Why Not Have A Miami Night....?

“I've apparently been the victim of growing up, which apparently happens to all of us at one point or another. It's been going on for quite some time now, without me knowing it. I've found that growing up can mean a lot of things. For me, it doesn't mean I should become somebody completely new and stop loving the things I used to love. It means I've just added more things to my list. Like for example, I'm still beyond obsessed with the winter season and I still start putting up strings of lights in September. I still love sparkles and grocery shopping and really old cats that are only nice to you half the time. I still love writing in my journal and wearing dresses all the time and staring at chandeliers. But some new things I've fallen in love with -- mismatched everything. Mismatched chairs, mismatched colors, mismatched personalities. I love spraying perfumes I used to wear when I was in high school. It brings me back to the days of trying to get a close parking spot at school, trying to get noticed by soccer players, and trying to figure out how to avoid doing or saying anything uncool, and wishing every minute of every day that one day maybe I'd get a chance to win a Grammy. Or something crazy and out of reach like that. ;) I love old buildings with the paint chipping off the walls and my dad's stories about college. I love the freedom of living alone, but I also love things that make me feel seven again. Back then naivety was the norm and skepticism was a foreign language, and I just think every once in a while you need fries and a chocolate milkshake and your mom. I love picking up a cookbook and closing my eyes and opening it to a random page, then attempting to make that recipe. I've loved my fans from the very first day, but they've said things and done things recently that make me feel like they're my friends -- more now than ever before. I'll never go a day without thinking about our memories together.” 

-Taylor Swift





Hey Gorgeous...,

I remember it like it was last night.  I can smell the salt water, feel the breeze on my skin. I can see the crowded room and hear T-Pain and Little Joc's  song Let Me Buy You A Drink transition  into Kiesha Cole and Diddy's Last Night. I tasted the Wet Willies Hurricane on my lips. I had plans to dance until the sun came up... I will remember that scene from my Miami night forever. That wasn't the only Miami night I have had, but it is the most special to me. Why? I shared it with people I had spent the last four years of my life with  wading through the waters of college life. That last Miami night marked the beginning of your grown up life. After that night we would all be going our separate ways. We would no longer have each other to lean on as we had before. Our Miami night resembled our college life. It was filled with laugher, astonishment, struggle, chaos, and true friendship. If it had been any other group of people I do not think I would have remembered that night as much....

I have always believed that one of the gifts of the old is there stories, there memories. I remember being a little girl and listening to all the stories my grandparents told me about my aunt, uncle, and my father. The memories they made were something I hold dear to my heart because they allowed me to have a little piece of the man I never got to know.  As I get older I realize the importance of making memories, and having experiences that you take with you forever. I look forward to the day when I can sit with my daughter and tell her everything that I learned along the way, first to prepare her, and second to pipe her curiosity of the world so that she forges a path that is greater than me.  From my Miami Nights memory,  I will encourage my daughter to cherish her relationships and the time she gets to have with those people because it doesn't last forever. One day your having the time of your life with the people that make life joyous and the next you could be pulling yourself up by your bootstraps! What memories are you going to share with your children? Better yet what memories are you going to make with your children?

Make a memory this week by doing something different, out of the ordinary. Share some of your memories this week with SheMogul Lifestyle on Instagram or twitter @shemogullifestyle.

Memories are lessons in disguise if you take the  time to see them for what they are!

Shameka

Why Not Take Charge Of Your Day? 10 Ways To Put Order In Your Days.

I have aways been a planner, and a list taker. I think I have over 5 different lists going at a time. They all  help me to get all the things that are swimming around in my head a place to live so I will not forget about them. Lately I have been more and more interested not only in managing time but managing my day, which means not just doing the things that I have to do but also doing the things I love to do. By, studying how successful people manage their day I realize that their are three to four parts to a day.  We know three of them very well. The first is work time, time spent actually working on a project or assignment, the second is connection. This is the time when you take meetings, or enter act with peers. The third time is family time. Time spent with loved ones. The fourth component is time spent self improvement. The most successful people spend time working to become more of who they were meant to be before they plug into the world each day. They spend their morning setting themselves up for success by working on their mind, their body, heart, or soul. Some even choose a few specific that help them achieve order and create a morning routine or ritual.... Ideally I'd love to pray, mediate, and plan, thats my morning focus for August.

Here are 10 things to implement into your morning or day to help you walk into success.

 PLAN.

 I have a planner that I use daily to keep track of everything I want to do each day. It allows me to track my schedule and my todo list at the same time. I love the old school way of pen on paper, but if you are more technologically inclined find the perfect app to help you keep track of the stuff that needs to get done. If a planner is not what you want try a simple todo list.

READ. Blank .period.

Take time each day to read something. I find that reading does 2 things for me. The first is works my thought process and seconds expands my mind. In my opinion if your are not reading then you are not growing.

WRITE OUT YOUR GOALS

Write your goals each day! Writing your goals each day keeps them fresh in your mind. It also helps you to plan how your going to work toward your goals .

START THE NIGHT BEFORE...

 Start the night before. Before bed review your day, identify what worked and what didn't. Find ways to avoid your obstacles, and maximize what did work so that your day can be better tomorrow.

MOVE YOUR BODY

Exercise. Exercise always clears my mind. Wake up 30 minutes earlier to move your body for a little.  Keep it simple by finding a quick workout to do as soon as your feet hit the floor

PRAY! MEDITATE! COMMAND!

 Command your morning. I have heard several times that your life follows in the direction of your words,  so take the time to speak good things into your day. For example, before I go to work I always say " This is going to be a good night," and I believe that no matter what happens. When I start to let doubt creep into my mind my work night goes sour.

EAT WELL.

 Fuel your body. Giving your body the right food to work properly will allow you to work longer, and improve concentration and focus so that you can get more done. When I do not eat properly I find that I am sluggish, tired, and irritable, and frankly I could care less about working.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR MONEY.

 Check your account, knowing where you stand financially keeps your from spending mindlessly, and keeps you on track to reaching your financial goals.

ENJOY EACH DAY!

 Give yourself something to look forward to, instead of planning all of the fun/ or the not so fun things on the weekend spread them throughout the week so you will  have something to look forward to during the week, and to keep yourself from being overwhelmed with errands on the the weekend.

IDENTIFY YOUR WINS.

Prioritize by identify your wins for the day.  After I think about everything I want to get done per day I identify 3 to 4 things that are top priority. These three things will allow me to feel successful, and keep me from overwhelming myself with things that I want to get done.


I challenge you to pick three things to focus on today or to choose a couple of the ten ways  and incorporate them into your morning for entire month of August! Check in @SheMogul on Instagram and let me know how it's going.

Take charge of your day,

Shameka