Being Broken

Ever feel like no matter what you do, you just feel stuck. Almost like you are sinking in quick sand and can’t move? Everyone around you is watching but has no idea whats actually going on. You know you are stuck but have NO idea how to get out or even where to start?

Well, I have been feeling this way for while. Stuck. No physically but mentally my mind is just stuck. I don’t know where to go but standing still is only making me sink. I have stood still for so long that dragging my feet outta the sand nearly feelings impossible because I am currently “comfortable” as most people would call it. But living your life in comfort isn’t really living. Think about it, if you live your life day by day feeling “comfortable” in everything you do, never risking anything, your life becomes a boring routine in which you will grow to hate (at least I did). For me being comfortable in life means never moving forward and I’d be damn if I didn’t grow from where I’m at now.

I am in full realization that I was scared of what was next but I am understanding that the longer I stay still the deeper I will sink and the harder it will for be for me to just TAKE THE DAMN RISK.

So my curent advice to myself and others feeling the way I am currently is to just DO IT. There is no waiting for Monday, or I’ll start tomorrow. Nope, not allowed, in order to succeed we must START NOW.

For me starting includes finding where my next move should lead me, hopefully out-of-state and into more audition rooms.

Yours may be different from mine and that is totally fine but it is now that I want you take out a pen and paper and write down what truly is your next move. Do you know what the next step is? If not write down 3 things that you aren’t happy about in your current life, then next to them write 1 way you can fix each of them.

For example,

I am not happy with my currently living situation – look into moving out

I don’t like my job – apply to new jobs/ work on a resume

I am not physically happy with my appearance – start going to the gym

Writing down simple things like these will help you realize what actually needs to be done. For some reason when our brain sees them written down it starts to believe you are really interested in taking action on doing these things, rather than it just be another “idea” running through your head.

SO, here’s to the next 6 days of grinding really hard to MAKE things happen.

Remember, write them down.

NO IDEA IS A BAD IDEA,

XOXO LAUR

Life Update

Hola folks, and those of you who are new to my page hello, my name is Lauren Rhodes and I am a life enthusiast. (no really I am) hahaha well that’s what I call myself anyway. I feel as though I was put on this earth to do something extraordinary to not only change my life but alter those around me to view life as something much greater than most value it. I am sure for those of you whole have been following my page since I started it, you know how passionate I am for motivational speeches and personal perseverance. But to those of you who are new, I’d like to welcome you to my journey through life.

I know I haven’t posted in two weeks (shame on me) I have ZERO excuse after starting to read the book “I am that girl” but IM BACK. (p.s. It’s a really good book)

This time I am here to tell you that I have recently got the opportunity to shoot with some amazing talent this past weekend to create some awesome “fashion photos”.

I am extremely excited to share those with you guys when I receive them back fully edited, but for now I just wanted to give you guys a little update as in how my goals are going so far in 2018.

January was GREAT.

I pinned up in my room some small goals I have accomplished in such a short amount of time in January.

Goals Crushed In January:

1. Read 2 books
2. Made my bed daily
3. Kept room and bathroom clean
4. Started working out on a regular day basis
5. Maintained a healthy diet
6. Kept a positive mind
7. Stayed focus

I’d say this is a pretty solid list that I made happen in 31 days. Crazy right?

Well now February is upon us and nearly halfway over and I felt like I got stuck in a root. But I figured out I just needed to focus on the things that truly mattered and put my happiness first (as you all should).

So here’s to a great rest of February,

xoxo laur

NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO ***BOOK REVIEW***

52 ways to live a KICK-ASS life

Andrea Owen

xoxo laur

Daily Must-Do’s

As we all think about our day-to-day lives we are constantly looking for new things to try, or do. (I know I am at least) We get tired of our every day rituals, so somethings we tend to lose focus on the important things and start focusing on how much we resent our lives. We can all as human, hope, pray and beg for success, but until we take action some things will NEVER change. I am a firm believer in the word “manifest” if you can see it clearly in your own mind, you can make it happen. But instead of viewing your goal as a huge mountain, view them as a set of stairs. Each step holds an important part of your journey so there is no need to jump ahead and try to race to the finish line because I promise you will only get pushed back down to start all over.

TAKE YOUR TIME.

People don’t just wake up one morning and BAM they are billionaires (well unless they won the lottery lol) but you get what I’m trying to say here. You must hustle but never blame yourself for not being an overnight hit, because THOSE DONT EXIST. Justin Bieber was my ALL time favorite as a child and still to this day he remains a phenomenal artist. Most people think “he was lucky” or “he was an overnight hit” or “he was born with talent”. Truth is? He didn’t get lucky, he worked his ass off, singing in front of hundreds of people, sitting outside of theaters in Canada singing with his suitcase open hoping for a dollar, he was on his grind my friends. He didn’t succeed overnight, sure his video on YouTube got scouted and that’s how he signed his first deal. But he didn’t just sing once and post a video and BAM he was famous. WRONG. He had been singing and playing instruments for YEARS. He taught himself many skills growing up which lead him to his successful future now. So I want you to think to yourself right now. Are you constantly doing what makes you happy? Are you grinding every day? Do you think you can compare your hustle to Justin’s? If not, something is wrong and you need to step back and evaluate your life. Don’t tell me you “don’t have time” because that is a LIE. Do you work a job 24 hours a day 7 days a week. NOPE, no one does. So guess what that means, YOU have time. You just aren’t utilizing it to your advantage. I don’t care if that means you wake up 10 minutes earlier before you go to work and you spend that 10 minutes doing what you love, because guess what, at the end of the week you will now have 70 minutes of grind time that you never had before! I promise you will inch yourself that much closer to achieve your dream if you just simply,

Save the excuses. It’s not about “having” time. It’s about making time. If it matters. You will make time.

So why not be a little selfish and make time for YOUR goals and YOUR future, rather than slaving away for a cooperation, complaining about your job, yet you don’t allow yourself to make time to build your own empire.

