Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.

Oprah Winfrey

The Situation at Hand

Hello beautiful people! Long time no talk. I’ve been away for some time and as I was thinking about my “comeback post” I realized that the best post would be on a topic that I’ve had on my mind for some time, self-care (making self-care priority #1). You see, my new year’s resolution this year is self-care, and I believe that after the past few years that we’ve all had with the world experiencing global crises, it’s a resolution that we all ought to share.

As a senior in high school I have found a new appreciation for self-care being under the awkward balance of joy and stress that senior year brings. From studying hard, to connecting with old and new friends, applying to colleges, expanding my artistic creativity, and spending time with all of you on this website, I have definitely been trying new things and learning how to juggle them all. Today, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite things to incorporate on self-care days that I think you’ll love to add to yours. Let’s get into it!

The Case For Self-Care

I know I sound like a broken record, but for old time’s sake I’ll say it again, self-care is so important. As girls and women it’s easy to pile more and more things on until eventually we reach a breaking point. We can really benefit from restructuring our priorities to make self-care priority #1. Having a set self-care routine can combat that and reduce mental overwhelm. Good self-care leads to boosted confidence and productivity, relieves stress, and allows life to be enjoyed more. Everyone’s self-care routine is different, but getting started is what matters, so don’t stress when you see elaborate social-media routines.

6 Simple Ideas

1. Explore Nature

I love technology as much as the next person, but I’ll be the first to tell you that sometimes I really do need to unplug to center myself. Taking some time to touch some grass and feel the wind on your face sans technology can be one of the best things to happen to you. Set up a hammock and chill!

2. Make Rest Time Intentional

It’s easy to claim that we’re resting when we watch YouTube and try to fit in “rest” at random intervals of the day, but I found that it can be more draining than restful. I’ve been trying to carve out time in my busy days lately to relax by reading books and being mindful while drinking tea. Taking joy in the little things in life like looking out the window, reading a favorite book, and enjoying times to rest while I eat have worked wonders for me. From one busy human to another, I highly recommend this!

3. Rest Your Eyes

Like my statement from before, it’s so easy for me to claim that I am resting and then find myself chilling in bed snug as a bug in a rug watching my favorite show. Hours later, I feel more tired than rested. Lately I’ve been embracing nap times (P.s. they’re not just for little kids!). Sleep is our best friend, let’s not push it away. Who doesn’t love sleep?

4. Hang Out With Friends…Or Don’t

Depending on your schedule and personality, you might be someone that spends lots of time with friends and hardly has any time to themselves, or you might be the opposite tied to a busy schedule and hardly making the time for a fun outing with friends. If you relate more to the former situation, I recommend spending a night in and doing things that you enjoy, or better yet, sleeping! If the latter sounds more like you (join the club!), try to schedule a fun day with your friends for a couple of hours. Recently, I had a fun girls’ day picnic with my friends! (10/10 would recommend)

5. Arts and Crafts

I love coloring books, and the internet definitely agrees with me that coloring can be a very relaxing activity. Trust me, you’re never too old to grab a coloring book and make it come to life. Also, try some needle arts like crocheting and cross-stitching; they’re great for coordination and since they don’t always require the most attention they can be pretty relaxing (p.s. you’re not old just because you like them ). Take these activities outside and enjoy the great outdoors for extra fun!

6. Have Skin-care Days and Relaxing Ambience

Trust me, you’re never too old for a good girls’ night in. With or without friends it’s fun to reach for your favorite face mask and light your room with your favorite lamps. Lately I have been loving listening to light academia playlists and running my essential oil diffuser. If you’re a student, you already know what I’m talking about! (lol)

Thanks For Coming!

Hey! Thanks for coming to my website, I hope that you try some of these self-care ideas and love them. Make sure to come back frequently so that you don’t miss any amazing content and stay tuned for an exciting interview. I can’t tell you who it is yet (that’s a surprise ), but I know that you’ll be very inspired! As always…

Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Live Life The Girl Way

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Hello Everyone! I hope you are having a good day. I thought that for today’s post we could take some time to stop and smell the flowers. In other words, I will “wax poetic” (speak in a flowery or poetical fashion) about my journey to and through my senior year (as I am currently a senior in high school) and the roller coaster of feelings and experiences that come along with it. Perhaps I shall write a poem to begin this post. Without further ado…we begin!

