#day13- January 13, 2015: I'm trippin'!

So here's what happens when you're really trippin':

•Day 13 doesn't get posted until Day 15!

•You hit the snooze button for an hour for two days straight

•Your bed no longer gets made

•Your on social media past 7pm! It was kind of important though! Apparently Adele is a Nicki Minaj fan and I needed to see it for myself!!

Guess what though!!!!!! 

Still no television!!! 

Oh and that kickboxing class nearly took my life! I survived and will be back for sure!! 

Boom!!

Until next time, 

Stix

#day12- January 12, 2016- Dear Diary, The struggle though...

Every time I type out the date in my title I feel the need to say....

"Dear Diary,..."

Random, I know. Maybe now that I've said it, it will be out of my system.

Tuesday! It was better than Monday, that's for sure! Not much better than Monday, but definitely better.... And by better, I mean I didn't hit the snooze button or get back in the bed. That's as far as it went though. I've completely gotten out of the routine of making my bed already. I think I'm going to try writing out my days, chore by chore to develop a better habit of handling my bih-ness because the way my life is currently set up( I actually hate that I quote that Kevin Hart line, but it's so necessary... Not really a fan of his, but I digress) I'm going to have to plan this out a little better.

It's amazing how I'm so disciplined at work. I set a goal for myself and I get it down... If I plan to be at work early, I usually do it. If I want to work an additional 2-4 hours, I do that as well! What is it about meeting my goals outside of work?? It's a daily battle I tell you!! 

Tomorrow starts my first day of the kickboxing class I signed up for... Let's see how this goes!! 

Until next time,

Stix

#day11- January 11, 2016: Monday Numero Dos

I've decided that I'm counting every Monday because... They're important. Lol They, for me, are the hardest day of the week and usually sets the tone for that week. It was another bluesy Monday for me. I didn't hit the snooze button. I did something worse. I got out of the bed, turned on my light, went to the bathroom, and then got back in the bed. I literally set my alarm clock and got back in the bed, with the light on, for another 15 minutes. 

I know.... I'm judging me too!!

I have to do better. 

Remember that #wcw I mentioned last week, Myleik Teele?! She does something cool on Sunday's that I think I'm going to try. She celebrates week's end on Sunday with champagne and sets goals for the next week! It makes sense! It's like rewarding yourself for all you accomplished the week before and take that positive energy into the start of the new week. Celebrating the end of one week at the beginning of the next week with champagne is pretty darn genius to me! I'm doing it.. Try it with me?!

Another day of no television down though! I have yet to slip there! And I won't! I hardly ever think about it. I've been reading quite a bit! Right now I'm juggling Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes and Grey by E L James! 

Can't complain...! 

Anywho.....

*Lifts glass* 

To a better start tomorrow,

-Stix

#day10- January 10, 2016: My "Why?"

My roommate and I had a great conversation about self-discipline and how hard it's been to give up television, for me, and cable for her! It all seems dumb and pointless right now. We've both found ourselves getting a bit frustrated by the process and even wanting to blame God or be mad at Him for where we are in life... I know, I know... That doesn't make a lot of sense and is ultimately not fair when I think about it.

One technique that I've practiced lately that helps me stay on task and committed to this challenge is to remind myself WHY I gave up television. I'll list them below:

1.) Maximizing my Time: I want to say last year, but if I'm being completely honest, I'll say for as far back as I can remember I have always spent my idle time in front of a television. There has always been something else I could be doing such as, organizing my living space, cleaning out my car, creating a plan for the day, week, month, or year, catching up with family friends, etc. Isn't it funny how we(or I) can give you a blow by blow of my favorite celebrities life, but can't tell you how my friend or family member is doing?! It's a sad or unfortunate truth that I am not proud of at all. With this challenge, I am committing to make better use of my time. 

2.) Saving money- Now that we both have given up television/cable, our new internet bill is so much cheaper than what we were paying... I'm talking like $140 cheaper. With this amount of money going towards catching up on bills (my divorce kind of jacked up my finances) and eventually putting this money away, I can take more trips and save for the house I hope to own in the next year or two! This definitely helps me stay on track! 

3.) Finding/ Focusing on my passion- Modeling is something that I really want to pursue and grow in, however I have never committed the time I need to, to make it happen. There are so many celebrities that I admire for always hustling and growing in their field and have always hoped to muster up the energy and drive that they have to pursue my dream. I know for a fact that they aren't sitting in front of a television. These people are studying their craft, building relationships with people in their field and working with them, and etc. Without television, I have time to do the same. Study my craft... Grow in that craft.! 

