I have never in my life felt more determined, more inspired, or more motivated to allow myself to chase my dreams. You know when you're in your adolescence and people ask you what you want to be? You probably responded with something like a lawyer, the president, or a doctor? As most of us got older those types of aspirations either changed, or they felt out of reach. I'm told this is a pretty normal occurrence as we can never determine the bumps in the road that life is going to hit us with. The only issue I have with that notion is why most of us never get back to chasing those dreams we once had, if we still have a desire to achieve them. Why a lot of us become "comfortable" rather than pushing ourselves to our full capabilities? The past four years of my life have been all about redefining myself. Figuring out who I am as a mother, who I am as a friend, as a believer, and as a wife. In finding myself in all that brings me joy, I became a better version of me. I saw first hand what growth can really do for a person.

Now that I've really accepted change as a good thing in my life, I keep reminding myself that I am not done investing in Leilani. What that really means (for me) is, Alright mama, reach for the stars. I think everyone knows I'm currently wrapping up a bachelor's degree and then moving onto a master's degree... education is not the only type of success I see for myself. With blogging, motivational speaking, and sharing my stories with complete strangers all over the nation, I have found a passion for making myself available to others. With being that person that encourages them to pursue whatever it is that they deem worthy. I can't tell you how absolutely amazing it feels to get an email, or a stop in the grocery store because someone read something I wrote/saw me speak and they were moved. They were inspired. I like helping people come to these realizations. I wasn't always this way, so to find another passion that makes my heart completely overjoyed is an amazing feeling.

I'm not really sure what direction I can take this in, but I fully intend to explore this passion through and through. This is one of my favorite parts about life you guys. You can fall in love with so many things for yourself. Knowing that this will happen throughout my lifetime has me giddy and excited. In light of this good mood, I am booking a photo session just for me. Yes, photos of me, in my essence, in my skin, just me. Since picking up photography as a hobby, I cannot express how important documentation has become to me. I say this a lot, and will continue to express the importance of snapping photos. It's much more than a pretty picture guys! I always write about "fine tuning" in relationships, motherhood, and life.. I think sometimes I fail to remind myself that one of the most important parts of the equation is fine tuning yourself. It's not that I forget about me, but sometimes this mama gets consumed with all the other joys life has, and that is quite alright with me. It makes these times even more special for me. Prepare to watch me step out and shine with whatever goals that stem off of this new dream of mine!

Happy Monday all!

♥- Leilani

Goal Settings

This afternoon I had a "wake up call" A friend of mine texted me and she says, "Leilani, you have got to watch this girl on youtube." It's life changing" And boy was she right. Basically, this youtuber paves out a way to help you set out your goals and a specific way to achieve them. Step one is to write out your goals into categories. Step two is writing a tangible list to make your dreams come true. You go to each goal and break it down into steps that are so easy and small. "Baby steps that you do every single day that are so easy that you would feel bad if you didn't do them." - Nikki Phillippi "They are so little that they seem like they wouldn't make a difference." - Nikki Phillippi

How to make your Dreams come True

Spiritual: 

• I want to focus more on Jesus Christ, rather than religion
• I want to strengthen my connection with the lord

Healthy Living/Exercise:

• I want my body to feel good in turn allowing my soul to feel good
• I want don't want to worry about the weight or inches aspect of working out
• I just want to release those endorphin's 

Motherhood:

• Motherhood is messy. Allow Ava to be as messy as possible, even if It's not in my comfort zone
• The laundry can wait. networking can wait. Interact with Ava every moment I can

Finances: 

• money is paper. Treat it that way. (As in, money isn't everything)
• find ways to cut out unneeded expenses
• I want to build a home with Justin once his military career comes to an end

Relationships:

• I want to stay in better contact with my family and my friends from back home
• I want to do more things that are dedicated to romance with Justin
• I want to be more involved with my husband's hobbies

Work:

• Finish my college courses and obtain my bachelor's degree
• volunteer, to build my resume

My baby steps to achieving my goals

• Read a page of the bible, daily
• Prayer during "shower time" 4 minutes a day
• Bust out my yoga mat for 5 minutes a day
• Allow my daughter to put her toys in her mouth, without feeling the urge to wipe them down almost immediately 3 minutes a day
• Each grocery trip, put back one item that isn't a necessity.
• make one phone call a day dedicated to a family member or friend, just to see how their day is.
• Play madden with Justin once a day
• Write a love note for Justin once a day. Tape them on mirror, motorcycle cover, etc. Somewhere he can see it.

Favorite Quotes From Nikki Phillippi:

" A lot of times when we set goals, we set goals that aren't always feasible, then we fall off the bandwagon and we don't do it at all. So building a wall one brick at a time, and actually completing the wall is so much better than trying to build a wall in a day and then giving up and never building the wall at all."

"People that are really successful in life, they say are people that take baby steps to move things forward everyday. Not people that set goals so high for themselves that they are never going to achieve it and then they feel like a failure."

The book that inspired her, that I am going to read as well is: The Slight Edge