5 Effortless Steps To Becoming A Morning Person

Wouldn't it be wonderful, if living the life of a morning person were something that came more easily to us all? Just imagine all that we could accomplish with having some of that extra time each day! But unfortunately, for those of us who are natural born night-owls, it's never been quite that simple, until now!

"The early bird catches the worm."

It's no secret that some of the most successful people out there are indeed morning people. Which makes a huge amount of sense, they're more willing to make the most out of their time and not waste a moment of the life they've been given. Which is pretty darn admirable. So without further ado, today I will be sharing with you five of my absolute favorite and effortless tips that have helped me to rise and shine more often! It will take some time and practice for your new habits to form, but these are definitely things that can and will have you well on your way to transitioning into that early-bird you've secretly always wanted to be!

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1. GO TO BED AT LEAST AN HOUR EARLIER  

Please allow me to start off this list by being a total captain obvious for a second...Getting the proper amount of sleep is VITAL. Not just for this, but for life in general. I mean, as much as we all would love it, we simply cannot spend our entire night up until the crack of dawn, binge-watching our favorite shows on Netflix and then expect to wake up at a decent hour to take on the day like a boss, it just ain't happening. Now obviously, I don't have a way of knowing when your head actually hits the pillow at night, but my best guess is, that since you're reading this, attempting to drift off to dreamland a little sooner than usual, couldn't hurt!

2. SET YOURSELF A NEW ROUTINE 

Setting up a proper morning routine will be very beneficial to you in the process of becoming more of a morning person. Starting your routine in the evening will help you get the proper amount of rest you need in order to make waking up bright and early seem a little less painful. I typically start my routine settling down about an hour or so before bed. I'll make an effort to turn off most electronics, brush my teeth and wash my face, then I'll sit down and find something relaxing to do such as reading my devotional, so I can allow my mind to slow its roll for the night.

Then loosely planning out some things that can help you get up and get moving is crucial. I don't know about you, but if I lump around on the couch after getting up out of bed, I just end up focusing even more on how tired I am. So, you're actually doing yourself a favor by diving into the day! You don't have to overly complicate this process, start out small by making the bed, grabbing a bite to eat, then taking a nice long shower to give yourself a boost of energy. You'll be left feeling less tired and more productive. I mean, that's a total win, right?  

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3. NO SCREENS BEFORE BED  

Don't roll your eyes at me, you know you spend hours before bed scrolling through social media until the very last minute. But trust me, if you put forth an effort to put that bad habit to an end, you're not going to regret it. I had a bit of an eye-roll moment myself when this suggestion first came to my attention. But when I stopped and really thought about it, I came to the realization that with each night I spent scrolling before bed, I had also spent hours laying wide awake after, completely unable to sleep or even relax.

I wasn't allowing myself any of the time I needed to settle down, my brain just wasn't ready to turn on sleep-mode quite yet. If you're serious about becoming a morning person, turn off those screens! Put away the phones, the tablets, and the computers and let yourself have some much-needed rest. All of those tweets from your favorite celeb's will still be there for you to catch up on tomorrow, I promise!

4. LET THE SUNSHINE IN 

When your bedroom is still dark, it's easy to convince yourself that you still have more than enough time to keep sleeping, and that's why leaving your curtains open the night before should be immediately put on your to-do list! Waking up to natural sunlight is such a blessing, I mean, think about it. Wouldn't you much rather be woken up by a fresh beam of golden sunlight instead of the completely dreadful and abrupt sound of your nearby alarm clock? I've gotten to the point now, where I start to wake up to the sunlight before my alarm is even set to go off, which is the most wonderful feeling!

5. SET YOUR ALARM CLOCK AWAY FROM YOUR BED 

When it comes to hitting that snooze button as your alarm goes off in the morning, the temptation can be real. But, the easiest solution to this problem, is to set your alarm clock away from your reach and as far away from the comfort of your own bed as possible! Yes, I totally recognize that this step may not sound very appealing, but girl, I swear it'll help. Let that sweet sound of silence be the perfect motivation to get yourself up and running! No more snoozing, for you!

BONUS TIP: TREAT YO'SELF...TO BREAKFAST!

So for those of you who have read all the way to this point, and are more than ready to take on the challenge of becoming an early-bird, this is an extra step that is super essential to your new lifestyle! Now that you'll be having more time in the morning, breakfast doesn't have to be so rushed. Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee and running out the door, take some time to treat yourself to a proper meal!

