I will never forget

What can I say? I haven't shared  much of my struggles, my life, or pretty much anything with anyone.  If I were to quiz the majority of my friends they would know just the basic facts about me. I actually had an acquaintance tell me the other day that he didn't know anything about me until he researched my Facebook and was happy to know that I am a Scentsy consultant, like to cook, etc. I laughed and I told him that no one really knows anything about me except for my family and of course my husband. Well, lately I have been going through some  health struggles and I have been keeping it to myself which has stressed me out more than anything. It's been a 4 year battle and it seems like there is no end in sight. I have started to vent about it on my youtube channel which took a lot of consideration on my part. The reason I decided to turn to my channel is because I have viewers from all over the world. If I can help 1 person diagnose themselves or bring awareness to this, then I feel that I will have turned a negative experience into something positive. I'm almost afraid to tell people in my life what is going on because I don't want the focus of certain aspects of this thing to be looked upon because I feel bad enough already. I don't need people pointing out the obvious or possibly pointing things out that perhaps I haven't noticed.  People are cruel and mean like that and I've had enough mean things said to me over the past 4 years that I don't think I could possibly take another hit. I want to look like myself again, feel like myself again, and most importantly...act like myself again. I don't like what I see right now. I am not me, but I know that I am in here somewhere.  From my face looking completely different and aged, to my hair and nails...everything is a mess. 
I am happy that people in my life including my viewers are supportive and that I am learning to embrace what I have to deal with for now.  I am just tired of feeling like I'm never going to get the help that I need. I know this is real, my blood work shows that it's real, and my body feels that it's real. I just need someone to be committed enough to help me through this all the way.  Changing your body is definitely a luxury and when you can't do it anymore...you quickly realize that. When you have no control over what your body does and doesn't do...it's like being trapped. I feel trapped in this body that I can not fix by myself. Take care of yourselves and don't ever take your health for granted. Take your vitamins and don't be lazy with exercise. This is the part that baffles me. I have always been the type of person to be active and for the most part healthy...and for the past 4 years you would never even know it. One day I will be back to my old self and one day I will thank those of you who have been kind and supportive. I will never forget those of you who have made comments about my appearance and this is includes family. I can't. Although some of you may not even know my situation, it's still unacceptable to pick apart anyones appearance and think it's ok. From asking me after my wedding when I wanted to take pictures  if I could still fit into my dress, talk about me at bbq's in front of other people including strangers to me, or point out my flaws to me as if I wasn't a human being, but some painting that was on a wall. I will never forget those of you who have comforted me in my times of need, asked how I have been every single week for the past 4 years, and have text me on days when I was headed to the doctor's. I will never forget. 

Do What You Love!!!

The one question I get all the time is: "How do you do it?" or I get comments like..."I don't know how you do it all." These are people who are referring to my daily lifestyle and work ethics.  I thought I'd dedicate my next couple of blogs to work and business since this is a huge part of my life.  You know that old saying, "Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Totally true! If you love what you do it will never feel like work. Now, this doesn't mean find something you love and expect for it to happen and just because you love it you don't have to put any work into it. That would be taking things to literally and of course would do nothing for you in the long run. Time flies when you're having fun and when you love your job it never feels like you're actually working.  
With all of that in mind, I am a HUGE believer that you can make anything into a business. ANYTHING! Sit down, get a pen and paper, and rack your brain. What do you love to do? What makes you tick? What are you good at? Now think of a way to make this lucrative for you. Get creative! In my case, I've always loved to sing and entertain, I love writing, make-up, home fragrance, candles, jewelry, animals etc. How did I turn these into businesses??? I now have a DJ/Karaoke business, I am partnered with a network on Youtube where I can showcase my love of everything beauty and get paid for it, write a blog (like this one) and earn a little extra cash, and I am also an Independent Scentsy Consultant which is a Wickless Candle company! This isn't "it" for me because I can only grow from here. Research your loves and you'd be surprised at what you'll find available to you.  My biggest advice is to NOT look down on Independent Sales. Do you like to cook? Try being a Pampered Chef consultant. Love makeup? There's Mary Kay, Avon, Beauti Control etc. Most people will roll their eyes when they find out their friend has become a Mary Kay consultant or a consultant for any other company. While those people are busy rolling their eyes these Independent Sales Consultant's are  driving new cars, taking trips that their business paid for, receiving incentive gifts for a job well done etc.  Many of these men and women are millionaires or are making 3 figures doing what they love because they never quit!
Keep in mind that every business big, small, or independent all take time to grow. I'm not saying...find what you love and expect a ton of money right away. I'm saying find what you love and the effort comes naturally.  People will see that you are genuinely enthusiastic and passionate about what you're doing and over time it becomes contagious. People want to help and support your plans. It's amazing! Eventually it will become successful. The hard part is not giving up. When I first started Youtube it was a hobby. At this point I am now in the marketing business. I receive beauty products worth $2-$200 or more to try out for FREE and if I like them I'll speak about the business and products in my videos. I am also able to buy a nice goodie or an awesome dinner for my husband and I with the pay I receive every month. My YT biz is only growing and some of the women on YT are making a complete living off of their very own brand because they never gave up which inspires me to keep doing what I love. When I started my DJ karaoke business I was working under a friend who would send me out on gigs when he needed me. It was extra cash at that point. Now this is my bread and butter and primary job. I can work as many times a week as I want to or as little as I want to. The choice is mine. But, I had to build clientele, my reputation, and my business. It took 2 years for this to become a steady income, but my efforts have literally paid off. Last but not least my Scentsy business. I have been doing this for about 10 months and at this point I can feel the pace steadily picking up. As someone who has worked in retail I know that their are slow months and busy months. The key is to keep going. This is also the same concept as my DJ business. I had to build a loyal customer base and my reputation with this company. At this point with this business I am able to purchase a nice substantial item for my home, pay a few bills, or have a quick weekend get away with the pay and I have a team under me. Again...I will keep on pushing.  Understand that when something is making you money it is your responsibility to keep the ball rolling. Things will only keep getting better if you keep pushing forward. Patience is the ultimate key. In my future blogs I will talk about my time management, how to have successful businesses, building a business, etc. I am not a professional by any means, but I feel I do pretty well for myself. I am a confident woman with 3 businesses to run, a household to tend to and a husband to love and I feel like I've always been pretty good at the juggling act. If you all have any suggestions that you'd like my opinion on as far as business feel free to post a comment. :)
<3
Hayley

