I Affirm...

I am a firm believer in being my own damn inspiration. I've written in my journal and posted notes on my walls and mirror, many words of affirmation to help myself overcome personal barriers. Positive words of affirmation is a tool that works for me.

I found this cutout in one of many journals "its your time to shine". I stuck it in my keyboard to remind myself, that it IS my time to shine. So when I open my laptop, I'll already know what time it is! You cannot rely on external things or other people to motivate you, to inspire you. You have to do that yourself.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and inspired to keep going after your dreams? Have you ever used positive affirmations?

Love & Light
Shan

Taking A Moment of Gratitude

I am grateful for a beautiful day today. The last several days have been wet, cold and ugly.
I am grateful for my hunni love J. Although we are so very different, we create a beautiful balance. It works for us.
I am grateful that I have been inspired to change the way we think about mental illness and suicide. This new "baby" is in the works of becoming something greater than myself. I cannot wait to share it with the world.
I am grateful for the possibilities of what's to come.
I am grateful for family.
I am grateful for my health.
I am grateful for my new pair of Nikes that are supposed to motivate me to work out more. Time will tell lol.

Find something to be grateful for. You don't have to look very far.


Love & Light
Shan









photo credit: kerririchardson.com

My Evolution of Self-Love

Loving yourself and knowing who you truly are is essential to living a happy life. The world will subliminally try to tell you who you are and fill you with thoughts of insecurities.

As a child, pre adolescents, I thought I was ugly. I felt ugly and didn't think I was smart. When my mom was angry about something I did (or didn't do) her words were demeaning and hurtful, to say the least. For the years, I thought I was dumb. My self-esteem was shot.

By the time I was 12, a more confident me began to emerge. Partly because I had a lil boyfriend who worshipped the ground I walked on. At 13, we relocated to Atlanta, and I joined the dance team in the 8th grade. I no longer felt like a ugly duckling...my body was rapidly changing and boys were liking me lol. If that's not a self-esteem booster for a young teenage girl, I don't know what is.

As an adult in my 30's, I realized I there was work to do on myself. I did a lot of self discovery, and I had to undo a lot of what was done to me as a child. Journaling, speaking words of affirmation, reading self help, and inspirational books helped me to embrace all my flaws. I didn't allow my past to define the woman was or wanted to be.

My wish is that every little girl who feels less than, inadequate, unpretty, finds their beautiful self and celebrate it in every way. I want all girls to know that they are smart and capable of accomplishing whatever is in their hearts. 

Love & Light,

Shan

Just...Happy

I can truly say that I am happy. Not that I ever was not happy...but I feel a real sense of peace. 

No, I am not exactly where I want to be, or have accomplished all my goals, but I am happy at where I am at this moment, at this point of my journey. I am grateful for this feeling. Not everyone can say the same. 

My ongoing goal from now in is to continue to be in love with my life, and it will love me back.

Love & Light,

Shan

Gratitude + Faith = Unstoppable

*I am thankful for breath.
*I am thankful for the freedom of expression.
*I am thankful for the love of friends.
*I am thankful for quiet moments.
*I am thankful for choices.
*I am thankful written words of inspiration.
*I am thankful for weekends.
*I am thankful for a good nights' sleep.


I HATE my job. I loathe the work I do. But it pays the bills. On the flip side, tomorrow is another day and God is good. Greater than I will probably ever know. I know that our miseries are only temporary and won't last forever. I am smart, intelligent, and more than capable of achieving my goals. It'll happen...I refuse to throw in the towel. I refuse to stop believing in me. I refuse to STOP dreaming.

I have so much to be thankful for and that keeps me pushing forward, with my faith around my neck. I never leave home without my it.

Being thankful and having faith that all things will work out in my favor, is my formula for remaining in peace while riding out the storms of life. That is what makes me unstoppable.



        Love & Light,

A New Purpose, A New Direction

Seven months ago, I lost my writing voice and I felt like I didn't have much to offer through blogging. I felt lost. I literally didn't have anything to say to the world. This was more than a case of writer's block, I was stuck in the mud of 'blogger dissolution'. So I subconsciously made the decision to step away (for awhile). I felt guilty, because I had branded myself as "lifestyle blogger", but could not push out not one damn post. I wanted to, but...nothing. I put pressure on myself, when I didn't have to.

The lesson here: It's a journey. I cannot allow myself to feel guilty about the decisions I make, or how I am feeling at any given time. It's OK to walk away.

