Lifestyle – Life as Bri

July goal setting + FREE PRINTABLE

Another month, another set of goals ready to be crushed!

I don’t know about you but I love to sit down and think about my intentions for each month (well, I’m assuming you feel the same way or why else would you be on this very blog post?? ha). I love reflecting on the previous month, thinking about how I want to challenge myself in the month ahead, and then visualizing how I’m going to crush those goals! It truly is an amazing feeling when you are able to do this.. I would say it’s second to the feeling you get once you crush said goals 😉

For me, I like to focus my goals in three specific categories, Faith, Health, and Finance, and then find 1 to 2 things I would like to focus on within each of those categories. Some times, the goals within these categories don’t vary from month to month because I am all about building good habits in order to break bad ones. I want to make sure that the goals I set out to achieve, I’m not trying to achieve for just that one month but will continue working towards achieving that same goal for months to come until it is habitual. HOWEVER, one thing that I have learned on this whole goal setting journey is that each of these goals must be realistic! If you find that you have set a goal and you are unable to achieve this goal for months on end YOU NEED TO REVISE IT!

Want a real life example? The Good Lord did say “ask and you shall receive”, honey!

I have been working on improving my health and fitness since the start of this year. I had hit a breaking point and I wanted to make sure that I was taking care of the body I was blessed with as best as I possibly could. So, in January I set a goal to lose 5 pounds. It seemed realistic – a little over 1 pound per week. But then I soon came to realize that this was actually not a realistic goal for my body. I am not perfect (I know.. it came as a shock to me too), and I have my ups and downs. So while I was losing weight, it wasn’t necessarily coming off in 5 pound increments every month which would leave me feeling discouraged. But what did I do? I continued to make it a goal each month until the end of March rolled around and low and behold – I had not lost 5 pounds..AGAIN! I finally sat down and thought about my goals – was it really about the weight loss? Or was it about improving my quality of life, nourishing my body with the right foods, and committing to working out consistently at a rate that was sustainable? DING. DING. DING. We have a winner!

After I revised my goal, I found that I was feeling a greater sense of achievement knowing that I was able to reach the goals that I had set for myself. Now that is not to say that I didn’t stumble along the way…remember, I’m not perfect. I have to work my tushy off to get to where I want to be, and sometimes that means you have to fall on that tushy, get up, and try again. So what are your goals? Can you visualize where you want to be in life? Now break that big dream up into smaller, actionable goals and write them down!

Write them down on where, you ask? Such a good question 😉 I have created the cutest goal sheet for you! Pick your categories and then write in 1-2 REALISTIC goals for each one! Don’t wanna pick three categories? That’s okay too! Pick one or two and then use the remaining spaces to write out your favorite motivational quotes or Bible verses! Oh, and did I mention that it’s FREE? Just click right here to download 🙂

I would love to know some of the goals you have set! Leave a comment below and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of my new posts!

Ready. Set. Go crush those goals! ❤

top 4 lessons that marriage has taught me so far..

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Wow. Wow. Wow.

On one hand I’m saying “we’ve only been married for 6 months…seriously??” but on the other hand I’m like “how have we been married 6 months already?!”..

It feels like it was just yesterday that we were packing up and headed to Florida for the most memorable trip of our lives, and now we are here.. 6 months in and growing in our marriage every single day.

I was actually getting kind of emotional going through all of our photos (for like the 100th time) trying to figure out which images I wanted to use for this post. Gahhhh.. okay, enough of that.. Let’s get to the real reason why we are all here: the top 4 lessons that marriage has taught me so far..

Okay, first let me start off by saying I could easily list more than 4 things BUT for the sake of all our attention spans.. 🙂 God has blessed me tremendously with this man I now call my husband. Now don’t get me wrong.. we have our moments where I give him that ‘you are getting on my absolute last nerve’ look and so does he. But the amount of growth we have experienced thus far is truly mind blowing and I have to give God all the glory! So here we go..

Marriage isn’t easy, but when you put in the work it can be so much fun!

Okay so, you’re probably like what? marriage isn’t easy? you don’t just fall into a routine and BOOM just like that you’re doing the whole married life thing? ya girl.. I was just as shocked as you to find out that NAH. IT AIN’T LIKE THAT. You actually have to work at figuring out how you do things as a unit, you have to find a routine that works for you, and most importantly you have to remember that you are living with someone who is not used to having the toilet seat down! (seriously babe.. I’m tired of falling in the toilet when I get up to pee in the middle of the night..).. Now this isn’t something that once you figure out, then it’s done.. You have to work at your marriage EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Some days are easy and you & bae are just flowing together.. and then there are some days where you need to spend a little extra time with Jesus in the morning because home boy is gonna test your patience and you need to extend some grace.. (or the other way around because let’s face it y’all.. I can be challenging – admitting is the first step to recovery AMEN).