4 years....

As a lot of you know I just recently celebrated my 4 year wedding anniversary with my husband.  I always get excited when we reach another year because it's such an accomplishment. I was thinking about when we first got engaged and married and reflecting on how much we've grown.   Marriage isn't always a "good" time or fun and it's definitely not easy.  It takes work and dedication and a lot of teamwork. 
When my husband and I first got engaged we moved into together 6 months before our wedding. The last thing I wanted to do was move in right after getting married. This was all brand new to me. I had never lived outside of my parents house before, so besides paying for car insurance and my cell phone bill I hadn't payed any major bills before. I wanted to have everything prepared before the big day. When we were looking for a place to live we got lucky in finding our townhouse. The rent is awesome and it's bigger than your average apartment especially for the price. We literally combined our furniture that we had in both of our bedrooms at home to create our new home together. We had dollar general bathroom rugs and Dollar Tree shower curtains and rings. We couldn't afford anything. Haha! We were so grateful when my mother-in-law offered to give us her dining room table and some couches and when my parents bought us a microwave and gave us some dishes and silverware. So we had enough furniture to furnish our entire house...maybe not to our liking, but enough to have something in every room which was awesome. Dollar store bathrooms, hand me down living room furniture, and mismatched bedrooms! We were still happy regardless. :)
We had both of our tv's which were basically the old box 20 inch tvs and we had one on our dresser set up with a dvd player so we could watch movies. We didn't have internet or cable for about 6 months after getting married! We're super independent and wanted to stabilize everything on our own. We were sharing one car (my old taurus) and just our luck the air conditioner went out in it and during summer none the less. Not even 3 months after getting married we both lost our jobs because the place we worked at decided to shut it's doors and we were both blessed to find jobs 6 days after. I worked retail basically getting paid nothing, but something was better than nothing. I hated my job. I was so depressed and what was worse, my husband worked nights and I worked days. Sharing one car with opposite schedules completely wore us out. So let's take some inventory...We lose our jobs, gain new ones, have separate schedules, exhaustion, no cable or internet, car without air, and working at a job I hated. Fast forward to year 2 and our car totally shits out on us. We had to get a car and get it fast. We had $500 to put down on a car and we got a good deal on a nice vehicle...then my husband gets rear ended. 
Here's where the blessings begin. Our insurance covers the entire car as a loss and we get a nice amount of $$$ back and get an even newer car! During this time I was feeling depressed and sick (same thing I'm dealing with now) and have to take some time off from work. They phase me out of the schedule! Basically I was fired without even knowing it. One of my best friends asks me to work with him and help him expand his DJ/Karaoke business. I started off doing small gigs with him and getting paid until he tells us that if we really want to make money we all needed to find our own gigs and charge our own prices and basically run our own business off of his. My husband was promoted to an assistant manager where he worked. I began doing beauty Youtube videos off of a suggestion from my friend as a hobby. All of these good things became a domino effect. 
At this current time my husband has 2 jobs (by choice) that he does well with, we have 2 vehicles with air..lol, I have a successful business under my friends business where I am lucky to get to do what I love. My Youtube channel became a business where I get paid to make my videos and get sent all sorts of beauty products from companies that I get to review! I joined Scentsy almost a year ago and that business is steadily growing and my husband is definitely a huge helping hand with that when I need orders delivered. We landed on our feet and of course we are slowly updating all of our furniture and rooms little by little and getting things the way we want it to look. I'm not bragging in any way or saying we have it all, I'm just happy with what we're building and becoming.We've had hard times, bad times, and even sad moments...but when I reflect on everything we've accomplished TOGETHER in the past 4 years it makes me proud of the team we're becoming and happy that we're still walking hand in hand as we face all of these challenges.  My point of this blog is that marriage definitely has its ups and downs like everyone says it does. But, if you hold on and push one another to grow those downs will seem to diminish over time with all the ups and the things that you've always imagined can begin to happen. All it takes is a little teamwork and effort.  So..I am excited at reaching another milestone and amazed at how far we've come and can't wait to see what the future has in store for us. :)
<3
Hayley