I had to take a time out to gain clarity on my future as a blogger. Plus, I had a lot of life "stuff" going on and just could find the motivation (or time) to write. Plus, any blogger knows that it requires actual WORK posting to your blog! I just didn't have the mental energy for it.  For a brief second I thought about hanging it up for good. But that thought quickly passed.

I came to the conclusion that I needed a more specific niche than what I was blogging about. I basically had to connect the dots of what I was already doing, and paying attention to my divine desire and the patterns of content on social media postings. Out of that, I discovered my purpose...who knew? But it was there all along.

I am excited because I now have a new sense of direction. I am more focused on what God has called me to do. I will continue to use my life experiences to share the wisdom I have acquired, with encouragement and inspiration. I'm still me...and my writing style will not change. I'd like to call call it LoveShanGlam the remix!

I'm here to offer my readers sips of  inspiration, encouragement, and share the experiences of my journey. I hope that you will read and have some sort of 'take away' from my posts. I haven't "arrived" and I don't know all the answers, nor will I pretend to. We're all in the same boat. I am growing and learning just as you are, so let's grow and learn together!


        Love & Light,

Approaching the Forty Yard Line

I know...football season is over unfortunately, but this post is not about football. 

In a week, I'll be the big 4 0. Four tens, eight fives, or 40 ones, 40 is 40 no matter how you slice it....and I'm good. I'm not freaking out, I'm not having a nervous breakdown, or melt down. No need to stress out about something I cannot do anything about. I'm going to be 40 and guess what? My 'Big Girl Panties' are pulled up and I will deal. 

I refuse to do is say "I'll be 39 (again). I'm not going to playfully lie to myself and others, by saying, "I'm not 40, I'm 18 with 22 years of experience." F*ck that! I will stand proud in my 40 years of life! The calendars and clocks are moving forward and so will I.  I just don't have the energy to play with myself like that. Seeing another year, reaching another decade of life is truly a blessing, no doubt, but it's NOT that serious for me to be stuck in neutral or trying to shift my age into reverse, just so I don't have to face the fact that I am getting older. That is so cliche.

What I AM going to do is embrace the notion that, 'life gets better after 40', (at least that's what I've heard.) I have accepted (for the most part) the fact that God has me exactly where I need to be at this stage of my life, whether I understand it or not. As tempting as it may be to think about, what I don't have, or where I'm not...I refuse to allow those negative thoughts pull me down into a spiraling abyss of worthlessness and self loathing. I REFUSE, I say! Plus, what good does that do? How does that serve me? It doesn't serve me? Exactly!

What I AM going to do is continue to live life by, not being defined or limited by any age, because it really is only a state of mind. I look forward to what God has in store for me during the next 10 years of my journey. I love the person I'm becoming, and I don't regret any of the 39 years it took to get me where I am now. 

Peace & Blessings,

Living Doesn't Always Mean Learning

It's kind of hard to fathom that, the hardships, trials and tribulations are happening because the universe is trying to teach us something, or that we'll grow from whatever it is we are going through.
It's true. We cannot be the person who we are truly meant to be, live to our highest potential if we do not walk through and tough out our lowest moments. Not to sound cliche, but it makes us a better person.
Just when we think we are coming out of the valley, we fall right back into another one. And sometimes, another one after that.

But here's the truth: There is a lesson to be learned in all of it. The universe has a way of shaking the sh*t out of you and turning you upside down to wake you up from the existence you know as 'living the life'. When actually, we are living a lie. We tell ourselves lies that keep us from living without intention. Without purpose.

Here is another truth: God knows what He is doing and He would not allow us to suffer if it wasn't for a reason. Learn, grow, and do better, is what we have to do. Ask yourself, 'what can I do differently? Because what I am doing now is not working!' Believe me when you become tired and frustrated of repeated pitfalls, you will begin to ask yourself the tough questions. We have to consciously start making better life decisions that will serve ourselves, and most importantly our spirit.


Peace & Blessings,

HELLO 2014! It's Nice to Meet You!

So I had this wonderful post entitled, "Lessons and Revelations of 2013" that was supposed to be posted on New Years Eve. Unfortunately, Blogger was down, and I was NOT able to post it. Frustrated doesn't even come close to what I felt. The worse part of all, it wouldn't even save it as draft. I closed my laptop and said 'the hell with it'. Do I want to type it over again? Not really. That post took a lot of introspection, thought and contemplation to curate. I don't know why I didn't back it up. But oh well. Apparently it wasn't meant to be, so I'll do something different.

