Block out the Stress

In celebrating Stress Awareness Month, we wanted to ironically share ways for you to relieve and/or block out stress. Everyone is different so, what may relieve stress for you, may cause stress for another. Here just three tips that may help you:

1. Exercise - Release all of that negative energy you've been storing up and hit the gym! There's nothing like burning off calories and taking the stress away in one area of your life.  Turning those stressful moments and people away, and getting your body in shape should put you in a great mood.

2. Sleep - Many times, stress is caused by the lack of. The lack of food, the lack of two extra hands, the lack of a means of transportation and/or finances...and the list goes on. Give your brain a moment to put things in order and take a breather. A nap will give your body what it needs to put your plan of action into work. Never let stress take away from your rest!

3.  Talk - You may feel alone in your situation, but there's always someone out there going through the same thing. Call a friend or family member and just ask them to listen. Getting out your emotions may help you realize that what you're going through, isn't as bad as it seemed when you kept it to yourself. If no one's around to talk to, you can always pray or talk to yourself. Just get it out!

If those fail, don't worry, William James put it this way,

"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another."

Choose your battles. Stress doesn't have to be a factor! Think happy thoughts. The thing that's stressing you out is just one thing. Think about all the good things happening in your life. Think about the sunshine after the clouds from the storm. Remember, you're too blessed to be stressed!

Spread Love. Live life. Be Inspired.

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eyeAsk: What's Character?

Just some food for thought.

DANiE

Spread Love. Live life. Be Inspired.

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QOTD: Room For Improvement

"Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner

Remember, the biggest room you'll ever walk into, is the room for improvement.

♥ t i f f a n y
Spread Love. Live life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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SIA: Be Determined

Self-Improvement Awareness Month
Determination

Are you determined to succeed? Anyone one would answer with a "yes" to that question. But why is it that people's actions do not display a high degree of determination to reach their goals?

Fact is, for some, reaching success is easier said than done. If there's a lack of determination, it's more than likely that you will not reach success. Have you ever had to walk a long distance in order to get to a destination? Were you almost there and then came to a huge hill to walk up? Wasn't it discouraging? The weak willed will weigh their options and just turn around, giving up on their dream; while the determined prepare themselves for this uphill battle.

"It's easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top."

- Henry Ward Beecher

Stay Determined!

♥ t i f f a n y
Spread Love. Live life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Eye'm Just Saying: Timing

Never forget, the right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing. It's all about timing.

Deuces,
DANiE
Spread Love. Live life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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eyeAsk: To Love or Not to Love, THAT is the Question

Relationships. Commitment. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Wife. Husband. Lover. Friend. Romance. Passion. Sex. Loyalty. All of these things come to mind when we hear one word, LOVE. The word love means so many different things to so many different people. However, I think we can all agree that love can be a complex thing. Whenever you enter a relationship, you're taking a calculated risk while hoping that your math is correct. These are the types of things that I think about when it comes to that little four letter word. So as I ponder this in my head one day, I began to wonder why people even bother to fall in love at all. For that reason, I decided to ask this question to a few of the people that I know -

"Love is such a crazy thing. It can be beautiful but it can also end up horribly. So why love? Is there a point? Should everyone be open to being in love or should there be a proceed-with-caution sign up?"

How did they respond? Here's some of their answers...

Gavin J. said:
Everyone is different and has gone through their own experience with love. To this day, I ask myself the same question but I "proceed-with-caution" to avoid that horrible ending. No one wants that but people ultimately seek that beautiful/blissful side of it. You kind of have to be open about being in love but be cautious at the same time.

Samantha P. said:

Proceed with caution when getting to know the person, but don't proceed with caution when it comes to love. Most of the time people are rushing into love like it is a game, so they never really know the person before they fall in love (then again that isn't real love). I say Proceed with caution on who you let get close but if you trust them enough to let them get close to you, then you should love freely. Life is made up of a series of experiences and your life is shaped how it is shaped because of them. I think you have to love the wrong person and go through the bad in order to appreciate when you receive the good.