Learn to reevaluate whats important in your life.

xoxo laur

Greatest Lesson Of 2018 (Bahamas)

Hey guys and welcome back, this time I am writing you from what feels like a whole new me. I have recently gained an eminence amount of self-confidence and motivation. I am determined this year will be MY YEAR. (I’m not kidding) But anyway, FIRST VACATION of 2018 was a huge success. My sister and I took our first trip ALONE. It was crazy. Her just turning 25 years old a week ago (Happy Birthday sis) and myself being 19 it was incredible. We got to take on the world by ourselves and see things through our own prospective. I mean what a better way to start 2018 than in the Bahamas with your sister? Come on, it’s a no brainer lol. But I learned so much in just 5 short days of being on the resort called “Bahama Breeze”.

Lessons learned while in the Bahamas:

1. So the first night of our vacation my sister and I got all dressed up and went out to dinner. While after taking our seat a man who worked at the resort came up to us and asked politely if he may sit with us. Of course we let him and right away the conversations had begun. He started in by asking us what we wanted to do when we were older, I told him I was going into the entertainment industry pushing to be an actress. Then the next few sentences that came out of his mouth will stick with me forever. He said, “Never try to be anyone but yourself” he then continued on with “you will be very successful in life if you remain loyal to yourself and never want to be anyone but you.” It was like god had sent down an angel to tell me what needed to be done and then we never spoke the rest of the vacation.
2. Two days into the trip we met an amazing group of people all in their 40’s and 50’s, but we immediately became friends with them. They were such great people. After learning that two of the ladies we were friends with had just recently fought breast cancer, it was sad, but proof that you never know what someones going through until you truly sit down and get to know someone. They were such strong women, I am glad they are healthy and kicking cancers ass. But one of those ladies left me with some words I needed to hear that day. She told me “How I should never settle for anything less than I deserve” She went on saying “No one deserves to be treated badly, everyone deserves to be treated like a queen”. The last little bit has truly made a HUGE impact on my life this week. Simply because it has led me to this saying…. “Love will find you, but you must love yourself first”.
3. After having a wonderful time in the Bahamas, I was looking at my phone just scrolling through Instagram when this quote that I will now be living by popped up on my screen, “She is at a place in her life where peace is her priority and negativity cannot exist”. When I read that quote I felt like it was placed on my timeline for a specific reason as though god had one last piece of advice for me before I returned home. Trust me it worked, I feel so new. I am at the beginning of my best life and I cannot wait to share it with you.

Besides the lessons I learned, I just overall became so much more aware and thankful of things that I use to take for granted in the past. It’s crazy how unaware you can become when you are blinded by something that you had no idea that was toxic to your life in the first place. But from here on out I have made a pack to myself to focus on MYSELF. Yes people, be selfish, its okay I promise. Because when you’re not, life tends to pass you by and you become less concerned about your own problems and more worried about the situations others are going through. I am not sitting here writing this to tell you to become heartless (because that’s not the case) I am simply telling you its okay to do things because YOU want to. It is okay to do things that make YOU happy even if that means not everyone agrees with you. The simple way of saying this is, it is okay for you to remain you. In fact it is important.

So if you have someone or something that is dragging you down and controlling YOUR life. Get rid of it. Take the pen out of their hand and write your own damn story, because trust me if you don’t do it now 10 years from now you might be filled with regret wondering why you didn’t make the decision sooner.

Quote of the day: “Be better than you’ve ever been before”

xoxo laur

Lost Motivation?

Feel like your living day in and day out doing the same thing, just dragging your feet through the sand to get to work, to come home go to bed and do it all over again, just to make ends meet? Feel like your stuck and in a root, doing the same thing every day?

Well if you aren’t I am. I found myself drifting through life without really taking a look at my dream every day. I kind of let my dream slip out of my fingers for a little bit because I became what most humans become and started just going through the motions rather than really living it up and putting my all into everything I do. I truly believe that you must work hard at every aspect of your life in order to succeed and that my friends was exactly what I was lacking. Self Motivation. If you don’t know what that is, its time to learn. You MUST have self motivation in order to become the best version of yourself you could ever be. I don’t care if that means you tell yourself your going to lose that 5 lbs or you are going to go apply to a new job. STOP WAITING AROUND AND DO IT. We all like to talk things up so highly but never take action (I’ve done it as well) and its an awful thing to do. So rather than tell the world word you need to lose the weight GO DO IT then show them once your done.

Remember to “work hard in silence, let the success make the noise”.

So keep on grinding out your dreams and focusing on what truly makes you happy because life can easily through in a curve ball to distract you. DONT LET IT. Catch it and throw it back. Thank god every morning you woke up today, then decide why you did. What were you put on this planet to do? Once you’ve decided, GO AFTER IT. No looking because you’re not going that way.

xoxo laur

 

Turkey Day 2017

Hey y’all, I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving! Be sure to get your fat pants ready and your bib in hand, because we are all about to tear up some food tomorrow, am I right?

But before we stuff our faces until we can’t breathe (food coma) we should remember what Thanksgiving is ALL about. It’s not just about the food, as much as I know we all cherish being able to full up are stomachs, we need to take time to step back and realize what we are TRULY thankful for.

