s pretty and she will either say, “I know” or “duh”, she doesn’t doubt it because up until that moment she hasn’t been told otherwise. Or you ask a little boy what is he going to be when he grows up he’ll say a “super hero” or “ninja” without a breath of hesitation. Again, he can say it with such confidence because up until this point he hasn’t been told otherwise. 

Now the question is, at what point do we lose the confidence and what is the cause of it? Is it the media, school, the world? I think all may have a key factor and it’s combination of it all. Yes, the media makes us girls AND boys feel that we need to look a certain way. 

And school sometimes makes us feel that our dreams are not realistic and that we are not smart because we are unable to pass a test. A quote by Albert Einstein says, “Everyone is a genius. But if you test a fish on its ability to climb a tree, then it will spend its entire life believing that it is stupid.” I honestly feel that school does that to its students, by giving ONE kind of test and teaching ONE way and expecting ALL children to understand by this ONE way. 

I don’t remember the exact age but I remember being insecure in elementary school, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I’m just a little girl, what do I have to be insecure about? But I know I am not alone and that thought doesn’t make me feel better.Why do we as people choose to only focus on our negative traits? And those thoughts are like a downward spiral that leads us to thinking negative thoughts towards other people, and then they can feel our judgmental stares leading them to feel even more insecure. 

My insecurities keep me from living my dream as I am sure your insecurities keep you from living yours. I don’t want to let it anymore and I know it is something that may take a while, but step by step and day by day it will get easier. I am going to start by looking in the mirror and finding five good things I like about my looks and five things I like about my personality. And I challenge all of you who are reading this do the same. 

Maybe this is your first time reading my blog or maybe you have been along with me on this journey since the beginning. But all I know is that if you are reading this it is because you are meant to be seeing this. Whoever you are I want you to know that you are beautiful, smart, strong, brave, kind, and funny. You are the best that you can be and that is all that matters.  

This is what my message is for this post, to share my insecurities and hopefully help others overcome theirs. Don’t doubt yourself because I am tired of doubting myself and I know you are too. 

Until next time, stay stress-free. 

Here are some fun motivating things for self-image:

These are two of my favorite shows at the moment; the women in it are confident in who they are and they don't have the most perfect bodies and that is motivating to me as an actress. Both are on Netflix so I highly recommend it. 

This video of ToothBrush by DNCE is also very motivating and inspirational for young girls out there. That you are beautiful no matter what shape you are. 

Toothbrush by DNCE

Taking A Leap Of Faith

Man oh man do I have a post for you today. So in my last post I talked about changing my perspective and feeling blessed instead of stressed. I also talked about having a calm before the storm hit, well… the calm did not last as long as I thought it would. 

In fact, it lasted about two to three days. Yeah….two or three days after posting I got laid off from my job. It hit me pretty hard because I did not see it coming. Even though I should have: The owner had just moved to another state and I kept hearing there were going to be changes. Well I didn’t know the changes meant the newest hires had to go. Well, I immediately went into my old ways and started to sink into self pity and feel bad for myself.

 But then something different happened, I caught myself and quickly switched gears. Feeling sorry for myself was not going to change my circumstances. So I went out applied somewhere and got a job within two days. My start date was July 5^th which meant I had plenty of time to enjoy time with my son and just enjoy relaxation before I got back into the grind.

Well something happened in those two weeks and this Monday I had an epiphany. All this time I have been talking about taking action and really working toward being an actress and I have been honest about my journey—the ups and the downs.

Making the decision to become an actress and really going for it has been something I struggled with since I was a little girl. I’ve gone back and forth “Yes I do. No I don’t.” and at times I have even tried convincing myself that this is not something I want. 

Why? Because my dream terrifies me, which is true for everyone’s dream I’m sure.

 Every time I’d talk myself out of wanting to be an actress I would feel sad, angry, and lost. It may seem cliché but it is true, I was fighting against myself. What scared me? Well many things, one being I believed that I would have to sacrifice my family and I would never be able to keep a marriage if I made it. Which is not true and deep down I know that. Another reason I came up with once I got married and had a baby was that to make it I have to make big sacrifices that I couldn’t do because I had family to help support.  

But when I push my doubts aside and decide to go for it, I end up putting 100 obstacles in my way that keep me from going for it 100%. It’s like a never ending cycle.

Now back to my epiphany that I had on Monday. I was thinking about everything, my life, my dreams, my son, my husband, this job I was going to start. I was feeling unhappy and I wasn’t sure why… I got a job and everything was going to be okay so why did I feel like the opposite. I decided to instead of watching and endless parade of “Boy Meets World” (Throwback :p) I would do something productive and listen to a motivational book. I am not a huge fan of audio books or even motivational books (my mom and husband are always trying to get me to read and I never do). So when I decided I needed some guidance, I decided why not?

I picked Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robins because I felt that he would be the easiest to bare because I really like him. While listening that is when it hit me. It was crazy and it scared me beyond belief, but more than that it excited me and I felt like this is it! 

This is what I NEED to do to finally make my dreams come true. I started to cry and as I am writing this I’m getting choked up and teary-eyed. I was so motivated that I listened to whole book that day. Get on with it already!!! I know I am rambling but this is a BIG DEAL and I want make sure you get the full story. So when this decision came to me I had to talk to Mario (my husband) and make sure I had his full support, and of course him being the most supportive loving guy in the world he did and he was excited for me, the decision was final.

I DECIDED NOT TO GO BACK TO WORK AND ONLY FOCUS ON MY ACTING. Okay some of you are like “That’s it? Really? I read all this for that?” But the thing is, that is a big deal for me. It terrifies to me because we have a son, a house and bills to pay for. And it’s a scary thing to do and we will be tight with money and things will get hard. But this is something I have to do if I am ever going to really go for it. Anyone who has been successful has had to make a decision and do something that people thought they were crazy for doing. THIS is my thing. I live my life in fear. Fear of everything and I am tired of it and I am choosing to BE BRAVE.

So that is my advice for this post guys, BE BRAVE. Guys, I know going for your dreams can be scary but you know what’s scarier? NEVER going for your dreams. You will spend your life sad, angry, or lost. Be brave and just go for it. Whatever that big scary step may be for you, just take that leap of faith. I guarantee you’ll come out stronger and better in the end.

Until next time guys, Stay stress free.

If you are in need of any motivation listen to Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robins. The link is below.

Awaken the Giant Within

And I am currently listening to You’re a Badass by Jen Sincero; this book just confirmed that the decision I was making was the right one. You can find this book on audible.com