Positive thoughts

I feel like I have so much to be thankful for and I try to remind myself of this everyday. I had a slip up in life today. Somehow I got involved in a bit of drama by simply being a good friend to someone else. Someone had an issue with it and I think there was some misplaced feelings and I some how became a target in a mini war. It put me in a negative mood all day. I am a busy girl and a bit of a lone ranger even though I have my husband. I work alone at a table (I love my job), I am home alone frequently, I shop alone, I eat alone, I workout alone....etc. I am alone a lot. I don't mind it though because when my husband and I have our time together we make up for all the missed time that our work week creates. I find it almost impossible to have drama in my life since I simply have no time for it at all. So...with today's issue I couldn't believe that I allowed myself to feel negative. I am practicing positive thinking. I am doing it now more than ever and I think todays random event was just a test.  I feel as if it was a way of distracting me from my positive thoughts and I had to work really hard to switch my thoughts around today, but I did it. I think looking around at our homes and the things we own whether big or small should make us feel blessed. Concentrating on our food and appreciating a meal is a definite way to feel positive. Writing in a journal, reading, praying, organizing (for me...haha), thinking about our successes, a bath, or talking to a good friend are all ways to switch your thoughts around. So...Today I came home and organized a few things. I love to do it because I am able to take the time to look at my belongings and remember where I got them and I get filled with a grateful feeling. Anyways...The point of this blog today is to remind you that no matter what random situations come up that can put you in a negative place, you have the power to get back to a place of positivity. :)
<3
Hayley

My journey to becoming a performer/entertainer

Being a performer/entertainer has it's perks. It's fun, it's something I'm passionate about, I make money doing what I love, good pay, and I meet new people all the time. A lot of people will say my job is "easy." But, this is the judging the book by the cover syndrome. The downfalls of my job are stress, worries about catching a cold (because you can't sing or talk), having to be up late hours all the time, smoky atmospheres, drunk people, drunk RUDE people, added stress of making sure an entire building is enjoying their time (your the host!) and not knowing if I will still have my job the next week. As an entertainer who is self employed you never know what will happen the next week. Prime example...I sang at an establishment for 5 years which we will talk about in a bit and it closed down from one day to the next! Will a business change their mind? Will they want to go a different direction? This is stressful. You can never get too comfortable in one place. 

My journey as an entertainer had been a long one and I've definitely paid my dues. I have been slandered, hated on, fake friended, discriminated against, and stalked because of what I choose to do with my life. I had always been interested in singing and I was always interested in singing for people. My dad bought me my first karaoke machine when I was 9 years old and the first karaoke song I learned was Crazy by Patsy Cline. I would sing in my garage by myself or in my closet and would pray that someday I would be able to do it for people. As I got older and the choir years approached in middle school and high school I began to try out for solos. I would make every solo in jr. high! I was so excited to get to go up to the microphone and sing. When I reached high school I had a new choir director who's daughter was in our class. He was the prime example of someone who used favoritism. There was one time my friend Diana and I decided we wanted to join an exclusive  show choir at our school and we were instructed to pick any song of our liking and we would have to audition. We chose a duet with Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand. We practiced this ALL summer long and every chance we got. When school started our senior year we went in during our lunch hour to audition and literally knocked this song out of the park. All of our hard work and dedication had paid off! No one wanted to try out after us because we had done so well. In the back of the room stood the choir directors daughter with her arms crossed and her eyes filled with jealousy. We didn't make the show choir. We were crushed because we knew we were good. 

I started to develop a horrible case of stage fright because he constantly rejected me for every show, solo opportunity, etc. I began to believe that I really was bad. But then I remembered all the solos I got in jr. high and realized that this guy was just not going to let me in because of his daughter and the favoritism of her and all of her friends. I knew this because there were many awesome singers who had been rejected by this man along with myself. His loss! Funny how most of these kids were white too. Hmmm... Anywho, I decided to start going to karaoke with my friend Mark! He would host in a coffee shop next to the place I now do most of my gigs at! I would go out alone and sing Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears songs. Then my high school girlfriends starting joining me and it became so much fun. For 5 years (age 16-21) I would get a horrible burning feeling in my stomach when it was my turn to sing. Every time I would sing a note that feeling would go away and when I would have to pause during the song that burning feeling came back. My stage fright was the worst! But, I never let anyone know it. By age 19 I had already known Mark for about 3 years at this point. I became seasoned in karaoke contests. I would go out to bars alone and sing my little heart out and win! It wasn't always a win, but when I would even come close I knew I was on the right track.