What I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1. Family. Personally, I think the holidays are a perfect time to cherish the family you have. I have been blessed with such a wonderful, caring, hardworking family. Honestly, I think I would be lost without them. They show me the way when I am lost and motivate me when I am down.
2. Friends. I have many friends near and far which all mean the world to me. I am thankful I have had the opportunity to meet all of my wonderful friends during my past 19 years on this planet. I’ve met some amazing people, with such drive and dedication to accomplish so many goals in life and honestly that is the one thing I love about ALL of my friends, is their desire to work 10x harder even when everything seems to be going wrong. They are constantly inspiring me to do better and achieve more. I couldn’t be more thankful for the positivity I have surrounding me because of them (so thanks guys, you rock)
3. Life. Yes, I am thankful I have got to spend 19 incredible years on this talent so far. Many people view life as just something that is going to be given to us EVERY day, but that is SO wrong. Life is a gift itself. We all should thank god that we are healthy, happy, and get to see another day on the wonderful planet. If you haven’t yet take time to remind yourself how LUCKY you are to be enduring another day on this planet. I know sometimes things get rough but PLEASE remember someone else would LOVE to be living freely just as you are today.
4. My parents. I know this kinda ties into the “family” category but I wanted to branch out and take a little extra time to remind myself just how lucky I am to have the parents I do. For me and the career path I have chosen, it is extremely hard for me to find people who value my career as an actually career, rather than something that will “never happen” in most people’s brains. I am extremely thankful for all the things they have done for me. Not only have they given me a roof of my head, but they have MOTIVED me to look past my haters and let them be the fire that ignites my fame. They have given me strength when I was on the brink of giving up. Needless to say they have done, seen, and been through it all with me and I am so grateful they have done so. I wouldn’t change anything. (thanks for being awesome parents)
5. The soldiers. I feel as though this is probably the MOST important thing we ALL should be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Our soldiers. Not only have they been putting they lives on the line for millions of people they don’t even know, but they might not be home this holiday because they will spend it protecting us. So I would like everyone to please say a quick prayer for them, as well as their families. ” Happy Thanksgiving, I am thankful all the soldiers who keep the country I love so deeply free and safe. Your sacrifices and courage, whether unspoken or spoken is always in the heart of Americans. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS.” May you all return home safely. I will continue to pray and keep you close to my heart.

Alright that is a VERY short list of the millions of things I am thankful for on a daily basis not just one day. But I do agree that sometimes we tend to overlook these things as more of something that will “always be there” but unfortunately they won’t. So we need to be conscious about remembering to be thankful and not forgetting what America stands for: FREEDOM

Quote of the day: “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving”

xoxo laur

 

Jekyll & Hyde Restaurant Review NYC

Jekyll  & Hyde restaurant: I really hate giving bad reviews but personally this place was a huge disappointment. We had a bought a groupon, which allowed us 2 appetizers, 4 entries, and we each were allowed a drink of our choice. (only thing excluded was the steak) Sounds great right? Well so we thought. We arrived at the restaurant with open minds ready to take on a new experience. After being sat down, we then placed our order and got our drinks. The appetizers were great. But then it all went down hill from there. First it started with my milkshake, I understand it is ice cream but when they brought it out, it was liquid and tasted like milk. Then came out our food (which we waited 30 mins for) we were starving at this point so we dived right in. Only to find out that the food we paid almost $200 for 4 of us was AWFUL. The pasta was so dry and the chicken was chewy. My vegetarian burger was GROSS, I personally have never had a bad burger, but this one, wasn’t even editable. Along with my moms food, her BBQ was dried up and said it came with “onion straws” LIES, they put a few chunks of onion on the top of the burger which also didn’t taste good. (my dad’s food wasn’t bad he had chicken wings) I also don’t know why but each person who eats there is charged a $3 “entertainment fee” mind you there was ONE girl walking around “entertaining” and personally she was just more annoying then anything. The waiters weren’t dressed in character. There was no entertainment. I will say there was a few cool statues in the place which moved but definitely not worth the money. When we received our bill we then noticed a $39 fee (which the groupon didn’t cover) This was a $30 tip along with the “groupon activation fee” so we paid $149 for GARBAGE. I have never been so disappointed in my life. Avoid at all cost and SAVE your money. There are many other restaurants in the city in which entertain and this one was NOT the one to go to.

hate giving bad reviews, but save your money guys, hope you all had a blessed weekend

xoxo laur

Time To Take Off

Time to fly high again, back on the plane I go. I will be NYC bound this Thursday, how exciting right? Only one thing, what to pack? I constantly struggle with packing, its either I over pack, or under pack and forget things. (I am good at both lol) But this time I plan on vlogging my trip so its important I pack some unique outfits with accessories of course. Personally I have been to NYC quite a bit, 1. because that’s where my sister lives 2. I filmed an independent movie their last year. So I became a frequent to the NYC lifestyle. I do have to say, I love the city life, although I just can’t seem to picture myself living anywhere but California. NYC is such an amazing place though, I will say that. Between the all the different museums, shows, restaurants, musicals, shopping, I mean you could never do it all. I highly recommend visiting when they put up all the Christmas light, man is it pretty. Christmas is such a magical time, and NYC always finds a way to capture that perfectly.

This trip my family has planned to attend the 911 museum, eat at the Jekyll & Hyde restaurant, see a show, and of course get a schmackary’s cookie for the plane ride home

I will be reviewing my visit on my bog, so stay tuned,

Quote of the day: “New York is the city that other cities can only dream of being”

xoxo laur

Peace On Earth

PEACE, find it, live by it, believe in it. Too many people are watching the news and clinging to only the bad in today’s society, what about the 100,000 good things that happened over the past few years. Why must everything be so NEGATIVE. Do yourself a favor by changing the channel and avoiding the news. I am not saying to never listen, or read about it, but don’t let what you see convince you that the world had more evil than good, because that is extremely wrong. The world we live in today is actually safer than it was 50 years ago. We just don’t see this because the media tells us how horrible the world is becoming. Yes, there will always be evil, but the good will never fade unless we let it. So instead of hiding, and hanging your head thinking there is no good left in the world, why not CREATE it. Start lending a helping hand, you will never know how much it will help if we all just spread love to help kill off all the evil. Remember you can’t fight fire with fire. Don’t let the negative take over your mind, fight back with, love, strength, and prayers. Be the first to stand up for, Your country. Your planet. Your home. Remember, we are carving the path to the future of thousands of others, so let’s do it right. SPREAD THE LOVE, FIGHT FOR PEACE, AND KEEP PRAYING.

