Day 28: January 28, 2016 #goals

I woke up with one thing on my mind.... Modeling! 

I don't think I've ever wanted something so badly...

I was thinking about what I needed to do to make it happen....  

The different brands I want to model for...

my model body... 

The steps I'm taking to tone up and get a bit more lean... 

The plans I'm making to build my portfolio... 

Shoot, shoot, shot ... 

Restore confidence... 

Grow..

bE... 

eVoLvE...

Not a lot of words today.... 

Just dreaming... 

I'm inspired... 

                           

CK, I'm ready! 

28 days... still going strong!

Until next time, 
Stix

Day 24: January 24, 2016- The End of the Snowpocalypse

Thank God!!!

Although I was able to get out of the house on Saturday, for a little bit, I wasn't able to go as I please like I'm accustomed too. I almost thought Day 24 would be the same way! I woke up a lot earlier than I had hoped because I went to bed pretty darn early the night before... I mean... what else was there to do?? lol

I looked out of the window and saw that the sun was out, but the ice was not trying to go anywhere. I had a kickboxing class planned... I NEEDED that ice to go! I needed some normalcy and working out was just the thing! Thank God a few hours later, as it warmed up, I was able to get out and enjoy a killer workout!

After my workout, some of my friends were just as anxious to get out of the house, so we agreed to meet up a little later for a Target run (for me that meant more Starbucks), Chinese food nearby, and then a movie! We may or may not have snuck our Starbucks and Chinese food into the theater!! G-STATUS!!

There is nothing like Starbucks and a good movie to end your weekend! lol We saw Ride Along 2! I'm not a fan of Kevin Hart... I've shared this before, but overall I enjoyed the film. It had its funny parts.. it's typical Kevin Hart lines that the black folks love *rolling eyes emoji*, and a pretty good plot to keep my attention! I walked away pretty geeked about a few new movies that will be coming out this year!

Yall know that I'm about to be seeing movies quite a bit now that television is gone!

Overall a good day.. No television... I honestly don't miss it. The only thing I'm sad about is not seeing the Toni Braxton film. I told my mom that she has to keep it on her DVR forever and she answers with, "I don't know why you didn't fast from something that you can actually do..." Dang. So what is she saying... I'm not gonna make it 366 days without television!!

Ma ain't got NO FAITH IN A BREH!!! smh.

Until next time,
Stix

P.S.- My gorgeous sister's birthday was the 24th!!! Quick shout out to her!!!! Love you baby girl! And her's a pic... Isn't she the cutest??



Bye 4real now!!

#day7- January 7, 2016: What a day, what a day.

When I tell you it hit me hard tonight.... I wanted to watch Growing Up Hip Hop so bad!!! I needed something to do... I needed someone to call me and ask me to go out. A hookah bar... A drink and conversation... SOMETHING!! 

Instead my evening started with me laying on my stomach across my bed with Tucker on my back knocked out.. What a sight, right?! I was on social media waaayyyyy past 7pm. I'on EVEN CARE! I needed a filler. Lol

I wasn't up for reading a book or an article... Didn't feel like washing clothes... So... Know what I did instead?? 

I took a hot bath.... 

Lit candles...

played Sade Radio on Spotify 

and allowed myself to feel. 

It was soothing... 

Necessary. 

My mind is always going... At work I'm always resolving issues and answering every question known to man... I tell people all the time that it feels like people play volleyball with my brain. By the time I get it back, it's deflated.... Overused.... Useless. For once I was able to think about whatever came to mind. 

For a moment... There was nothing. I thought I was going to fall asleep. Then I prayed... I thought about past experiences... How I handled situations... How I could have handled others better. I thought about my dreams, my future, where I see myself in five years. I thought about my love life.... The qualities I l desire in a man... Which lead me back into prayer... Lol For the men of my generation... For my man. 

I thought about my deepest desires, my greatest fears, my relationship with God... 

What a feeling....  

Not one I experience often. 

And then I got out...

Got back on social media...

Downloaded a dating app.. 

Played on that until I caught a major cramp in my foot... 

This was all before 10pm. 

*sigh* Y'all ain't prayin.

Until tomorrow friends,

Stix 

#dayfour- January 4, 2016: Expectation Vs Reality

The Expectation: The first Monday of the year!! I had it all planned out. I wasn't going to hit the snooze button. I was going to wake up in ample time to take Tucker (my dog) for a nice walk. I was going to have my first cup of Starbucks for the year and be at work at 6am. The dream was set! I was ready to set the tone for my year y'all....

