14 things I've learned.

The 14 most important things I’ve learned over the past 25 years

1.    The good you see in others is a reflection of the good you see in yourself.

2.     Emotional pain, although excruciating and all consuming, is a blessing because it forces us to grow.

3.     There is no better place to spend your days than in the company of your family,

4.    It is never too late to say sorry. 

5.  Forgiveness, for yourself and for others, is one of life’s greatest blessings.

6.   Understand that we all have insecurities, don’t contribute to someone else’s, do everything in your power to make them feel good about who they are.

7. Beauty has nothing to do with what you look like and everything to do with who you are. Never stop working on you.

8.   There is no act of kindness too small

9.    You have complete control over the path that you are on.

10. Believe in yourself. In your hopes and dreams.  In your abilities to achieve them and in your ability to love.

11.  Revenge is never worth it, it will not make you feel better.

12. Tears cleanse your soul, they set you free and they are not a sign of weakness.

13.         Prayer is a very powerful tool, use it daily.

14.       God made no mistakes when he created me. 

Brush it off and let it go!

Each day there are things/people that get on our nerves, upset us, or hurt us and sometimes we let these events ruin our day or take our peace. Because we let it take our peace we may, in return, treat someone the way we were treated, turning this into a vicious cycle. The first part of this cycle we cannot change, we can however change the way we react.  We can laugh it off, we can try to put ourself in their shoes, we have no idea the kind of day they have had, the people they have encountered or the heartache they are feeling.  Is this an excuse for them to treat you poorly? No, but lets face it, sometimes we can be rude and hateful to others when we have had a bad day.  Don't let these interactions make you upset, brush it off and let it go.  Life is too short to hold grudges, to try to retaliate, to have enemies, or to be too serious.  Life is meant to be enjoyed, full of love and laughter, and most of all cherished.  We only get one life, make sure it is one you can be proud of!

A new day, a new you!

Everyday I wake up and have the greatest of intentions, whether it is with weight loss, school work, work, or whatever else I may be doing that day. Although, my intentions are good not always do I follow through with what I said or complete my task to the best of my ability.   For instance, this blog, I was going to write in it everyday and have totally fallen off the wagon BUT that is okay I will strive to do better this year! This is probably true for most us, we all want to do our best but sometimes we fall short.  The first thing we have to know is that it is OKAY! The second thing is that we will inevitably fall short again, and again, and again, but that is okay, too! What matters is that each day we wake up, get out of bed, and strive to do OUR best! Everyday brings a fresh start, it allows us to put things to rest that happened previously and to try again.  We can use this new day to right our wrongs, chase our dreams, be kind to others, and anything else we wish to do, the possibilities are endless! So just because you made a bad grade on a test today or you ate something that wasn't on your diet, don't stress, let it go and do better tomorrow.  It is NEVER too late for a fresh start! 

Is your Diaper Full??

Have you ever seen a baby whose diaper is so full it looks like it might make them topple over? I have and the poor baby has trouble walking and lets face it, most of the times it smells.  Although we are no longer babies we still tend to carry around full diapers that can cause serious frustration.  Now, carrying around extra baggage may not make you walk and smell funny but it sure does prevent you from enjoying where you are today and slows you down to where you are trying to go. Holding on to all of those things in the past that drag you down can really get the best of you.  Life can be tough and it can be EXTREMELY difficult to let some things go, but you have to realize that no matter how hard you hold on to them or how much you complain they are not going to change.  You must let go to make room for all the WONDERFUL things coming your way.  I know this is much easier said then done, but if we could all actively try to let one thing go a week life will get so much better.  Wake up on Monday morning and write down the one thing you are going to let go that week, tear it up and throw it away! This first act will make you feel liberated but this is the easiest step.  Throughout the day your mind will wander back to that heavy diaper that is weighing you down and you must tell yourself, “I am letting this go, I want to move forward”. Do this everyday for the week and it will get easier, I promise.  Do this every week until you feel FREE and open your heart and mind to all the POSITIVE things that will enter your life. 