Quote of the day: Rule your mind or it will rule you

xoxo laur

Travel GOALS

So, everyone has that one place they’ve always wanted to go, right? Well, I would have to say mine would be anywhere outside of the country (US). After visiting Punta Cana I realized how much I love learning about new cultures and traditions rather than only seeing a few back in the US. To me it is very important to see how other countries live, it will not only make you appreciate what you have but it will make you want to help. Personally after spending a week in the Dominican, it was heart breaking, seeing the amount of people living in shacks made out of leaves, collecting rain water to drink. Just sad. So for me I wold love to explore:

1. Europe
2. Greece
3. Bali
4. Costa Rica
5. Iceland
6. Jamaica
7. India
8. Scotland
9. Bolivia
10. Africa
11. Nicaragua
12. Finland
13. Taiwan

And so many more, the list could go on forever. I can’t wait to take on new adventures and experience new cultures. I never thought My boyfriend and I would take on Punta Cana at the age of 18. But we did, and now I am patiently waiting to book our next destination.

I am currently thinking about taking off for a few months and traveling, I really want to live in Bali for a little while. What do you think digital nomads? Should Bali be my first destination?

I’d love to know more about your experiences traveling to different countries! So feel free to share as many as you would like in the comments down below!

Thanks again,

Quote of the day: “Don’t listen to what they say, GO SEE”

Have a great day,

xoxo laur

 

Story Time (behind my blog name)

Okay so funny story,

May of this year my boyfriend and I went to Punta Cana, I was so trilled and excited, I made him take literally 1,000 photos of me (as I did of him) and I just kept thinking to myself how awesome it would be to do this as a living, become a full-time blogger or vlogger. Like total dream right? Well after experiencing so many cool things and capturing some awesome footage, I decided why not start a blog? Even if it’s just for fun. I should at least try. So on our way home I was brainstorming ideas, hmmm what could I name my blog. I literally wrote down about 40 words in my notes and was sorting through them like a crazy lady, it was ridiculous. I kept trying to rhyme, or mash words together that shouldn’t even be in the same sentence. It was a literally mess. Then I thought about the coconut my boyfriend  and I shared on the beach and BAM, it hit me like a ton of bricks “cocoforcoconuts” that’s what I’ll name my blog. I was so excited I was trying to get his attention (because he was across the aisle) so it hit him really hard with my phone and may or may not have shouted “cocoforcoconuts” a wee bit loud. LOL.

So that’s how the name for my blog was created.

I would love to hear stories about how you started your blog or the back story behind your blog name!

Leave a comment below sharing your stories.

also quick quote of the day: “Only dead fish go with the flow”

xoxo laur

 

Praying For Vegas

Last night a tragedy struck America once again. Things will never get easier but we can get stronger. Lets go hand in hand on this one and FIGHT BACK. Don’t ever let them win. EVER. We as Americans must help those in need by donations following a prayer. If you are unable to give, that is completely fine, the power of prayer is much stronger. I don’t want us to have to live in fear of leaving our own homes. NON SENSE. This is our country and we MUST fight for it. Lets fight for the lives that were lost and those who have been injured. Lets give back to those family no only prayers but offer them love and support. It is very important we pull together as a whole. I would like to say, I am beyond sorry to anyone who was attending that concert and had to witness such a horrific sight. No one should ever have to experience that in their entire life time. Its time we build a strong foundation for those who have been wounded or are suffering a loss. Don’t hesitate to take a step forward in a positive direction towards helping others. ITS SO IMPORTANT. For me personally, it hurts to watch such a tragic accident unfold right in front of my eyes. I can’t believe how ungodly a person would have to be to do such a thing, but I think its time to FIGHT BACK. (I will never stop repeating this because it’s very important) We must NEVER let them win. In my eyes they will always lose. I hope you all hold your heads high, help others, and become stronger together. They will never break the bond this country has created, now lets show them that.

I will continue praying,

God Bless America,

I love you all, may we all find the grace in god,

xoxo laur

NEVER STOP PRAYING

FALL Fashion

ITS FALL TIME, (well its fall but 90 degrees outside) lol anyway, fall time means, scarves, glasses, boots and sweater dresses. YAY. I can’t wait to shop all things fall. What does your fall fashion consist of?

This weekend I finally broke down and bought the top two things on my fall fashion list!

1. Attitude Glasses
2. Cello Jeans

BOTH, such great purchases. I am so glad I was able to finally get them. I was putting outfits together this weekend for my next shoot and I’m so excited. It reminded me how important fashion is. Having the perfect outfit on can completely change your mood about how your feel, look, and the confidence you hold. Majority of the time when we look good, we feel good, am I right? So why not spend $50’s on jeans if they make you feel like 100 dollars. To me if it makes you feel your best, BUY IT. I don’t care how much money it is, everything is worth your happiness. Also its just money, they print more everyday folks. So its time to go out there and purchase your fall wardrobe. Maybe its time to sell some summer clothes or better yet donate them. I personally love donating my clothes to locate charities because I know I can help someone in need, to me that warms my heart. So guys, I am ready to hear all about your fall fashion.

Drop a comment below of your favorite fall attire!

xoxo laur

Stop Being LAZY​

Listen, I understand at times we all get a little tired and worn out, but that’s no excuse to become a lazy human. I sometimes find myself going down the same path to becoming extremely lazy, then I realize that isn’t the kind of life I want to live. PEOPLE. We aren’t promised tomorrow, sure we aren’t like mayflies and only live a day but take a second and pretend like today is your last day on planet earth. Would you be satisfied with your accomplishments? What would you have done differently? Would you regret things? OF COURSE. (for majority of us) Of course, we would find some regret, some things that were left undone, or never accomplished, there would be holes in our life that we though we had eternity to fill. But there is where you and I become very guilty, because that is wrong. We all are living in this crazy world but unfortunately we aren’t all promised tomorrow. So it’s time to stop living the phrase “I’ll do it tomorrow”, “I’m too tired”, “I will get it done someday”. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Keep living like that and you are helping bury yourself with a boatload if regret laying right on top of you. So why not go out there set goals and CRUSH THEM. I am not saying get everything done in life you want to do today but I am asking you to take some steps forward, no more coasting through life, or living life in idle. It’s time to lung forward. So decide what it is right now that you will be doing in the next 24 hours that will better you. Maybe one day you want to run a marathon but can’t seem to get your hand out of the chip bag and your eyes unglued off the TV. Well, think of it this way, all you have to do is start with walking, or even a light jog and the more active you are the faster you will lose weight (which is a huge plus) Then within two weeks you will see some results that will keep pushing you. This ties in with my favorite quote to live by is “never skip more than 2 days of doing the things you love”. I use to preach this to my parents when they would find me in the kitchen eating breakfast at 5am before heading out the door to crush about a good hour workout before I had school. At one point they even stopped me and told me its okay to take a break. They were right, it’s okay to take a break, but no longer than two days otherwise your body gets use to being lazy again and you will find it even harder to start.

