There is “a little girl in you”, who wants to be loved, adored, and taken care of.  She needs to be the princess of the day.  This little girl needs someone to think in advance of her needs to ensure her life is happy and as perfect as could be.  There may be times when things get a little touch.  When life gets tough, she wants someone to fight for her - she needs a champion, a champion who is not afraid to roar on her behalf.

This little girl may have been neglected by others and perhaps even by you.  You can’t change the past, but you can certainly impact the future.  Make sure this little girl gets what she needs from now on.  Put her first, at least some of the time.  If you take care of the princess inside, the Diva outside can move forward in a positive fashion.  We can’t be afraid to take care of old hidden wounds.  If we do, they will fester and infect our whole life.  Sometimes to move forward, we have to take two steps back.  Be the champion “the little girl in you” needs today.

So the summer is over and it’s back to business, as usual.  I’m such an island girl, as long as I’m on the beach on an island somewhere – I’m good.   This summer I stayed close to home, but the beach and the waves will forever be on my mind.  To me, it’s the most relaxing place in the world to be.  The air is fresh and crisp.  You can hear the waves crashing on the beach and then there’s the sand.  I love it all. 

I purchased the most amazing sign for my sun room.  It says, “You can shake the sand from your shoes, but it will never leave your soul”.  Absolutely –awesome.  When I’m beach-side, I have the clearest head.  Some of my best plans and goals come to me when I’m there.  In a few months, the streets will be covered with snow.  It’s wonderful for about two-minutes, if you’re inside and peeking out the window.  If you’re out in the elements – it has nightmare potential.  All winter long all I can think about is thank God the sand is in my soul.  Summer will come again and guess where this diva will be?

I’m all for glam.  Everybody has times in their life when they want to look their absolute best.  But there are a few things that concern me.  One is, we have to really pay attention to the products that we are putting on our face.  The last thing we want is cheap makeup clogging our pours or worse.  We also have to pay attention to the age of the products.  Makeup doesn’t stay fresh forever.  Cheap, old makeup is definitely, by far, the worst thing we could use on our delicate facial skin.  It can cause some damage.

This article is not an endorsement for one brand of makeup over another.  Although I have my favorites, I won’t even mention them.  It is more important that you take the time to do your homework and at least, look into what chemicals go into your favorite makeup compared to other brands.  Find out what effect those chemicals may have on your skin over time.  You know the saying you get what you pay for, in this case, it may be true.  You may think you found a bargain, but that should be tested and verified.  I’m sure you would agree that anything that has the potential to age or otherwise damages your skin, should be left on the store shelf.

I think it’s a good idea to also have a skin care routine to take the best care of your skin, especially since we wear makeup.  Know your skin type is it: dry, oily, mixed or sensitive.   Then buy the proper cleaning and moisturizing etc products that complement your skin type.  Additionally, you will need to consider your skin type when purchasing makeup.  For example, if you have oily skin, purchasing makeup with an oil base may not be the best choice. 

I encourage you to do a little research and come up with a plan and products that will take care of your delicate facial skin and keep it looking lovely for as long as you can.  Then follow some basic rules.  Don’t wear makeup too young, too long or too often.  And of course don’t wear too much.  Give your skin opportunities to breathe so it can stay healthy.  When it’s time to glam up do so, but also take the best care of your skin diva – it’s the only one you have.


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And so, today I’ve made the commitment to consistently add exercise into my lifestyle.  I’ve done a little here or there in the past, but I’ve just made a commitment to good health and this is part of my plan.   I was thinking the fall is a wonderful time to start, it’s a good season for a stroll in the park or a walk around the track.  I’m a beginner in this game, not quite ready for a 5K, but I’m excited to be on my way.  Life is a journey and it’s really nice once in a while when you know you have it right. 

I was thinking that I would start out with a half hour walk, three times a week and work my way up from there.  And at some point, I’ll add a full workout to my exercise regime.  It’s never too late to start something new, especially when that thing will improve your health. 

I’m sure there are “Diva’s on the move” out there.  So, what do you think?  Are there any good work out strategies for a newbie?  Do you work out?  What is your regime?  If you are working out for like, three hours a day or something, you are my hero but I’m not there yet - be gentle.  I’m getting ready to bus a diva move though, so excited!!!! 

At some point, we learn that being financially responsible is the only way to go.  Who wants to come home to a dark house because they didn’t pay their electric bill?  Getting hounded by creditors or collection agencies is a nightmare – literally.  So we learn real quick, either first hand or by watching a buddy go through it.  Yup, note to self, this is what not to do.