The Rocky Road

This past week on mine and my nannys daily walk up the rocky road we passed two young children playing ring around the rosy and giggling.  My nanny's walk came to a stop as she watched these two young girls hold hands and run around in circles belly laughing, she didn't say anything at first, she just  starred with a smile on her face.  She then turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, "Kabri, do you remember when you were that age? Because I do".  At that moment I could feel the unconditional love she has for me, the wonderful memories she has of her grandchildren playing and giggling whether it be when we walked up the rocky road, played in her pool, or danced around the May pole she had every year.  I realized that these memories she was thinking of are some my most cherished memories and I can't imagine what my life would have been like without her being such a big part of it.  In this fast paced life that we all lead, partially because we enjoy it, partially because its how society now functions, we can easily forget to stop and notice something so small that can have such a large impact.  On that walk, I noticed those little girls but I probably was not going to stop and really look at them because I was in a hurry, like most days. Without my nanny being with me I would not have felt the flood of memories come back, you know the ones, they make you have that warm feeling in your chest and automatically bring a smile to your face.  I am so unbelievably grateful for this lesson she taught me and for the blessing to still go on walks with her.  I can only hope that one day when I have children and grandchildren they have the opportunity to walk this rocky road as I have since I was a young girl.

" I can, I will, I am"

Words, they can be used in so many ways and more times than not they are used in a negative way.  The spoken word is one that has much power.  I can wake up every morning and speak negatively of what is going on in my life or of other people but the only thing that will breed is more negativity into my life.  I don't want to breed negativity, I want to breed positivity.  I may not be where I want to be in life but that will change with each step I make towards achieving the life I want, it is not going to just fall into my life.  Trust me, I have days where I feel like everything is going wrong and those days make my dreams seem unattainable but what would be the point in me saying, "I am never going to get where I want to be", all that does is put doubt in my mind and make me feel hopeless.  On those days that nothing is going right are the days that you MUST say positive affirmations.  Tell yourself, you will get there, you will make it, that this is just a minor setback in this amazing life we are all blessed with and striving for.  As I take the proper steps to make my life what I want it to be I make sure to say out loud every morning, I can, I will, I am".  This, to me, is a reminder that I can make my dreams come true, I will attain these goals I strive for, and I am doing what I need to do.  Speaking these words out loud make them real. Try this with me, take the time every morning to be thankful for what you have and to tell yourself, " I can, I will, I am" and take those steps.  You and only you can breed this positivity in your life, no one else can do it for you.  I promise it makes your day so much better and it will help you achieve the goals you strive for.  

Follow your Dreams

      Now that we have all made our Dream Boards (if you have not and you want to join in, there is a post before this about making them) we need to be sure to set things in motion to achieve these dreams.  My brother, Stanton White, is a perfect example of following your dreams. 

A sophomore in college at Appalachian State, Stanton decided that this was not his time to be attending school and that he wanted to move out west (a place we had visited numerous times and he fell in love with).  He dropped his classes and moved back to our home in Charlotte to prepare for his journey to Lake Tahoe.  He worked odd jobs to get up enough money to take the cross-country trip and set a date to leave.  That December he had accrued enough money to make the trip and he did.  We had made this trip as a family numerous times for vacations, although by plane and not car.  That being said, we had made friends with a man who owned a ski-rental shop that Stanton resourcefully contacted in hopes of a job and a place to stay until he found his own place.  He successfully made his drive cross-country started his job, found a place to live and now, 5 years later, he is still living out west just in San Francisco and has made his way back to school.

I don’t know about you, but I know that I would have very hard time leaving all of my family on the east coast to embark on a journey, by myself, out west. Your dreams obviously don’t have to be moving half way across the country but whatever they are, you should start the lay the groundwork for them to come true.  I want to be on radio or TV, so I have started going back to school at UNCG to finish my undergraduate degree in Journalism/Broadcasting.  Although, a little less intimidating than what my brother did, I am laying the groundwork for my dreams to come true.  Will you?