Moving on...So the 2014 is here. YAAAYYY!!!! *Throws glitter and confetti in the air while loudly blowing a party horn*

So glad it is. I was ready to hit the January 1, 2014 reset button. I'm grateful for all the things 2013 taught me, but it was rough. I laughed, I cried........and cried........and cried.........and cried some more. Actually I think I went through a short spell of acute depression. All I can say is journaling and praying is a powerful thing. Nevertheless, it's time to move on. It's been real.

As challenging as it was, many blessings and some wonderful moments happened last year:
I definitely became closer to God.
I bought a car.
I was able to move in with my dad.
I met and took a picture with one of favorite gospel artists, Brian Courtney Wilson.
And last but not least, the live performances I saw during NBA All-Star Weekend was bananas!

I am excited about what this year is going to bring! I'm excited about making new memories and making new acquaintances. I'm excited about taking new chances and discovering new opportunities (career and otherwise). More than anything, I am mostly excited about exploring my passions.

I'm open to whatever the universe brings in 2014. I'm not going to list all my '2014 Intentions/Goals' on the blog, I wrote them in my journal instead. There are some things I need to do differently, and then there are some things I need to just DO. Of course I'm praying for bigger and better things, but whatever happens, whatever adversity I'm presented with, I'll count it all joy...and I hope you all will do the same.

Peace & Blessings,

Seven Boots David Blaine Should Make Appear In My Closet

So I was watching David Blaine's show last night, "Real or Magic"...I am absolutely positive that, that kid is not from planet earth.

The tricks or stunts he pulled last night had me going nuts. It was scary! I wanted to throw holy water at my television. The card in the orange trick at Harrison Ford's house? Jesus take all the wheels! HOW in the entire world did he DO THAT?!!! Baffled was putting it mildly. Harrison Ford was so stuck, he told David Blaine to "get the f*ck outta my house." I DIED laughing.

But this is the trick that had me. When he made a $1 bill turn into $100. I knew right there, I need David Blaine to work some stuff out in my life lol. Can you wave your hand over my bank account sir? I'm just saying. Why let all that wonderful magical talent go to waste? Help a sistah out. How about something simpler?

Ya'll know I love boots right? Well, there are several boots I'd love to have this winter. If he could mysteriously put a card, I am thinking about, in my pocket, surely David could magically drop some dope ass boots in my closet (a size 9 to be exact). This should be a breeze for him.

I found seven fab boots from the Elle.com Fall Boot Guide 2013 that I would love to rock this winter:



Saint Laurent Hunting Knee Boot, barneys.com




Chinese Laundry Flash Boots, chineselaundry.com



Laurence Dacade Merli Triple-Buckle Studded Mid-Calf Boot, bergdorfgoodman.com


Via Spiga Wright Boot, nordstrom.com



10 Crosby Derek Lam Yola Boot, zappos.com


Giuseppe Zanotti Blok Suede Combat Boots, shopbop.com


Sergio Rossi Suede Leather High Heel Boots, stylebop.com

Just Thankful for the Glass

I have been having some some crazy, anxiety filled weeks lately. Unbeknownst  to me, I allowed doubt of my abilities and talents, and negative self-talk creep into my head. In an effort to remain collected and to calm the storm I feel inside, I had stop and make another gratitude list:

I Am Thankful For:

my new home and the space I've re-created in my new bedroom to make all mine

***

the love and support of my dad

***

my lil blue ride. Her name is Indigo

***

the peace I have at home

***

the cool weather, that I have been longing for all summer

***

having enough sense to turn to God when I'm feeling overwhelmed and stressed

***

Galatians 5:16-18 that reminds me to "walk in the Spirit..." (and not gut a bitch like a fish, with a box cutter)

***

living single, happy and drama free, instead of being in a toxic, drama filled relationship

***

Peace & Blessings,

A Sweet Sip of Truth: Do You Really Know Who You Are?

Yes. I love this! If you don't take the time to understand who you are, you will never really be happy. You will run around in circles trying to find happiness outside of yourself. Soul search, journal how feel and why you're feeling it. You are worthy of it.

I used to spend so much of younger years, wanting to be understood. I'm grateful I that I have (and continue to) taken the time to 'understand my soul'. It's my job to do so. As I got older I realized it is not my job to try to make anyone understand who I really am. All I have to do is just...be me. 

Peace & Blessings,

A Rebirth: New Look, New Name

Lovely Followers,
In an attempt to start seriously branding my blog, my future business, and myself, I decided to change my blog name to Love.Shan.Glam (I'll explain the name later). Recently, I changed my Tumblr to Love.Shan.Glam. and after giving it a lot of thought I decided to switch NaturalistaGlam to Love.Shan.Glam also. In order to effectively brand my business, I need consistency. I don't want to confuse my audience on my identity, because I could possibly lose their interest. The content will not change. It just makes sense to have both blog names the same. I will most likely do business under this name in the future as well.