Mark told me about a place called Graham Central Station. I had been there a few times and saw one of my girlfriends performing along with some entertainers and was mesmerized. He told me that they were holding auditions. I was soooo excited! This was in May of 03. He came back later and told me that most of the entertainers were downing the idea of me trying out. So...I gave up and said forget it. Then by August of 03 I changed my mind and decided to give it a try. I went in for an audition and sang with all of my heart. It was the only thing that I felt that I was good at and I needed to prove it to myself. I got hired that same day even though my Mom was totally against me working at a club...much less a place that had 7-8 clubs under one roof! I auditioned in secret and when I made it she was so proud that she didn't mind me working there anymore. I was a singer!!! I sang in a place that held almost 4.000 people and when I started it was packed to the brim. Everyday driving to work when I saw that sign I would get anxiety. I never ever let my audience know how nervous I was. I walked in like I owned the place. Through all of my years of performing and stage fright I never told anyone how nervous I was or how scared I was. No way! People smell your fear and telling everyone you're nervous only makes your nerves worse. I learned quickly that it was either fake it or fall apart. Just as I started to believe I was bad because of my choir teacher I started to believe I was awesome because of my "fake" confidence. That pretend confidence grew into real confidence and here I am years later running my own gigs thanks to Mark who I've now known for 13 years!  My point being....had I given up in August of 03 because of what people thought or given up because my choir teacher rejected me I would have never had the opportunity to model for local magazines, win several trophies at Borderfest, and be nominated for The Girls that Rock the Valley etc! I got numerous opportunities and paid jobs just by simply putting myself out there! I would had never had the opportunity to meet and get to work with all of the talented people I did at GCS. I never took one single day of performing for granted and rarely missed work because I knew this opportunity wouldn't last forever.

The girls were mean to me when I started Graham, I have lost contests to people who didn't deserve to win, had rumors spread about me, have had both my engagement and marriage picked apart, been on stage for hours because of corporate people in the building, had people come up to my face and let me know I've gained weight, been hated on because I've won a contest, gotten discriminated against at contests because I sing for a living, been made out to be a horrible person because I work in bars, and lost relationships. I NEVER gave up! So...when people say my job is "easy" they don't know the half of it. Haha! If being an entertainer is something you're interested in then you have to expect all of these things to come with the territory. You have to understand that you win some and lose some. You have to endure and get a thick skin. This is not the business for the weak! You have to know that things will not always go your way. But, most of all you have to understand that this is fun. If you lose the fun and you can't have fun doing it..then there's no point. So...when I say I've paid my dues...It means that I've endured, experienced, and have done this for 13 years! Just thought I'd throw my story out there for you all that need a little inspiration. :)

<3

Hayley

Level 2 Review of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

So today I finished level 2 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred! I will give you all a little overview of my experiences with it. I heard and read a lot of reviews stating that level 2 felt a lot easier than level 1. I have to disagree with that. I felt like the workout was definitely tougher and took some getting used to. From walking pushups, tougher cardio moves, etc I had to stop quite a bit more to catch my breath. Remember I told you that there are two girls in the back of Jillian that you can follow? Natalie is the girl who does the unmodified version of the workout and Anita is the one who does the modified version and is the one I'm following for this round. In this specific level you can tell that Natalie is having a super difficult time delivering the moves correctly and her form is a little sloppy which is a little scary for me being that I'm doing the unmodified version the next round. Haha! All I can think is...if this girl can't do it and she was hand selected for this video..what's a girl like me going to look like? lol! I'll give it my best shot when the time comes though. :)

In level 2 I felt like we concentrated on back, shoulders, and abs a lot more than we did in level one. Be prepared to have a sore upper back. I will say that some of the moves did get easier and some of them I still wasn't able to fully complete by day 10 of this level.  My abs were sore the entire 10 days of this level which I liked. I did not skip a single day in level 1, but did skip two days during level 2 meaning I stayed with this level for 12 days as opposed to 10. I skipped due to "lady cramps" and another day because I really was out of time and would've been late to work. Bummer. But, all and all I am proud that I made through another level and will be approaching level 3 tomorrow. 

I did take before pictures, but I'm still debating if I'll post them on here after the first round. Maybe after the second round when I'm feeling a little more confident. ;) As far as my measurements and weight go...I have gained a total of 5 lbs while doing this work out. My husband insists that it's muscle building, so we'll see. I will mention that he did say my booty is looking smaller and perkier which is fabulous! Haha! I lost another half an inch off my arms and that is pretty much all that budged this time around. I am not discouraged because as I mentioned before I was on "lady time" and I tend to retain a lot of water so I'm sure my measurements weren't precise.  

I am happy to see my arms slimming out and I did try on a few blouses and could see that my lovely back fat wasn't as visible. Haha! My stomach is slimming down a bit and my muffin top isn't as big as it was. I'm feeling stronger and healthier which is always a plus. I can't wait to finish level 3 to get my final 30 day challenge results. Then it's on to round 2 of the 30 day shred. If you all are interested in doing this challenge you can find this workout video on Amazon.com for about 5 bucks!