Dedicate your time to your happiness, not others, because in the end we will always have ourselves

xoxo laur

Keep Learning

Never think you know it all, because you don’t and you never will. Humans have the ability to learn and retain a ton of information. It is honestly astonishing at the amount of information we can store in our brains. Humans naturally believe we are to go to preschool, kindergarten, grade school, high school, than college. Wrong. Sure schools important but does it really teach us the responsibility and tools we need in our every day life? Nope. Not one bit. In my opinion the school system is BEYOND messed up. Why are we learning how to write checks in 3rd grade and then taught how to solve a log problem in high school? What’s the more important skill? For me writing a check is more important but instead of them touching base on those skills we never review them again and my check writing skills have now vanished! How sad right? But if you need to know any pre calculus problem, I got you. (not really because I was awful at math) Anyway, I believe that it is important to keep growing and learning as an individual. Personally I have started to take a step up on the learning platform this week. I attended a photography class today as well as a dance class. To find out I LOVE them both. Not only do I love the classes, but I am learning so much in them. Today I have probably learned 5 new things that I didn’t even know existed. HOW COOL IS THAT? So don’t wait for the “right time” because that doesn’t exist. Every day, every minute, every second, is the RIGHT time to learn. Just think every class you take you are gaining knowledge on a subject that at one time you had NO idea about. I believe there is NO age limit on the ability to learn. If your 20 and fear being the oldest person in your dance class, WHO CARES? If your 70 and really wanted to learn how to weld but fear your too old? WHO CARES? No one is here to judge you for learning to grow as a human. I find it beneficial to keep learning. I personally don’t believe college is the right step for me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stay involved and keep growing. So sit down, think long and hard about what you’ve always wanted to learn, or try, or even sit in and watch. AND DO IT. Don’t say “I’ll do it next year” nope. No next year, do it now. I found a helpful resource is “Groupon”. I am looking into starting a writing class that they offer on there Monday! I am so excited.

What are you doing to keep learning and growing as an individual?

may you keep learning as long as you shall live

xoxo laur

 

It Was All Just A Dream

One morning I woke up with a vision, a thought, an idea. I laid there thinking to myself, this can’t be real, that would never happen to me. Well, I was still excited that I have even dreamt of feeling such a way that I shot out of bed and sprinted down the hallway. As I approached the kitchen I was in deep thought now “hmmm, what kind of cereal do winners eat” as I was scouring my pantry in which only carried corn flakes and a bag of expired rice creeps. I knew people like me don’t eat that kind of cereal so I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, only to get in my car to notice I wasn’t wearing a bra and I was in house slippers. Marching back into the house I settled for a boring bowl of corn flakes, I know how terrible right? Anyway I managed to get a bowl down but before dumping my milk down the drain I heard a noise coming from my room, “RING, RING, RING” I dropped the bowl and hustled to my room leaving a giant milk spill on my mothers new favorite rug, “Hello, this is Lauren my I help you”, I muttered into the phone as I heard my mom yelling in the background “Are you serious Lauren” I couldn’t help but chuckle at how dramatic of a tone she had used as if they don’t make another rug like the one she had purchased, (mind you it was $5 from the dollar store). As she was mumbling curse words under her breath I heard a stern voice come over the phone “Miss. Rhodes is that you” I was a little thrown off but responded as quickly as possible “Yes, yes it is, may I help you?” I heard a wrestle of papers over the phone as though he had stumbled upon my resume. “Well hello there, my name is Mr. Kingles, I am here to inform you that you have been chosen for the upcoming interview in Los Angeles, next week, at approximately 8 am. Remember to come prepared” I didn’t know what to say, it’s like I was living my dream, only in real life. “OMG, thank you so much, sir, I will be there, thanks again for considering me, I am beyond grateful” I heard him hand the phone over to someone new, a lady then began to speak, “Miss. Lauren, my name is Jennifer, I am Mr. Kingles assistant he ordered me to tell you we will be expecting you January 9th at approximately 8 am, please come in the main entrance, thank you, have a nice evening, bye now” She hung up the phone and I couldn’t help but scream, could this really being happening? I tossed my phone onto my bed and jumped right next to it looking at the ceiling, there’s no way I just predicted my future all within one dream less than 24 hours ago?

I FEAR THE END

Okay, for those of you who don’t believe in pollution and the corruption we are causing to this world, this post isn’t for you. (or maybe it is and I can help you understand). So last night when I got home from my weekend get away to Missouri (which will be my next post) I was notified from one of my mom’s friends that her car had ashes on it, she said it was as though they were falling from the sky. How odd right? Well, in the midst of these two crazy hurricanes there was supposedly a volcano eruption a few states over in which cause it to appear to be “raining ashes” in my town. This was just ridiculous to me. BUT I totally believe it, they say the world will come to an end through a bunch of natural disasters. WAKE THE HELL UP PEOPLE. If we keep creating waste and polluting our planet pretty soon we won’t have one. Think of it this way, at one point on this planet there were dinosaurs, mastodons, the woolly mammoth. If those animals can disappear what makes you think we aren’t able to vanish just as they did? The way we constantly litter is more than enough to take this planet down. I strongly don’t believe that putting it in the trash can is any better though. How can it be good to bury our garbage? Why not pollute the soil while we’re at it right? Recently I have been thinking of more and more ways to REDUCE the garbage I create, I then realized that it’s pretty easy. You are honestly probably throwing away nearly 50% of things that can be RECYCLED. Take a little time out of your day to realize HOW many things that could actually be recycled that you are putting in a landfill. Not to mention the amount of pollution we create every day just doing normal human like things such as driving, running water, wasting food, overuse electricity, using plastic bags, etc. The list is ENDLESS. As humans, we are naturally taught these very wasteful, harmful everyday things. I know you’ve all heard the 5-minute shower rule, but how many of you actually live by it? Because I know I fail at doing that a majority of the time. But just think about the impact we could have on the planet by just limiting our showers to 5 minutes a day rather than 10 or 15 minutes. I am sure some of you are reading this and thinking in your head “I am just one human, how big of a difference can I make?” but instead of asking yourself that tell yourself this “you will save this planet about 4,500 gallons of water and cut your water bill in half by doing so for just a year” Now, doesn’t that sound a lot better? Not only is the planet benefiting from this small change but so are you! So take time to change some things you do that harm our planet, even if it’s small as starting with a 5-minute shower.

