Hey guys!
I am so excited! I have been nominated for the sunshine blogger award by this awesome lady, shashi. She owns a lovely blog called scribblesnpebbles. Can't thank her enough for nominating me. :)

Incase you are wondering, The sunshine blogger award is an award given to bloggers by fellow bloggers. It's a great way of recognizing and encouraging bloggers who they consider inspiring and creative.
Once nominated, the blogger is required to write a post in which they:

*Thank the blogger who nominated them and link back to their blog.

*Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated them.

*Nominate 11 other blogs and give them 11 new questions to answer.

*Notify your nominees and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

QUESTIONS ASKED BY SHASHI FOR HER NOMINEE:

1. Why is blogging important for you?
>>Blogging is important to me because it gives me an opportunity to express myself wholeheartedly. I think of it as my own little space in the world.


2.When did you start blogging?
>>I have been on and off actually, I started blogging in 2014 casually,  then I started officially in February 2016 but then  I stopped and started again in June 2017. :)

3.Have you monetized your blog?
If not, have you have plans doing so?
>>Yes I have, I have Google adsense on my blog.

4.How often do you travel?
>>Well, I rarely travel, but trust me, I do have plans and a bucket list of places I would love to visit soon.

5.How do you spend your weekends?
>>I attend rehearsals and go to church for the most part. Then I spend the leftover time with friends and family.

6.What do you do when you are blogging?
>>I just stay comfortable and try to get inspiration from everything around me.

7.Are you a full-time blogger?
>>No I am not. I am a part time student and a professional singer.

8.What is your favorite book?
>>Blow fly by Patricia Cornwell

9.What social media do you use for your blog?
>>I use Facebook, LinkedIn, Google plus and instagram basically.

10.How often do you use graphics in your blog?
>>Not often really.

11.What do you love the most about blogging?
>>I really love the fact that you can earn from your blog and in fact it can serve as a full time job. And I can't wait to start smiling to the bank.

MY QUESTIONS FOR MY NOMINEES

1. Where are you from?
2.when did you start blogging?
3.what or who inspired you to start blogging?
4.How has your blogging journey been so far?
5.whats your niche?
6.Do you have any regrets since you started blogging?
7.why did you choose blogging?
8. What's your best post since you started blogging?
9. Have you started earning from your blog?
10. What else do you do besides blogging? 11.what do you find most challenging about running a blog?

MY NOMINEES FOR SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD

Womenlite

On the other side of depression

Sunburnt Aloe

One day at a time 

Abhinav uniyal

I will not live in vain

Healthy Living

The Christyle blogger

Mental monologue 

Sky Phoenix Rayne

Cassidy's adventures

I finished reading a book yesterday, not an ebook, a normal hardcover book. That would be the 5th one this month. I think I am making progress.
So, when was the last time, you dropped your phone and every other form of technology or electronics for over two hours not just because you have a dead battery but deliberately, just to read a book or have a proper conversation without taking a peek or a selfie every two minutes?

A friend mine was saying that he's concentration span is so short, it's as short as the space between his thumb and index finger . so, he spends half of his day scrolling through his feeds.
does that sound like you too???

Technology has it's perks but it also has it's downsides. and methinks that the downside is more than the perks. *what do you think *

But seriously, I strongly feel we need to reduce the amount of time we spend on our smartphones, it's just Too much.
Except you work online, cut it down a little

There's the online world and there's the real world.
The real world needs your attention a lot more.
The moments we have to share with the people around us won't last forever,
Drop your phone for one minute
*And have a proper conversation
*A healthy relationship
*Enjoy reality
*Get inspiration
*Soak in the beauty of the world around you.

You can thank me later. 

Its been almost 12 years since I spent most of my time obsessing about weight, about food, counting calories. But I wouldn’t say I felt free until about the last four years from the bondage of myself.

