Food for Thought Fridays – Blogging Again, Finally!

I can’t believe it has been almost a year since I have posted. I keep letting “life” get in the way of everything I have enjoyed doing, and I am going to be changing this now.

Castle in the Sky

So often we seem to find ourselves lost in responsibilities, chores, work, and more. We forget to take time for ourselves and do things we enjoy. At least, this has been what it’s been like for me lately. I keep figuring I can always do “this” tomorrow, but once tomorrow comes along, another distraction seems to come up to prevent me from doing what I had planned. Although responsibilities should be a priority, there is enough time in any day to take a breather for some you time. Everyone has their own special way of relaxing. For me, I like a lot of different things. Two things I enjoy the most are watching inspirational movies or doing something thoughtful for someone. Obviously, I also enjoy the theme of my company, Ember Cove, which is to “Live Life Beautifully”.

As a nice welcome back to my blog, I have decided to share a few of the most beautiful and inspirational quotes from the one and only exceptional Hayao Miyazaki, who has recently retired but has immortalized himself in his movies and teachings. If you haven’t seen his movies, you might just be missing out. Enjoy! :)

Howl’s Moving Castle

“You must see with eyes unclouded by hate. See the good in that which is evil, and the evil in that which is good. Pledge yourself to neither side, but vow instead to preserve the balance that exists between the two.”
– Hayao Miyazaki

“Always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.”
– The Cat Returns

“No matter how many weapons you have, no matter how great your technology might be, the world cannot live without love.”
– Castle in the Sky

“We each need to find our own inspiration. Sometimes it’s not easy.”
– Kiki’s Delivery Service

“You cannot alter your fate. However, you can rise to meet it, if you so choose.”
– Princess Mononoke

“They say that the best blaze burns brightest, when circumstances are at their worst.”
– Howl’s Moving Castle

“Sometimes you have to fight for the things that are worth fighting for.”
– The Secret World of Arrietty

“It’s funny how you wake up each day and never really know if it’ll be one that will change your life forever.”
– The Secret World of Arrietty

More blogs will be coming soon. Remember, every day can be a starting point for something new, or something that’s been put off for too long.

Food For Thought Friday – My Roller-Coaster of a Life!

Here’s a nice, long, and personal “welcome back” post! :) Hope you guys missed me!

Life sure has a way of making sure you’re always on your toes. The past year has been an absolute roller coaster full of changes, both good and bad. There has been death in the family, moves, celebrations, debt, lessons, struggles, happiness, and so much growing. But, here I am today. I am alive, happy, and thankful for every single moment. Past events have helped me learn the difference between who I am and who I want to be. Ever since I realized that these are two different things, I have been working hard every day to better myself as a person. I have made mistakes, some of them worse than others, but who hasn’t? Every day is a new day to change who you were yesterday. There are constant ups and downs in life, and the key is to just accept everything for what it is. I have learned that being upset has never once solved anything. Being proactive and positive does. There are many situations that I wish I had handled differently, but focusing on thoughts like these only made me frustrated. Instead, I have learned from them. I have forgiven myself on the condition that it will never happen again, and that any future situations will be handled with a clear head and complete understanding.

A couple months ago I moved back to Arizona from Maryland. This was a hard move, and it had a terrible weight and negative effect due to the reason behind it. However, with a little help and motivation from my best friend and personal hero, I applied my new way of thinking immediately which saved me a lot of trouble. Instead of grieving or becoming lost in thoughts, I made myself busy and signed up at a University with a Bachelor’s degree in mind. While unpacking, I researched classes and schedules, using each moment of my free time productively. I went to the gym, I read great books and started to get my life back together again. There were trip ups and mess ups, but my best friend continued to reassure me that I was on the right track and everything would be fine. I kept my chin up and stayed positive, and soon good things began to happen. When you keep a bright outlook on life, life tends to reward your efforts.

I honestly couldn’t have accomplished such an amazing 180 life change without the constant reassurance and motivation of my best friend. He has been there for me since day one, and has never once let me get away with a single negative thought. We kept each other on track and have found amazing benefits to our lives and outlook. Hang on to your loved ones closely, motivate them and encourage them every day because you never know when you may have to let them go. Most of all, appreciate them. The people who have seen you at your worst but still love and support you are those you need to truly hang on to. My experiences have shown me the hard way that the very moment you take something for granted, you lose it…and unfortunately, you’re not likely to get it back no matter what you do. I am extremely thankful for my best friend and I let him know it every day. To say he saved my life is an understatement. He  gave me one, and I am truly grateful.

Ember Cove Soap

Because of my new outlook on life, I did a complete overhaul of my site, www.embercove.com to reflect the great changes that I have experienced. This is a brand new chapter and it can only lead to great things. Whatever trials life throws at me, I can’t say I’ll be ready…but I can say that I will accept them for what they are and handle them accordingly.

New posts will be flowing in a lot more often, so keep your eye on this blog. :) I have a lot to write about and even more to share. My goal is to keep this blog not only to provide information for my company, but also as motivation to anyone else out there who may be struggling. I just have one more thing to say. Everything gets better, but it also gets worse. You just have to accept that life is going to throw something at you when you least expect it, good or bad. You aren’t the same person who you were yesterday,  and as long as you keep trying to stay positive and make happy changes to your life, things will work out for the best. :D