Whether your plan is to make yourself a nice stack of waffles, eggs and bacon or even something as simple as a big bowl of your most favorite cereal, planning out and putting together a nice breakfast can be a terrific way to jumpstart your entire day! It's always important to reward yourself for a job well done and we all need that perfect amount of fuel for our bodies so that we can go on to get as much accomplished as possible!

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There you have it, lovelies! After following these oh-so-simple steps, you'll be well on your way to transitioning into a morning person! Life is so short and unbelievably precious. It's time we embrace those early hours and make the most out of every second we have here on this earth!

Don't forget to reach out and get in touch with me on social media! I would absolutely love to know which one of these steps you think will help you out the most! 

Why I'm Okay With Being Single This Valentine's Day

February typically isn't a month that we single gals eagerly look forward to. For me personally, it's almost always been a month that I would deeply dread as all of the heart-shaped candies, roses, and overpriced teddy bears would steadily come out to make their annual appearances. But this year, I'm choosing to change my generally bad attitude towards this holiday and look at Valentine's Day with a whole new perspective.

"Just because I'm not linked to someone romantically at this time, doesn't mean that there isn't love in my life."

Valentine's Day has never been my thing, while the idea of a gushy holiday full of romantic gestures may sound wonderful for those in a relationship, it's not so great for those of us who aren't. I'll be honest here, I've definitely done my fair share of eye-rolling at those couples who can't seem to get enough of proclaiming the love they have for their significant others throughout the day on social media, documenting every little moment as they celebrate.

Now I totally recognize that I'm coming off as incredibly bitter at this time, but I promise you, I've got my mind set on having a wonderful Valentine's Day this year, despite not being involved in a relationship, because, for the first time in my life, I am completely cool and so happy with being single...So allow me to explain why I'm more than okay with spending this one alone, and why I'm  going to have the best Valentine's Day ever.


1. I'M STILL GOING TO CELEBRATE

I've never properly celebrated this holiday before, I've never had the chance due to feeling incredibly excluded from Valentines Day festivities for obvious reasons, but this one is going to be different because I'll be celebrating in my own way. I'm just so over the whole "I hate Valentines Day" thing at this point, I'm only making myself more miserable by dwelling on it, so for once I'll embrace what's to come.

Truth be told I'm still not entirely sure how I'll be celebrating the day, but I do have a few ideas in mind, even if it's something as simple as grabbing take-out from my favorite restaurant and binge-watching all of the Spider-Man movies made. (Andrew Garfield films very much excluded) Seriously, it's time I allow myself to have a little fun, no relationship? No problem! I'm attempting to love myself, so I'll celebrate with just me! 

2. I'M ALREADY COMMITTED TO MY WORK 

I know, I know. It may sound rather cliché since I feel like almost every single gal out there uses her career as an excuse for being single, but at this particular moment in time, it's true. I am fully committed to my work, and I'm not just talking about my boring ole' day job. I'm talking about my writing, my actual dream, the most important thing to me outside of my family.

Between working hard, chasing all of my dreams of becoming a full-time blogger, freelance writer, and author, along with working the job I am now in order to somewhat support myself financially, this stage of my life has been dedicated to figuring out how to make those goals and aspirations of mine actually happen. Not to mention, I'm still trying to learn more about who I am as a person through my work and try to find out what it is I want out of life.

Unless someone undeniably special comes waltzing into my life in the very near future, I don't think that I would have the time for a serious relationship, and I'm completely fine with having this time for me and what I want to do, and no, that's not selfish...We all need a little time for ourselves before we go off and commit to someone else. 

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3. MY LIFE IS SO FULL OF LOVE  

You know, just because I'm not linked to someone romantically at this time, doesn't mean that there isn't love in my life. In fact, I think love will be the one thing I'll always have no matter what. I'm lucky enough to have a whole family that cares about me, from my parents and my brother to my little dog, Posey, who loves me so much that I can't step out of the house for 5 minutes without her acting like I've been gone for an entire year.

Then my incredibly loving mother always thinks of me during this holiday, she puts together a card and some goodies that never fail to make me go all misty-eyed. Being the amazing person that she is, she would never want me to feel excluded, and she sets an excellent example that this particular holiday doesn't need to be about only couples and romance, but it should overall share the message of showing your loved ones that you care. 