<3

Hayley

Stress and Prayer

I have been having a TON of nightmares lately. I'm not even sure why.  I have been dreaming about people from my past that I haven't thought about in weeks, months, or even years that have stressed me out at some point in my life. I'm dreaming that I'm beating people up or telling them off.  I'm the type of individual that it's always go go go time. Friends and acquaintances always make comments about my life style. They always ask..."How do you do it? Do you ever give yourself a chance to relax?" The honest truth is 90% of the time no. I feel like if I'm awake, I should be productive whether it be editing a video, cleaning my home, making time for important people in my life, organizing something, working, getting ready for work, etc. I rarely make time for a moment to just sit and relax and when I do it's usually at night before bed.  So...when I stress out I don't even realize it! Haha! I swear my poor little stomach gets the shit end of the stick. I'll wake up with it feeling like it's on fire because I've had an anxiety attack in my sleep. With that in mind, I think I need a break of some sort. I've been doing a lot of thinking about friendships, work, and what I want out of life. I'm being extremely honest with myself. We can all tend to sugar coat our futures, friendships, and what we want all to not sound greedy or to please other people. The truth is I want MORE and I'm willing to work for it. 
I want friends who know what's going on in my life because they are close with me and not because of my Facebook posts. I have prayed that God will reveal these friends to me and it's coming along. People who I thought were friends don't even call me and those who I thought were acquaintances are taking an interest in what I'm doing. It's the craziest thing. Now a days we base our friendship statuses off of Facebook and I want good old fashioned friendships. Real friendships. Solid 2 way street friendships. What do I want for my future? Security, love, and happiness. I want nice things and I want a lot of money. I want a stable marriage and I want to be surrounded by people who love me and that I love back. I'm not at all being greedy. I am willing to work hard for all of these things and I want it because I want to have a child someday and I want him/her to feel secure. I want my step-daughters to feels secure and I want my husband and myself to feel secure. Money isn't everything, but it sure will provide a nice roof over my head, a car that won't give me problems, and a solid future for myself and my family. I want to be able to share what I have with others someday. People may judge me for this...but this is why I say I am being honest with myself. I don't care who judges me for the things I want. I want nice things in my life and I don't ever expect them to come for free. I love nice things and I intend on having them. I want to travel and be able to take care of my parents some day should I have to. 
Most people are afraid to express what they want out of life because so many people are standing in line ready to place judgement on them. Some people will take what they can get because they are not aware that they are capable of receiving more. We all have the capacity to fulfill our dreams.  We all have the option to have a limitless future. The question is: How far are we willing to go to get it? I am willing to jump every hurdle and exhaust myself to reach the goals that I provide for myself as long as I reach that finish line. I won't give up and I will always try to have a positive outlook on what lies ahead of me. Prayer is definitely the key. I can't tell you how many prayers have been answered for me in the past few months. Everyday I am amazed at something that I either hear, see, or learn because of my prayers. I can't even begin to tell you how my path in life has changed for the better simply because of books! YES...books ladies and gentlemen. I believe God puts knowledge in your path to help you and boy have they helped me. Yes I want more. Yes I'll always want more. Does this make me greedy? No. This makes me a living being. When we want more we can get more. When want for nothing...we will get nothing. God says ask and you shall receive and I intend to do just that. I should be allowed to ask the only person that I fully trust with 100% of my heart for all of my desires and know that he will put me on the path to get there. So...what are you waiting for? Ask away.
<3
Hayley

Jillian Micheals 30 Day shred level 2 update

So....Jillian's Micheal's 30 Day shred Level 2. Yea. This shit is kicking my ass.  Haha! I had a friend tell me that level 2 was easier for her and I saw a few reviews with people saying the same thing. No way! It's even tougher than the first level and I am pouring sweat. I have never been a heavy sweater when I work out, but this has me drenched and I love it. I feel new muscles getting sore and tomorrow will be day 13 on this challenge. I like that my cardio endurance is better and that I physically feel stronger. If you are approaching level 2 of this workout...get ready to work abs, arms, and back. I felt that in level 1 we worked a lot of legs, shoulders, and chest. I am sore in a new way. Not in that horrible bad mood don't touch me way. Haha! Can't wait to finish up the  next 8 days and take my new measurements. I forgot to mention in my last blog that I lost an entire cup size from my bra after finishing level 1. :( My booty feels bigger and boobies are deflating. lol! Keep on working it!
<3
Hayley

Level 1 Review of Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred!