When I was 18 I moved from the comfort of my parents’ home to go to school in Orem, UT at a college there. I spent many a summer in Utah, as we have plenty of family that lived there so I figured I would feel comfortable and it wouldn’t take long for me to adapt to a new area and make new friends. The only problem is, I am extremely shy and not good at making friends. I also think I had some deep rooted insecurities. As a result, I looked in all the wrong places to try and fill that void with someone or something . I met a boy. And I used him as that someone to help me fill that void and get my security from. Slowly over months, he turned into someone who didn’t build me up, but tore me down. I really struggled emotionally after the relationship ended. I no longer had him to fill that void, even if what he filled it with was damaging. I remember almost immediately the eating disorder really took shape. I had slowly been eating less but nothing too intentional. But when I fell into the disease, I fell hard. It wasn’t but a few months before my weight dropped almost 30 pounds, to below 100lbs. And I just keep restricting my food until I eventually would only allow myself to eat 200-300 calories a day. I obsessed about calories. I went to the gym every day. Working out for hours. I worked at Wal-mart in the bakery and went to school full time. It didn’t take too long before my eating disorder consumed most of my life, and I found myself having to back down on school classes because I just didn’t have the energy any longer. I finally had people urge me to seek help. I was confident I could over come this on my own. I visited the nurse at the school I attended weekly as well as the school counselor, weekly. But I only got worse. I eventually started binging and purging as well. My parents tried to get me admitted into an inpatient facility as my health was declining very rapidly. I would say this was all within a matter of 2 years.

The next year I had to quite school and not much after that I found myself missing much more work because I didn't feel well all the time.  was going to have to quit my job because I could barely get out of bed any longer. I remember I had mostly stopped driving because I always had that cloudy feeling when you are in extreme exhaustion. I always felt confused, and couldn’t focus. One morning I woke up and just knew I was going to die from this eating disorder. I had a choice to allow this disease to take everything I had worked toward and everything I knew i could achieve, or fight back.I finally found the courage to accept the help from my parents to be admitted into an inpatient treatment facility.

By this time I had such little self esteem. Since that initial abusive relationship ended, I found myself with more abuse, put my self in situations I would never have imagined just a couple years before. I honestly felt as though I deserved the abuse. It just felt like the pain and anger and hurt was so deep that I would never heal.
I had stopped weighing myself months before I was admitted. I couldn't handle the pain it added each day I got on the scale. One of the first things the doctor asked me when I was admitted was how much I thought I weight. I honestly thought I was maybe 105 lbs. He wouldn't tell me how much I weighed, but he did tell me I was under 80 lbs. Today I think about that, and I cannot even believe I weighed that little. I shopped in the little girls department, because all other clothes looked huge one me, but I couldn't see that when I looked in the mirror. When asked if I saw a problem with the fact that my clothes were made for young girls, not woman in their 20s, I would mentally justify it because the clothes were cheaper and I was a poor college student.

Fast Forward 5 months, I was released from treatment and moved in with my sister temporarily. I now physically looked like a normal healthy woman. I had some weight on me. And could mostly make good food choices on my own. But I was scared out of my mind. How would I ever fit back in with the real world. How do I face real world problems without resulting to my eating disorder.

For many years after this I felt like I was just surviving. Using other things to numb my pain and put my thoughts behind me. I still sought out abusive men, and put myself in horrible situations because I frankly just didn't care about my self.

March 13th 2013, I found myself in a place so miserable and dark I knew I needed to do something different. I spent most of my free time learning what it looks like to love myself. Figure out what my faults were and how I could change the things about myself I didn't like. I looked for the things in my life that I could be grateful for. That is when I really started recovery. Even though I didn't act out in my eating disorder addiction for all those years after I got out of treatment I didn't spend any time loving who I was until that day in March four years ago. I wasn't learning from my mistakes and looking for my strengths. .
Today, I still focus on affirmations daily to remind myself that I am worth it. I still remind myself of all the wonderful things I've accomplished and the loving people in my life. I am finding myself each and every day. I keep showing up to life every day and always look for ways to be of service to those around me and how I can help other woman who may be suffering from the same perpetual cycle of low self esteem. I know I hurt a lot of people and took advantage of a lot when I was in sick, and I am always looking for ways I can now contribute to society as opposed to burden it any further. I love where I came from because it has built me into the person I am today. I wouldn't change a thing from my past. I only hope that sharing and talking to others will prevent one person from diving to the depths depths that I went to before I could see what my life should be. Happy, Joyous and Free.



Michelle Turnbow

www.myamazingselfie.com

mturnbow@myamazingselfie.com

Last night I decided to take another look at the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible.
I know you are wondering why!?

I did that because of something I saw on TV.
A couple of volunteers were serving food (really nice food) to some hungry and homeless people in Syria. I really admired the enthusiasm with which they were doing this great service.
What really got my attention were two little cute boys of about 10 and 9 years who were serving alongside the other grown-ups. They were pretty excited about the work they were doing .

I was really inspired!! I was grinning like a bobcat, I felt like reaching out to them and give them a bear hug. And I thought to myself "that's the beauty of life" . Being able to put smiles on the faces of others.