4. I WON'T BE SINGLE FOREVER

While I've come to the conclusion that I'd be perfectly fine by myself if God decided that was the way it should be, I don't think I'll stay single forever. I always say that I'm not interested in dating right now, and that's the honest truth. But I also won't be silly and avoid someone who is undeniably my soulmate, when someone special does come into my life, I have to accept that opportunity. 

But I honestly haven't the slightest clue how long I'll be celebrating this day without a man in my life, it could be years or I could have someone with me for the next one, there's just no way of knowing for sure. But as of right now, it's just me, and there's no reason why I can't enjoy the occasion with friends and family instead! 

5. THERE'S NO PRESSURE 

I'm not someone who is very good under pressure, if anything I totally buckle, and when it comes to buying gifts for someone, it majorly stresses me out. It's horrifying. With the exception of close family members, I never, ever know what to get for anyone, and will most likely panic at the thought of getting a gift that they wouldn't completely dislike or already have bought for themselves.

Then, adding in the element of having to buy something spectacular for your significant other, adds a whole other level of stress. I'm definitely not one of those people who believe it's only the woman that should get something for Valentine's Day, there are some amazing men out there that deserve presents, too! But I'm horrible at gift giving, another year of feeling no pressure is something I'll very much appreciate while it lasts.

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This year I'm making an effort to choose happiness, a good attitude can open up a world of opportunity and I'm no longer interested in sitting around like a grouch, grumbling about all of the couples out there posting about what their significant others did for them on social media. Instead, I'll be minding my own business, allowing everyone to have their moment while I enjoy the holiday my own way. Treating myself to a nice takeout meal, and spending some quality time with my wonderful family...Now, what will you do to celebrate?

30 Facts About Me | WTWTG

Running this blog has become such an important part of my life this year, and therefore, so have all of you, the wonderful people who are thankfully reading. But, there are still some things you don't know about the gal behind the blog. So, I thought today would be a great opportunity to provide a list with more than a few interesting facts about myself, that could help you get to know me just a little bit better than before!

"When I was younger I wanted to be a professional..."

Each morning I'm woken up by the bright and hopeful sunshine of a brand new day that my loving God himself has given to me. At the very moment I open my eyes, I feel compelled to jump out of bed and grab ahold of my faithful laptop. I'm eager to start my day but even more eager to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate while I begin to work on the latest article for my blog.

My life has been like this for almost three months now. The idea of writing and creating something new to share with my small, but mighty group of followers is literally what gets me out of bed every morning. Yet for some reason, it's only just now occurred to me that things have changed within that period of time. I'm happy to say we have more people reading, people that I've never taken the time to properly introduce myself to.

And with that thought finally dawning on me, I thought it would be an appropriate time to whip out a short list of (possibly) interesting facts that no matter how small, have come together in a way that has formed the person and writer, that you see today. I hope you will enjoy!

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NOW, LET'S GET INTO THESE FACTS!