Gregory H. said:

Love is wreckless whether you proceed with caution or not. True love has the power to make you the happiest man on earth or the saddest man who ever lived. Love knows kindness and it knows weakness. You can never show your weakness to it, and if you do they it'll no longer be kind. Love knows how to take advantage- It's selfish in the sense that it only wants the best of you and if you can't give it just that then it doesn't want anything to do with you. The truer the love, the more it will hurt if the two people split. To "proceed with caution" is just taking a baby step towards the fire but it doesn't matter if you take a baby step, or a full stride, in the end. If its TRUE LOVE then it will set your mind, body and soul on fire when it all ends.

The best Creative Director ever, DANiE said:

It's hard to say. I would say "proceed with caution" because who wants to have a broken heart, but love is true when it's wholehearted so my answer is yes, "proceed with caution" but you can't be too cautious for too long.

The President of this lovely blog, ♥t i f f a n y said:

I feel that love is a wonderful thing. Whether you love your friends or are in love, I think that everyone should be open to receiving it. It's inevitable for some to be skeptical about it, especially if they've been hurt before, but I feel that love is always worth the risk. One thing I will say, is to fall in love with God first and then fall in love with yourself. After that loving others and deciding who you allow in your life on that type of level is the easy part. I'm all for love.

What's my opinion you ask? That's simple. Lord Alfred Tennyson said it best when he said "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

What's your opinion? We would love to hear it!

Stay Couture, Aliciia

"Spread the love and live your life; while seeking to inspire and be inspired."
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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The Journey = The Success

"Success is a journey, not a destination." - Ben Sweetland

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Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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The Words of Lyor Cohen

"Experience is the best teacher."
I'm sure you've heard this saying a million times, and if you had a dollar for all of those times, as well as I, we'd be in the South of France somewhere partying. Since we don't you are here, and so am I...(lmao..it's not that bad. Stop pouting.)

The following words I have for you today come from Lyor Cohen; the music mogul and the man who brought us Jay-Z, Ashanti, DMX, Bom Jovi, Ja Rule, and a host of others during his time at Def Jam Records. Now as the head of Warner Music Group, he's still flooding the music industry with quality.

"This generation is handicapped by the era of excess. I grew up in an era of love and swimming upstream, determined to prove people wrong. We had chips on our shoulders, like, 'We belong here.' But now it's the most popular, biggest segment of the industry. We've had a decade of private planes and Maybachs. That's not the era that I came from. The era I came from, I had zero expectation that I was going to make any money.

I was determined to prove to the gatekeepers of the industry that we had a place here and we weren't going to relinquish our opportunity. I never had to keep up with nobody because we were all on subways. So it was never like, "My subway is bigger and flyer than your subway." And there was a real fraternal order. We were backstage with Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring, and we had zero f***ing money. But everybody wanted us in the VIP room because we were doing something that was so important to them. People understood that it wasn't if it was going to happen, it was when it was going to happen." (Lyor Cohen)

As I read this interview Cohen did with HipHopDX, I was taken aback. A lot of his sentiment I shared, and I felt I had to share it with you. I too look around and find myself, and you (even if you don't want to admit it) hampered by a generation of excess. Less is no longer more, and tact is unfamiliar. How shall we survive, I don't know. Devil's advocate I am not, although it's very fun, I am trying to be honest. Rockstar living has taken over. Everyone is a star in the making, are they not? Worth more than the whole; I support confidence, not overconfidence.

I wish I lived in the era that Cohen speaks of; where potential brought you attention, and substance reigned supreme. Can anyone tell me how to get there? Do I click my heels twice? I know this is not Kansas, but can I get it on 7th Ave (Harlem that is). If not, I guess for now I can dream. Will you dream with me, that is if you feel how I feel... My subway is not bigger than yours, neither is my wardrobe closet. As I told you before I am here for the regular Joe's and Josie's (politically correct). Embrace me.

"These words are a chance to be remembered and reprised." - Basquiat

Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
*Interview courtesy of hiphopdx.com

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WoRDS of WiSDOM

"NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT WHAT YOU PERMIT"

Words of Wisdom
(especially in relationships)

Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!

Deuces,

DANiE
Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Continue Entry»

eyeInspire: effFOCUS on Better

"I am not the best, but I am better than I was before. It is all about progression." - Tiffany LeFever
Are you someone who has always been a person that likes to have your hands in many things? This person is sometimes referred to as, "Jack of All Trade", and there's nothing wrong with that, but what you must do is find balance in your life. Balance is very important. At one point or another you will come to realize that you can't do it all, so focus on one thing that really makes you happy, somethat that you're good at.

