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This morning was a serious wake up call. I woke up feeling so sick that I couldn’t go into my day job. I have seriously got to make some adjustments to the way I organize my time, my
business, my life. If I keep burning the candle at both ends there won’t be any light left for me or anyone else to enjoy. 

Folks chasing your dreams while trying to pay the bills- how do you organize your time to have it all?

I posted this originally on facebook this morning and Domestic Goddess Kristen behind the amazing blog The Road to Domestication had the best answer for me. Check out what she wrote:


I literally SCHEDULE IN down time. Sounded so dumb to me at first…but everything else in life takes up time, so why not schedule in some time to rest, too?!

I have also had to remind myself that I CANNOT DO IT ALL, and I can’t HAVE it all…and that is
okay. I prioritize the day – the things I HAVE to do, like go to my full-time job, because if I don’t do that, then I’m in trouble as far as budgetary needs, ha!

I make sure there is time to do something for MYSELF. As selfish as I thought that was at first, I realized that, if I crash and burn, I can’t do anything for anyone! And if I am rested, and happy, and not feeling stressed, I really can do everything else BETTER. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m out getting a pedicure every week or anything. Sometimes doing something for myself is just going for a walk in peace and quiet…or going to bed early! LOL

New for me in 2014 is blocking. I have literally blocked out several months of the year so I don’t have anything else happening except photography, Or except insurance. Or except family time. Or anything else. Not only can you get more accomplished when you’re focused, but you don’t feel so scattered from having to fight 10 fires at once.

I don’t even know if any of that book I just wrote makes sense…but YOU asked! LOL….

We are the ones who have a hard time listening to our bodies But we only have one! Hard to remember, but true!

To me every single part of what Kristen wrote makes perfect sense. I think it’s exactly what I needed to read right now. I realize I can’t keep giving myself to everyone because that’s what caused me to wake up this morning and literally have nothing left. I could barely form a sentence when I called in sick. I had the most massive migraine and just took some Advil and went back to bed.

I normally get up at 6:30/7 at the latest and I slept in til 11 a.m. and felt so unaccomplished because of it. I just have been trying so hard to do so many things that my body slapped me silly this morning and then threw me back in bed.

Now I want YOU to chime in. How do YOU find a balance when trying to chase your dreams and maintain a day job?


Source for image above

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately and I have read a lot of self help books. We all have those moments when we want to know why we were put on this planet and that is something I’ve been seeking to find over the last several months. After really digging deep I’ve come up with my mission statement for my life:


My purpose in life is to learn how to be financially independent and how to take care of my mind, body and soul and to teach others how to do the same…

There it is. Why I’m here…To teach.

I have actually known this deep within myself for years and had that epiphany while I was in my freshman year of college. I remember a random bike ride with my mom where I broke down crying and told her I wanted to change my major to education.

Fast forward to today and for anyone who doesn’t know my major and the degree I ultimately graduated with was mass communications. However, the desire to teach never left me.

What I have realized over the past decade (wow- has it really been a decade since I was a college freshman?!? holy crap!!!) is that my mission in life IS to teach, but not in the traditional grade school setting I thought of many years ago.

I think this is why I was feeling the strong pull to become a writer. I want to learn something and then share what I’ve learned and writing has been a wonderful medium I’ve used to teach.

Now, that I have officially determined and written out what I know my full life’s purpose to be, I feel like I can create goals and passion projects that are centered around it.

It may seem silly to you, but simply defining what my purpose is has given me a new sense of excitement and a strong desire to fulfill it.With every project I think of going forward I will know how to center it around my life’s purpose and therefore be more passionate about the things I do and the life I live.

Found this on the facebook page of The Buried Life and loved it so much I HAD to share it- “I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but according
to statistics, there will be over 5,000 weddings, 10,000 childbirths,
and 42 million hugs occurring today throughout the United States. Also
today, there will be at least 4 people that will win the multimillion
dollar lotteries, 600 people will get promotions at work, and 3,000
people will lose their virginity. There will also be 600 dogs adopted,
35,000 balloons sold, and 800,000 skittles eaten. Plus, the words ‘I
love you’ will be said over 9 million times. So again, I know today is
Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but just smile, because
according to statistics, it should actually be a really nice day.”

Have you heard of the show The Buried Life? The premise is simple. What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? This simple question spawned what is now a more than 6 year journey of four young guys trying to cross items off their bucket list. One of the coolest things to me about their journey is that for every item they accomplish on their list they have to help a stranger accomplish something on the stranger’s list.

I just finished watching Season 2 last night and immediately went online and purchased their book and I can’t wait to get it and read it!!! These guys are a massive inspiration to me.

Like them on facebook and while you are there, like me too 🙂

Source for image above.

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a die hard The Girls Next Door 
fan. Ever since the first episode I watched featuring Bridget Marquardt, Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson I was hooked! Who wouldn’t want a
life of luxury and fantasy that these women got to live?!? I personally
wouldn’t want to be a girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, but I would love the
perks they got from living at the mansion!!!

While watching The Girls Next Door
I learned a lot believe it or not. My favorite girlfriend was and always will be Bridget Marquardt. Why? Well, she was a mass
communications major, I too was a mass communications major. She loves
Halloween, I love Halloween. She loves to dress up and I do too when I
have the money to do so. She likes to party plan and I do as well…the
list goes on and on of things I have in common with this awesome chick.
Of the many lessons I learned watching the show, here are five that
REALLY stuck with me:

1. Never give up on your dreams!
Bridget tested to be in
Playboy and didn’t get chosen so she went back
to school. However, she didn’t give up on her dream of being in 
Playboy.
When the opportunity to move into the mansion came up she jumped at the
chance. Not expecting anything from it, she just set out to have fun.
Low and behold though moving in led to the chance to be in the magazine
and she was stunning in every pictorial she was a part of.
2. Age ain’t nothing but a number!
Even over the age of 30 Bridget still had a rockin’ body and got in
Playboy magazine. Now, I don’t desire to be in Playboy, but as a gal
that is not exactly getting any younger this inspires me! You can be
sexy over 30!
3. Be genuine! In the first
episode Bridget talks about how she was there at the mansion to have fun
and not to see what she could out of it. She was always genuine and the
girls that were fake were weeded out of the mansion. People can tell
when you are just being friendly to use people. Be genuine with people
and your relationships will be deeper and more fulfilling.
4. You CAN eat and look good!
The episode where Bridget prepares for her strip tease and the episode
where she prepares to do a workout video both spoke to me. I’ve
struggled with my weight since high school and it was nice to see
someone who loves food as much as I do could workout in a fashion that
burned off pizza, cake and whatever else she wanted to eat!

This is a twitter exchange I had with Bridget in January about her workout routine nowadays:

5. Once a Dream Comes True, Dream Bigger! You can keep dreaming even after your dreams come true. The end goal of being in Playboy led Bridget to dreaming of being a radio host, hosting a travel show and so much more. I hope that all of my dreams come true and once they do I plan to make new lists of new dreams and go after them too.

Are you a fan of  The Girls Next Door? What are your favorite episodes?!?
Want to get the series on DVD? Click the HERE to get all of the episodes.

Source for the image above.