1. I'm a proud dog mom and most of the time put the needs of my little girl Posey before my own. 

2. I have the learning disability of dyslexia, which made learning to read and write immensely difficult. 

3. When I was around the age of ten or eleven I dislocated a bone in my wrist from jumping off a trampoline.

4. My mother homeschooled me and my older brother Ryan from kindergarten all the way to graduation.

5. Writing is my greatest passion in life and I pray that one day I will be able to make a career out of it.

6. I'm crazy about television and watch several different shows throughout the fall and winter each night.

7. I haven't had a sip of alcohol in my whole entire life and I can't ever see myself having the desire to.

8. I love rap music and listen to artists such as Beastie Boys, Vanilla Ice, and Hoodie Allen on the daily.

9. When I was younger I wanted to be a professional wrestler. (Seriously, I'm not joking in the slightest)

10. I ran my own YouTube channel to help support myself financially through most of my teenage years.

11. I'm a little on the shorter side at 5'3...Reaching items on high shelves is not my strong suit. 

12. One of my favorite places to eat is Steak n' Shake and it crushes me that we don't have it in our town.

13. I love hot chocolate and simply cannot get enough of it during the winter season.

14. My favorite sport is hockey, but we're currently on hiatus after my team traded my favorite player. 

15. One of my favorite things to do with my family is watching The Office together.

16. I am a proud Christian and believe in God with all of my heart and soul.

17. My favorite thing to eat is shrimp, I think I could have that every day and never get tired of it.

18. I have one sibling, my brother Ryan, who is nine years older than me...I tease him about that relentlessly.

19. I'm obsessed with the game Five Nights At Freddy's but I can't play it because it makes me jittery.

20. If I weren't pursuing a career in writing, I would want to be a professional photographer.

21. My favorite book series to this day is Diary of a Wimpy Kid...Read them, they're actually hilarious.

22. Spider-Man Homecoming was the best movie I'd ever seen in my entire life.

23. I have the absolute biggest crush on Tom Holland and talk about him constantly...It's a little sad.

24. I got my ears pierced for the first time on my 21st birthday, just last year.

25. I use the word "dope" to describe my excitement in almost everything...It's my favorite thing to say.

26. I had my first kiss when I was around eighteen and I ain't mad about it because I don't like rushing things. 

27.  I've never dyed my hair because I actually really like my natural color.

28.  My mother has been my best friend since I was a little girl and I love her with all my heart. 

29. Team Edge and Dan and Phil are my favorite channels to watch on YouTube.

30. I love thrift shopping and finding good deals on clothes, so much that I rarely by an item at its full-price.

I hope that you were able to learn a little somethin' about yours truly, that you may not have known before! I am super thankful to have this platform where I am able to share a small part of my life with you while getting to know some amazing new people in the process! This is something I love so dearly and my blogging experience has been a blast, so far. I can't wait to continue on and get to know all of you, even better along the way!

What's In My Bag? | Winter 2018 Edition!

Being the curious person that I am, I always love getting a little peek at what other girls carry with them inside their bags! Is that considered weird? Because I have no idea, you'll have to be the judge on that one. But in case you're someone like me, I decided I would share my own bag and what I have inside of it during the winter time!

So, whatcha got in there? 

There is definitely a decent amount of my essentials in this cute little mini backpack of mine, that I have been using throughout this winter, that's for sure. This year I have made it a goal of mine to be more prepared, so, I've been trying to load my bag up with just about anything I thought I could possibly need on a daily basis and there's still more to fit in there, so who knows, there might be an update in the near future!

But for now, below you'll be able to see what I've already loaded my bag up with! Once you come closer to the end, there will be details listed of what has been pictured in case any of these items end up peeking your interest! If you'd like to know more about a specific item, you can always reach out to me on social media through the link at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

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INSIDE MAIN POUCH:

• Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
• Cateye sunglasses, black and green
• Teal Nine West wallet/clutch 
• The Body Shop Pouch (makeup bag)
• Krispy Kreme lip balm set 

INSIDE MAKEUP BAG:

• Mini body spray in Venom 
• EOS hand cream
• The Body Shop hand cream
• EOS Sparkling Ginger lip balm 
• Pink compact mirror 

OUTSIDE POUCHES: 

• 5th Generation iPod Touch w/rose gold case
• Red ink/stylus pen 
• Selfie Ring Light 
• Tic Tacs, orange flavor

So that was a little peek into my bag and what I always need to carry with me on a daily basis! I'm sure that all of you could tell, but I have a very strong love for Jesus, as well as lip balm and hand lotion! ...Jesus coming in first, of course! What I'd like to know is, what are some of your "cannot leave the house without" essentials?  

Why You Should Keep A Journal In 2018

Journaling has generated a lot of popularity in recent years, and that's rightfully so because in the right hands something as simple as a notebook and pen can be used as an excellent tool for mental health, act as your daily dose of encouragement and be your source of organization and creativity. 

When it was brought to my attention that we're in 2018, and there are some people out there that still aren't convinced they should hurry up and jump on this bandwagon, I knew in my heart that I had to whip out some of my very own reasons for why keeping a journal is worthy of your valuable time and effort in this new year.

 "What a comfort is this journal. I tell myself to myself and throw the burden on my book and feel relieved." —Anne Lister 

I couldn't describe it any better than what is quoted above. Journaling is something so simple that anyone can do, yet it has been capable of having the most wonderful impact on me and my life through recent years, and with how hard it can be to stay optimistic in this world at times, that is something that I would love for others to experience as well, which is why today I thought I would share with you some of my very best reasons, for why you should try keeping your own journal this year. 