I know some of you will read this article and pretend like these things aren’t happening, but it is. You can’t run away from it. The pollution and destruction will always follow you. So instead of pushing this all aside like it means NOTHING, it’s time to make a change. Not to mention if nothing is done now, 40 years from now this amazing planet could not exist anymore. How scary is that?

So, believing that within you is the ability to change the world is the first step in making a difference.

may you start to appreciate our planet more,

xoxo laur

Baby Shower

Howdy, how was your weekend? Mine was great. I got to reconnect with a long-lost best friend along with some of my family. During this weekend I was so grateful to be able to attend my cousins baby shower (she is my best friend since I was little) AND I got to see my little cousins, WIN, WIN, RIGHT? Not only did I get to see all of them, but I also got to take a road trip as well (travel addict lol). Anyway, this weekend I was able to discover some great things, such as pregnancy. My cousin being 5’2″ and having gained 70 pounds during her pregnancy endured some rough patches. Although I know she wouldn’t change anything because she is so grateful they are able to have a baby, I know she has struggled a bit, but having seen her this weekend I know she will be a supermom. I was honored to be able to capture some awesome maternity photos for her. As humans we grow fast and unfortanly most moms don’t get photos done while pregnant but personally I think it is VERY important. Not only for memories to hold on to forever but to be able to show your child, it is special moment, don’t let it pass you by. With that being said I will leave some photos I captured below

Can’t wait to meet baby Kensley

Hope you all had an awesome weekend,

xoxo laur

 

Dare To Change

Well, I decided to pick up some groceries and I was drawn back to my vegetarian ways. I picked up some “bacon” from the brand morning star (100% vegetarian), some soy burgers and stuff to make smoothies (because I’m addicted to tropical smoothie cafe lol and if you don’t know what that is I encourage you to look it up). I have been eating A LOT of bacon tomato sandwiches which is not good for my health AT ALL. But I couldn’t help my self, especially when my grandpa grows fresh vegetables for my family, how could I pass that up? Those of you who have gardens know exactly what I’m talking about, home-grown vegetables are THE BOMB. Anyway, I decided to purchase some veggie bacon to substitute it on my sandwich and OMG, it was amazing. As I was cooking it in the microwave I could smell a strong sent, and it smelt just like BACON. Although it doesn’t look anything like it, it taste the same, personally I think it taste better. I also have been eating “Harvest Snaps” for a while now. They are one of the healthiest alternatives to chips, they are made from lentil beans with 40% less fat. And the best part about them? THEY ARE VEGAN. So today I took the challenge to change a small step in my diet to become a healthier version of myself. What did you do to improve yourself today?

Happy Friday,

xoxo laur

 

WEEKLY GOAL ACCOMPLISHED

I’M SO ECSTATIC! I crushed my weekly goal. My goal may be “weak” to some but it isn’t to me. Personally I haven’t been finding enough time in my life to sit down and read a good book. But this week I did. —> I READ A BOOK IN A WEEK <— To me this is a great accomplishment. I was able to find time (mostly at work because I lifeguard and its extremely slow right now) BUT I did it, I found the time and crushed my goal. I forgot how much I love reading! I decided to tackle the book “Start” by Jon Acuff. This book didn’t fail to impress me, trust me. If you need a little motivation in your life start with a good book (one by Jon Acuff would work lol). I love reading books that inspire me to keep chasing my dreams and conquer success. If you have a goal like mine start by just setting some time aside to start a book, even if that means 10 minutes before you go to bed. You don’t have to read it in a week (that was just a goal of mine), but don’t forget to start. You can start right now, tonight, tomorrow morning, you can start WHENEVER. But you have to start in order to be able to finish.

Turn your list of “things to do” into a list of “things accomplished”

Keep at your goals and remember to, START.

xoxo laur

 

Believe in yourself

Stop living life saying “what if”, “what if I don’t get into college”, “what if I’m not good enough”, “what if they don’t like me”. ENOUGH! I am sick and tired of hearing people ask the question “what if”, I understand this phrase is a hard one to shake when you have a voice inside your head telling you these things. That voice is the devil. NEVER listen to the harsh, false comments it makes daily. Shut that voice up with SUCCESS. Also turn your what ifs into things actually accomplish in your life. Think about how great it feels to be successful, now imagine being successful at things you were told you couldn’t do? EVEN BETTER. Am I right? I know from a personal experience that my dreams have been shot down by MANY, including the devil speaking within my head. I have been told countless times that my career isn’t a real career and I will never make it out alive. I was told that being from a small time takes a toll on my advantage to be successful. I was warned that my career would never go anywhere and I would end up jobless unless I had a “backup plan”. I’ve had the tiny voice in my head speak to me multiple times “don’t try that your going to fail”, “you won’t get a call back don’t even try it’s a waste of your time”, “just stop trying you’re not getting anywhere” YOU KNOW WHAT I DID? I shut that voice up with each and every one of my successes I have made in my life thus far. So I encourage you to think that voice is only out to get you, everything it says is harmful to you and needs to be avoided at all cost. It’s important to believe in yourself, and encourage yourself with motivational quotes, books, songs, speeches, whatever keeps you motivated needs to become a part of your everyday life. Not just when you “feel you need it most”. We all need motivation, even if that’s just a simple “you can do this” when you are feeling doubt. Remember to keep yourself one step above those who believe in failure. Keep your dreams in focus, count your blessings and keep succeeding.

