If you are from the South, then you know that any hint of snow drives us to lose our minds down here.  We run to the stores and buy up all the milk, bread, and water that we can get our hands on, we get to driving crazy and causing all kinds of accidents, and we just lose it.  It’s a big old mess.

Well, towards the end of last week, there were all of these reports of this huge winter storm that was coming our (Georgia’s) way.  It was supposed to be the “biggest snow threat” in 2 years with an estimated 2-4 inches of snow.  Our governor declared a state of emergency and we were to head home as soon as possible but not all at the same time. We were to prepare to be snowed in for at least three days.  I mean, it was a big deal!  This time, our behavior was no different.  The chaos ensued.  Grocery stores were ransacked.  There was no bread, milk, or water in sight at any of the grocery stores that I went to (Luckily, I already had all three at home).  And some grocery stores had closed early even.

Well, I was excited to be snowed in.  I figured this was the perfect time for me to get a lot of things done that would help me accomplish some of my goals.  That Friday, I created a little list of things that I could do while we were snowed in.  I couldn’t wait to get started!

So, you can imagine that I was a little upset at what I saw when I woke up Saturday morning and looked out the window. NO SNOW!!!  There was a little frost on the roof but nothing was on the ground. It was all a fluke; all of the frenzy and hysteria for nothing.  But I didn’t fret because it was still freezing (23 °F) outside and I had no plans of going out there.  I decided to still complete the items on my “to-do” list!  So here is how I survived the “Winter Storm of 2017.”

Work out

I had yet to work out even though one of my goals was to “live a healthier lifestyle.” But, I knew that once I got started, I would be good.  So, I decided that since there was no snow outside, I would throw on my cute workout clothes, head on over to our gym and get a little work out in.  I only did about 30 minutes of cardio but I felt so good when I was done.  I felt accomplished; like I was on my way!  That was the start that I needed.  I’ve been working out every day since then and I’m feeling great about it!

Organize

This was not as fun as my work out.  But since I’m working on being more organized, I felt that it was necessary to at least get started.  So I opened my Pandora Music app and started playing my 90’s R&B Station.  Once I turned my music on, I was ready to get it going.  I shredded a lot of paperwork and I organized my handbags.  That was as far as I got because I was interrupted by my little one (that’s a whole other story).  However, I do plan on getting back to the closet.  I was happy that I got that far though.  It took about an hour.  Does this look organized to you?  Maybe not…

Plan

Another goal that I’m working on is blogging more consistently and creating great content.  I decided to sit down and really map out my blog content for the next few weeks.  I basically decided what my topics would be each day and what I needed to do to prepare for those topics.  I’m so happy I did that.  I now have a better grasp of how I’m going to spend my time for the next month.

In another effort to focus on my health, I created some meal plans that incorporated more fruit and veggies into my diet and a workout plan that incorporated more toning and cardio.  For my work outs, I decided to wake up at 5:00 am every morning and do them.  I’m doing this 15-Day Challenge that basically allows me to do all of my workouts on my living room floor and they last about 30 minutes.  They’re very tough but I’ve completed this challenge before so I’m sure I can do it again.

I also planned my budget for the week by creating a grocery list and setting aside a certain amount of money that I will spend every week on groceries.  Another part of my budget includes not doing any spending on anything that isn’t important (I have to do better with this budget thing, I know).

Read

Lastly, I needed some inspiration so I picked up my “women’s empowerment” book, “Successful Women Think Differently” by Valerie Burton.  I received a great message from this book that stated, “I do not downsize my dreams.” This is something that I’m learning to do.  Dreams are not meant to be diminished.  They’re meant to be explored.  They’re meant to come true.  So my promise to myself is to not belittle my dreams just because they are a little hard to attain.  I’m just going to use whatever obstacles that come my way as opportunities to be creative.  How exciting right?!?!?  I’m really enjoying this book.

I also did other things like cook and enjoy family time with my son and boyfriend.  It was a really nice weekend because I was able to be productive and have a little fun.

I decided to write this post because I want you to know that there is nothing stopping you from accomplishing your goals, not even a “Winter Storm”.  I didn’t want to waste that time doing unnecessary activities so I made sure that I made good use of it.  That’s the message here.  Make good use of your time.  Don’t make excuses!

Speak to you soon!!!

Daneisha