A Poem About Senior Year

Smiling, Laughing, Touching, Restructuring, Beholding

Senior Year

She walks alongside old, familiar paths pulling my heartstrings as she goes

Things I’ve seen a hundred times make fresh my eyes with tears

Happy tears, for Senior Year

My chest swells with emotion as the ancient film plays in my head

Clicking, clicking, clicking through the slides

Pausing to reflect on the old, the new, and the familiar

she goes

she walks

she skips

she jumps

she stops…

Realization enters and smiles up at her

Filling her with a feeling unfamiliar

Not quite warm and not quite cold

This feeling impresses on the atmosphere

Leaving its mark and eventually drifting away

This uncertain ambiance, this weight, this thickness in the air identifies itself

It is the breeze of change gently rustling through the green meadows

Slipping through the rustling reeds and peeking around the rolling hills she goes

Change is strange but not unwelcome

She’s different from the others, senior year

She’s gentler than freshman year

Kinder than sophomore year

And less unpredictable than junior year

But, she’s not all together innocent

She challenges in a different way

Ambivalence is her noun

She gently reminds me of the past while simultaneously pulling me towards the future

It’s strange this conflicting sensation

But it’s not in vain

It seems that Senior Year intends to help me learn and grow

Not unlike a baby bird that must eventually leave the nest of all things familiar

I too must be willing to hold fond memories in my heart and test the waters of the future

Braving the unknown isn’t always easy, but perhaps easy isn’t the goal

Challenge

Strength

Curiosity

And the Quest For Knowledge

Pull me forward as I approach the edge of the meadow

Now she’s smiling wide, grinning from ear to ear as I peer over the edge at the rolling hills of adventure

Perhaps Senior Year is what I need to finally step away from the doors of the familiar

And into the doors of the unknown

My future and philosophical journey have finally begun

The rays of sunshine are pouring in, it’s a personal kaleidoscope

These beautiful moments of growth are her…

These happy, twinkling times are senior year.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reflect with me on this amazing journey in life that I classify as my senior year. I have resolved to take some time to identify life’s multitude of beauties and to find the positives in every day. It seems that senior year is an emotional journey designed to facilitate personal growth and transition from resting in the familiar to venturing into the unfamiliar. I’m slowly but surely turning the pages in my storybook called life and taking the time to recline and feel the warm rays of the sun on my face. I guess it truly is a year full of sunshine. I hope this poem inspires you to embrace the seasons of change in your life and to make time to positively reflect on them (also I hope this inspires you to write poetry, haha). Come back again soon to make sure you don’t miss any fun content, empowerment, and general musings about the wonderful journey that is life! As always…

Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Live Life The Girl Way

(Musings about life from Lilynator (Lily))

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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Hello Everyone! Today I wanted to share some of my favorite motivational music playlists for productivity from YouTube. These playlists never fail to motivate me to get work done and to complete it with a smile on my face. With this amazing music, I’m sure that you will feel like work (either for school or your career) is a party! There is music for everyone: chill music, drawing music, studying music, upbeat music, work music, etc.  (None of these playlists are mine, see channel titles for more information)

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Thank you for visiting my organization today and hanging out with me! I hope that you enjoy these motivational music playlists for productivity and share them with your friends! See you soon! As always….

Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Live Life The Girl Way

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I hope that you enjoyed this exciting news and informative episode. I can’t wait to see you again next week!

Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Live Life The Girl Way

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My Reflections From My Past Year of Life

• Life is short but it’s the longest thing we do, so let’s enjoy it
• If achieving your dreams were easy, everyone would do it
• School can be difficult, but learning is the most magical thing of all; knowledge is power
• If you wait for the approval of others, you’ll have missed your chance to achieve your goals and dreams

What I’m Thankful For

• All of the girls globally that read my blog
• The people and organizations that collaborated with Live Life The Girl Way
• Teachers, Friends, and Family that encourage me to keep my inner sparkle
• The blessings and protection of God on my life
• My best friends
• School (even though it’s online)
• Music, Dance, The Arts
• You!
• The internet
• The sun and moon, the water cycle, tides, and oxygen
• Books!
• Tea and pizza, yum
• fuzzy socks
• fall/autumn
• bright colors
• people with bright personalities
• people that uplift and encourage others
• confident, not cocky people
• Good grades and fun extracurriculars
• nature (trees, flowers, etc.)
• the good in humanity
• learning from mistakes
• 2 and 3/4 years of Live Life The Girl Way!

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to wish me a happy birthday and read my reflections! Happy birthday to me indeed. I’ll be back next week as usual with some epic content, so check out the links below and subscribe today! If you haven’t seen my latest posts, shared Live Life The Girl Way with your friends, or seen my YouTube vids or Podcast episodes, you are missing out! Look below and check them out Today! Ehhhh, I’ve talked too much today, you know the drill….

Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Live Life The Girl Way

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Be sure to watch this video and share it with your friends and family. If you feel inspired by this and want to support Live Life The Girl Way please be sure to subscribe to the Live Life The Girl Way YouTube channel today, and click on the link below to follow the blog today! Until next time remember to always smile at your reflection in the mirror and Dream, Succeed, and Achieve; Live Life The Girl Way!

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Interview with Entrepreneur and Influencer Hannah Ashton

As a female entrepreneur, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve made it to a point in my career where I’ve had to deal with gender stereotype barriers. I mainly work with peers and fellow young professionals so I haven’t had that “only female in the boardroom” experience… yet at least. I do know that the narrative is different for other women but I am hopeful that Gen Z, being the most diverse generation yet, changes the landscape and breaks down any minority barriers. 

Who inspired you and why?

I hope that you enjoyed this interview with entrepreneur and influencer Hannah Ashton! Please check out her social media links below and view her content. If you liked this interview let me know and share the interview with entrepreneur and influencer Hannah Ashton with your friends! See you next week. 

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Side Note:

If any of you are vegan, vegetarian, or follow a plant-based lifestyle; you can easily change some of the recipes below and check out the following YouTubers for great food ideas.

Vegan Richa: https://www.youtube.com/c/VeganRichaRecipes/playlists click HERE

Pick Up Limes: https://www.youtube.com/c/PickUpLimes/videos click HERE

Liv B:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtuwIdM0Zx7xCiZSa_clRzw/videos click HERE

If you are not vegan, please feel free to edit the following recipes with animal products instead of substitutes if you so desire.

To make the recipes healthier, be mindful of the amount of sugar, oil, and other fats that you include. Don’t be afraid to use less sugar, oil, or butter than the recipe calls for. Also, don’t shy away from quick and healthy meals like oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat, cornmeal, etc. Lastly, remember that the last recipe on this page, the mug recipe, is not very healthy; so don’t eat it often. If you do eat it often, please try to find healthier recipes and use wholesome ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Quick, easy, and healthy breakfast/lunch ideas.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or nutritionist.

Recipes:

Avocado Toast: need bread, avocado, and egg (optional), hot sauce (optional)

• Toast the bread
• Spread the avocado on the toast
• place the cooked egg on the toast
• drizzle on the hot sauce
• done!

Pancakes: these are vegan, but you can always use animal products instead

Click HERE for the recipe

Biscuits with eggs, bacon, or just jam: the biscuits are vegan, all animal products such as eggs and bacon are optional.

Click HERE for the recipe

• you can add the bacon and eggs after you cook the biscuits
• feel free to just use jam or peanut butter

Pizza: This is vegan pizza dough,  you can add your own toppings and make this a breakfast, lunch, or dinner pizza

Click HERE for the recipe

• you add the toppings directly on top of the dough and then place it in the oven to cook for the suggested amount of time.
• pro tip: make pizza dough ahead of time for easy meal preparation

One-Bowl Waffles: these are vegan, works perfectly with animal products too. You need a waffle iron for this recipe. Feel free to make these into pancakes instead.