You can probably tell where I'm going with this as you read along, right?! Lol 

Reality: Weeeeeellllll.... The truth is... my expectation did not meet my reality at all! lol This Monday was like every other Monday last year. I hit that snooze button too many times. My dog and I walked for maybe 6 mins, but I blame the weather for that! Neither one of us were here for the cold weather that hit us at the door. I  didn't leave my house until 6:15am. Since I missed my 6:00am goal, I opted for a 6:30am work goal instead... So guess who missed out on Starbucks too.... Ugh!  

Not the best start to my year if I skipped my Starbucks! I need y'all to understand something... Starbucks is Bae!! I can almost say that because I didn't have Starbucks on the first work day of the year, I'm probably not gonna have the best luck all year... Liiiiikkkkkkkke it's that serious! lol ok maybe not? 

I didn't watch television though! I've talked to quite a few people who can't wait to see how this journey unfolds! I am too!! My best friend, who decided to take the 91-day no meat challenge, decided to go the entire year without meat after hearing about my challenge!! That's pretty dope! I'm looking forward to holding her accountable and vice versa.

Want to know what she suggested I do though because she's petty?! Lol She suggested that I try going without meat for a week!!! You would have thought she told me to kill my dog or something!! Lol I QUICKLY declined that offer!! lol I am doing ENOUGH as is... I NEEDS my meat! 

Lol... So there you have it... Day four. Meh. Tomorrow will be better! 

No television in four days though!! I'm so shocked I've made it this long! 

Once Upon a Time and Real Housewives of Atlanta did cross my mind though! *crying thug tears at the thought of missing out all year*

Until tomorrow... 

Xo, Stix 

#daytwo- January 2, 2016: The struggle is Real!

I am feigning to catch up on a show... Right now, I would even settle for Nick Jr. with my dog! Not even kidding. 

Day two was kind of hard. I went to work that morning and worked for about 6 hours. Normally, after working on a Saturday I would go home, cuddle up with my dog in my bed, and watch television!! I wanted to do that so bad... I could have even gone for a Netflix and chill kind of evening. As I stated on my last blog, I pretty much had made up in my mind that I was going to take a nap and get back on my duties when I woke up! That didn't happen because my cousin FaceTimed me just as my head hit the pillow!! "Dang, how did I forget to put my phone on silent?!!"  Lol All good though! It forced me to get up and start cleaning again. 

I am proud to say that I have sorted through my clothes and my closet is CLEAN!! There are a few other things that I had planned to do, but that's not the point! I am being more productive. I'm kind of winning right now. 

My favorite part about this blog so far is that I get to assess myself and how I'm doing with this challenge. I noticed that I may or may not be ( I totally am...) replacing television time with talking on the phone! I almost have to be on the phone at all times now while I'm home.  It's like when people stop smoking cigarettes... Those people usually replace it with eating more! I'm pretty much replacing one bad habit with another one. I know I'm doing it to keep from being bored! I'm soooooo bored! Ugh! 

I'm going to figure this thing out!! Maybe I'll make a list of tasks that I can accomplish along with my daily goals... because right now... I'm not so sure how I'm going to do this without napping all day or talking on my phone. 

Anywho...Day two down.. 364 more to go... Freakin Oh.EM.GEE!! Y'all pray for me! 

Happy Sunday by the way! 

I posted this on my Instagram and I'll post here as well! I woke up feeling completely grateful to be loved by God! I can always count on his love, his guidance, and his support! No greater love than to give one's life for his friends! I am forever grateful to have that kind of love! To know that someone literally, like for real, for real, laid down his life so that I may have life!! With that thought alone, it convicts me to live a more fulfilling life! If I gave up my life for someone, I would hope that it would be so that person can live... in the moment, in the now, resembling my characteristics, and testifying of that kind of love! I sometimes overlook that, but I won't moving forward! 

Everyday without television is a day with God, a day to live, and a day to testify of his goodness!!

Y'all choosing life today?! 

With love, Stix! 

#dayone- January 1, 2016: Old Habits Die Hard

I know you're probably reading the title and thinking I slipped up. Nope, not exactly. Something interesting happened though. Check it out. 

