Growth Is Always Good

Photo credit goes to Ben Clayton. Check out more of his work here.

Dress::Forever 21 Necklace::Charming Charlie Coat::h&m 

In the past two months I have learned SO much about God and myself. Two months ago I changed the way I was praying. I started asking the Lord to mold me each and every day to be the young woman He wants me to be. It is easy sometimes to think that--"oh there's not much I could be working to improve right now...at least I'm not like so and so." I recently heard my pastor say that comparison is the thief of joy, and that if someone is not growing then they are shrinking spiritually. Through these prayers the Lord has showed me how much I underestimate Him at times and how selfish I can be. He opened my eyes to a whole new me it felt like. It wasn't necessarily my actions, but my thoughts were so doubtful and so selfish at times. I have rarely ever been selfish with my time, but I can be very selfish with "my things". Two months later and I can truly say that the Lord has cleaned up a lot of that gunk for me. He has molded my heart to give freely, share better, love deeper, care more passionately, and encourage more. Now I am onto my next learning project which is learning to not fear or worry about the days to come (this is gonna be a big one). Learning doesn't ever stop, it is a daily thing. On this earth there will never be a day where learning is not necessary. We all need to be reminded of that from time to time. Learning means growth, and growth is always good. It is not easy to ask the Lord to show us what we need to be working on, but it is very worth it. 

♡ Iz

Pep Talks

Everyone needs a pep talk from time to time. Maybe for that big game you have in a few days, maybe for the courage to tell that boy or girl that you like them, maybe for the confidence needed to pass a biology test (this is for all you peeps out there that suffer from test anxiety) (I am one of you.), or maybe for the courage to stand up to a bully. No matter what it is, a pep talk can come in handy.

I'm going back to school in a few days, and the topic of pep talks has been running through my head lately because I give little pep talks to myself. Sometimes a semester full of classes can get rough, I find that when that happens--cheesy pep talks can brighten a day. Some of you may think this is weird (it may be--I don't know..) but I feel that pep talks don't necessarily have to be from other people, they can be from you too. I always have to remind myself that positive thinking really does make a difference. 

PS: You should go give someone a pep talk today or tomorrow, or maybe, both. 

PSS: Remember that a few nice words can help a person a lot more than you think.

♡ Iz

Motivational Monday #1

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I don't know about you, but I've noticed that I often criticize myself and spend a silly amount of time focusing on my "flaws". Sometimes it's little things, sometimes it's big things, but nevertheless, it's wrong. So I slipped up on my healthy eating plan (only four times--haha), so I didn't fold my clothes as soon as I took them out of the dryer and now they're super wrinkly, so I didn't do as well as I would have hoped on a test. At the end of the day that doesn't really matter all that much. What I have done is talked to my Savior and learned a lot from his Word in the past week, I have loved my family, I have laughed with B until I can't breathe, and I have also made delicious guacamole! 

At times we spend a lot of time fixated on what we need to change about ourselves or what we have done wrong, when all along we've been made in God's image and our flaws are made perfect in Him. Often we think that what others say or think about us is what affects us, but how we view ourselves affect us greatly. We are our greatest critics, but while  we spend time focusing on those things we miss out on the things that we do excel at, the things we do right, the smiles we create, and the lives we invest in. I spent this week loving myself more, thinking kinder things about myself, and not comparing myself to others. And I plan on many, many more weeks of that. 

No matter what chore you didn't finish today, or what you didn't do so well on, remember to love yourself! 

♡ Iz