You may not be the best at that one thing, but what you will come to see is that you have come a long way from where you were. When you focus on one thing you're good at, you create space to become better. Success is not defined by monetary means, but by how you have managed to outdo yourself by accomplishing yet another goal. Don't live to be better than those around you, live to be the best you that you can be, and the rest will fall into place. To be the best, you must first be better. Progress.

Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!

♥ t i f f a n y
Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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...To Love and Lose...

"To love and win is the best thing.

To love and lose, the next best."

- William Thackeray

Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!
Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.
♥ t i f f a n y
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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eyeInspire: Stay in the Fight

"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." - Ella Fitzgerald

There comes a time in everyone's life where we work so hard for something and it just doesn't go through. Or, we pay our dues and do work that we feel is beneath us and finally an opportunity is thrown our way, but things don't turn out the way we hoped. All of these situations make it easy for someone to look at life and just give up. One thing that I've come to realize lately is this: Don't give up on God, because he won't give up on you. Yea, it's hard believe this when you feel everything is going wrong and that God is just making life hard on us, but He does this because He knows that we can handle it.

It may sound like a cliché, but God will never put more on you than you can bear. Just when you think you've reached your breaking point, He'll send along friends or family to guide you along the way. There were many times in my life where I just felt like "What's the point". But despite my disappointments, I kept my head up and I continued to fight for my dreams. There will ALWAYS be roadblocks, enemies and those haters lurking to take you out of your element. But as long as you're in the ring, let your opponent swing. Sooner or later they'll get tired and that's when you go in for the knockout. Hang in there!

Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!
Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.

♥ t i f f a n y
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

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eyeInspire: Let God Breakthrough

"…the Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters…" - 2 Samuel 5:20, AMP

God wants to give you a breakthrough—a sudden burst of His favor; an explosion of His goodness. He wants to release His power in such a way that it overwhelms you and drives out your enemies!

Maybe you’ve been praying about a relationship for years, and suddenly, things get into place. That’s a breakthrough. Or you were trying to get a certain job. They said there were no openings; but suddenly, they call you back and you get the job. That’s another breakthrough. Perhaps you’ve struggled with an addiction for a long time, but then something happens and it’s not a struggle anymore. Those are all breakthroughs.

No matter what you’ve been facing, no matter how impossible things look, know this: the God of the breakthrough wants to visit your house. Get ready! Look for His favor and goodness. Remember, God rewards the people who seek after Him. So keep expecting and keep believing, because the God of the breakthrough is ready to overwhelm you with His goodness!

Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!

Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.

♥ t i f f a n y
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Inspirational Vitamin

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Fool Me Once

I came across this quote and thought that I should share:

"Arguing with a fool proves there are two." -Doris M. Smith

Have a great day!

Deuces,

DANiE

Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Continue Entry»

eyeInspire: Be effFull of Joy

“(9) I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. (10) When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. (11) I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” - John 15:9–11, NLT

Is your joy full today? When something is full, there really isn’t room for any more. It’s a feeling of complete satisfaction. God wants your joy to be full! But too many people drag through the day with a sour outlook, no enthusiasm. No smiling, no laughing, everything just seems like a burden. But God never created us to endure life, He created us to enjoy life. We’re not supposed to go around with a long face, or negative, discouraged, sour, and grumpy faces. As believers, you and I are supposed to be the happiest people on earth. Everywhere we go we should be so full of joy that we brighten other people’s day. Here’s the key: we have to choose love by choosing to obey the commands of Almighty God. That’s how our joy is full and complete.

If there’s an area of your life that you know you need to make some adjustments to in order to be in obedience to His Word, do it today. Don’t waste another moment disconnected from the Father. Instead, choose to obey and choose love, that your joy may be full!

Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!

Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.

♥ t i f f a n y
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Inspirational Vitamin

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eyeAsk: Do You Apologize?

Do you apologize?
After a fight, serious or petty, one of the hardest things for a human being to do is to suck up their ego and say sorry. But why is this? Some people feel like it makes them seem weaker and others just don't feel as though they owe anyone an apology. At the end of the day, it comes down to perception and personal reflection. But here's something to remember:

"Apologizing: does not always mean that you are wrong and that the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego."

Agree? Disagree? Comment!

Spread Love. Live Life. Be Inspired.

♥ t i f f a n y
Proud supporter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society