The day started off pretty well! I walked my dog at one of my favorite lakes, reflected on the past year, and eventually went home and started gutting out my closet! I later went over my friend's house because her mom was in town and cooked us a good southern meal! Yes, this meal included black eyed peas. For those who may not know, in the south, eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day is good luck! Look it up! The way I was raised you're supposed to eat black eyed peas AND collard greens, lol. Who knows what's right or wrong in this case?! I'm not one to believe in luck, but I am used to following this tradition. Oh, and you're not supposed to wash on New Year's Day or you're risking washing someone important out of your life! I also heard that a man is supposed to be the first person to walk into your house at the beginning of the year. I still don't know what that is supposed to do. lol 

Anyway, back to the subject...my friend's television was on in the living room. Luckily, most of us were in the dining room chatting about relationships, food, what to do that night... You name it, we talked about it!  I had a great time. On the way home though, I wondered what I would have done if everyone was in the living room watching a show. Again, I haven't worked out the logistics, but I have to figure that out. Maybe I'll stay for 30 minutes or so then leave and find something more productive to do. Maybe leaving or staying to watch television with everyone will depend on if I accomplish my daily to-do list?! Idk. I'll play it by ear, I guess.

Ok... Wait.. Let me tell you what the old/ bad habit is. I am a procrastinator!! I always have been. If I know I have time to complete a task, you better believe I will wait until the last minute to do it. This challenge is supposed to help me with this bad habit. I hope so anyway. 

Once I made it back home, I had planned on finishing my closet. Instead, I did something I shouldn't have done. I sat on my bed. 

No television... 

No music... 

Just sat on my bed in silence. 

Then I thought, "Ok... I'll take a shower..." I did. Want to know what I did next?! I tied up my hair, turned off my light, and got in the bed... Smh! No television=idle time. I am going to have to force myself do something different with this time. 

To make myself feel a little bit better about going to bed at 9:00pm without completing my list, I watched a video on YouTube on how to thread my new Brother sewing machine. Lol 

Not a complete waste, right?! 

So there's my challenge... Actually using my time to be more productive.

Crap.. This is going to be more challenging than I thought. 

So there you have it... Day one, ladies and gentlemen. 

I've heard there are others that are motivated to complete the challenge as well after reading my blog. If you decide to follow my blog and are taking the challenge, let me know either here or on my social media accounts! I'll list them below.

Ok... Signing off so I can take a nap... Smh #dontjudgeme #please 

Xo, Stix

Instagram: jessstix

Twitter: imjessStix

Snapchat: jess_Stix 

366 days of discovering

So... I have this idea!

Whaaaat?!- I will not watch television for the next 366 days!! 

Cray. That's the first word that comes to mind when I think about going an entire year without television! I know... I know... It seems a bit drastic... it is drastic!! For those who don't know me, I am a cold turkey kind of chick! I believe in diving right in and dealing with the hard crap along the way... This challenge is about self-discovery too... I’m curious to see how I handle the “crap!” You can count on me to be up front and honest too. If I slip, you'll be the first to know! 

Who does that?! Smh... Only Stix! 

When?!- My first day without television will start on January 1, 2016 12:00am CST and will end on January 1, 2017 12:00am CST. Of course the year I decide to do this is a leap year?! My freakin luck! 

Why?!- Well… about a week ago *schmoney dances*, I was lying in bed thinking about 2015. I couldn't recall much of anything worth talking about. I mean… Lots happened in 2015, good and bad, but I can't say that I lived life to the fullest in 2015. There wasn't a lot of discipline in my life and it pains me to say that I don't remember much of it. I didn't live life with the intention of growing or learning. I just WAS this year. I also can't remember how I spent New Year's EVE/Day in 2015. For some reason that freakin bothers me... What the heck did I do?! So yeah... This challenge is simply to encourage me to live... To be... to discover me and hopefully have a little fun in the process.

I chose to document this journey to hold me accountable. I am the type of person that needs accountability to succeed in certain areas where discipline is involved. This is one of those things. Pretty sure that’s not a good thing… *shrugs*

How?!- It's as simple as it sounds... No Once Upon a Time, No Real Housewives, No TGIT, No Black Ink Crew, No Rev Run shows (all of them... plus the new show with Tyrese) No Growing up Hip Hop... Ok... This list has to stop. I'm depressing myself... 

I still haven't figured out the logistics of it…Maybe that's what will make the blog interesting... I'll find cool things to read, cool things to do in the city, learn how to sew, blah, blah, blah! 

 I WILL see an occasional movie with friends though! Movies are my life... All of it will be done outside of my home!! The goal is not so much to be strict or withhold myself from doing... The plan is to be more intentional with the hours in my day and live a more fulfilling life!! 

Where?!- Nashville, TN/Wherever I am! Lol No exceptions.

Will you cheer me on along the way? *sigh* Weeeeelllllll here goes nothing… *holds up champagne glass* Here’s to the last day of the year and my last chance to drown myself in television! Wish me luck. 

XO, Stix