Let's talk about Level 1 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and my personal experiences with it. First off...I took all of my measurements because I've read that with this workout you will see a lot of inches lost which means you are gaining lean muscle and losing fat. The scale will more than likely not measure your progress as well as the tape measurer will. I will be measuring myself after I complete each level. I just finished level 1 yesterday and will begin level 2 this evening. On the first day of popping in this dvd I was very positive that I was going to have a great experience since each level is under 30 minutes. I began to work out and decided to take the modified approach since I've just started working out again. I thought I was going to DIE!!! lol! I was huffing and puffing, stopping every few seconds to drink water, sweating like a banchi, and was waiting for the cool down session to approach. Afterwards I felt a bit shaky and going up and down my stairs for the next few days was definitely no treat. I trekked on to day 2 and I was soooo sore. Muscles I didn't even know I had were in pain! I pushed through the workout thinking..."If I can get through this my soreness will ease up." I was so wrong! I'm not trying to discourage you in any way, but this workout takes some will power. Jillian literally kicks your ass for the short amount of time that she has you. Haha! On day 3 I was in the worst of moods. I didn't want to be touched, I felt sick, sore, and pissed off. Did I quit??? Hell no! I kept going! By day 4 I felt better and started to notice that my endurance was increasing. I was stopping less than I was before and felt great and motivated. 
From day 5 and on I couldn't wait to be done with this level because I was sick of listening to Jillian say the same things over and over which motivated me even more to not skip a day. I literally wished at times that I could throw my hand weight at the tv screen. Lmao! Yesterday I finished with day 10 of level 1 and will now be moving on to day 2. Hooray! By day 9 and 10 I was able to make it through the workout without stopping except for a quick sip of water. I'm feeling awesome!!! I have noticed that I have been a lot hungrier lately, but when I eat my appetite is smaller which is odd. I did expect to be hungrier since I am more active.
As I mentioned before I will be taking my measurements after each level is completed and I did so yesterday. To my amazement I gained 2lbs! I read on-line that when you workout when you've been sedentary and you begin to lose weight, your body reacts by retaining some water. Your muscles get tears in them since they are being worked out and the water retention is a defense mechanism to repair our muscles and to also take place of the lost fat. There is something called a "whoosh" effect that happens 2-3 weeks into working out or dieting where you suddenly lose water weight and the scale drops because your body realizes that fat will not be restored and it's fine to let go of the liquid. So...I wasn't to discouraged by the weight gain since we all know muscle weighs more than fat. I did notice that my jeans have begun to feel tighter in the butt and leg area. I'm assuming...A. because of the water retention and B. because I'm gaining muscle. Anyways...I'm not brave enough to post my exact measurements quite yet because I want to reach my personal goals, but I have lost inches! 
I have lost 1/2 inch on both of my arms, 1 inch from under my bust, 1 inch from my waist, 1/2 inch from my lower stomach, 1/2 inch from my hips, and a 1/2 inch from my mid thighs. The only things that haven't budged yet are my calfs and upper thighs. In total I have lost 4 1/2 inches on my entire body in just 10 days so I'm really proud of myself and excited. For level two I expect to see better results as I am hoping to release this water weight from my body. My legs feel a lot firmer and my booty is feeling lifted. I am also able to push through the ab workouts and push ups. They're still hard, but I can do them without stopping! I am so excited to approach level 2 with some motivation! If you have done the 30 day shred or are doing it...please comment below with your experiences! I'd love to hear about them. :)
<3
Hayley 

Introduction to Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred Challenge!

This summer I will be heading to Vegas for a Scentsy convention! Yay! Not only will I be able to meet a few of my Youtube friends, but I'll also get to meet a lot of people on my Scentsy team in person. I'm so excited! We will be flying out on July 24th. With that in mind...summer is right around the corner. I live close to a beach and we're planning to spend a lot of time out there so I decided it was time to get in shape. I recently quit my birth control patch and started gaining weight rapidly the way I did the previous time before when I quit. I gained 10lbs in 1 month!!! Since I'm only 4'11 the weight has no where to go but out. I was feeling frumpy and very sedentary. I was used to being very active when I was performing onstage.(singer) I decided to bust out one of my old DVD's called Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I bought it off of Amazon when I first got married for $4! You can easily find this at Wal-mart now a days for around $10. This is the workout program I will be reviewing for you and I will also post a video about it on my youtube beauty channel with my final thoughts once I've completed the whole program. 
This DVD says that you can lose up to 20lbs in 30 days. On average, I've seen people lose around 8lbs of fat which doesn't sound like a lot, but they look amazing! (google this dvd and you'll find a ton of before and after images.) That is pure fat lost and of course a lot of muscle gain. This workout comes in 3 different levels and it's basically circuit training. I researched everything I could find on this workout so I could do it right. You're supposed to do this workout for 30 consecutive days. No breaks, no resting, etc.  You're supposed to do level 1 for ten days, level 2 for ten days, and then finally level 3 for the remaining 10 days.  (I finished level 1 yesterday!) All you need is a workout mat if you're on a hard surface and some hand weights of your choice.  The dvd also has 2 women working out behind Jillian. There is one girl who does a modified version of the workouts (which I am doing) and one who is doing a more difficult full on way of doing the workout. The workout is in a 321 format meaning...3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. You have a warm up and a cool down session and the entire workout is LESS than 30 minutes! I have been able to fit this into my busy schedule fairly easily. The other awesome thing about this dvd is if you finish the challenge and you've started with a modified version you can then do it over with heavier weights or by doing the unmodified version to take it to the next level. You can literally get a lot of different workouts from this one dvd. 
I will say that this workout definitely takes determination and dedication to reach your goals. I started on May 21st which gives me 2 months to look fab for Vegas and for the beach.  I am so excited to see my final results because I've never done something like this before, but my body definitely responds to this kind of training. If you want to know my experience with Level 1 you can read the next blog. For those of you joining the 30 day shred challenge...Good luck!!!
<3
Hayley

Today was one of those days for me. I was tired, moody, and did I mention tired? Haha! I recently started a new workout routine and I've been exhausted. My body isn't used to this kind of strain anymore. I used to dance on stage (singer) for 6 hours off and on in heels without an issue. This also kept me in shape...AND I was also 19-24 which meant everything was younger. It is sooo not that way anymore. Haha! Anyways...I pushed myself to workout today even though I was pooped and I was really proud of myself. If you all want me to elaborate on what I'm doing as far as workouts feel free to comment and I'll try my best to review what I'm doing through this blog. :) Today was also the first weds. I've had off in over 2 years without being sick. I no longer work weds which means my week has an extra day for something else. I spend the evening with my husband and we went shopping at the outlet malls where we live. I found some killer deals at the CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet) and was so excited. 