2. You don’t have to be under each other 24/7..

Okay hear me out on this one.. when one thinks marriage, you probably think ‘ohmygosh.. we are gonna spend every waking hour with each other and it’s going to be frickin’ amazing’.. NO, there will be an occasional “get out my face boo” moment (see lesson 1 about spending extra time with Jesus – it’s real y’all). It is truly okay to spend some time alone.. even if you are in the same house! There are plenty of times – like right now as I am writing this, for example – that we are in the same house but are spending some quiet time apart. As much as you are now one with each other, you also need time to yourself for reflection, time with Jesus, watching Grey’s Anatomy, so on and so forth. I felt really awkward about this at first but then I came to realize that it’s actually OK.

3. Just because you are married doesn’t mean you should stop dating..

Ladies.. we all know that we love to dress up and look cute, and go out on an occasional date.. Don’t let this stop just because you are married. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me a good movie night in where we can just pile up on the couch and watch movies because #cuddles but you shouldn’t neglect going out on dates. When we first got married, we stayed in ALL THE TIME. It was great! and then I started to miss putting on real clothes on the weekend and actually going out to do things. So keep dating! Keep doing your hair and makeup, and putting on that cute outfit he likes so much!

and finally.. the most important lesson of all..

4. Keep God at the center of it all..

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it can easily slip out of your grasp if you aren’t careful. With all the excitement of marriage, moving into your first home or apartment, trying to find your routine, and so on.. you can easily let God slip to the wayside.. Enjoy every minute of your marital blessing, but don’t forget that it’s just that – a blessing. Don’t forget to give God thanks every day for the blessing of your spouse and marriage. Don’t neglect spending time with God and ask Him for wisdom in your marriage. It can be so easy to put the things of God off “until later” or “when we get back from the store” but make it a priority because without God at the center, it is so hard to be aligned in your marriage.

I love being able to share a piece of my heart with you all and I hope it helped you in some way! It feels so good to be back and I’m super excited for all the fun things that I have planned to share with y’all so stay tuned 🙂

Until next time,

Xoxo
Bri

Spotify Playlist: Current Favorites!

Hey guys!

So I thought I would do something a little different and share my Spotify playlist with some of my favorite songs at the moment! I know that there have been days when I was feeling a bit down or was upset over something, and when I turned on the radio the perfect song just happened to be playing right when I needed it. I know that music is a big part of praising and worshiping the Lord, and we should all want to “sing for joy to the Lord” {psalm 95:1} no matter how badly that singing may be! My voice is shaky at best but that doesn’t stop me from a full on jam session in the car!

Ephesians 5:19 says “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord”.. So here is my current playlist with a ton of my favorite songs! I hope you enjoy it 🙂

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss another post! And leave a comment below with some of your favorite songs so that I can give them a listen too!

Until next time,

XOXO

Kat

It’s the Dawn of a New Day: Learn to Enjoy Your Mornings!

Disclaimer: I am not a morning person

Or at least I wasn’t until recently. I found that I had more stuff to do and less time during the day to do it, so I started getting up earlier in the mornings to try and accomplish it all. The first week was brutal. I thought about quitting this new venture of mine and going back to sleeping in until 30 minutes before class started. Trust me. I thought long and hard about that. But I told myself that since I’m not really one to stay up late and my productivity usually diminishes around 10pm, something had to give.

Now, let me just tell you that I am not one of those people who gets up at like 4am and has everything crossed off their to-do list by 9am. I set my alarm for 5:55am realistically knowing that I will be out of bed by 6:10am. I avoid the mirror at all costs at this time of morning because lets just be real: I am not Beyoncé, and I do not wake up flawless. However, once I am up and out of bed the first thing that is on my mind is COFFEE. Yes. You heard it here first, I am a caffeine addict and no I will not get help (sorry, Mom). Coffee has magical powers, plus the coffee cup my sister got me for Christmas is seriously s’cute.

Let’s be real though. Coffee gets me started, but God keeps me going! Which is why I strive to do my devotional in the morning before I get started on other things. We should all have quiet time with God each day whether that’s 5 minutes or 30 minutes, but it should be done out of a true desire; not just another item to cross off our checklist. This is what helps me to get out of bed in the mornings. You know like when you were a kid and on Christmas morning you couldn’t wait to get up and go open presents because you were just so excited to see what Santa had brought you? (What am I talking about, I’m almost 23 and I still get like that).

But my whole point is, that is what my mornings have turned into! I crave Jesus in the mornings and I get so excited to see what new teaching is in store for me. I look forward to my quiet time in the morning because it really helps to set the tone for the day. When I was waking up right before I needed to leave for class I was rushed, looked a hot mess, and typically was in a grumpy mood. But now, after getting in my daily dose of Jesus in the mornings, I feel refreshed and ready to take on my day! So I grab my coffee, sit down with my Bible, and enjoy some quiet time with God. Right now I am reading my way through the Bible in a year so I am currently in Leviticus. In addition to my daily reading, I have really been enjoying the Redeemed Girls Ministry app which has numerous teachings on a variety of topics. I am currently going through the “My God is” series where each day is a new characteristic of God. The teachings are only 5 minutes but are packed full of inspiration!