There is so much more to fiscal responsibility than paying your basic bills.  Saving for a rainy day, retirement, and other events that will come whether we are ready for them or not, is a necessity.

We have to condition ourselves to spend way less than we make, so that we can save more and live a better life in the future.  Coming up with a good savings plan means, we have to do the “B” word, yes budget.  You must keep your expenses down.  Live beneath your means and come up with a savings plan. 

Basically, you’ll need at least 3 savings accounts:

1.        A long term savings account.  To handle the major things that will come in life, that house and beyond that.  A good way to really safe for the long term is through a credit union or a bank that is not easy for you to access.  Having the money direct deposited into your account without a withdrawal card means you stand a good chance of really building your savings.

2.        An emergency fund comes in handy to help defray the cost of that unexpected car repair or other forms of emergencies.  The one thing you can expect to happen in life, is some sought of an unexpected problem that will need to be fixed.  Fixed with what – money honey.

3.        Roth IRA.  If you don’t have a pension plan, a Roth IRA is a good option.  Again direct deposit and forget it.  At least as far as spending it goes.  If you can’t save for retirement when you are working, you certainly can’t save for it when you are not.

Once you have accumulated some funds, shop around for other financial vehicles that can help your money grow, CD, Money Market accounts.  Before you know it you may dabble in the stock market and making other investments in real-estate or whatever you choose.  You can’t take money with you, but you can’t live here without it.  So as Diva’s always do – find your balance.

I prayed for you even before we met.  I prayed that you would make it into this world safely and I continue to pray that God will guide you through this life and keep you safe from harm.

God has done his part and you will have to do yours.  We have protected you as you grew.  This world is not as nice and as wonderful as we wished it would be for you.  You have to be careful and stay safe.  There are a lot of people in the world that are, let’s say, less than kind.  You can’t focus on them or you won’t live the full wonderful life that we want for you so look past them – onward and upward.

We did our best to raise you.  We instilled our morals and faith.  You’ve learned to treat others how you would like to be treated, to be kind, and compassionate.  We taught you the importance of saving and the importance of helping people who are less fortunate than you.

You’ve learned the importance of an education and the necessity of a strong work ethic.  You’re a lifelong learner, so I know you will continue to learn, grow, and improve over your lifetime.  It was important for you to learn to be a critical thinker and to think for yourself so that you can make your own decisions.  You’ll need that skill to make pertinent life choices.  We’ve taught you how to overcome obstacles as we modelled for you as we progressed through our own life. 

Now there are going to be some good times and wonderful experiences that you will have.  Enjoy every minute of it and live well.  But there will also be some tough times and you’ll wonder how you will ever make it through – you will.  Listen to your instincts, walk in truth and let the facts guide your decision.  Just know, that you come from a long line of strong individuals who have successfully taken this journey before you.  You have everything you need inside of you to live a wonderful life so go, live, enjoy.  And I will always pray for you.  Oh, and when you come back to visit bring popcorn – we’re watching Martin & Gina.

I read a research paper that confirmed what I already knew, body language speaks louder than words.  A researcher named Albert Mehrabian conducted a study on body language and communication and published his finding in 1971.  He said that words accounted for 7 percent of the overall message, 38 percent is the tone of voice, but a whopping 55 percent of communication is body language.

Anyone who majored in leadership know that when you are conducting an interview the candidate’s lips may say yes, his tone might say maybe, but if the body language says no – it’s a wrap, next.  The thing about integrity is, if you have it – integrity will always shine through.  It will be the consistent you.   No work involved, its natural.  But we have to be willing to put in the work to improve who we are as a person.

You can only be your best self if you know who you are right now and work on improving anything that is not aligned with excellence.  When you do what you have to do, to get where you have to go, it will be quite the accomplishment.  Then when integrity meets confidence your best self will naturally shine through.  When that happens, your overall message, tone, and body language will match one hundred percent.  Now don’t be surprised that as soon as that happens, you awake a few haters.  It might trigger a few hater steers, (i.e. Who does she think she is.)  But remember when integrity and confidence shines through your crystal clear on who you are – apparently they know too.  Unfortunately, some people even friends feel more comfortable with you when you are struggling.  Don’t worry about the haters, you can’t stop the rain.  Perhaps they too have an underlying beneficial purpose – not your concern.

Focus on you.  Become the person that you inspire to be by making the commitment to change.  Look at models of excellence.  Pay attention to people that are about it, there is something you may be able to learn from them.  Don’t listen to someone telling you what to do right, if what they are saying did not work for them, but that topic is another whole blog post girl.

Whatever you don’t like about you, bottom line – fix it.