When we left the outlets I got to thinking about what I do for a living. I also got to thinking about some of the big beauty gurus on youtube and the amount of hate they receive. (I may be doing a video on that soon.) I just thought to myself how lucky I am to be doing all the wonderful things I do. It's almost like a dream world. That is how thankful I am! I have managed to take so many things that I love and make a living off of them. Most youtube girls always get asked how they make a living when they do a haul. So...How do I make a living? Music, singing, candles, make-up, shopping, chocolate, and teaching. I am one lucky girl!!! When we take things for granted we seem to forget how lucky and blessed we truly are. Sure I could go on and on about how tiring it is to be up at night basically hosting party for everyone, or complain that my guest room has turned into a room that functions as an office, filming studio and of course a bed. But, I am happy with everything! I am happy with what I've done and how I've done it. In the past month...thinking positive has really brought positive results my way.  Removing negative people has brought positive results as well. When I'm working...I am doing just that...Working. I read in my book the other day about a woman who makes a decent amount of money at her job. She explained that she had a friend who also works where she works, but is envious because she doesn't see the same results as she does as far as money.  The woman went on to explain that her friend spends all of her time emailing funny jokes to people while she is at work. We can't expect the same results as someone else when we are putting in half of the work was her point. I fully agree. We can not expect success if we only want to put in half of the effort to get there. 

But, any who..to get back on topic...I am so happy for all the effort I have put into my household and businesses and even though it's taken a lot of time to get the ball rolling on everything it's definitely rolling. I feel like I'm in a good place right now. I love singing for crowds, playing music to keep the party going, reviewing cosmetics, teaching my viewers about different things, being a part of Scentsy (the most positive business I know) and now Velata. I pray that everyone can feel as peaceful as I do right now and I pray that things can keep going up from here.

I tend to get scared when I reach points of success, but I am thinking positive and telling myself that I haven't even gotten to the peak yet. I just need to keep climbing that mountain. I have so much more in store for this year. I just wanted to share because if there are things that you all are dying to do or want...it takes work. All of these things didn't just "fall into place." I made them happen. I put the elbow grease into them and you can do the same for whatever goals you have for yourself. :) I believe you can!

<3

Hayley

Focus

Today I picked up one of my favorite tabloid magazines that I bought over 2 weeks ago and forgot about. While I was reading I realized that I am so behind on my favorite celebrities. Jessica Simpson had her baby...Beyonce's lost her baby weight, Drew Barrymore is pregos, Miley is scary skinny, and Brad and Angelina got engaged. WTF? Normally every week I would go out and buy my 2 favorite magazines and read them the first day I got them. I'm not upset to be so behind. I'm just so shocked at how little I cared and how uninterested I felt while reading all of this. My books have replaced my magazines and my books have given me so much knowledge that I could care less about what else is going on around me. I say this because the books I've been reading have been spiritual, self help, or business oriented books. Since reading these I feel like things have been happening for me. My businesses are improving, my  way of thinking is changing, and I'm feeling so much more positive. Normally when someone would give me the details of some scandal happening where I work (example) or with someone I don't even know, it would be interesting to me. I would listen and again I was usually the last person to know the latest gossip because I try not poke around in people's business. 


As of lately...I feel almost as if any sort of gossip has been a complete turn off for me. I don't care about what other people are doing and I don't care what other people's problems are. For the most part I would listen to people gossip because I am a sympathetic person. I always felt like I had to be there problem solver. Over the past 2 years I have told myself that I can not do that anymore and have been successful at not fighting other people's battles. Therefore I am just a listener and my life has been 75% drama free. It's not that I don't want to listen to people's "personal" problems, I just don't want to listen to them talk about other people's personal issues. Who cares? I see people go on and on every single day on Facebook about what other people post and how much they hate it, make fun of people, etc and all I can think is...why are these people so concerned and feel the need to talk about what other people do? Obviously if we have to sit and talk about other people's lives then we don't have one of our own. I feel like I'm so focused on my goals at the moment that every thing else just seems like a blur. I like it that way. I like giving myself goals and actually reaching them. I like focusing on my businesses, my house hold, my husband, and myself. I've been praying so hard for God to remove people from my life who will distract me from my goals and viola..so many people aren't around as much.  I want to surround myself with successful and genuinely happy people. I would rather have one happy, positive and supportive friend any day than have a ton of fake people surround me.  All in all I have given myself a new goal. A BIG one and I plan on reaching it. I know God has given me blinders for the moment so I can keep my eyes on the prize. 
<3
Hayley