Click HERE for the recipe

• top with fresh fruits
• top with butter, jam, peanut butter, syrup, or whatever you like!
• enjoy!

Breakfast Burrito: this can also be a lunch burrito. You need tortilla bread, vegetables, cheese, and whatever else you want.

• pro tip: all you really need is a tortilla! Put whatever you like into it!
• warm up the tortilla bread
• cook the vegetables or leave them raw

place them on the warm tortilla bread

• place cheese on the tortilla
• roll the tortilla burrito-style
• enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Or Cheese Quesadilla: you need sandwich bread or tortilla bread, and cheese

• pro tip: if you don’t have time to put this on the stove, just place it in the microwave.
• pro tip: add spices, vegetables, or meat to make the flavor pop!
• pro tip: you can use vegan cheese or hummus instead!
• warm stove or griddle
• place tortilla or sandwich bread on pan or griddle
• place cheese on bread
• let it melt
• add extra things (optional)
• enjoy!

Mug Cake: this can be a meal or simply a very quick dessert!

Click HERE for several recipes.

• remember to always be safe and never put metal in the microwave!
• don’t stand in front of the microwave, too much radiation!

I hope that you try these quick, easy, and healthy breakfast/lunch ideas! This should make work and school from home a little less stressful. You can make many of these recipes ahead of time, and place them in the fridge for later use. Please remember to come to my upcoming webinars! I would love to see you there and answer your questions in person! View the events HERE. 

Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Lilynator

Back to school series upcoming posts

• tips for staying fit while at home
• tips to avoid boredom eating at home
• Tips for dealing with isolation from peers during the COVID-19 pandemic

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If you missed my last post, click HERE.

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During the final semester of school last year and during summer break, I learned a few valuable things about how to successfully be productive at home. At first, I made all of the mistakes possible. At the time, I didn’t appreciate it, but now I can tell all of you what to avoid, so for that I am very grateful! In the first few days of online school, I did my school work in bed frequently. I ended up feeling sluggish and unproductive all day. What I didn’t know was that location matters. I also learned that having a device nearby that is constantly pinging with texts from friends and family is an immense distraction! I learned so many things that I can’t explain them all to you in a normal blog post length, so I highly recommend that you tune in to my webinar and get all of my productivity tips there. For this blog post, I will give you a list that will be further explained in my webinar. Ok, ok, enough webinar promotion! I am just really, really, excited. Enough procrastination, here is the list.

Work/School From Home Productivity Tips

1. Don’t do your homework or office work in bed!
2. Make an area that is strictly for school and work, nothing else!
3. Move all unnecessary devices from the work area, yes, phones and other tech. included!
4. Only text and call friends after work or school, that means no face timing in class!
5. Take breaks! If you can, go outside in between classes or calls!
6. Wear blue light glasses, if you don’t you may suffer from headaches, eye twitching, and dizziness!
7. Drink water regularly and stay hydrated, aim for eight glasses a day!
8. Treat yourself and take brain breaks, yoga; walks; and talking with friends are great ideas!
9. Set a time to be a school or work every day, and stick to it!
10. Eat healthy snacks, do not eat chips/crisps, and cookies/biscuits every day!
11. Set a time to have lunch every day, it is important to fuel your body and stick to a schedule!

Thank you so much for reading this post! I hope that this helps and that you attend my webinar on September 3rd. I can’t wait to see you there! Look out for the following posts in the back to school series.

Back to school series upcoming posts

• quick, easy, and healthy breakfast/lunch for work and school from home
• tips for staying fit while at home
• tips to avoid boredom eating at home
• Tips for dealing with isolation from peers during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

    Live Life The Girl Way

Video Post!

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Dream-Succeed-Achieve,

Live Life The Girl Way

Lily W. is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Productivity Tips For Work and School From Home!

Time: Aug 27, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78672284874?pwd=blJ1THFuZjVHMEdIb0tsc0wzMTFQdz09

Meeting ID: 786 7228 4874

Passcode: K71XRH

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