May you find success because success will not find you.

xoxo laur

Heart to heart

May we all speak a few words to god before we lay down tonight. Can we all take just a minute out of our day to pray for those in need all around the world, but tonight especially for Texas. I would personally like to pray for the families, the colleges, the kids, the students, and everyone involved in this crazy mass destructive hurricane. May god be by not only their sides but also those who are making their way into Texas to help make sure everyone remains safe. It is the time now we send those words to god hoping he will lend down a helping hand and watch over their state as they are going through a rough time. I encourage everyone to donate something, even if it’s just a dollar. But I want you to know that words are just as powerful (in my book words can do more than money will ever be able to) but if you are unable to give, giving the power of prayer is more than enough.

So do me a favor and send a few prayers up to God. Never forget the power of prayer and pray often💕

xoxo laur

 

Why Vegan?

Hey guys, welcome back to my page. So two nights ago I was laying in my bed watching “What The Health” and was disgusted in my self that I had given up bring vegetarian exactly a year ago. In my process of being vegetarian I learned so much, that even my favorite soup from Panera Bread (broccoli and cheddar) I was unable to eat because it contained chicken broth in it. Near the end go my time being a vegetarian I wont lie I had developed some unhealthy eating habits. So here is some advice I can give you. When cutting out meat it is VERY important to REPLACE it not just eliminate it. Replacing meat can go as far from my favorite vegan brand “Morning Star” to just plain tofu. Because I did it all wrong, instead of replacing I was eliminating and began to become unhealthy. I was eating an overload of pasta, cereal and candy. Well because that’s all I could eat right? WRONG. I should have been indulging in healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grain pastas, and tofu. Don’t make the same mistake as me it’s not fun. Also I believe going vegan is probably the best option out there (all though you may believe different) I think you should gradually go vegan. Don’t just wake up one morning and decide it time to be vegan because it just doesn’t work that way. You will end up buying $500 dollars worth of groceries just to throw them all away. So instead try it the smart way, gradually turn your shopping list vegan. You need to learn to start replacing rather than to wing it and be lost with nothing to eat because what you think may not have animal products in it probably actually does. 90% of the things you eat will probably some way, shape, or form lead back to an animal product. I did some research the other day and found out that even chips contain chicken fat. Now isn’t that just disgusting? We are so blind to what we are really doing and the hard evidence behind it that we refuse to believe that what we are eating is bad. Isn’t it sad that we continue to eat meat after it was labeled a carcinogenic. HOW GROSS. Am I right? Yet after reading this article you will most likely still return to McDonald’s and support the biggest industry in this world that is killing off man kind. Whether we want to believe it or not it’s happening. So you either support it or choose to change. I’m not telling you to become vegan over night because that will never happen and if it does it’s not the healthy way. I’m just telling you to choose wisely. There are researches done that prove eating processed meat is equivalent to smoking 5 cigarettes. So quit frankly we’ve been smoking our whole lives? SO now decide, is it time to quit?

I hope you all make a step in a healthy direction today. Have a blessed evening

xoxolaur

Lend a helping hand

Do you love to travel? Does the thrill of getting on a plane excite you? Than why not lend a helping hand to someone in need along your journey. I know from a personal experience what it is like in other countries, (although I have only been out of the United States a few times). A lot of people say “instead of helping other countries, let’s try to fix our own first”. Which I will agree the United States has some homeless people and is having some money problems, but WAKE UP PEOPLE. Its time to spread kindness thought out the world instead of being greedy. When will you realize that other countries are living in poverty? I witnessed a mother of three beautiful children collecting the rain water in which fell into a giant metal bowl outside their little shake thrown together with wood and leaves. Thinking a family of four lives in such terrible conditions crushed my heart. It is horrible to watch these children run around barefoot in an outfit that is to small for them because that is probably the only outfit they own. I don’t understand how some people can watch those commercials on TV and not feel bad. THOSE PEOPLE ARE REAL PEOPLE. They are in need of a helping hand. So please do me a favor and along your journey of travel, whether that’s in the united state or on to another country, please be generous enough to help someone out. Think about the happiness you can endure by just giving a child a pair of shoes… I know we all have an over abundance of things we can give away to those who are less fortunate, so its time we do that and take action. No more sitting back and watching the world we live in crumble into pieces right underneath of us instead let’s get up and make a DIFFERENCE. You can be the change the world is looking for. But you can’t until you take ACTION. So grab a friend, and go out there and patch the cracks before its to late.

Take all the adventures you want, but remember to spread kindness along the way.

xoxo laur

Travel With Your Heart

Travel, we hear lots of people say, “I’d love to go ______” “to bad I don’t have the money” or even “maybe some day”. Maybe some day… what does that even mean. Listen, time is a ticking time bomb. You are most likely at your job or at school, some of you are probably thinking about traveling and how much you urge to do it but you withdraw yourself from thinking about it because you haven’t developed the funds to do so yet. WRONG, you have been working (weather for a year or 20 years) we all work, we all make money. Now what we do with that money is on us. Sure you have to buy groceries and pay bills, but stop and think about all the things you have bought home and never wore or groceries you have bought just to throw away. (I have done it all before as well there’s no hiding it) but imagine it this way, try budgeting yourself and saving for that trip even if that’s putting $1 in the a jar everyday, just think you are a dollar closer to your dream. Don’t start by sacrificing it all, start by focusing on what you really want. If you are passionate enough about traveling you will make it you main goal and you won’t let it get out of sight until you accomplish it. For me traveling the world is something I would like to accomplish someday, I want to give back to other country’s and build a better tomorrow. I personally have only been out of the United States a few times, but I can tell you this. It is a very eye-opening experience and I encourage each and every one of you to go through exactly what I seen. On that note, if you feel like you are stuck, you hate your 9-5 and you just need out. Look into jobs that offer you to travel with them. Some jobs you work right from your laptop at home and can relocate as much as your heart desires. Does that sound like your ideal cup of tea? THEN DO IT. No more waiting around, “I’ll start tomorrow” NO, start today right now. As your reading this I want you to write down 3 things you can do to build yourself a better tomorrow. Now that you’ve done that, reread them, then start taking baby steps to accomplishing those 3 small tasks. But unfortunately I can only tell you so much. Until then it is your job to create your reality and build your empire.

