Trust Yourself

It is beginning to become apparent to me just how funny life is. How every decision changes you and molds you into the person you are supposed to become. The key is believing that you are supposed to become something important, worthwhile, or unique. Your life is shaped by the people you meet, the adventures you pursue, and the energy you emit. Stop buying the sales pitches. Stop giving into the consensus. Be yourself... to the fullest extent. We are not created equal... and that is not a coincidence.

For me, its music that inspires and mesmerizes me every day. If I feel I am taking something in life for granted I know I can always turn on some of my favorite music to pull me out of the funk. The second I begin worrying about what I am supposed to become or what I should do with my life, I lose sight of what beautiful  blessings are directly in front of my face. Living in the present and establishing the end result of your dreams without intently planning the in-between will allow the end result to unfold without strained effort. Have faith. Keep walking, one foot at a time.

Life is too short to be afraid. It's too precious to waste opportunity, yet it is also too fragile to take a risk too big. That is what following your heart is for. So you can seize low-risk opportunity because you are confident that it is the right path. Just trust in yourself.

Mind Full of Music

The other night, I had the chance to catch dinner at an awesome Thai restaurant with my good friend, Evan. This seems to be a rarity now-a-days, not only because of distance and my chaotic schedule that has ensued, but also because one-on-one time with anyone for a meal lately seems to come less often than it ought to. As a society, we have become so consumed with the dependence on connecting via social media, text messaging, phone calls, or Skype, that face-to-face interaction has become the minority in the hustle and bustle of our ever so busy lifestyles. It was refreshing to say the least to catch up with someone who has helped encourage me to express myself and share my thoughts with the world.

One of the more notable advantages of our meeting though was his ingenious point that my blog thus far has covered a few interesting and even educational topics, yet it has lacked one of the more influential points of interest that encompasses my life: Music. Since I was a little girl, I have always been obsessed with music. My parents would tuck me into bed at night around the age of four and my mom would turn on my plastic, primary colored FM/AM radio to the oldies station to lull me to sleep. By age eight I had graduated to Dallas' local rock station at the time, 94.5 The Edge. I then had the pleasure of falling asleep to Alice in Chains' sick guitar riffs and Billy Corgan vocalizing his transition from youth to adulthood in "1979". Even at such a ripe age, I still recognized and thoroughly appreciated the quality of sound within the era.

First and foremost, I must say I have the coolest parents on the planet for allowing me to listen to rock, and furthermore, for taking me to see some of the incredible bands that shaped the 90's while they were high in their prime. I remember going to this enormous festival called Rock Fest in 1997 where headliners like No Doubt, Counting Crows, Collective Soul, and Bush played. I'll never forget that experience mostly because of the overload of ear candy I heard, but also because I was upset when the idiotic dehydrated drunkards began throwing beer bottles just before Bush played. Not surprisingly, we had to leave.

By middle school, I discovered my attraction to heavier rock bands like Deftones, System of a Down, Staind, Tool, and Metallica. I would carry a huge black CD case around with me and listen to music any chance I had on my portable CD player I kept in my orange Jansport backpack. I then grew to love and appreciate my parent's music they would play on family road trips like America, The Beatles, The Guess Who, Creedence Clearwater, and Eric Clapton. The irony is that the music I enjoy listening to the most today reminds me of music from my parent's generation... bringing me back around full circle. I suppose the members of "my" bands were subjected to "Stairway to Heaven" one too many times too.

It wasn't until late high school that I transitioned into the Indie genre and began appreciating music that hasn't been oversaturated on the FM airways. I also noticed that by welcoming bands that haven't made it to enormous stages quite yet, I get the chance to experience them live in personal, quaint venues.

The dilemma occurs when I take notice that my circle of friends and the people I have associated myself with throughout school, work, or in my hobbies,  do not seem to take an interest in music the way I do... And especially not the same genre. I have always felt isolated in this sense. This could be attributed to the notion that I don't fit the typical mold of a rock lover or an indie chick. I oppose being in public without my hair perfectly addressed, form fitting clothes, and a full face of makeup. (Thanks, mom for always making me put on lipstick).

My outer stereotype is polar opposite of my inner stereotype. I suppose society could be to blame for this... and for creating stereotypes in the first place. The point I am making though is through my discovery of all the insanely talented bands I have fallen in love with to date, I have not had many people to share this passion with. I have essentially been a music loner trapped in my own opinions and perceptions of sound. 

Nonetheless, I am perfectly comfortable in my own skin and appreciate being unique. It's not every day you meet a pageant queen who can sing every word to Bohemian Rhapsody, verbatim. My goal by writing about my music interests is to reach audiences who share my same enthusiasm, and who can bounce ideas and opinions against mine. In the meantime, I am going to expand my music library, discover new sound, and attend more live shows. So keep an eye out for me... I'll be in the pit.

Staying on Track with Exercise

Trust me... I know firsthand that it's not easy to work out and especially to "want" to work out. Some people even claim to always despise working out, regardless of how long they have been doing it. Personally, I have found that when you get into a groove, it just clicks. Your body begins to "get it" and you begin to crave exercise. Through my ten years of on and off training and working with a multitude of experienced professionals, I have discovered that the only way you will come to appreciate exercise and what it can do for your body, mind, and confidence is by never stopping the routine. You have to create a lifestyle that includes exercise and eating properly. I truly feel that this is one of the biggest problems with America and why one third of our population is overweight.

Exercise has never been pushed as a lifestyle, as it needs to be. It should come as natural as eating, bathing, or brushing your teeth. Sure, you are tired. Yeah, you had a long day. I know you don't feel like it... But the bottom line is one day of excuses is going to lead to yet another. Treating our bodies with the respect and consideration they deserve will come back ten-fold... I promise. When you exercise, your bodies release feel-good endorphins... You know- the same stuff released by dessert, or alcohol, or drugs, or happy pills, or laughing. It makes you think and feel positive thoughts. It may not seem like it at first, but after you get into the swing of a routine you will notice a significant neurological change.

For years, I would get ready to compete in a pageant and think that hitting the gym hard and crash dieting 1 to 2 months prior to a competition would suffice and get me in shape just enough to win. Boy, was I wrong. For one, when you begin any new exercise routine, it takes your body a minimum of two weeks to see any sort of result. The toxins have to be removed from your body and your muscles have to comprehend the insanity they are being subjected to. You will be sore. You will probably even get discouraged. In all honesty, the first month is by far the most difficult and takes a ton of courage and determination to push through and overcome temptation and adjustment to stick to the plan. Most people will give up. That's a fact. 

You see this first hand around the beginning of EVERY year. Everyone and their dog makes a resolution to lose weight and finally get into shape. They hit it hard the first week... They are tired but determined to stick with it the second week... The third week is tough but they begin to see the scale drop a few pounds (which, by the way, is usually water weight) and by the fourth week they are so proud that they made the numbers on the scale go down or they notice their clothes aren't as tight so they were that they reward themselves by splurging... Which turns into an added bonus of a cupcake or a cookie. The next morning you feel guilty and bloated. As a result, you blow off the gym because let's face it, It's tough to work out when you feel mentally and physically gross. One day of slacking turns into a few days, and before you know it your routine is shot. This among other things is why the gym is much less crowded in February than January.  

Then there is the crash dieting. I can name a million and one reasons why you will never attain your goal weight for an entire year straight if you begin a regimen on a crash diet. It's called crash for a reason. You WILL burn out. The best way to lose weight and live a healthy life style is to make it a routine. Don't reduce your caloric intake lower than what is expected by your body (that is less than 1200 calories in a day for a female), stick solely to whole and live foods (that means unprocessed), avoid fast food, don't try fad diets or believe anything that seems too good to be true, and most importantly don't reprimand yourself when you slip... We all do. Trust me, it's NOT the end of the world. 

Photo credit to Dixie Dixon

Be good to your body. You only have one and it's a beautiful thing, regardless of what you may have been told or how you have seen yourself in the past. NO ONE is perfect. NO ONE is genetically made the same. And NO ONE can  maintain what we have all been unfortunately led to believe is real in magazines, Hollywood, or on TV. Sure, you can work your butt off for a long period of time and obtain the superstar appearance for a moment, but it WON'T last. It's not realistic and it's not healthy to assume that you can keep that up 24/7. After all, we are all human and can only physically take so much before we plateau.

Your body does and will need breaks. You do deserve cheat days. You should be comfortable with enjoying dessert. But, keep in mind, dessert is a "treat" for a reason. It is not an everyday occurrence nor should it make us feel guilty when we allow ourselves to indulge. You deserve to live and enjoy rewards. However, I personally feel that these rewards should only come when you are mentally stable enough to handle them and once you have become used to a routine. That way, you are less prone to slipping consistently or giving up on a plan altogether. Just to be clear though... Indulge does not mean eat everything in sight, all day. It means allowing yourself one "bad" meal or one serving of dessert at a time. You must learn to listen to your body and FEEL when you have had enough. If you cross the line, chances are you will feel guilty or sick or you will over-do the indulgence to the point that you fall out of your routine. It's a delicate task and you must constantly stay in touch with yourself to manage it.

We all have what it takes to create and stick with a routine. The first and most important step is the initial commitment. Get off your butt and believe in yourself. Lose the Negative Nancy attitude and push through the fight, one day at a time. No one is perfect, but the best way to obtain anything close to your goal requires a permanent, life commitment. It's a life change and it takes a lot of time and practice. By time, I mean at least one year. And by practice, I mean changing your diet, your routine, and your mentality to ONLY positive thoughts and for an infinite amount of time. It's not a "need to lost 15 pounds so I will do and be done in 2 months." it's a lifelong change. You have what it takes. It's not hard in the end though, I promise. The initial few months are the platform. Once you are off the ground though, you will be airborne. 

Just keep flying :)

Live life to the fullest

I know I haven't blogged in an extremely long time. A million amazing things have happened in my life since my last entry, and while I would like to fill everyone in on what has occurred these past 8 months, I feel it might be best to just pick up where I left off. I am a brand new person. I have had unfathomable life changes (for the better), and have met some of the most wonderful people during this journey I am considering to be my winding road. Most of what has happened is very personal so, I don't think it is necessary to make it public to the world. Instead, I'll let my current words be my informant to you on how I have grown into myself.

There are an endless amount of things to be thankful for right now. Not only in my life, but in everyone else's lives as well. We are so unbelievably blessed to be living in this day in age, in a country that grants us the freedom to become who we are meant to become. One of the many things I am making sure I recognize are those very things that have shaped me into who I am today. The struggles, the heartache, the times I feel I want to give up, but also the laughter with family, the gracious company, the simple things like breathing  in fresh air, and the adventures that unfold on a daily basis are all what true living is about. We have to learn to take the good with that bad in such a way that they complement each other. How boring would life be if everything was always perfect, or if we were never given the chance to appreciate what we have?

I am writing this right now in the presence of my two beautiful Bengal kitties, on my patio, sitting in the warm sunshine, listening to one of my favorite new artists called Blind Pilot, and now "Black Bird" by the Beatles just began playing. It  is 65 degrees outside in the middle of the winter, birds are chirping, water is trickling in the distance, and a tireless view of the sun streaked lake is beaming before my eyes. I should also mention that I have two ice packs on my face, I am swollen like a marshmallow, and my jaw is throbbing from the pain of just having all four of my wisdom teeth removed. This, ladies and gents, is called taking the good with the bad and appreciating every waking second of existence. God really has a great sense of humor.

A few weeks ago, I was driving back from California to Dallas with my good friend, Alexander and we decided to make lists of things we want to accomplish before we leave this earth, AKA: "Bucket Lists". So as we were passing through the open desert in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, we took turns shouting out our dreams and aspirations and then writing them down. The biggest surprise to me with both of our lists was how accomplishable our ideas truly are. I honestly don't think there was a single thought listed that was too far out of reach. Over the past few weeks I have glanced back over my list several times and have begun to imagine what the final result of these dreams might visually look like. So a few nights ago, I found pictures online corresponding to each item on my bucket list and then I created a collage of all of my ideas. This collage is now my laptop background so that every day when I log on, I see a glimpse into what I want my future to be. I wholeheartedly believe that as long as I am doing good things in my life and I am walking in faith, my aspirations will one day become reality.

I think it is important for all of us to actually know what our dreams are on paper, what they look like in our heads, and to be able to tangibly see them so that we know how to make them reality one day. As silly as it may seem, I urge anyone reading this to do the same thing and create a life "to-do" list, and then create a visual collage of what that to-do lists encompasses. Set it as your desktop  background, or print it out and hang it somewhere in your house so you are reminded on a daily basis what you really want out of life. You will be thankful you did it one day later down the road.

Before my pain medicine kicks back in and impairs my ability to write intelligent thoughts, I'll end on this note: I have never been happier with where my life has taken me and where I know I am going. I am excited to share the new Shannon with the world, and I am going to make a genuine effort to blog on a weekly basis... so stay tuned, folks!