Obsession

My mind is constantly spinning and swirling with goals and achievements I want to accomplish.  It's not a bad thing, but I find that I can't think of anything else other than my goals. It becomes an obsession.  I feel like when I'm super focused on what I want, that is when people catch on and start trying to be competitive with me.  The thing about this is I've been like this my whole life. People constantly think I'm trying to compete when in fact the only thing in my mind is my goal and not anyone or anything else.  All I'm worried about at this point in my life is my household and long term goals.  I'm still trying to run my house to the best of my ability while running 4 businesses.  I have another idea for another small business that I want to progress on over the next year and this is yet another obsession. Haha! People LOVE to pick on me because of my jobs and what I do for a living. They roll there eyes and say..."All you're doing is playing music, recording tutorials, selling scentsy...ect." Look...I don't sit around saying my jobs are difficult, but I will not make any apologies for what I've chosen to do either. It is not my fault that I was smart and took all of my interests and made them into lucrative businesses is it??? DJing is such a fun job. I <3 music and what I do. But, the flip side is that I am constantly out. It's exhausting. Anyone who parties or is up until 2-4 am 4-5 days a week becomes exhausted. Not only that, but I have been trained to have immaculate hair and make-up for performance which takes me 2 hours to do. Imagine having to host the party and keep people spending money and having fun on top of being up late. That is my job. 

My typical day goes something like this: Wake up, check ALL messages (2 facebooks, Youtube, 2 emails, twitter, etc.) respond to all, check Scentsy &Velata workstations, edit a video (1-2 times a week) upload, Respond to scentsy clients, check scentsy/Velata planner, drop husband off at work, set up equipment on some days, come home and EAT, do full on hair and make-up, drive to work, DJ/ karaoke for 4 hours, come home, eat, clean up, play with pets, check more messages, wash makeup off go to bed!

Sunday is my only day where I chill out and allow myself to get away from my obligations. Mondays I clean my entire house top to bottom.  In no way am I complaining. I LOVE everything I do and I am blessed. But, I am so sick of people judging my life as if it's the simplest thing in the world when in fact I have to work very hard at everything I do. I would not make money if I did not promote myself in every single thing that I did.  Promotion is key to getting any business off of the ground. I am never sure if I will lose one if not all of my DJ gigs in a single day, if I will have happy customers and if I will have viewers on my Youtube channel. These are all jobs that I've taken risks on and choose to keep doing because I believe in myself. I only believe all of these things will keep getting BIGGER and BETTER! So...with all this stress, work, and judgement on my shoulders, I know that God has my back and will help me to succeed in whatever I do. I think everyone should take risks with their creativity and interests and try to make a business out of them. After all..the saying goes..."Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." 

<3

Hayley

Life Detox

I am so excited for myself! In the past few months I have really gotten back into reading again. I used to love to read when I was younger and for a while recently I was feeling extremely uneasy about a lot of things.  I really wanted to find a way to make myself peaceful since my life is always such a whirlwind. When you work in bars like I do, it can be emotionally and mentally draining because believe it or not you are surrounded by a lot of negative Nancy's for the majority of the time. I thought to myself..."What are the things I used to enjoy doing when I was younger and why aren't I doing some of those things now?" Well...One of them was taking long walks by myself to the park or anywhere else. But, in our world now a days that's almost impossible when you're a woman. It's become a dangerous thing. :/ I kept racking my brain and I used to LOVE to read. I probably stopped because it wasn't the "cool" thing to do. But, I love to read things and learn. I'm more of a self help, inspirational, how to, type of reader. Anything that I can gain knowledge from is something I like to read.  

One day I was sitting back getting ready for an event and was flipping through the channels when someone caught my ear. I flipped back and realized that I was on the inspirational channel which I never watch. A Pastor named Mike Murdock was talking. I was instantly enthralled in everything he had to say.  He mentioned one of his books at the end of the segment and when I got home that evening I ordered 4 of them! He has so many books to choose from. His way of preaching is so relatable. He really makes you look at things from a different perspective. I just finished reading my 4th book today and since reading his books I feel like my life and way of thinking has changed drastically.  He is a Pastor that talks about prosperity, having a better life, blessings, ways to bless others, planting seeds, etc. I swear since reading his books I've had more success with my finances, a more peaceful mind, and a completely different outlook when it comes to work and people. He has really inspired me to want to be better. If I've had a bad day I'll come home and read a little bit of my book and I instantly feel a calm come over me. It's amazing! I want to order more of his books now that I'm done with all of these. I want to learn more! He has so many quotes through out his books that you can live by and use as life mottos. One of them that has really stuck with me is.."What you do for others, God will do for you." If you help others to succeed...God will help you to succeed. If you make others happy...God will make you happy. It's all about having faith. :) 

Last but not least..reading these books have made me feel so much more confident. I feel like speaking my mind is the only option lately. It's not a bad thing and I've always been like that, but it's in a different way now. It's almost as if I can turn a negative conversation around just by speaking my mind and asking the questions that most people wouldn't ask. I don't know if that makes any sense...but it is sooo crazy! It's almost like a life detox. Anyways...I highly recommend his books if you are going through a troubled time or simply just want to live a more God like life. I can almost guarantee that this will give you a nice soul and brain detox. Who needs a spa when you can have a life detox in a book :)

<3

Hayley