8 Things That I'm Thankful For

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It is the week of Thanksgiving in America, and if you're at all familiar with the American version of the Holiday, your mind probably goes to the food instantly. You also may think about the day after Thanksgiving when people line up outside department stores waiting to get in for the Black Friday deals, and all of the chaos that ensues on Black Friday. Less than 24 hours after sitting down to remember what they're thankful for at the dinner table, a sizable number of Americans wake up ridiculously early for great deals on the hottest products of the year. Or at least what seems to be great deals anyways. I have absolutely nothing against Black Friday shopping, you can actually get some good deals to kick off the holiday shopping season. Some people also enjoy it for the sake of tradition, or for the experience itself. It's just a little ironic that there are a few people who will start fights over material items, less than 24 hours of remembering what they're thankful for. As if they couldn't have found the item they were fighting over on Amazon, possibly for an even better deal. But I digress, I majorly digress.

I'm just going to get to the point now. Although the food and the shopping are a huge part of Thanksgiving week in America, so is gratitude, as the name of the holiday may imply. Let's be honest for a second too. As much as we should be practicing gratitude year-round, it can be easy to get caught up in the stresses of everyday life. So it's nice to have holidays like Thanksgiving that remind us to be thankful for what we do have, big or small.

Negative Self-Talk: My WORST Mood-Killing Habit

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It wasn't until after I had written my post about my worst mood-killing habits that I realized that I had left out my worst mood-killing habit of all. As a matter of fact, I didn't even realize that it even was a bad habit, or how bad it can be, until after I had published that post. It didn't actually hit me until I was watching the fifth episode of Shane Dawson's series, The Beautiful World Of Jeffree Star. It resonated with me instantly when Shane said that he wanted to stop saying negative things about himself. That was when I realized that this was something I really need to work on as well, as I know for a fact that I can be my own harshest critic. I often find myself saying harsh-ass shit to myself that I would never say to another person. So needless to say, I've allowed this habit of negative self-talk to go almost completely unchecked for far too long. And going into 2020, it's time to start changing that.

How I'm Prepping For The New Year

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New Year's Day is one of my favorite holidays. It's possible that I actually look forward to a new year more than I look forward to Christmas, but it's a very tight race between the two. The Winter holiday season is exciting to me, in general, even though I strongly dislike Winter. The Christmas season has always been a wonderful and magical time of year for me. Honestly, I still get that child-like feeling when December arrives that I did when I was a little girl. Even though I'm technically an adult now. Although, I'd say that I have more appreciation for the season now that goes beyond the food, the presents, and all the fun events. There is a lot of work that goes into decorating, shopping for gifts, wrapping, and everything else leading up to Christmas morning. All of which can be a lot of fun, but also a little stressful at times. But honestly, through all the magic and chaos of the December holiday season, I can't help but think about the new year coming up.

I have always been the type of person that absolutely loves a fresh start and an opportunity to begin again. I love all of those chances to refocus on my goals and set new ones for myself. Of course, you can choose to do this at any moment, even right this very second. Seriously, there is no time like the present! But I have always loved it when the spirit of beginning again was there, as it certainly makes it significantly easier to refocus. I absolutely love Sundays, the start of a new month, and (most of all) the start of a brand new year because of that factor. Who doesn't enjoy the feeling of a clean slate?!

That being said though, my New Year's resolutions have always been rather ambitious, as I'm sure most people's are. So when January 1st hits, all the goals that I've set for myself can be a little overwhelming, especially if I go into them unprepared. Although I have stuck to some of them in the past, many were lost within the first week of January because I wasn't ready for them. So this year, I've decided to figure out my New Year's resolutions early, and start working on them now. Like I said, there's no time like the present.

7 Signs You REALLY Need A Break

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I absolutely love being productive! The feeling of working hard and getting a lot done is just amazing. Whether it's something you kinda have to do or something you just want to do because you enjoy it, or perhaps a little of both if you've turned your passion into your career, nothing beats getting on a roll and crossing a lot of tasks off your to-do list. But sometimes, even if you're super passionate about something, there's likely to be a point where you hit a metaphorical wall and can't seem to get much done. Even though you just want to get it done so that you can be done with it because the task at hand is really stressing you out and your patience is fading fast. If you still have any patience left, that is. You may also find yourself questioning why you even started in the first place, as you've likely lost a lot of your original passion and motivation for whatever it is you're doing. It's not unlikely that your only motivation at this point is to get it done just so you can finally be done with it.

Okay, let's be real for a second, there are some tasks you just want to be done with from the start, such as cleaning the house, yard work, or any other task that you have to do but never actually want to do, but I think you get the idea. Regardless of whether it's something you have to do or something you just want to do, there comes a point when it's time to take a break. Or when it's well past time to take a break, let's be honest.

Mega LOVE For Autumn Tag 2019

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First of all, I'd like to give a huge thank you to Mari for tagging me to participate in this amazing Autumn tag; you can check out her response to this Fall questionnaire here.  

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, although it tends to come a little late in Ohio, and Winter tends to approach quickly once Autumn actually sets in; but I still enjoy Autumn for the few weeks it's actually here. With that being said though, Autumn is making its quick visit in Ohio as I'm sitting here writing this, so let's take a moment to sit down and really appreciate this colorful season.