The meaning: 
I started with Love, because I everything I do under this name, I want it to be it will be with love.
Love for myself, love for the work I do (blogging, creating, selling etc.).
Most importantly, love for the people/my audience/followers I am serving.

In the center is Shan, my nickname (of Shanda). Whatever I do, I will be giving you me: My personality, my style, my humor, my charm...it will be me.

At the end is Glam. According to Merriam-Webster.com Glamour is defined as: a very exciting and attractive quality...my definition of Glam is boldness, beauty, and an appealing unique style. I am drawn to all things glam. I adore color, pretty things, and beautifully creative design. I also wanted to keep that end part of my former blog name NaturalistaGlam. Not to mention, Glam  rhymes with Shan lol.

So there you have it. That is how LOVE SHAN GLAM was created. Thank you for your continued support and love.



Peace & Blessings,
Shan

This Needs to Happen...

Photo: Pinterest; Edited with PicsArt Mobile app

The answer is...wait for it....

NO. It's never too much to ask for.

Travelling 

Reading

Writing

Sipping (on all kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages)

It is possible.

This is how I see the rest of my life playing out. But instead of 'drinking all kinds of tea', I want to drink all kinds of wine! But I can drink teas in the morning. How 'bout that? Mmmk?

This is my desire...My vision. I am putting it out there for the universe to grab, and mold it into a beautiful blessing. This CAN happen!

Peace & Blessings,

I DID IT!!!

First pic! Nose shining bright like a diamond lol.

A close up...and the scary eye ball! lol

(Frizzy hair don't care!)

(Today at work)

I LOVE IT!

It's time to start living out loud. Most people would probably say, "what's the big deal? It's just a nose ring." The BIG deal is that I'm stepping into a new me. A new era of living freely. This nose piercing is just an introduction to what is to come. It's an example of how I want to live.

How it All Goes Down:

So while everyone else was gearing up to watch the Mayweather/Canelo fight Saturday night, my bff and I drove to a tattoo shop, called the Electric Chair. (Crazy right?) I did my research online to see what this place was about. They have a pretty good  reputation and had been nominated for 'best tattoo shop' awards in the past. Good enough for me, despite the scary ass name.

Anywho-A nice guy named Tim who did my piercing was cool, professional and most importantly clean looking, as was the shop itself. I was a tad nervous but surprisingly calm. He explained everything, sort of. I say sort of because he inserted the needle so quickly! He didn't tell me when he was going to do it, I guess because that would have tensed me up...(which I think was a good move on his part). He inserted some sort of short metal tube in my nose, next thing I know...BLOOP! In goes the needle! I was amazed at how fast it happened.

What most people want to know is Did it hurt? Yes...a little bit. Nothing that made me scream out loud though...and I hate the pain of ANY NEEDLE! It was as if I was getting stuck by a syringe needle to draw blood. I closed my eyes during the process and thought happy thoughts while humming a tune to calm me down, and it worked lol. If I can do it, ANYONE CAN DO IT.

After it was over, Tim explained to me, how clean it and how often. A half of teaspoon of sea salt in 16 oz bottle of water, shake it up, poor in a shot glass, heat it up, use cotton swab to clean inside and outside of piercing three times a day. Simple enough. I walked out the door with NO pain, and minus $42.

But damn, he didn't say for the first two days... it would be bleeding!! YIKES! I almost freaked out until I fully read the aftercare instructions on the paper he gave me and some Google research on what to expect after a nose piercing. (I Google just about everything I want to know) As it turns out, bleeding is totally normal for the first 2-3 days. Although it depends on the person. I was so excited about my piercing, I didn't bother to read the after care instructions, because he already told me what to do lol. It clearly states that some bleeding the first few days, is normal. Whew!

So it has been 48 hours as of right now, and I can say that it is not bleeding anymore THANK GOD! I was starting to become concerned. Now it's just a matter of keeping it clean, and being careful to not get any type of product, or cosmetics on the pierced area.

Overall, I am super happy about the way my first "body" piercing came out! 

Yay me! I'm proud of myself.

     Peace & Blessings,

Hair Update and a Possible Piercing?