Just like that good Samaritan.
Whatever opportunity you get, to do good. Make the most of It..
Irrespective of whether the person is your friend or relative. Even if it's a complete stranger. Be kind to them.

You don't need to be super rich or influential to leave an impact in this world. The impression you leave in the hearts of men is the best influence you can have.

Just like the levite and the priest in that story, so many people become successful and forget to reach out to others, forget to give back.
They climb to the top and kick down the ladder they used to get there, denying others the opportunity of getting to the top with them.
That's a very boring and sad way to live, don't you think?
The beauty of life is in helping others.

Throw away your title
Forget about our differences
Become deliberate about doing good to someone this week.

Volunteer at an NGO
serve in a church
Visit the orphanage
Help a widow or an elderly person
Say a kind and encouraging word to someone
Inspire and motivate someone
Let's make the world a better place one day at a time.

God bless you!!!

Last week I was at a place where I needed to make a decision to either continue doing a certain thing or stop and make a fresh start.
 I am sure we all get to that point where we are faced with this life defining question, do I stand and fight for what I want, what I believe in or do I let go?

Do I go out of my way and make an extra effort or do I walk away?

 I am not being specific to any particular circumstance or situation because this question cuts across every sphere of life. school, business,relationships, work and even when it comes down to what you believe in.

sometimes the right thing to do is to stop and make a fresh start, to change course, to start a new chapter because that's what is best for the situation, and other times  the solution to a problem would be to keep putting in more effort and to persevere.

 it can get really confusing to know what is best for each situation. There is no clear cut answer. However there are ways you can determine and know what to do under  each circumstance,

You can ask yourself these questions
Why am I doing this?
What is the benefit in this?
How necessary Is it?
How hard have I worked?
 Have I given it my best?
Is it worth my time?
Is it worth doing?
Is this thing crucial to my existence?
If I stop now would I feel at peace with myself ?
 have done my best?
 if I stop now would it be a mistake ?
 Have I really tried enough..?
The list can go on and on

to each situation it's own set of questions. The most important thing being pointed out here is that, as a person you must understand that there comes a time when you must Stand and fight for what you want, against all odds, throw away pride, laziness, apathy, ego, etc because failure to do so would lead to regret.

 Look within and always endeavor to know where to draw the line.

Whatever I am today is largely the result of people who invested in my life. Whether they were singers, pastors, friends or Guardians,and whether it was through songs, books words or actions they all have shaped me into who I am today.
In every sphere of life there are people who have gone ahead of you, Find these people, follow them faithfully and learn from them.


In case you are wondering "why" this is so important, let me tell you. Firstly, This is one thing most successful people have in common-"mentors "

*Mark Zuckerberg had Steve Jobs
*Warren buffet had Benjamin Graham
and the list goes on.....


1.Whatever it is you want to do in life, bear in mind that you can't do it alone. You need someone to encourage and equip you. Someone to motivate and stir you up. You need someone to model the how for you.

2.Everyone needs a role model, a person whose life reminds you of everything you want and ought to be.

3.Mentors can be connectors. Playing a dual role of teacher and connector, a mentor can provide access to those within your industry that are willing to invest in your company, offer their skills and expertise.

4. Mentors have the experiences you can learn from to prevent making the same mistakes beginners make. Starting a business is challenging enough, so if you can skip doing things the hard way, why wouldn't you?


5.Mentors are free, which makes them priceless in more ways than one.


As Benjamin Franklin said, "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."

Great ideas and leaders have a common enemy- "the critic" .
I am not one who patronizes the critic, I rarely concern myself with what people think. If I believe what I am doing is right, I simply go for it.

Why?

Because I have learned that no one is immune to criticism, it comes with breathing. People will definitely criticize whether you act or fail to act, so I'd rather be criticized for doing something than for doing nothing. It may not always be easy to overcome the critics, but it's worth it.

Caustic comments and demeaning stares are all part of the life of a courageous man.
Do you know that Billy Graham was called a cultist when he started ministry? No matter who you are or what you do, not everyone is going to agree with you!

If you think everyone will be happy just because you started doing something great, you're wrong!
There are so many people, even so called friends who would want you to fail and so the moment you begin to venture, to live outside the box, they will begin to attack you and throw stones at you. Hey!! Pick those stones and build a wall! Be careful who you listen to, not everyone deserves the right to speak into your life.

READ ALSO >>DARE TO TAKE A STAND

So many people are afraid to pursue their dreams, start up a business and have a life because of what people will say. People must say, so to avoid criticism you must be willing to say nothing! Do nothing! And be nothing.

Teddy Roosevelt said "far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat".