How to be Confident

How to be Confident 

I AM 

Confident 

Passionate 

Enthusiastic 

Born with a Purpose 

Confidence is the foundation for everything in life.  Whether you have a an interview for a new job, are going on a date, giving a presentation in class, or performing for an audience,  making your presence known and leaving a lasting impression with everyone you meet, is a powerful trait.  Having confidence makes your feel more valuable and ultimately leads to more success in EVERY aspect of your life!    

There are so many people who live everyday with self-limiting beliefs.  No one controls your confidence but YOU, which means at any given time, you can become more confident… you can become the person you have always wanted to be.  Don’t settle for what is, strive for what could be!  You are a gift, meant to do great things on this earth. I hope by the end of this post you feel inspired and confident to take on the world! 

Stop comparing yourself to others  

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Theodore Roosevelt 

We are each beautiful in our own unique way.  To spend one second comparing ourselves to someone else is unfair. There is a sense of freedom you get when you stop competing and start appreciating.  When you start comparing yourself to others, you start to lose confidence in yourself!  Don’t let anyone rob you of reaching your full potential.  

Fake it till you make it. 

One of my favorite quotes is, “change your thoughts, change your world.”  Our thoughts are much more powerful than we could ever imagine.  What we think is literally what we become.  Imitating confidence will not only trick everyone around you into thinking that you in fact confident, but it will also send signals from your brain to your body that you are confident! So stand up straight, hold your head up high, and put on a smile! Before you know it, everyone around you will think you are expert… including yourself! 

Journal 

I know journaling seems like a thing of the past, but I find it so important.  You don’t have to write long novels every single night, but try writing down the things that you accomplish every week.  It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture… maybe you turned down a cookie at the office this week and that made you proud! Write down anything that makes you feel accomplished.  Then, whenever you are feeling down or disappointed, look back in your journal.  Your frown will start to turn upside down!  

Channel your favorite celebrity

When you find yourself feeling like you are in a less-than state of mind, think of a person who you admire!  The positive qualities that we look up to in our favorite celebrities not only empower us but they also push us to become the best version of ourselves we can possibly be! Take a second to think about someone who makes you want to be a better person, write down the qualities that attract you to them, and think of that person when you find yourself feeling nervous! 

Stay Positive 

I start each day with writing down 5 things I am grateful for.  There is something about starting your day with gratitude that really changes your perspective.  Being able to start your day with such an uplifting and positive outlook on life, sets you up for success! 

Accept your mistakes 

Mistakes are inevitable… the best thing you can do is move on!  Always remember… “Every setback is a setup for comeback!” And don't be so hard on yourself... a 90% is still an A! 

Exercise

Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins.  Endorphins make you happy..”  and she was right! Working out makes you feel so much better!  When you feel good you, look good, and when you look good, you feel good!  Even if you can only workout 20 minutes a day, make it happen.  You will thank yourself later!  

Love yourself 

As I mentioned earlier, our thoughts are powerful.  They feed our soul, and nourish our body.  Make sure the energy you are sending yourself is positive. Thinking negative thoughts is just like eating junk food.  They start to poison us from the inside out.  The best way to change your thought process is to start writing daily affirmations.  I encourage you to spend the next 30 days writing something positive down, 10 times a day.  It can be anything you want… as long as it’s encouraging and celebrating you!  

When we achieve self-confidence, we know who we are and appreciate ourselves for it.  I truly believe that once self-confidence is running through our veins, we start to make better choices and decisions in life.  Whether we like it or not, our confidence effects how we live and enjoy our life.    With dedication and determination… we can achieve ANYTHING!  Never let your will to succeed, die down!  

Always do something to keep that fire in your belly burning!  

XoXo 

Ashley 

Calories vs. Chemicals Part 1

Happy Monday everyone! Welcome to Calories vs. Chemicals part 1. 

In an effort to not gain the freshman 15 in college, I survived off of diet coke and lean pockets.  I thought diet coke was the most amazing thing since sliced bread and the lean pockets had way less calories than actual pizza... If I only knew what I was putting into my body! Once I stopped obsessing over calories and actually started to look at the ingredients in the food I was eating, (along with juicing) I then became successful in losing 30+lbs. 

 Throughout my year long journey as an avid juicer, I have learned so much about food and the myths behind what the food industry has had us eating up for years.  The biggest lesson learned has been that calories are not scary... the toxic chemical overload in food is.  Toxic chemicals are constantly accumulating in our bodies because the industry has had us obsessing over calories for years with labels like: "Low Calorie" "No Calorie" "100 Calories" 

Let me ask you a question... When you are purchasing your groceries and you turn your food or drink item over to check the calories, protein, fat etc.  How often are you checking the ingredients? 

   

When we focus only on the calories, we miss the fact that in exchange they are filling our food with toxic chemicals.  

& the scariest part about this is 

The more we fill our bodies with nutrient dense foods & empty calories, the harder we make it on ourselves to lose weight and the more we put our health at risk.  

Here is a short 2 minute video on chemicals in our food! I love this video and the way it describes what science and technogoly is doing to our food.

Let's take a look a protein bar.  Most of us think a protein bar is an optimal healthy snack.  They have protein, tons of delicious flavors, they're portable... something we can keep in our car or purse.  In hindsight, it's perfect! Not to mention that it comes off as a healthy alternative. 

At a first glance we see 20 grams of protein 

Flip it over and read

Calories: 280 

Fat: 10g 

Carb: 29g 

Protein: 20g 

Ingredients: 

Soy protein, isolate, beet juice concentrate, organic brown rice syrup, organic dried cane syrup, palm kernel oil, organic peanuts, cocoa, organic rolled oats, vegetable glycerin, soy protein concentrate, natural flavors, peanuts, peanut flour, rice starch, organic sunflower oil, unsweetened chocolate, inulin (chicory extract) sea salt, organic oat fiber, soy, lecithin, calcium carbonate, organic vanilla extract, cocoa butter, vanilla extract, natural vitamin E, calcium, carbonate, magnesium oxide, ascorbic acid, DL-Aplha tocopheryl acetate, thiamine monoitrate, beta carotene, niacin amide, D-Calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, erocalciferol, cyanocobalamin, potassium iodide.  

Can you pronounce that last sentence?  I know I had a hard time with it.  I am not in any way trying to discredit protein bars or say that you should never eat them. I am just simply trying to bring awareness to the chemical overload in foods we think are better than others.  

3 Rules of Thumb

 If you can't pronounce it, Don't eat it 

Try to stick to prepackaged or frozen foods that have 10 ingredients or less 

If it has a long shelf life, put it down 

If anything, I encourage you to start reading the labels on the back of food.  When you can, buy local. Food should always come from the farm and go straight to your table.  Ditch the diet and just be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself that you can be! 

Stay tuned for part 2 later this week, where we will compare and decode labels! 

XoXo

-Ashley 

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