In addition to my Bible study, I have really challenged myself to workout for at least 30 minutes before getting ready for the day. I plan on sharing my fitness journey with you all soon, but let’s just say working out consistently has been a serious struggle for me. It has been much better ever since I began scheduling my workouts in the mornings because I don’t have the opportunity to make as many excuses for myself. Now there have been a few exceptions here and there, but I have actually come to enjoy working out at this time. Jesus time + working out = me feeling unstoppable! Right now I have just been doing some at home workouts but they have definitely helped to keep me energized so that I can tackle my busy schedule.

Some of my favorite workouts have been from GymRa on YouTube. They are challenging but effective and they have a huge variety of workouts to choose from! The link to their channel is here. I highly suggest that you check them out if you are looking to switch up your fitness routine!

Once I am done with my workout and have gotten ready for the day, I begin to tackle my to-do list one item at a time. I find that by doing those few things beforehand help me to have a more positive outlook on the day which helps decrease those thoughts of “this is too much to get done” or “I am just so overwhelmed”. I have a daily planner that helps me to keep my days structured and what I really like about it, is that it has a portion at the top of each day where you can list your “Top 3”, or your most important to-do’s. I have found that once I have tackled those, I can move on to other things I have listed out for the week. This has really helped to keep me organized and focused throughout the day. Plus I just love that feeling of being able to go to bed knowing that I got everything done for that day. That gives me total satisfaction. The planner that I use can be found here or you can design your own the mini version here.

Once a hater and now a lover, I am living proof that mornings don’t have to be your enemy. I hope that you were able to gain some helpful tips from this post, and I would love to hear some of the things that you have implemented in your morning routine!

Make sure to like, share, and subscribe so you can have my posts sent directly to your email!

Now go out and be the light

XOXO

SheaMoisture Hair Care Review!

Here are a few of my favorite SheaMoisture hair products!

Hello Sunshines!

So today I wanted to share a few hair care products that I have been *slightly* #fangirling over lately.

I have a serious obsession with Shea Moisture products all of sorts! Its bad. I am a total product junkie and I have no shame admitting that, whatsoever! Their products are all natural and organic ingredients which is something that I have been wanting to slowly convert all of my products over to. So considering I typically need a lot of products to help tame my crazy, curly hair I figured that was a good place to start.

I am a die hard fan of their Coconut and Hibiscus hair product line. Now, obviously I have very curly hair and a lot of it, but it is actually it ranges from fine to medium in thickness. This line is specifically for thick, curly hair but I have found that it works wonders on mine. It isn’t very heavy but it keeps it moisturized, and it smells AHH-MAZING! You can usually count on me grabbing the Curl & Style Milk, Hold & Shine Moisture Mist, and the Frizz – Free Curl Mousse. The Frizz – Free Curl Mousse gives me a little extra definition on my curls while also making them super shiny, and the Hold & Shine Moisture Mist is my go-to for my second and third day hair to revamp my curls and add a little extra shine.

I also enjoy their Protein Free Leave-In Detangler from their Baobab and Tea Tree Oils Low Porosity line. Now for those who don’t know, porosity refers to how much or how little your hair absorbs moisture. Low porosity means that your hair typically repels moisture while high porosity means that it easily escapes (this is an extremely toned down version of the in’s and out’s of hair porosity – for a more in-depth explanation, this website does a great job of breaking it down: http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing/hair-porosity). Now, I can’t even lie to you guys and say that my hair is low porosity, because, in all honesty, I have no clue what porosity my hair is! Don’t judge me. However, I do know that this stuff works miracles on my hair like Jesus does in our lives! Although I did learn that a little goes a long way. The oils are in this product are very moisturizing and it is easy to deceive yourself into thinking that you need a lot of product. TRUST ME: YOU DON’T.

I recently picked up their Tahitian Noni & Moni Smooth & Repair Shampoo and Condition. These products have a really nice, soft scent and they are formulated to help smooth uneven textures and control frizz. One of the things that I really love about these products is how the shampoo doesn’t make my hair feel rough and stringy after washing. Normally shampoo strips my hair of everything and it leaves it feeling as if I had straw for hair. But I have noticed that this shampoo leaves it feeling soft and conditioned. The conditioner itself has great slip and really helps to keep it from getting tangled so easily. Now I have only had these products for about 2 weeks, and I usually, only, fully wash my hair once a week, and I rinse it about mid-week to re-style. So I haven’t noticed a huge reduction in the amount of frizz overall; but I have noticed that it is much more manageable when I style it after washing.

These are just a few of the products that I have been using recently, but I would love to hear what SheaMoisture products you have been loving! Are there any other brands that you would recommend? While my bank account might not like the suggestions, I would love them so leave a comment below!

Until next time sunshines! Stay bright 🙂

XOXO,

Kat