4.) Discovering new things- I hope by the end of this challenge I can say that I've tried lots of different things and found that I love some of them. Because I'm athletic and competitive, I am always down for a new sport to try. I've tried tennis and loved it! I will definitely revisit that sport with lessons in the spring. I plan to try my hand at golf as well. Recently, I signed up for a kickboxing class and a boxing class! I'll definitely blog about both! I'm looking to using some of this time to try different classes and see where it goes... Who knows.. I may take a cooking class! lol I'm not really about that life... But we'll see! 

Anyway, I was definitely motivated by our conversation to continue to focus on my "why" and continue to tackle this challenge with everything I have! This challenge could quite possibly lead to this year being "the best year ever" (another quote from my vision board) if I let it...

We shall see.

Until next time, 

Stix

#day9- January 9, 2016: "Be Bold. Be Unexpected. Be You."

That is one of the quotes on my vision/affirmation board this year! I took a peak at it before bed and it stood out to me... especially after watching the movie, "Joy," 

What an awesome movie... No spoilers, don't worry! 

One thing I'll share about myself before I continue is, I try to find the lesson in everything. In my mind, nothing happens by chance. If I come across it, it's for a reason and I'm going to find the lesson in it. Point. Blank. Period.  With that in my mind, I'll continue...

I walked away with quite a few lessons after seeing "Joy." In my opinion, the movie was a bit long and drawn out, however one thing I learned from Joy Mangano is that once you tap into your own power the sky is the limit! You literally cannot be stopped and absolutely no one can stand in your way. Joy Mangano is an inspiration, a hero! She was tested time after time with an invention that she couldn't get out of her head for years... She knew it was a good idea. Proving that to the world wasn't so easy... She wasn't your typical, self-confident, head strong woman. She was like me... A woman passionate about a dream and willing to do whatever it takes to protect it and see it succeed! She knew nothing about business. She simply had a good idea. 

She was bold when it was hard to be though... Unexpectedly brave and smart, and she didn't allow the market she was introducing her invention to change her!! It's a remarkable story and one that I was proud to learn is a true story! 

I love a good movie, but it's something about learning that the character that you are drawn to and inspired by is real. It makes defying odds and overcoming defeat seem possible! It's a great movie that I recommended to everyone! 

I walked out of that movie feeling like I could conquer the world... I felt like nothing could stop me... I am even more encouraged to...

Be Bold.

Be Unexpected.

Be Myself! 

Good stuff... It was also so refreshing to sit in front of a movie screen! Lol the things we take for granted! I am now extremely grateful for a movie theatre, chile!! Haha! 

Until next time friends, 

Stix! 

#day8- January 8, 2016- Vision Boards and Tinderonis

The first Friday of the year!! 

Looking back on the first 7 days, I'm proud that I made it. I hit the snooze button two days out of the week, I didn't make my bed once out of the 7 days, and I was on social media after 7 pm once out of the 7 days! 

How negative of me to point out the negative though?!!! I'm going to say that a different way moving forward. I'll start now shoot...

 I did not hit the snooze button 5 days out of the 7, I made up my bed 6 days out of the 7, and I wasn't on social media after 7 pm 6 days out of the 7! How dope is that?! That's only the first week. I see improvement for sure! Giving something up cold-turkey and adapting to a new way of living is hard and takes time to master! I'm only 7... technically 8 days in. It takes 21 days to form a habit! Just wait until I'm 3 weeks in... Y'all ain't gonna be able to tell me a thing!!

In other news...

I went to a vision board party and it was awesome! I've gone to quite a few, but this one absolutely takes the cake. My friend Ashley went all out! She bought white canvas boards instead of poster boards, had tons of magazines, a variety of paints colors to choose from, cool paintbrushes, lots of food and cocktails! It was quite a feast! We all had a great time chatting over our goals and realized that a lot of us are on the same page! It was quite encouraging to see that we all are on the same path of finding our true selves and being our best selves! I had an awesome time! It was just the thing to keep me motivated on this challenge. And you know what, there was no television?! We listened to Pandora and had girl talk! Good times! 

I can't believe I'm even sharing this with you guys... This tinder app has been quite overwhelming. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing! While it's cool to see that some of the guys I like, also (swiped right) liked me too... It's a lot to keep up conversation with them all though! Geez! What have I gotten myself into?! There are two little Tinderonis that I'm feeling... Lol We'll see if a date comes out of it... Oh and guess what... One of them has a man bun! Lol 

I haven't quite figured out if I'm cheating on the social media challenge... Is this app considered social media?! I chat with the guys from that app. I am not trying to give the world my number... Hmmm... I gotta figure that out! 

Anyway, that's all I have today!! No Tv, ya'll!! I'm doing it! 

Until next time, Stix

#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