May you all travel, and accomplish great thing.

xoxo laur

Are You A Quitter?

Why quit before you’ve even tried? Well heres the reason 90% of people give up before they even attempt something great. There is this tiny voice inside of our brains that tells us we are incapable of achieving the things we set out to do in our lives. We are told that we will never succeed and instead we will make a fool out of ourselves attempting. So just think like this instead, why let that tiny voice inside your head win? That voice is guiding your life instead of YOU. Remember when you were little and that voice didn’t exist and you could be and do whatever you set your mind to? What happened to that little kid? I want you all to take time and channel your inner child. I don’t care if that means reminiscing old times when you explored many different career options. But I want you to think deeper into it. Think about how you felt. All you remember is nothing could stop you right? Well then what’s stopping you now? Forget about “fitting in” that is just complete garbage, those who fit in are average, do you really want to live an average live? I personally have many goals I’d like to achieve in my lifetime and living an average life isn’t one. So break out of the norms and stop being afraid to be DIFFERENT. Guess what, being different is such an extraordinary thing, most people never get the chance to be themselves because society shapes their brains into believing in only one thing and that is “average”. So before you think being the outcast is bad, I want you to think about it this way, you never got attacked by the norms of society instead you stayed loyal to yourself. And let me tell you that is an amazing thing to have. So do me a favor and never let that go. Keep going, keep trying, keep failing, keep learning, and keep achieving. If you doubt yourself before you begin you will get no where. So start talking yourself up, you can do those things, you are worthy, you are pretty, you are great. STOP LETTING THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD DESTROY YOU. Please by all means check out the book called “start” by Jon Acuff, it is such a great read, it will not only keep you motivated but open your eyes that EVERYONE starts somewhere.

#stayweird

xoxo

laur

Become Your Own Reality

I personally am a huge believer in motivational speakers and my favorite one has to be Les Brown and this my friends is my favorite quote he says, “Someones opinion of you does not have to become your reality”. Now that you have read that quote I want you to reread it at least three more times, then really let it sink in and think, think really hard about what that means to you. Do you really want to become the negative words that people say to you? Do you really want to stoop down to that level? Absolutely NOT. Don’t ever let someone control your future by letting their words get into your head. You are stronger than that rather you believe it or not. You NEVER have to become what your enemies say you are. Keep on living your life as though those people weren’t there and their words don’t affect you. The more you show them you don’t care the less they will attack you. Words can hurt, but those words are coming from small-minded individuals who can’t see your future, or your dreams are to “far-fetched” for them and THAT’S FINE. But as you are hearing them talk let it go in one ear and out the other don’t let those thoughts stop you from chasing your dream. People who can’t see your future are those who don’t have goals. Remember if you stop chasing your dreams you soon will be working for someone who is chasing theirs. What would you rather have?

“The best revenge is massive success”

xoxo laur

 

Build Yourself For Yourself With Yourself BY YOURSELF

We as people are STRONG individuals but throughout our lifetime we grow attachments and feelings that tend to get hurt a lot and make us fall short of all of our goals due to heart ache. STOP LETTING IT CONTROL YOU. I understand it’s easier said then done BUT you must do it in order to achieve the dream that lays in your heart. So hear me out, turn the heartache into strength, obviously whatever happened wasn’t meant to be and you will now grind to show them what they are missing out on. STOP, thinking that “my life is over” “they were the best thing that happened to me” WRONG. If they are willing to leave you, then you never needed them in the first place. They came into your life as a lesson and not a blessing. So my friends, its time to wipe the tears off your beautiful faces and continue thriving throughout your life. You were put on earth for a reason. GO FIND IT. God will bless you with your loved one when the time is right, but for now continue on chasing your dreams.

And if you didn’t listen to anything I said in this paragraph please listen to this: NEVER let anyone keep you from achieving YOUR dream, because remember this is your life and you only get to live it once.

xoxo laur

Don’t build regret

Today’s topic is a little bit on the heavy side of emotions. But it needs to be said. People fight over the dumbest things every day and refuse to tell their family members a simple three word phrase before ending the fight. Those words are “I love you”. Unfortunately we aren’t promised tomorrow and we won’t live forever. So I want you to put yourself into this situation, you just got into a terrible fight with your wife ( or vise versa) and she walks out angry and you scream out the window “FU, I hate you”. Then a police officer arrives at your house to notify you that your wife was in a terrible car accident and passed away. HOW GUILTY WOULD YOU FEEL? Pretty damn guilty am I right? So why not end the argument like grown adults and say “I LOVE YOU” and move on, rather your significant other says it or not you will feel a weight lifted off your shoulders if you do so. TRUST ME. I know many people who hold so much regret in their hearts because they held someone guilty for something that happened years ago and then something happens to them and all hell breaks loose as if that person would live forever. Guys, I can not stress this enough, if you are fighting with a family member, a friend, a work buddy, or anyone for that matter just DROP IT. Nothing is worth fighting over. Try to be level-headed and take a step back, review the situation, apologies and MOVE ON. I get asked a lot like “why apologize when I did nothing wrong” here is my response. JUST DO IT. Be the bigger person. In my opinion that is when you know you have grown up when saying “I’m sorry” and resolving the issue (even when you didn’t cause it) is a natural reaction. My fellow followers please do me a huge favor and talk to that family you have bad beef with, say hi to the neighbor you “don’t like”, and treat everyone as though today were your last day on this crazy planet we call earth…

xoxo laur