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1. YOU CAN CLEAR YOUR MIND

There have been more than a few mornings where I've woken up to a tired brain, exhausted from a full night of worrisome thoughts, that somehow, managed to pile up on top of one another the very moment I had laid my head against the pillow the evening before.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am a worrier. There's always something I'm wasting my time and energy being nervous about, and they're usually things that I can't control. Like my future and what might be in store for me the next day. I'll lay in my bed, looking up at the ceiling as I wonder what I'll end up doing with my life, or if any of my biggest dreams will ever actually end up becoming a reality. And then, there are the more simplistic, everyday worries such as questioning if I turned all of the lights out at work before I left or if anyone remembered to take the dog outside.

But since I've started taking a moment out of each day to write down some of my concerns, my late night stress has most definitely, and thankfully, decreased. When doing this, it feels as if all of your thoughts are emptying one by one, as each word comes in contact with the paper. And when you're all done, being able to close your journal and leave it be for the night, can really help you with leaving your more upsetting thoughts behind, too. 

2. IT'S YOUR PLACE TO GET CREATIVE

It's a common misconception that if you do more than just writing in your journal, then it's not actually considered to be a journal. But, in my humble opinion, that is complete and utter nonsense. Yes, of course, a journal's main purpose is to be written in, but that doesn't mean you're limited to only writing itself. 

There are multiple different kinds of journaling out there such as art, bullet, prayer, travel, as well as plenty of others, and realistically, we all have days where we just don't feel like writing or we feel our day wasn't really interesting enough to jot everything down, and those are the days that we can choose to either tuck our journals away in our desk drawers and leave them be until something exciting comes up, or we can use those days to get our creative juices flowing.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to the type of things you can do when you're not writing in your journal, but a few of my personal faves are practicing hand-lettering by writing out some of my absolute favorite inspirational quotes with watercolors or markers, putting together some collages of people and things that I really love, or making nicely decorated lists of all the different things I would like to accomplish in life.

note: if you are someone who plans to do mixed media, I recommend investing in a book with thicker paper. There's nothing worse than when you start having fun with paints, glue, watercolors, and sharpies, then it begins to bleed through onto your other pages. It's heartbreaking. So make sure you choose wisely and select the kind of journal that will work best for your needs.

3. YOU CAN SAVE YOUR MEMORIES

I think I'm always going to have a strong love for going through old diaries of mine from childhood. Through a lot of random doodles, a ton of glitter glue and some very poor spelling, I always end up discovering so many long forgotten, silly little memories and heartwarming stories that will never cease to make me laugh or sometimes even cry, and by keeping a journal today you're continuing to document more memories throughout different stages of your life, and as you grow older, it'll be something special to look back on.

Naturally, as much as we'd like to, we'll never be able to remember every single thing that has happened to us throughout our lives. But, with each moment you choose to write down, whether it be something funny that happened to a family member, a touching moment with a friend, or even some photos with a short caption that would spark a few interesting stories, it's all instantly saved and will be around for as long as you keep the journal itself, and just imagine being able to share these thoughts, stories, and pictures from when you were younger with your own kids or even grandkids somewhere down the line, now that would be pretty darn special.

4. IT HELPS RELIEVE YOUR ANXIETY

I can't stress enough how crucial it is to take proper care of your mental health in order to start living a happier and more successful lifestyle. If you are dealing with anxiety or experiencing a similar issue, then journaling could actually be quite effective, allowing you to take another step further in learning how to cope and finding simple ways to keep your sanity intact.

Sometimes the road to self-improvement can be a long one, but the key to development in this area is keeping close track of your progress, and I've discovered this to be a very beneficial way to do so. When I feel anxious, the best thing I can do for myself is sit down, and describe in detail what exactly I thought it was that lead me to feel such a way which helps me to identify the problem more quickly and efficiently.

After keeping up with this routine, writing with every moment I feel anxiousness coming on, I've been able to learn what some of my biggest triggers are so I can deal with them more head-on, and practice keeping calm in situations that are more difficult for me to hold myself together in. Then, over time I look back at previous journal entries and begin to see all of the situations I've overcome and reflect on the moments I thought were a big deal, but actually weren't, these little things really do help.

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It's easy to underestimate the power of doing something simple like this every day, especially when it can take up such little time. But the simplicity of journaling is exactly what makes it such a wonderful thing to have in your life because we all know that when taking care of ourselves, the honest truth is that we probably won't make the time to fit it into our schedules if it were more complex.

With all that being said, thank you so much for reading! I hope that at the very least one of you beautiful people out there were able to walk away from this little article with the urge to start journaling, and I pray that it will help you as much as it has helped me. Now, go enjoy the rest of your day and stay happy!