I'm enjoying my short hair to the fullest! I wanted to make it a little more even at the top so I decided to cut about an inch off the top...Probably shouldn't have done that though. Right afterwards, I was not that happy about it. It was a rather spontaneous decisions. Every now and then I get these bursts of spontaneous ideas, that sometimes go right and others... terribly wrong lol. Oh well. I'm going to rock it with much confidence. The above pic was taken yesterday, a day after I took the scissors to my head. I may get the back and sides tapered up for a more sleak look.

Products I'm currently using:

{Styling and Moisture}

Taliah Waajid Curly Cream

Shea Moisture Hair Thickening and Growth Milk

Jamaican Black Castor Oil

Eco Styler Gel

(SN: I'm thinking of going back to the Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Creme. It just works for my hair.)

{Washing/Co-Washing}

Pantene Co-Wash

Organix Shampoo (Mint)

In other news I'm thinking of getting my nose pierced. When I was  senior in high school, I really really wanted it, but my mom was like, 'oh hell no!' Typical. After that, I just dismissed the idea and never thought much about it again, until now. Plus at that time, I was entering the professional world of "work" and I didn't want to hinder my chances of getting a job. Why now? Why NOT? Life is too short, and I want to take more risks with NO regrets. I am moving toward a more free spirited life by caring less about what others think about me or my decisions. Doing what I want to do is my definition of happiness.

The journey continues...

Peace & Blessings,

No, I Will Not Keep Calm...

Thank you +Beatrice Clay for the lovely poster and the inspiration!

The 31 Day | 31 Stories | My Favorite Things Challenge, has reminded me that I need to do more, create more of what I love and makes me happy...for a beautiful life.

     Peace & Blessings,

Day 25: Thing to Do on Sunday :: 31 Stories + 31 Photos For a Beautiful Life

Take a Nap + Watch Football Games

Photo Credit: Dimple Lane on etsy.com

Photo Credit: htowntouchdown.com

A good nap does me good. Call me an old lady if you want, but I love taking naps. On Sunday's after the Sunday dinner "itis" set in, sleep is calling me (Ironically, it's usually while I'm watching a football game). If I get a nap in at any time during the weekend, I win.

Everyone that knows me, knows that I'm football fan and know what I'm doing on Sunday during football season. Don't call me...unless you're talking about going somewhere to watch the game. I shuts (yes shuts) it down for football Sunday. Plus, I have to keep up with my fantasy football players and monitor their performance and that is SUPER important! On Sundays? You already know where you can find me...in front of somebody's television!


Peace & Blessings,

{Catch Up Post} Day 22: Favorite Gift to Give - Laughter :: 31 Stories + 31 Photos For a Beautiful Life

Yesterdays photo a day challenge was 'Gift to Give'. I didn't post it yesterday because I had a hard time trying to figure out what is it that I like to give. After reading other people's day 22 posts, it finally dawned on me early this morning, that it is the gift of laughter.

I'm no comedian, but I admit, I am funny. I laugh at my self more often than not. A huge part of me thinks I should be getting paid for funny sh*t I come up with. I actually get a joy buzz when I've made someone laugh...it's a good feeling.

Peace & Blessings,

Day 20: Thing(s) to Do in the Evening :: 31 Stories + 31 Photos For a Beautiful Life

20 Days in, and I am STILL going strong on the 'My Favorite Things Photo-a-Day Challenge!'

{pats self on the back for not saying f*ck this sh*t}

I hope my Instagram and Twitter followers are enjoying my photos. If not then ... #byefelicia

==================================================================

So today is Day 20 and it is: "Thing to do in the Evening"

Stepping in my house after a long stressful day of work is one of the best feelings in the world to me.
The first thing I do is......wait for it.....take off my bra. I know the ladies can relate. I hate bras. They're a necessary evil. So I fling that sucker off as soon as I can.

Back to the topic at hand. My favorite things to do in the evening (in no particular order):

+I like to get as comfortable as possible in a t-shirt and shorts...sweat pants during the colder months.

+Next I may turn on the television and/or laptop and engage in some social media madness. Tweet, maybe a little Pinning and see what folks are talking about on Facebook.

+I play with my blog, and do a little blog hopping.

+Grab something to munch on, and pour myself a glass(es) of wine. I'm usually to tired to cook but I will if I have to.

+Talk to my girlfriend on the phone. She always has something on her mind to share.

+Play music. I like Spotify. It's a Facebook music app, where I have created several playlists. Depending on the mood I'm in, I'll turn it up loud and have my own little dance party in my bedroom. Don't judge me dammit...It's hella fun and an instant mood booster. How else will I practice my twerk? (j/k)

Peace & Blessings,